Secret 7" - Inspirations for album artwork

An investigation into the influences and inspirations for the choices of album artwork by Robert "3d" Del Naja…

Magazine Culture, Comics, New York's hip-hop scene, Japanese graphics, Jean Basquiat's cultural juxtaposition, Warhols pop imagery, punk.

David Salle (born 1952) is an American painter, printmaker, and stage designer who helped define postmodern sensibility by combining figuration with a varied pictorial language of multi-imagery. Below is a collection of his works which feature a juxtaposition of cultural elements...

Banksy cited Del Naja as one of his main influences for his underground street art. The image below also shows a juxtaposition of items but in a political context - subliminally stating that we are viewed and seen everywhere we go - privacy has been abolished.

The image below is strongly related to both juxtaposition and urban graffiti, it can be viewed as having an array of messages including: the things we love, will eventually kill us. Too much of a good thing can suffocate you. 

Hip Hop Photography - Underground

This was an image I came across while researching relevant topics, although it is not directly related to Robert Del Naja's influences, it is an image that also encapsulates a lot of the traits that Massive Attacks  imagery touches on, for e.g. experimentation, modern art, unordinary, photographic. It has also been tagged as '3D', so it could possibly be a cast of the artists face?

Displaying collections of work by Massive Attack designers. I've been able to distinguish Massive Attacks interests and what drives their artwork as a force, from their inspirations to their interests... with this in mind, I'll be trying to create a piece of work that can be multi-functional and applicable to multiple items (as shown in the blue lines example below) OR creating artwork that ties in a mixture of elements and mixed media to create a dialogue with the viewer, highlighting political messages as well as other notable themes (this point is further investigated in my 'analysis' blogpost.)

A notable characteristic throughout Massive Attacks art is the boldness of their artwork.

Old school hip hop adverts & graffiti

New Yorks hip hop scene…

http://www.vintag.es/2013/09/awesome-photos-of-new-yorks-hip-hop.html

"Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began documenting the origins of B-boy (short for break-boys) and hip hop culture. While other New Yorkers at the time saw this movement as a trite, uninspired or even offensive fad, Martha found a new form of expressing art. Through her camera lens we recount the infancy of hip-hop culture, from the alleys and subways of New York to the masses beyond the boroughs.

"The first question people usually ask me is, 'What made you photograph Hip Hop?' My answer is that the words "Hip Hop" were not even in use in the late 70s when I began this project. From 1977 to 1980, I was a staff photographer for the New York Post. One day I discovered a boy who showed me drawings of his nickname that he painted on walls. After I saw that these kids were more graphic designers than vandals, I became hooked on graffiti. My idea while documenting subway graffiti was to attempt to show the paintings within the context of the culture that created them."

"In 1980, while on another Post assignment, I happened upon some kids breakdancing in Washington Heights. They explained how they battled each other with dance and I began to document that. The next thing I knew, there was a cultural revolution going on. It included music, dance, and art, and I was standing in the middle of it! In 1982, the words "Hip Hop" appeared in print for the first time. I thought I was photographing a specifically New York phenomenon. Never did I imagine Hip Hop would spread like wildfire to every country in the world."

Japanese graphics

Andy Warhols pop imagery

Punk

Current Political issues in the UK

The reason for the selecting of these two subjects, is because they are both contemporary articles that have been widespread throughout the news and have gained a reputation among the public. From past research it was noted that Massive Attack touch on local and international news.

NHS is failing to meet savings targets and new competition laws are 'standing in the way of necessary change'

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/transformation-of-care-required-to-make-nhs-sustainable-in-future-yet-to-take-place-says-health-select-committee-9122467.html

Flooded Britain: The police, the military and the Government – exactly who is in charge of what?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/flooded-britain-the-risks-the-response-and-the-rescues--exactly-who-is-in-charge-of-what-9122398.html



"Flooding in Shepperton - Dr James Andrews was stranded in his home without electricity since Sunday, but he was rescued yesterday by soldiers."

What is juxtaposition?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/juxtaposition

1. An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. 

2. the state of being close together or side by side.

Massive attack have come to represent the music genre 'Trip Hop', so much so, that the genre itself has started to take influence from the covers of Massive Attack albums. This is supported by the 'google image' search below which shows various reference to massive attack, through the re-use of logo's and conceptual thinking of Tom Hinsington, incorporated into their artwork featuring reference to the enlargement of insects.