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Since January, a graphic artist going under the alias “William Puck”, has been pasting mock travel notices all across the New York transit system. He’s up to more than 200 different notices now, and they’ve all used a single theme — Middle-earth.
TheOneRing.net chatted with the mysterious Mr Puck to find out more about himself and his work. Read on, and discover what he had to say — and see some of the examples of his guerilla-style, street art as wel
TORn: Tell us a little bit about yourself. The cliff notes version, I guess, although I am sure you don’t want to give away too much!
I grew up in Connecticut and came to New York City to go to art school back in the mid ’80s. I studied illustration and animation. I’ve been here ever since.
TORn: Why “William Puck”?
I needed a street name for the work I was about to do. The MTA has a strict policy against anyone putting posters in the subways, so using my real name would have been unwise. I wanted a name that was short, identifiable and had a little bit of mischief to it.
I chose the name “Puck” from my favorite William Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was about to misdirect and baffle viewers just like Puck did. And for fun, I added William as my first name.
TORn: How long have you been working as a graphic artist?
I’ve been making art professionally for around 25 years or so.
TORn: How did you become interested in Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit? What drew you to them and what do you like about them?
I must have been around 11 years old. A close neighbor of ours had a copy of “The Hobbit” on vinyl and gave it to me to listen to. It was a four-album set read by the amazing actor, Nicol Williamson. I listened to it over and over again for about five months. I was hooked. Then the Rankin / Bass animated special premiered on TV in late November 1977. My eyes were glued to the set that night. The design of Gollum was fantastic and his voice — by Brother Theodore — was perfect! I started reading the books soon after, and I re-read them every few years or so. Now I love the films as well.
My love for the books stems from Bilbo’s and Frodo’s journeys. These two unassuming, gentle people are thrown into the biggest threat facing the world. By all logic, they should have been trampled and killed by the forces of evil. But their inner strength, compassion and friendship carry them through to the end, changing the course of the world for good. They give us the greatest gift there is — hope.
TORn: Was there a particular trigger that made you want to spoof the MTA posters using Tolkien’s Middle-earth? Why Middle-earth in particular?
I had been thinking of doing some kind of art-work in the subway. I didn’t want to just put up a marker tag or sticker because it seemed too easy. I wanted to do something more challenging.
I observed that the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) was putting up a lot of advisory notices in the stations. People sometimes read them and sometimes didn’t — but everyone had to pass by them. That’s what inspired me to create the posters. I would mimic this phenomenon — place art in front of commuters who would have to look at it directly to see it’s true nature.
“But, what to post?” I asked myself. Other artists had put up fake advisory signs in the past. What could I do that was different? I spent days racking my brain and came up with nothing. So, I shelved the idea.
Dead Marshes by William Puck.
Then one day, I was on the R train and had to be somewhere at 6pm. I had very little time and the train I needed to take was more messed up than usual: there was a delay because of a sick passenger … I had to wait to transfer to another train, but that train had mechanical problems … I had to take an express train past my stop and then had to back track to my original destination …
Finally, I climbed the stairs out of the station and into fresh air. I got to where I needed to be with moments to spare. Walking down the street I thought, “My God! Frodo and Samwise had it easier traveling to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, than I did traveling the subway today.” Of course, that is a complete exaggeration. But still, I was inspired. Every time I take the subway, it is an adventure. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are considered the ultimate adventures stories. It just clicked right then and there for me.
I started looking at subway notices differently in the days that followed.
Instead of: “Because of a broken rail, there will be track work this weekend. Expect delays and take the 4 or 5 as an alternative route”; I saw: “Because of high Goblin activity, expect delays in service. Take an Eagle as an alternative route.”
TORn: Tell us a bit about the first poster you made. What made you choose that approach? What were your thoughts when you posted it up? Did it get much attention?
It took a couple of days to finish. I had taken photos of some of the MTA notices and even found one or two in the trash. By having those as reference, it was easy to build a template that could be used over and over without too much fuss.
Once the poster was done, I ran to the copy store and had five or six made up. I headed to the closest subway station and started putting them up. My heart was racing. I tried to be discreet and as quick as possible. “This is crazy!” I thought. “You’re going to get caught!” I calmed down and went to the next station. It became easier and easier.
When I checked the posters later in the day, they were all gone — perhaps taken down by MTA workers or by someone who appreciated them.
Although I had just started, I knew that I had to keep making more. I also started taking pictures to document the process so that more people could get a chance to see one.
Ha! Looking back at that first poster now, I really hate it! It had so many flaws, the printing was bad, the map graphics were weak, etc.
Recently, I redesigned it. I think the new one is better.
TORn: You’ve made more than 200 now. What is it that you try to achieve when you develop a piece? How do you draw inspiration?
I try to make each poster interesting. Some work, some don’t. Some happen in a flash; others need time to be worked on. There is really no right answer, and that’s what I love about the process. Street art doesn’t have to be finished by a certain time or date. It just happens. You learn from what you’ve done and move on to the next piece.
My inspiration comes form the MTA’s postings. I see potential in every sign they make. It forces me to come up with a concept each time I see a new one.
