Hello My Name Is: Dais

Name: Dais
Crew: AllStarS (ASS CREW)
City/Country: Copenhagen/Denmark
When did you start writing? 1988
What’s graffiti for you?
A creative playground that I enjoy together with good friends.
What first made you interested in graffiti and how did you end up on that track?
One day at school two of my friends at the time, Thomas and Fede-Kim (Fat-Kim), where reading the famous Danish graffiti book “Dansk Wild Style Graffiti”. I had a look and I was really impressed how the whitelines in the pieces made letters and bubbles stand out. We were hooked from there…
Can you remember the first piece you did?
Yes. Thomas, Fat-Kim and I were totally into a tv series called The Young Ones. And for the fun of it we wrote “Niel”. Niel is a fun hippie. He is one of the main characters in The Young Ones. We did the piece in the local concrete tunnel in the summer of ’88.
How would you describe your style?
These days I’m doing a lot of stuff that have some sort of logic to it shape wise. It’s almost like a mathematical way the letters have similar angles and fits together like in a game of Tetris. Haha… But I don’t really think I have a specific style. I try to explore different styles as much as possible. And even mix them together at times. But a key word for my paintings is “contrast”. I usually place thick shapes next to thin shapes. Tight shapes next to messy shapes. Shinny shapes next to sketched shapes. Etc.
What writers have inspired you?
I would say Tele and Gnoe. (Both from Denmark). I did a lot of innovative paintings with those two guys like 15 years ago. Their approach to graffiti and art in general is great. Not being afraid of doing stuff in different ways. They really ment a lot to me!
Do you adapt your pieces and tags to the spot/surface?
Yes. Here is a couple of examples: I have done a couple of paintings on wooden surfaces with such nice structure that I made the choice to keep some of the wooden surface as part of the painting. (see pictures below) I have transformed road construction materials into huge red and white tags. (see pictures below) I have done a series of work creating squares from different elements in the streets, using paint, paper, water, wood, etc. (see pictures below)
Influences?
Lately I’ve been influenced by the way people explore graffiti on digital media. I’ve challenged myself to think the digital media as part of some of my paintings. The result is a series of paintings that I call “Letter Transformation”. It’s basically the old stop/motion technique that I use to animate letters. But each step in the animation is a regular piece size, and they are painted next to each other. They end up being pretty wide. At my painting at Roskilde Festival 2015, it was 10 letter sections next to each other that made the total of 100 meters of wall painting. Festival guest had the opportunity to view the animation on their iPhones and on the screens on the main stage in between concerts.
Letter Transformation at Roskilde Festival by Dais: Youtube.com/watch?v=qnD8sH–vQc
Letter Transformation by Dais & Pheo: Youtube.com/watch?v=eBFz0waqJhM
Tell us about your city, how is life and graffiti there?
In general people in Denmark focus way too much on rules. I’m looking for opportunities rather than limitations. (Both in graffiti and in real life)
What keeps you still writing?
I still have paint left! Haha…
What trends are you seeing now in the graffiti world that you don’t like?
Hmm… I pretty much like all types of graffiti. That’s the beauty of it I think. That writers are really dedicated and they create stuff in so many different ways.
What do you do when you’re not painting?
I’m trying to have as much fun as possible with my family, my friends and at work.
What do you think about the new generation of writers in your city?
It looks like they are really getting busy and comes with a lot of energy. But too bad I’m too busy to really catch up with everything now a days.
What are the best and worst aspects of graffiti?
The best aspect is that there are no rules. The worst aspect is that people seems to focus on rules anyway.
Can you ever feel tired of graffiti?
Not really. Even if you are exhausted after working on a big painting. It feels like a relief doing something fast or something simple. You know like throwies or simple styles.
Who do you paint for?
Myself I guess. If somebody else likes my stuff, that’s a bonus.
What do you hope people will think and feel when they see your stuff?
It’s always nice if people like what you’re doing. But like I said, that’s a bonus.
Future plans?
In the near future my plan is to challenge myself doing paintings with few colors. Limitations often force you to be more creative. I like that. And after a period of paintings with few colors. I guess I might want to use loads of different colors for a while… haha. Cheers.
Instagram: @Dais_dk
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