After traveling for most of the last year we were excited to come back home to LA and do something big. We created the piece using WOODKID‘s music and aesthetic as inspiration- the woodblock imagery is integrated with text to tell the story of RUN BOY. Heres what Woodkid had to say about us, and us about him. We obviously both hate each other intensely….
“I met the Cyrcle guys like a year ago in Los Angeles, we connected on an artistic and human level in two seconds, so we started painting massive dicks on the wall of their atelier.At first, when you meet them, they look like Beavis and Butthead, but they are actually much smarter than their haircuts. love their energy, their sense of craft and detail, the depth of their statement.They were inspired by my work and wanted to create a piece around the aesthetic and concept of The Golden Age, my first album. We exchanged a lot on the references of my project, of the videos I directed, the novel I wrote with my cousin in Poland for the limited edition of the album, and they designed the Los Angeles wall based on these exchanges. I love the use of black, white and gold, which is of course a strong component of my work, but also how they injected their sense of typography and composition in the fresco. I wanted to create another piece of the Golden Age puzzle, a fragment of narration, like the videos, the lyrics, the book, the live projections. The idea was not to create an advertisement for Woodkid, but more to combine our two identities in a single piece of art. Only the ones who already know Woodkid will recognize the crossed keys and the lyrics of my song Run Boy Run, the others will just see a beautiful mural by Cyrcle.I am really proud of that wall, I’ve always been obsessed by the traces we leave in this world, what remains of what we do, the stories we want to tell. It’s a bigger than life, beautiful and poetic trace. Thank you Cyrcle. -WOODKID”
“The piece is inspired by the story and concept behind Woodkid’s first album, Golden Age. We took the aesthetic of his videos, and created our version his world. The Woman, on the left of the mural, represents the Boys mother. She is longing for the child she once held in her arms. She is worried about his safety and wellbeing as he ventures out into the world. The Warriors represent monsters and obstacles he faces along his journey. Woodkid’s music has spoken to us since we first heard “Iron” over a year ago. He’s not just a musician, or a directer, or a designer… He’s an artist all the way- love that shit about him! We connect deeply with the Boy in his story, forging our way as artists, navigating and overcoming the monsters of Los Angeles, and the world! Try, Fail, TryUMPH. Ultimately we strive for happiness and success through our work. Faith, courage, honor, power and growth. Runboy RUN! -CYRCLE.”
Big thanks to Warren and Bernard from Branded arts for helping with all the production and organizing the monster wall at Circus arena. Colleen Haynes and Brenda Reynoso couldn’t have made it happen without yall. Also to Blue Rooster art supplies in Los Feliz for the constant hook up over the years.
To enhance your understanding of the mural, check out Woodkid’s songs Iron and Run Boy Run.