OUR LITTLE LIBRARY HAS BEEN MAINTENANCED

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First of all ZONE of the FREE (ZotF) had it's 4th birthday somewhere this year.. so Happy Belated Birthday and whatnot. Although our activity has decreased we are still alive and kicking. Despite our 725 posts run in 2010 our goal was never to create a blog with regular updates. ZotF was created as a goto source to find information about the history of free tekno. Since that information was scattered all over this internet or disappearing even we took action and found yours truly for everyone to discover and explore.

Today I noticed that a lot of posts people run into posts that contain dead links to our uploads since our fileserver died ages ago. Since our blog is now autonomous I felt the need to make sure all information we ever published is accessible. That includes uploads. So as of today our little library it back online for the time being.. hopefully. All literature under the tags BOOK and EBOOK should be accessible and free to download.

TEMPORARY AUTONOMOUS ZONE - a book embraced by the rave culture since it perfectly outlines the free party scene. Also available in Dutch and French.

TECHNOMAD: GLOBAL RAVING COUNTERCULTURES - not available for download but worth every cent buying. A cultural history of global electronic dance music countercultures.

FreeNRG: Notes From the Edge of the Dance Floor - a collection of 13 essays written by specialists and affiliates of a spectrum of youth phenomena found at the edge of the dance floor. Especially worth reading if you are interested in the DiY culture.

NO SYSTEM - Vinca Petersen tells you her story as a nomad or (free tekno) traveler with stunning pictures. Again worth buying, no download available.

THE NUMBER 23 FOR DUMMIES - this post contains the everything you need to know about the number 23 since it is so often used in the free tekno scene.

NO LOGO - no space.. no choice.. no jobs, Naomi Klein tells you why.

DAYS OF WAR - NIGHTS OF LOVE - a collection of essays by the CrimethInc. collective. Fighting for personal freedom and against mass-consumerism and capitalism.

EXPECT RESISTANCE - a field manual for a field on which all manuals are useless, a meditation on individual transformation and collective resistance in disastrous times, and a masterpiece that raises the bar for radical publishing
 

L'HOMME RÉVOLTÉ - a book, also known as The Rebel, that documents the development of rebellion and revolution in Western-Europe throughout history.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM - a brilliant book that deals with the study of how man knows himself and the world, and with the issue of human freedom.

ART AND SCIENCE OF DUMPSTER DIVING - the techniques and tactics to dumpster diving. my local supermarket provides me with plenty of free food. with a little effort you can save a good amount of money or even provide your friends a free meal.
 
FREE CULTURE - our freedom to create.. build.. or imagine is at stake and here is why.

WEAK BECOME HEROES - a brilliant inquiry into the visual culture of altered consciousness.

City of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City - interesting read on the self-sustaining city Kowloon, a lawless diplomatic no-man's land rejected by it's government.

A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION TO ANARCHISM - read the title

WRITINGS OF EMMA GOLDMAN - an amazing woman that helped shape political anarchism here in Europe and an important contributor to modern political philosophy.

NO HOPE - a conversation between authors on human origins, anarchy, and the collapse of industrial civilization.

That'll keep you busy. More books to be found under the tags mentioned above. I will update this post if I run into books in untagged posts.

Enjoy your summer!

DMCWORLD INTERVIEWS SP23 CREW

DMCWORLD magazine published an interview with Stray Wayward (aka Spiral Mark) and Sirius, both members of the SP23 crew (sp23.org). SP23 is creative collected formed by some of the core members of the Spiral Tribe soundsystem. 

