HVW8

HVW8 was formed in the spring of 1998 in Montreal, Canada out of the collaborative efforts of a group of like-minded artists and designers to create a vehicle for their art & design work. Drawing from the urban environment, Heavyweight developed a mix-blend of styles & skills accumulated from a free association of intuitive interests - peripheral influences included rare groove album covers, Japanese hyper-pop styles, dub soundscapes, graffiti burns, skate graphics and turntable culture. Heavyweight tapped into a growing artistic community, extending its creative network to include producers, DJs, musicians, filmmakers as well as other artists and designers. What surfaced was a Heavyweight version, street-style campaign of underground parties, music & art shows, posters, flyers and stickers all housed and produced under one roof - forming the main elements of Heavyweight's creative foundation in art and design. The Los Angeles office of Heavyweight Production House operates under the direction of Tyler Gibney and Addison Liu, collaborating with an extended family of creative professionals in art, music and design. Recent clients include: Levi's, Ninjatune Records, Gravis footwear, adidas, Absolut and Wax Poetics magazine.

Their gallery space is located just off Melrose Avenue in LA and as an added bonus you can buy records there, too. The selection isn't the largest in the world but if funk and soul are your thing then they have some choice cuts for your ears.




This Roy Ayers piece was the cover of a Wax Poetics issue from a year or so ago.





This print is available from their website and was also available on a t-shirt that I have stashed away somewhere. It has silver print on a black tee and I only wear it when I am feeling extra-pimp.



In September 2005 they released a compilation on Ubiquity Records called Music Is My Art featuring tunes by Seiji, Owusu & Hannibal, John Arnold, Ohmega Watts, Yam Who?, Rich Medina and many more. I haven't listened to it in a while but from what I can remember the Seiji and John Arnold tunes were particular dance floor burners.



This is the latest collaboration of theirs that I have seen and it is done in conjunction with adidas for their Muhammad Ali series. The shoes are particularly dope but I'm not feeling the jacket as it is a little over the top and the print on the tee isn't the best. The painting itself is amazing and they could do a decent trade selling prints of it, I know that I'd buy it. The shoes are winging their way to me as I type and I'm debating whether to stick them in my 'use and abuse' pile or in my 'pull them out boxfresh in five years' pile. Decisions, decisions.

This video is from the launch, I think. It's a bit Shepherd Fairey heavy but that's not the worst thing in the world.






For more check out the HVW8 Blog. They have a store at their website and they also do commissions and I have plenty of birthdays coming up (touch wood) and these would make me very happy...no pressure.

I just found this video of a painting that they did for adidas originals. Adi Dassler in da haus.