Tilteed

Artist Interview: BCHC

Curator’s Statement:

I’ve long been intrigued by BCHC’s work… he’s done lots of design for the hardcore scene, but much of the work I’ve seen from him is far more serene than one might presume knowing that tidbit. The imagery of this piece revels in nature and security, with the shells nestled together, each one its own cozy home. At the same time, though, there is the “zombie” aspect… while the snails are living, their inanimate home makes it hard to picture them as alive. Or maybe I’m getting too philosophical. Enough of that… BCHC says this is his first non-hardcore tee print. We hope you love it enough that it won’t be his last.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is BCHC and I live in a wooden cabin in the middle of a muddy swamp infested with giant evil undead snails. These unholy predatory gastropods are constantly on the prowl. When hikers get lost and wander too deep into the mire, the snails attack them with toxic slime, leave them to die writhing in unspeakable pain and then feast on their decaying flesh. I’m gonna use the proceeds from Tilteed to buy bags of salt and pour it in a circle around my house. It’s the only thing that keeps the wretched creatures away. At least it has for now.

You seem to work with a lot of recurring motifs and elements in your shirt designs. Tell us a little more about these motifs. Do the elements mean something to you, or are they just elements you enjoy using?

This shirt is the first in a series made entirely with snails. I’ve used pictures of snail shells randomly a couple of times before, along with other stuff, and it turned out that they make a very useful element for construction of shirt designs. So I went out looking for snail shells again, this time on purpose. I took a bunch of photos, and decided to make designs using nothing else. I hope you like the result.

What got you into the hardcore scene, and what is it like getting to work with the bands?

Before I started doing artwork, I had been into hardcore for a number of years already, going to shows, buying records and so on. When bands began hiring me directly, if felt exciting to be a part of it all, to see how things worked behind the scenes. Then as I got to know more and more band members and label owners, my enthusiasm somewhat diminished. The truth is that hardcore punk isn’t that much different from any other community, some people are nice and some people act like complete assholes. I like to work with honest people.

Three quick musical recommendations: your favorite hardcore band, your favorite non-hardcore band, and the client you’ve been most excited to work with.

I like Social Unrest, Articles Of Faith, Verbal Assault, Government Issue, bands like that. I listen to as little current hardcore as possible. I’m a fan of Swans (http://swans.pair.com/) and all other projects by Jarboe (http://www.thelivingjarboe.com/) and Michael Gira (http://younggodrecords.com/). It’s been very exciting to work with Tilteed, because this is my first printed shirt that is completely unrelated to the hardcore punk scene.

Tell us a little bit about your favorite shirt (besides your own work). What’s it like and why is it so awesome?

I enjoy the work of Greg Abbott, Aaron Crawford and Hector Mansilla (Againstbound). Alas, I don’t own any shirts by them. Another example of a shirt I like is The Powerhouse by Amarillo, up for voting right here on Tilteed. An interesting illustration with a good color scheme.

Any links or projects you’d like to promote?

My friends in Nine Worlds (http://www.myspace.com/ninexworlds) are working on their first full-length album. They are touring in April and again in June, so maybe you’ll have a chance to see one of their shows.

Any final comments?

I’d like to thank AdderXYU for his patience. I can be difficult to deal with, you know.