Mark is currently working on a book I am really, really.. really looking forward to. What makes me so anxious is that I am almost certain that this book will be THE book I would be able to call my bible. In "A Darker Electricity: Life On The Road With Spiral Tribe" Mark will chose to tell the story of Spiral Tribe in a creative way by weaving narrative threads together and not just create a chronological list of events. Thus creating an interesting storyline I am dieing to dig in to. Finally I will be able to read the whole story of which I now know only a few scraps I picked op from interviews, articles, flyers and other media we once searched and shared on this blog. One of the main reasons we started this blog is to collect all the information that was available online and make sure it doesn't get lost. Many websites from soundsystems in the early 90's were disappearing so we wanted to make sure that these pieces of history wouldn't get lost. Creating one place to find out more about the history of the current free tekno movement. Especially the legend of Spiral Tribe which became a great source of inspiration that became a part of the free person I am now. A part of the manifesto I put together a few years ago, which sums up what we stand and fight for as a soundsystem, is based on the reason why Spiral Tribe was formed. A group of friends got together to resist the system that limits our own creativity and freedom of expression. Their weapon in this battle was Spiral Tribe. Re-read our manifesto and you'll know which part I am referring to. 23 years later these constrains are still being enforced by governments but also still resisted by many collectives in the form of a soundsystem all over the world. Their cause became a message I now follow and actively spread. I could go on about how much influence Spiral Tribe actually had on my life but I just realized I was just mentioning the upcoming book "A Darker Electricity" and got off track. So my train of thought ends here and the influence of Spiral Tribe in my life will become a post on its own in the near future.

So.. emm.. yeah. "A Darker Electricity" a book by Mark of SP23, obviously highly anticipated by me. You can find excerpts of this book on his blog called WAYWARDTALES.

CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERVIEW

What was it about the whole free party movement that attracted you?

Mark: "I grew up going to free festivals. Stonehenge and Avebury. Something magical occurs when you escape the confines and routines of the locked-down mainstream. It's a combination of things: the community bonds that you feel while dancing together across the night – under the stars; the connection with nature; and a sense that you've stepped outside of a bubble and into the wider world... It's an escape – not away from reality but into reality."

CONTRADICTIONARY

Currently there are only two reasons why my agenda might show a sign of life these days (of being unemployed waiting to be accepted and study again for two years).. one is the start of a new season of a tv show I watch (and download). Game of Thrones S03E01 should be filled in a few hours, woop woop. The other reason is the release of a book I keep track off. So when I confirmed my Game of Thrones reminder is noticed I missed last weeks reminder of a new book by CrimethInc. Once my transfer is approved by Pay(so-called)"Pal", so I can order the new Contradictionary published by CrimethInc. I am probably late to the party but with some luck it gets shipped with a free pencil. Those are welcome at the moment! :D

A blind buy I most likely won't regret. Didn't bother looking for a review, CWC will deliver. If not, well then my CWC collection is at-least complete.

CONTRADICTIONARY, click here!
The rest should be obvious to anyone who can read.

Not your kind of cup? Rolling Thunder #6 was digitally released yesterday!
Free of charge, for you to explore. That's 106 pages not having to worry about what to read while sitting on the toilet.

INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE!

Information is free,
open to all.
So.. FUCK YOU and your intellectual property!

Freedom of information is a human right! So why not READABOOKSON? Or visit V£R$O or the EBOOKCOLLECTIVE.
Seize what is yours
and stay informed!

The Archive.org hosts a huge collection of all kinds of literature such as the zine collection of Solidarity! Revolutionary Center and Radical Library or Make Projects, a collection of DIY project from MAKE magazine. The Archive.org library also includes audio, video, software and archived websites. Great media such as a live production of George Orwell's "1984" by BBC Television or you might fancy a good conspiracy theory? The Capitalist Conspiracy (1969) awaits you!

TIP: The Anarchist Library is open 24/24!

Radical Books has a healthy collection of radical literature. It lacks updates but the distribution of information continues.

Not looking for a suggestion? Knock yourself out!

Project Gutenberg  - Library Genesis  - LibriVox  - BookOS  - World Public Library  - Feedbooks  - ManyBooks  - Classic Reader - Bookyards -
... 

While you are at it.. feel free to share your sources with others. Public access to information is one of the best ways to guard our freedoms and limits the government power. The best government is an open government. Secrecy breeds mistrust, while transparency fosters trust. A successful community is built on trust. So to all politicians out there.. take note. Give access, make friends.

SQUADSPACE SQUATTERS' HANDBOOK

SquatSpace is an Australian collective of artists and activists.
Want to know more?

