Last year I made my way down to the ’Crack and Shine’ launch party, but all I had to show for it was a stolen proof, a hangover…

 

…and a vague memory that my mate sold his bike to some French dudes for 20 quid. So in an attempt to make amends for not writing about it, I tracked the man behind it all down for a little chat. Now if only finding the French guys with my mates bike was as easy.

So on a cold December evening I made my way down to ‘Cracked’, the first showcase of artists represented by Topsafe. The venue was a surprisingly swanky affair, away from the warehouses and the Supreme capped liggers of the East end and situated down a Dickensian cobbled stoned court yard behind New Bond Street. The opening must have been a very English interpretation of 80’s New York, with quite literally people from different sides of the tracks, coming together amongst the luxurious surroundings of the near by wine bar. In true ‘finger on the pulse’ fashion, I caught up with Mr.Freddie Forsyth as he was taking the show down, giving him time on reflecting on how it all went.

DF: How did ‘Topsafe’ come about and how did you gather the artists you represent?

FF: Topsafe came about as a natural progression from Crack & Shine. I worked closely with a lot of creative people involved in the real graffiti movement and I saw an opportunity to start something which distinguished itself from street art galleries and high end contemporary art galleries. I wanted to work with artists who have a strong graphic look and fresh concepts behind their work. The prints we produced show that there are references to graffiti culture but hopefully the quality of the work shines through. I also wanted to broaden the appeal of the brand by adding some foreign guys - so having the likes of Finsta, Egs, Horfe, Honet and Seb Gorey really added something different to the project.

DF: How would you defend your artist against critics that brand them ‘artfags’?

FF: I’m not sure it can be said of anyone involved, that they are ‘artfags’. All of the artists have spent a lot of time out there doing illegal graffiti, so I don’t think it would affect them if any one did suggest that. Looking further than that, the majority of these artists have a passion and talent for creative disciplines away from graffiti that they wish to pursue, so I don’t think street cred is solely their agenda when creating work for Topsafe or any other commercial venture.

DF: What made you put together ‘Crack n Shine’ and what were the biggest obstacles you faced when you were creating it?

FF: I just wanted to produce a beautiful and interesting book about a culture which I have followed since I was a teenager. The length of time we had to wait for content got very frustrating, but it was all worth it in the end - the feedback on the book from outside of graffiti has been really positive. So it was nice to feel like people appreciated it and learnt about the culture. I think the best thing to hear is that people have read the book, and have a new understanding of why people go out there and do it - it doesn’t seem as mindless as they had initially thought.

DF: What plans are there for yourself and Topsafe? Will all future projects be under the ‘Topsafe’ banner?

FF: Topsafe has a very exciting year or 2 ahead of it. The relaunch of the website is happening in February/March and we are making 2 films to promote the launch. The films are not just about the painting but more about the people in London who own the surfaces the artists are painting on to.

There is also an upcoming Emilski pop-up show in London somewhere in the summer. Emilski is a very talented artist, he has so many good ideas and he takes his work very seriously, so I’m sure the show will be a great success for him.

As well as that we are moving in the direction of working with brands that we admire, producing collaborative products and events. The first of these is with Tokyo Fixed Gear and Bagjack. That will happen in April 2010. I don’t think the Topsafe banner will always be a part of it. I want to help the artists involved do the projects they want to, so it’s not always necessary to put a brand to it. But Topsafe will always be the name for any collaborative work. As long as people we admire, and want to work with can see what we’re doing - then I’m happy. Asides from that I am working on a new book with Will Robson-Scott, a magazine and building up Topsafe as a brand. My own goals are divided between these 3 projects and a bunch of other ventures so I’m hoping it will be a fun and very successful few years ahead.

DF: We’ll sure it will be. Good luck for the future mate.

www.topsafelondon.com

www.crackandshine.com

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