Sunday, January 11, 2009

Rubbermilk/Susugetah







In street art there is no pretty or ugly......, only a painted wall waiting to made peoples look ugly. No such thing as street-wear...... just how you blend in. No curator ....., only critiques. Nothing nonsense ....... its a slap on your face. No boys or girls......, only writers or vandals...... and there is nobody too old.....

I know many woman stencilist..... here in Malaysia alone if you ask me how many of them, i have to borrow your hand to gave you the number. But this one.....bout only one..... this is a story bout my mother..... Mrs. Cirda Haryati.... an artist... spend most of her free time painting.... with my dad.... and with us sometime. She paint for herself, for us and her beloved husband..... she paint for the love and joy of it.... she's the WORD that created this monster. After my father died.... she was left heartbroken... she stop painting.... she love to be left alone. I asked and asked and lured and yes..... she paint again.... but there's something lacking...... her husband.... who were the colors for her...... it took month to get her 'touch' back again.... till one day she came to my room, with a paper cutter...... yeahh, just like you guys i also thought that she wanted to commit suicide.... but she actually just finish cutting up her own stencils of Angela Davis, Janis Joplin and Audrey Hepburn(huh) .... and ask me... “Rat..... lets go out stenciling”...... i could never say no....hahaha.
Destination.... Telawi, Bangsar.
So that night, in quite an awkward manner, i go out vandalize Telawi with my own mother.... who i bet not like your mother(hahaha). We walk side by side passing thru drunk clubbers with our stencil and paint.... and paint and laughing and paint and smoke and paint then take five at the mamak and paint again.... people there busy with their thing.... so we make ourself busy with ours.... beside, i came with my mom..... nobody expect that someone like my mom were vandals and come over there to do such thing. So nobody there really care bout us. She is totally different that night..... there is a moment.... a stupid moment.... came to my head that if only she was not my dad's wife...., i would marry her.......HUH...... damn.

Our session end around 5 am..... yeah..... i know it was the time the cops patrolling(remember that)..... she was alone back to our car leaving me behind waiting for our wet stencil lying on the ground....... then came two police officer on motorbikes...... they passed..... but they got suspicious i think, so they turned back...... they approached me, ask me what I'm doing..... i told them that I'm waiting for someone..... they found nothing on me..... no bags...... or no stolen thing found with me...... it just me there..... looking suspicious...... waiting there alone..... then came my mom with the car..... i crossed my finger that time and pray for the first time, will her story go parallel with mine.... then she used her special 'charisma'..... as an old(still pretty) woman good-looking citizen. She stopped near by the place and yelled at all of us..... forcing us to go to her..... then once we reached the car..... she asked..... “Did my son do anything wrong...., sir? she asked softly...... they reply with a question..... “This is your son??...... but then they made a mistake..... “We found him looking suspicious..... alone there”...... say that 'melting' police officer while pointing to the place where they saw me..... then he continues..... “He said he is waiting for someone”..... that is their mistake..... quickly my mom replied..... yeah..... he is waiting for me..... he just got out from the club, and need a lift back home..... and she go on talking to those two police officer how kids nowadays were spoilt and lucky and this and that with her sad tone and face to again melt the heart of those two police..... just 'blend in' the moods....... she conquered the officer..... and without their order, she order me..... “Come..... into the car!!!”..... the police said nothing...... as i entered the car..... still they say nothing..... my mom then politely with her beautiful sexy 'Janis Joplin' voice thanks those two police officer..... we left..... just like that..... my mom fooled them..... yeah..... we didn't forget bout our stencils that we left back..... we wait for bout ten minutes..... and go one round the block.... they had left..... i quickly ran back to our stencils and pick up my bag..... yes i have a bag....... how come the police officer didn't find the bag...... and the stencils on the ground..... that is somehow a vandal crucial secret......hahaha
i put everything back in the car and off we go..... we both laughed..... and smile and laughed again.... then she told me how she really had a great night with me that night... the night that she will never forget...... after a moment of silence she told me..... “nobody too old to be a vandal” ...yes..., that is my mom!!!.....later after...... i met more and more women who stencils..... my sisters....friends..... it really turn me on..... now we got another one.... she called her self(not sure bout this as i stole everything from her blog) Rubbermilk.... and bout this person.... dammit..... of course she is not my mom...... i don't even know her...... but her Audrey stencils bring me back to her, my mom..... damn i missed her..... Mrs. Cirda(1949 – 2006) may you rest in 'piece'...... and I'm not sure if she does any on the street.... but mind bout that.... the thing is, she does a really good stencils and been exploring with techniques...... so do check her work here.

For all women out there who stencils on the street(or off)...... i salute(and love) you.


*Due to the fact that i couldn't afford a camera back then..... there is no photo of my mom stencils work for documentation sake.....damn.