The Squatters' Handbook is a resource for homeless people. It provides practical and legal information required by those seeking to find housing for themselves in abandoned buildings. The book does not seek to incite "illegal" activities (trespass is a criminal offence in NSW) but to provide essential information to people who might need it. Squatting has always been a tactic for finding housing in urban areas, all around the world. With the burgeoning real-estate investment market in Sydney, rental properties for low-income earners have become unaffordable in the last ten years. At the same time, the waiting list for public housing grows longer, while the state government sells off its available housing stock to developers. The Squatters' Handbook merely provides information to those already inclined to seek their own solutions in this unfriendly social environment.

Squatters' Handbook Chapter 1

Why Squat? Why Not?
Are you being squeezed out by ridiculously high rents and the gentrification of cities? Tired of waiting for disinterested governments to come to your assistance? Fed up with sleeping in parks/bus shelters/friends’ lounge room floors? Want to create and control your own living space? Take matters into your own hands — Go squat! There have been squatters for as long as the concept of owning land has existed: squatting on land that legally belongs to someone else takes place all over the world. There are probably as many reasons for squatting as there are people who squat — here are just a few of the things that motivate them.

Unaffordable rents
Despite government policies aimed at promoting ‘affordable’ housing, it’s clear that the number of low-income people able to afford housing is rapidly decreasing. The cost of private rental accommodation is increasing exponentially, pushing many low-income earners away from the areas in which they and their friends live. The private rental market is largely deregulated and tenancy laws afford low-income earners little protection from the increasingly exorbitant rents demanded by landowners and their real estate agents. It’s profit margins that count. Look at the scale of urban gentrification in Sydney at the moment — it doesn’t look like abating in the near future does it? Relax. It’s only natural — the strong over the weak. One day, when you can afford to purchase property of your own, you will understand. You too will give the gift of rental accommodation to someone who has enough money to afford it but not enough to return the gift. And they will give you the security you need for further speculation in real estate. Everyone’s a winner!

Why Wait Endlessly for Handouts?
Public housing once may have been an alternative. But with waiting lists as long as they are, and with waiting time of up to 12 years, government housing is not really a viable option for many. As governments become visibly less interested in housing low-income people — by selling Department of Housing land to private developers, cutting back on spending for new housing, outsourcing their role to private contractors in ‘community housing’ — it becomes more blatantly obvious that to rely on their goodwill to satisfy your housing needs and wants is a ploddingly dangerous mistake. People used to squat government-owned buildings before any others because it was thought there was more room to negotiate with ‘public’ authorities with a ‘conscience’, than with ‘private’ property speculators and companies who were more obviously concerned with ‘making money’. Now there are no doubts that such a comforting distinction cannot be maintained. What is ‘public’ space and what is ‘private’ space? They seem to have melded and colluded some time ago, and if they are keeping any secret it is this: welcome to a world without clear borders where power is much more diffuse and consumption (of goods, services, information) is all-encompassing.

If you can’t afford to purchase private property — or simply don’t want to assist private property owners to purchase more property by paying them excessive rent — there is no need to wait for the private rental market and/or the government to provide a solution to your housing needs. There are hundreds of houses/buildings left empty right now while people who are in need are left homeless or live in substandard and unaffordable accommodation. Help yourself and solve your own housing problems — squat in these buildings before the owners let them rot!

Maintain your Independence
Squatting allows you autonomy. Despite the ‘threat of eviction’, squatting actually gives you a high degree of control over where and how you choose to live. It enables you and the others that you squat with to learn a great deal about how to repair a building and organise your living space according to your individual and collective desires — a privilege usually reserved for owners of private property. And when you create that kind of autonomy you tend to actively participate in maintaining it, rather than simply waiting for the government / rental market to try and provide housing for you.

Town planners and ‘housing experts’ have long been perplexed as to why government programs to ‘house the poor’ in Western and non-Western countries fail to satisfy people’s needs for housing and community, while self-help squatter settlements around the world have been so successful. The answer lies in the autonomy that squatters create and maintain for themselves by taking control of their own housing problems.


Continue reading here

NOAM CHOMSKY - ALTERNATIVES TO CAPITALISM

CHOMSKY.info

So far I have been neglecting to post about Noam Chomsky, since I figured that most of you would know about him. Then again I have read a few of his books and loved them. Maybe there are some of you out there who still have to discover Chomsky. I am not going to paste a wiki here.. or describe who he is or what he does..