TORn: How long do they generally take to create?
Now that I have templates, some are completed in an hour or so. Some can take a week or two with tweaking and refining. The biggest task is coming up with an idea. The execution is the easy part. Right now, I’m working on some more special event posters. I’m creating one for Durin’s Day and that’s in both English and in Dwarvish, so it’s taking me a little longer then most.
TORn: Can you map out the creative process and the planning involved, from concept to finished work, for us?
I take photos of MTA postings I come across around the city. I write down an idea on my phone, maybe do a sketch. Then I create the design. I use a local copy shop for printing, stamp each piece on the back with a watermark for copyright protection and add double-sided tape to the back corners.
Once I’ve created the posters, the real work begins. Finding the right location for people traffic is a science. I have to be quick and careful. I put up the piece and take a few pictures. Then I post the photos to Twitter and Instagram, so fans can find them. Some stay up for a few days, others are gone in minutes. There’s a kind of beauty in that.
I’ve asked that people leave them up when they find one. Or if they feel compelled to take a poster, to please take a picture of it and let me know where you found it. A few fans have done this. At least I know the work found a good home and has not landed in a trash bin.
TORn: I’d love if you could briefly profile for us a couple of posters that you especially like.
The Special Event: Mirkwood Elves Lunar New Year is one of my top favorites. It was challenging to do it in both English and Tengwar. Plus, the posters were up for days and days. I plan on doing more with this theme.
But my favorites are the PUCK Middle-earth Cards. They are a lot of fun to place in and around the subways. They are the smallest pieces I’ve done. I call them the “Halflings” of my Middle-earth series. Small and unassuming, I place them on benches, turnstiles, train seats and metro machines. When found, people usually think they are real Metro cards. Upon further viewing, they realize what they truly are: little pieces of art that they can put in their pocket or wallet. How cool is that?
TORn: Do you intend to continue? How many possible posters do you think you can come up with?
Yes, I intend to continue this Middle-earth Transit series. Both the books and films continue to inspire me all the time.
But, I do have other ideas I want to explore. They won’t necessarily be Tolkien-related. I’m interested in travel, time and space and want to keep challenging the viewer about what it means to go on a journey. I’m not following a set map. I’m just heading out the door to see where the road takes me.
As Bilbo said [in the movie], “I’m going on an adventure!”
TORn also has its own poster, “It IS our Fight”, created by artist David Powell from Badali Jewelry. If you like what we do pick up a copy of this Evangeline Lilly-inspired Tauriel poster here!
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
As many of you may know when we did our magazine for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey we took submissions from collectors around the world. A few of these ended up appearing in the magazine allowing people all over the world to see some of what you’ve taken time show off your love for Middle-earth. Recently, I was able to finally able to set up my collection and be able to really appreciate many of the pieces I’ve managed to add. Thankfully the room my stuff in now is large enough to show off everything I’ve got with room to spare for new items from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Even if I’m still getting items out of storage to show off. This collection through ups and downs (selling items) started back in 2003 and continues on for a while. It’s my way of allowing people see what Middle-earth means to me and explain why they’re missing out on such a great universe. I hope you enjoy taking a peek into my collection and what it looks like after its been reviewed.
Time for our live webcast TORnTUESDAY! Every week we bring all the news and rumors from within (and without) Ringer fandom — this week we have dissent among the ranks. Better to say we have *many* different opinions on the leaked photo of Beorn, the shape-shifter who was given a not-so-convincing posterior thumbnail image on the back of a 2014 wall calendar that will soon hit store shelves….
Our reactions within the ranks of the TORn Staff have been across the board (both cold and hot). Watching how fans react on the Message Boards and on our Facebook timeline is fascinating!
We launch TORn TUESDAY every week at 5:00PM Pacific: brought to you by host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway and producer Justin “That There is a Bear” Sewell — Our innovative live show includes worldwide fans who join us on the Live Event page with a built-in IRC chat (affectionately known as Barliman’s Chat room). Be part of the fun and mischief every week as we broadcast *live* from Meltdown Comics in the heart of Hollywood, U.S.A.!
And yes our YouTube channel will have this archived later. You can find us on www.youtube.com/the1nering
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This new story caught my eye because of its parallel with the original situation that got THE HOBBIT published in 1937 — all because of a child’s honesty in reviewing the book! Over at The Guardian website their Children’s Book section features all-kid reviews. Rather smart to provide children a proper voice in a marketplace directed at them. Young writer Krazy Kesh turns in a delightful review of THE HOBBIT after experiencing the thrill of the first movie in the “Hobbit” film trilogy [click here to read]. Continue reading “DEJA VU: 12 Year-old Writes Delightful Review of THE HOBBIT”
Fact is that, while noting that people often tend to automatically respond negatively to change then rapidly adapt, the reader response has been largely unfavourable. Overall, people don’t seem to like Beorn.
It’s a reaction seemingly propelled by the crazy mane of hair that sweeps over Beorn’s head like a mohawk, and stretches down his back like a long, rangy mullet.
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
