make some noise daz!

The words “once an object has been incorporated in a picture, it accepts a new destiny” comes to mind when I think of a tiger imprinted on the wall of a blind school at garcha 1^st lane, dover place..its creator Daryl  Bennett aka Sinna one was perhaps destined to pay his tribute to Kolkata and its old world charm by marking its wall with an art form that is contemporary and very dynamic, a graffiti. As the orange tiger gazes out at the denizens of this city, I cannot help but wonder at Daryls ability to amalgamate the character of Bengal and its greats like Jamini Roy into this artefact. 


It is indeed wonderful that there are art collectives like Asthir (https://www.facebook.com/pages/ASTHIR-Art-on-the-Move/172421812793357) that initiated this whole process. We at Kriya Kalash and the local community of the place where this was held were also a part of this event to back it up and give it all our support.

My first meeting with Daryl or Daz (as his friends lovingly call him) was at a friend’s party. I was immediately enamoured by his boyish charm and goofy mannerisms. Having heard that he is a graffiti artist and works with delinquent boys back in U.K., our conversation revolved around comic strips,  sci fi movies and music. I got to know that Daryl loved the works of Frank Miller, Kev O'Neill, Simon Bisley, all of whom have associated with DC comics. But it was when he mentioned graphic artist Vaughn Bode, Hayao Miyazaki and the movie “AKIRA” by Katsuhiro Otomo that Daryl the artist started to emerge. I could easily juxtapose his “ Transformers  like” robot  graffiti with manga artists from Japan and his childlike cartoon images with Bodes “cheech wizard”. I couldn’t help comparing Daryl’s journey to India as a homage to Vaughn bode who is an apotheosis in the graffiti genre. Now, Vaughn Bode dappled with spirituality and was into mysticism, so there was nothing better than to have an artist he influenced paint his form of art in the land that defines mysticism.

However, Daryl’s connect with India does not end there. He spent his childhood in Kalimpong and has a deep connect with people from this Himalayan region. From sketching intricate Tibetan patterns to constantly showing off his Nepali saying “हुन्छ” and “बिस्तारि बिस्तारि ” was an absolute delight to a girl who always is in a hurry. Almost two decades after he had left India, Daryl had returned to the country of his childhood discovering and reminiscing. He professes to return again and we wish him the best and hope to see him soon. So Daz cheers to you for bringing a little punk and urban style of art into the City of Joy and by the words of Beastie Boys, one of your favorite bands “make (in) some noise”