Discover him yourself.. if you want to.

Noam Chomsky - America's War on Terror
Noam Chomsky - Anarchism and Marxism
Noam Chomsky - Chomsky On Miseducation
Noam Chomsky - Class Warfare
Noam Chomsky - Media Control - The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
Noam Chomsky - Media Control - The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
Noam Chomsky - Philosophers and Public Philosophy
Noam Chomsky - Preventive war, the supreme crime
Noam Chomsky - Profit over People
Noam Chomsky - Secrets, Lies and Democracy
Noam Chomsky - War Against People
Noam Chomsky - What Uncle Sam Really Wants
Noam Chomsky - Who are the Global Terrorists
Noam Chomsky - Year 501 The Conquest Continues
Noam Chomsky - on Afghanistan

DOWNLOAD THESE BOOKS HERE

ANARCHY AND ART BY ALLAN ANTLIFF

One of the powers of art is its ability to convey the human aspects of political events, ranging from war to revolution to sexual liberation. Art can also transform society, a theme that pervades this fascinating survey on art, artists, and anarchism since the nineteenth century.

In numerous essays, Allan Antliff interrogates moments of engagement when artists, poets, philosophers, and critics have confronted pivotal events over the past 140 years. The survey begins with artist Gustave Courbet and writer Emile Zola's activism during the 1871 Paris Commune (which established the modern-day French republic), and ends with an examination of anarchist art during the fall of the Soviet empire. Other subjects include the Neo-Impressionists and their depictions of the homeless in the 1890s; the Dada movement in New York City during World War I; the decline of the Russian Avant-Garde during the 1920s and 30s; the West Coast Beats of the 1940s and 50s; the Modernists of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s; and anarchistic responses to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by visual artists.

Exploring art's potential as a vehicle for meaningful social change from an anarchist perspective, Allan Antliff throws new light on what it means to be radical.

GRAB IT HERE

BOMB : A MANIFESTO OF ART TERRORISM

BOMB is part personal reflection, part social critique. A pointed and opinionated observation about graffiti culture, media terrorism, art "education", corporate control, and the ills of the current art world.

by Raymond Salvatore Harmon

MANIFESTO (excerpt from BOMB)

• Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules.

• The power of art lies not in its interpretation but in the form of its experience. To perceive art, to become aware of art, is to know art.

• Art terrorism is an act of cultural insurgency designed to bring attention to the ‘third world’ status of art in contemporary society.

• The objectification of art is dead. Art is experience, not ownership.

• Art is a language by which mankind expresses itself, a universal language that is not dictated by critics, journalists or academics.

• The art terrorist seeks the secession of art from the financial/academic infrastructure of the supposed ‘art world.’

• Art terrorism is intrinsically related to contemporary media and its manipulation.

• Supposed art educational institutions are merely focused on financial gain and should be condemned and destroyed.

GRAB IT HERE

SPANNERED

‘Spannered’ by Bert Random is an illustrated novel about free-parties, friendship, and dancing. A thousand-mile-an-hour stomp through the dark and grimy corners of 90′s underground rave culture, it's a fierce reminder for those who were there and a vivid taster for those who weren't.

With Bert and his twisted crew of mates we experience the peaks and the troughs of a very long weekend, kissing the sky while stomping our feet to mind-blowing techno and scrabbling in the dirt looking for what is left of our minds as unreality starts to bite. This is a punters-eye-view of the most fun that drugs, dancefloors, and full-on music can offer.

As well as a disorientating story, ‘Spannered’ also contains twelve amazing illustrations from Bristol and London street and fine artists, including Silent Hobo and Rose Sanderson. You can buy ‘Spannered’ directly from Spannered Books 

Chapter preview - Buy it here

FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY

PDF-file right here

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Gene Sharp is the world's foremost expert on non-violent revolution. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, his books slipped across borders and hidden from secret policemen all over the world.

His central message is that the power of dictatorships comes from the willing obedience of the people they govern - and that if the people can develop techniques of withholding their consent, a regime will crumble.

