110,00 €
Ghosts in the Machine: the Hauntology of Graffiti and Rave culture 1990 - 2010 by Christopher Stead & Nema
Ghosts in the Machine documents graffiti and rave subculture in the wake of a post-Thatcher Britain, as a disenfranchised youth finds social cohesion and identity through the act of graffiti. Meanwhile, rave's rhetoric of social inclusion, set amid Thatcherism, resisted the binaries of boredom, race, class and gender, making it one of its generation's most significant youth movements.
Written through the eyes of two participant observers, Christopher Stead and Nema, who witnessed these two movements in their infancy blossom into global sociocultural phenomena, the book contains seven chapters of imperfect histories, lucid anecdotes, and subcultural polemics to accompany 300 archival photos that capture the spirit of intervention amid an oppressive political climate, with a foreword by the artist and activist Jonny Banger.
Continuing into the 21st century, the book charts counterculture's journey to an unknown future, questioning if the mass acceleration of communication has led to a freezing of time, leaving both seemingly stuck in a state of hauntological retrospection. Subculture has always had the capacity to resist and reflect the moment's sociopolitical conditions, but what happens when the ghosts of their past haunt these conditions? With Brexit considered the miners' strike of our times, the spectres of social inequality continue to haunt today's generation, creating a renewed thirst for countercultural change. Designed by Studio Aurèle Sack, the book is also available as a limited edition package containing a signed copy and print by Nema.
360 pages, Hardcover
Two different papers types
English text
24 x 32 cm
300 colour photographs
ISBN: 978-90-81710-15-2
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TALES FROM BELGIUM
In Tales from Belgium, Alias Press did an unprecedentedly deep 6-year research into the roots of graffiti writing on passenger trains in the publishing house’s home country of Belgium. Thanks to its geographical location, Belgium became one of the nations any serious train writer must visit. After a few years of foreigner writers from neighboring countries such as France, Holland or Germany painting the Dark green and Burgundy red rolling stock, the local scene started to take shape and has since developed a few of Europe’s most well-known and respected train writers.
Tales from Belgium shows 160 remarkable stories and 80 anecdotes told over a period of 32 years from both local and foreign writers as well from railway police, cleaners or train conductors. In addition to the stories, the publication also shows some of the most remarkable newspaper articles on the topic throughout history. Acting as a chronologic overview from the very first graffiti painted on a Belgian passenger train by a few Dutchmen in 1990 leading up to the end of the era of the iconic Burgundy red trains in 2021. Also showcased are 1500 of the best unseen photos from 550 writers from Belgium as well as all throughout Europe.
Designed by Studio Aurele Sack, there is three separate editions. While the contents remain the same, the covers change, with each representing one of the three decades the book is spread across. Each copy comes in the Pantone® color of the trains of each individual era- Dark green representing the 1990s, Burgundy red for the 2000s and Light grey for everything from 2010 up until the date of printing.
824 pages, Hardcover
Two different papers types
Text: English
21 x 31 cm
1500 color photographs
ISBN: 978-90-81710-14-5
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RAVAN
In the raw tunnels beneath the valley topped by the colorful brick houses that define this Caribbean city, runs the matte steel Caracas metro. Characterised by its signature red, yellow, green, blue, and black lines, this metro becomes RAVAN, the initials that form the name of this book.
While red stands for the blood shed in the fight for Venezuelan independence, yellow represents the country’s rich soil and wealth, blue for the Caribbean Sea that washes its coasts; green alludes to the Ávila — the mountain that borders Caracas to the north transmitting peace and harmony, — and black represents the lines that have been under construction throughout the years.
Caracas has drawn global attention for its contemporary history. Through rare and historical images, this publication takes us on a journey of the past of graffiti writing on the unique metro of the Venezuelan capital from the late 2000s till 2024. Revealing what, for many, is illogical and unknown but represents for others the reminiscence of a space-time where the unimaginable was tangible. The emotional value of this record lies in what has become nearly impossible to access. Yet, through these images, we dare to dream of what, perhaps, one day… may return.
92 pages, Embossed dust jacket, glued onto paperback spine
Limited edition of 250, hand numbered copies
Text: English, Spanish
19 x 28,5 cm
95 color photographs
ISBN: 978-90-81710-16-9