Interview: Bondtruluv

Alright so thanks for taking the time out to do this interview, can you give us a brief introduction to who you are, what your history is in the graffiti game and what crew do you rep?

My name is bondtruluv, I’ve been writing these letters since 20003 so 15 or 16 years or so, i started with illegial bombing and street writing but never really got into trains, it never interested me. I got caught acouple of times and had me run in with the law so I had to take a step back and really just focus on the quality of my work and explore different ways I could create graffiti. I used to do classical style like throwups and that sort of thing but never really got into wildstyle.

I had several crews in the past but people move apart over time and people have their own lives. Right now I’m apart of ZNC which is more of an international group, like a loose network of artists. For the most part you never meet these people unless you are out traveling and you will see an artist put Z.N.C under their tag and you go oh wow you’re a member too?” and thats coo. There are actually about a hundred members right now, so every once in a while you run into one of them. I actually got invited to come and paint with the leader of the group in Singapore not too long ago and that was fun.

What I love about your work is the way you incorporate your augmented reality into your pieces, when I saw your posts on instagram it really blew my mind, is there anyone else that is doing this in the graffiti scene? Cause I dont think I’ve seen anyone do it before, how did you come up with this idea? What programs did you have to learn in order to pull off this idea?

I don’t know if many Graffiti writers do anything similar to what I do, I don’t browse the internet too much because it distracts me from my own visions. Although everything is a remix and you really cant help but be influenced by things you’ve seen whether you are aware of it or not. I just try to be a bit controlled by where my inspiration comes from.

The idea for augmented reality came to me when I was meeting a friend and we were talking about technology in general and so I figured maybe this would be something cool to incorporate into my work. I started to browse around online and tried to see what I would need to learn in order to incorporate this into my murals, mostly just looking through YouTube and within a few hours I had developed a working app on my android phone. I was suprised that it was sort of easy. Its really cool because I love learning new skills and stepping out of my comfort zone and I think its important to me to push my boundaries every now and then. I like when there is struggle and you have to sit down and go through a lot of trial and error to get it to work, then there is that moment when it all comes together and works out. I really cherish those times.

The programs I use are Blender, Unity 3D with the Vuforia package and basic photo- and video editing software. Each of those have different workflows and different things you have to learn to get them to work. Basically I’m developing my own app everytime I animate a wall. I used this technique with a couple of my murals and on canvases for exhibitions. Its really exciting because you can discover new effects constantly

Do you think in the future augmented reality will just be another aspect of graffiti? What kind of opportunities do you think this opens up for graffiti artists? For example I imagine there is a lot of brands who would love for you to do your take on their brand as a way to promote themselves, or local businesses using it as a way to get more engagement from customers.

Its cool but I think its much more of a gimmick in Graffiti. I think it can add a lot of depth and many different angles to a piece of art though. It is very challenging to set up and you have to be a bit nerdy to make it work. I do work full time and yes brands reach out to me and sometimes I get booked for things like that

What is your favorite documentary or book that covers the history or major players of graffiti and why? Who do you think is an underrated graff artists in graffiti’s history that you think changed it for everyone?

I don’t read much or browse much to keep the inspiration pure for myself, but the one book I always go back to every few months and crack open is Subway Art just because the vibe and spirit of it is amazing. As far as major players go, I don´t really follow many artists but I know there are a bunch of underrated artists. No one knows how this fame game really works, I guess.

After looking over your extensive body of work i assume you do this full time? I’m curious if you can tell us how you got the ball rolling for this to be your career?

I work full time as an artist for the past 10 years, I didn’t go to school for art or design. I’m completely self taught. Actually I have a college degree in anthropology but I never worked in the this field. So for the first 5 to 6 years after I finished studying I lived way below the poverty line from job to job. I never aimed at having luxurious things and just enjoyed painting and travelling. And for that you don´t need much money fortunately. I really love painting, its like meditation. You forget time and space and just dive in. In the past few years I’ve made a little bit of money which I´m very grateful for as I have to take care of my family now and life becomes a bit more complex.

What kind of music do you listen to when you paint? Who are you favorite hip hop artists that you think got overlooked or faded too fast?

I`m not really into Hip Hop actually. I used to listen in the golden era of Hip Hop. Artists like A Tribe Called Quest, etc. and the 90s classic stuff. Today I listen to a lot of Vaporwave and electronic music in general. Anything experimental but nothing too noisy. I dig trap music too. I discovered lately that I actually really like classic japanese music so I listen to a lot of japanese radio lately

Any crazy travel stories you can share? Where all have you been in the world and where do you currently reside?

Not really any special stories but a lot of special places. I haven’t had the chance to travel that much in the last 2 years since I just became a father but before that I was away from my native country Germany maybe 8 months of the year. I lived in India for about 2 years, and Indonesia for about a year too. Also travelling all over south-east asia. Lately I’ve been to a lot of festivals in China and Europe. I’ve had the pleasure to visit Japan and Taiwan. If you want to get culture-shocked, I suggest to go to India. For me it‘s still the craziest place to travel to.

If you want to hear more stories and see all the crazy spots I have painted abroad, you can check out my new book that is available through my shop here.