 --

 

OUT OF ORDER [RELEASED]

picture cropped from source

As mentioned about a year ago Molly Macindoe spent 10 years ('97 to '07) following sound systems across Europe taking pictures of free people and squats/venues. Her book 'Out of Order: A Photographic Celebration of the Free Party Scene' and can be ordered here. 

I topped up my PayPal account, so once the frauds at the bank processed the transfer I can order my copy.. *woopwoop*

More information can be found here,

 MOLLY MACINDOE photographer

Her photography ‘has always been inspired by the beauty to be found in the individuals, community, and spaces within the Free Party scene, and subsequently reflects that same sentiment.’ 

Czechtek 2005 by Molly Macindoe

Check more pictures in a gallery on guardian.co.uk!

Out of Order – the free party scene, in pictures

From 1997-2007 Molly Macindoe followed sound systems across Britain and Europe photographing the people and places of the free party scene. In his teens, Joshua Surtees, author of the London Loves blog attended some of the early raves and here compiles some of the images from Macindoe's book Out Of Order

GENERATION EXSTACY

Generation ecstasy: into the world of techno and rave culture

 By Simon Reynolds

 

In the early nineties, rave culture exploded with the availability of cheap computers and sampling technology, causing a punk-style do-it-yourself revolution. The resulting upsurge of independent labels and home studio-based artists spawned a legion of subgenres: hardcore, trance, jungle, ambient, gabba, big beat, and many more. Today, DJs and p...  more »roducers such as Fatboy Slim, Prodigy, Goldie and The Chemical Brothers have huge followings, while mainstream artists like Madonna and Bjork have turned to rave's offspring for artistic rejuvenation. In Generation Ecstasy, Simon Reynolds takes the reader on a guided tour of this end-of-the-millenium phenomenon, telling the story of rave culture and techno music as an insider who has dosed up and blissed out. The first critical history of techno music--and the drug culture that accompanies it--Generation Ecstasy traces rave's origins in Detroit techno and Chicago house, then shows how these black American genres were transformed by British and European youth. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about the artists and the DJs who created dance culture, the fans for whom it is a way of life, and the dance club and outdoor rave scenes that brought it both fame and infamy. A celebration of rave's quest for the perfect beat and the ultimate rush, Generation Ecstasy is the definitive chronicle of rave culture and electronic dance music

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Read it here (googlebooks)

FOR ANYONE IN NEED OF CHANGE

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``Can you put a value on a beautiful day, when the birds are singing and people are walking around together? How many dollars an hour does it take to pay you to stay inside and sell things or file papers? What will you get later that could make up for this day of your life?,,

--

By crimethinc

Download this book here

WITBOEK KRAKEN

Krakend Nederland presenteert:

132 bladzijden met meer dan 80 kraakpanden in 20 steden

Het Witboek heeft als doel het publiek en de politiek te informeren over de actuele kraakpraktijk en de huidige generatie krakers. Dit was hard nodig, onder andere in antwoord op het wetsvoorstel van Ten Hoopen, Van der Burg en Slob om kraken te verbieden. Het boek bevat - naast beschouwingen van deskundigen en opiniemakers - een groot scala aan voorbeelden van de vele kraakpanden die Nederland momenteel rijk is. Deze voorbeelden tonen aan dat kraken nog steeds een belangrijke maatschappelijke functie heeft. Kraken draagt bij aan het behoud van sociale huisvesting, het bestrijden van speculatie, het stimuleren van nieuwe culturele initiatieven en het beschermen van monumentale panden.

Het Witboek Kraken is een initiatief van een aantal krakers, ex-krakers en sympathisanten. Zij willen hiermee tegenwicht bieden aan de negatieve berichtgeving over kraken in de media. “Het Witboek Kraken laat een ander geluid horen over kraken,” aldus David van der Bree, redactielid van het Witboek. “Krakers zijn doorgaans juist betekenisvol voor hun directe omgeving. Het witboek schetst met 80 voorbeelden een beter beeld van de huidige kraakpraktijk.”

