'What's alife' & Extras - relax February 2002
The Lower East Side is buzzing. It has decisively distanced itself from the already saturated feel of SoHo, and something raw and distinctive is beginning to rise. There’s a sense that something is about to begin. Hispanic, Chinese, Puerto Rican… a mix of cultures gathers here, preserving New York’s original chaotic energy. Within this environment, alife exerts a strong pull—an unusually radiant collective. Seen through them, the New York street art scene is filled with unknown potential, precisely because it is now.
Photos: Kai Regan
Text by Hiroshi Egaitsu, Yuta-Man
Special thanks to alife
A new concept shop born from graffiti culture—what is the potential of alife?
The alife logo features four dots, representing the four members of the alife crew: Arnaud, Rob, Tony, and Tammy. Just these four people run everything. In Japan, the name has spread ahead of a clear understanding of what it actually is, but alife is at once an art gallery, a select shop, a design studio, a publisher, a planning company, a shoe brand, a clothing brand, a place, and the name of a unit. Because they operate as a hybrid collective, constantly running multiple projects with collaborators across different fields, their activities are so varied that it may be more accurate to call their stance itself “alife.”
Facing Orchard Street, behind a glass frontage about five meters wide, lies a long, narrow space—the alife shop. Artist exhibitions are always on display, with related goods sold alongside them. While there are curated items, many pieces are one-offs, including original concepts and works by artists. From clothing to sneakers to small objects, everything is unique and carefully selected. Above, a semi-visible second floor serves as the studio and office for the four. Sit there for an hour and you can easily meet around ten artists in a day. People come for meetings, to hang out, or simply to shop; an astonishing lineup flows through continuously. “People keep coming all day—it’s almost too much to get work done. You can see us from outside, so if someone waves ‘hi,’ we can’t really escape,” Tammy laughs.
Arnaud and Tammy met in Germany ten years ago, and later, through a New York publishing company, they met Rob and Tony. Arnaud studied consumer marketing and observed youth culture through editorial work, while Rob, who started graffiti at fifteen, and Tony, who began at thirteen, grew up deeply embedded in the New York street scene. Rob, known as JEST, and Tony, known as SITE, are still active artists, and their work is available in the shop. The strength of Rob and Tony’s street background, Arnaud’s strategic perspective, and Tammy’s balance of creativity and business were all essential elements of alife. Driven by their commitment to young street artists, their attachment to the styles they grew up with, the energy of casual fashion, and the desire to realize ideas no one else was attempting, all four left their jobs and started alife.
They sold personal belongings, borrowed money, and each contributed equally. Both floors were built by hand. For three months they worked until two in the morning, with only two computers and trash cans serving as chairs. The name “alife” was chosen from 300 candidates, shortened from “artificial life,” meaning to give life to design through creative direction. Creating the logo was especially demanding; Rob designed around 800 versions in one to two weeks. Rejecting trends and categories, all four voted until they reached complete agreement on the final mark. “Maybe the most important collaboration we did was creating the logo and the store together,” they say. In reality, their tastes and sensibilities differ widely, but they always discuss everything as a group and move forward only when all are convinced. “It’s like a recipe—each of us is a different seasoning. Maybe an Ohio flavor with an Italian taste,” Arnaud explains.