    De makers van het witboek vinden het de hoogste tijd om de stem te laten horen van de kraakgeneratie die nu actief is. Het laatste overzicht van de Nederlandse kraakbeweging, dat geschreven is door socioloog Eric Duivenvoorden, houdt op in 1999. Het Witboek geeft daarom vooral inzicht in de kraakacties die de afgelopen tien jaar hebben plaats gevonden. Het boek bevat beschrijvingen van recente kraakacties in verschillende Nederlandse gemeenten, waarvan er ongeveer 35 cases worden uitgebreid beschreven, in totaal komen 80 verhalen aan bod. Ook wordt context en weerwoord geboden bij incidenten rondom kraken die de afgelopen jaren negatief in de belangstelling hebben gestaan. Daarnaast zijn er wetenschappelijke artikelen en opiniestukken opgenomen die het fenomeen in een breder perspectief plaatsen en die de aanzet moeten zijn om het debat over kraken open te breken.

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! Download hier !

(rechtermuis, opslaan als)
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Bestellen kan hier

Meer info op www.witboekkraken.nl

THE ORIGIN OF CAPITALISM

The Origin of Capitalism: A Longer View
by Ellen Meiksins Wood

In this book Ellen Meiksins Wood reminds us that capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor is it simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the human interaction with nature. This new edition has been substantially revised and expanded, with several new chapters. It contains extensive new material, especially on imperialism, anti-Eurocentric history, capitalism and the nation-state and the differences between capitalism and non-capitalist commerce. The author also traces links between the origin of capitalism and contemporary conditions such as 'globalization,' ecological degradation and the current agricultural.

GRAB IT HERE (right-click/save as)

SOUND SYSTEM TECH - EPISODE ONE

Put on your geek glasses, time for some basic technical information concerning sound systems. Since designing a really good sound system is a complex, scientific process.

Sound for Underground Dance:
The Technical Foundation
 

The essential technical details for the design, configuration, and optimization of sound systems for the foundational characteristics of dance music shared by sunsonic. This guide does not imply to everyones needs I am aware of that.. but some people involved in a sound system might lack some basic knowledge. This is a good way to get your started. 

Introduction (excerpt)

Any combination of low-grade speakers and amplifiers are enough to make some noise, but the accurate reproduction of music, with flat frequency and phase response across the entire audible spectrum, at high volume levels, is a science and art that still has plenty of room for improvement, and that will continue to evolve for centuries to come. Tradeoffs are made by all audio equipment manufacturers between accuracy in frequency and phase response, efficiency, equipment volume and weight, and materials and R&D costs. For many applications, such as a low-cost public address system or guitar amp, 1950's era technology works fine. But for the world's largest and most successful sound companies, there is no settling for less than the best.

The fundamentals of connecting various pieces of equipment together and operating a sound system are not covered here, as there are many other reference materials that explain the basics of sound systems, such as Yamaha's classic Sound Reinforcement Handbook. Due to the small size and non-mainstream nature of the underground dance music market however, sound schools, books, and other educational resources do not devote much, if any, attention to its specific needs. This document illustrates the main design issues for electronic dance music, and explains why its unique characteristics often require a unique approach. With an understanding of the principles covered here, you'll be better able to set up a sound system that makes dance music sound as good as it can.

Read it here 

Concerning the Yamaha's classic Sound Reinforcement Handbook featured in this guide. You could buy it if you want to read it.. or grab it here (from an anonymous source ;D)

"Sound reinforcement is the use of audio amplification systems. This book is the first and only book."

NOLOGO

'How far will we let it go?'

 Reminder post..

 Still for download right here !!

BANKSY

Extract from "Banksy - Existencilism"

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Download the book in pdf-file right here

STENCIL PIRATES

By Josh Macphee (Soft Skull Press 2004)
 

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"Exhaustive round up of stencil movements around the world. Contains advice on cutting stencils ,not getting caught and even some example stencils to get you started.

This book logically categorises stencils into sub groups (text, political, characters etc) and provides over a thousand different stencils overall in colour and black and white."

--

Check it out here (google books)

BANKSY - EXISTENCILISM

Existencilism is the second book featuring stencil graffiti by Banksy. This time in colour it shows hits around the world and a load of graf from London, including hits on the Tate, Houses of Parliament and the Millennium Bridge. All supported by more invective such as "All artists are willing to suffer for their work. But why are so few prepared to learn to draw?"

 --

Download the book right here (pdf)

(rightclick, save as)

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The first book "cut it out" can be found here