Concrete Hermit Studio Visit: Michael Willis Back to listing

During last weeks heat wave, Concrete Hermit met Otherscenes aka Michael Willis; graphic artist, founder of Panther Club and excellent conversationalist. Read on to find out more about his pioneering style, composition techniques and love of Bodeans!

Concrete Hermit: How would you describe your work to somebody?

Michael Willis: Hello there – I would say my work is an amalgamation of influences. Filtered pop culture explored through many types of visual languages with no single point of reference but many. I try and bring together elements of sixties psych, eighties pop graphics, collage and influences of ancient and internet art, using narrative and structure to bring to life themes that usually have a mystical, underground or cosmic twist.

CH: ‘Otherscenes’ is your alias. Where did that name come from?

MW: I use the name Otherscenes as an umbrella term for my work – the name refers to a counter-culture newspaper from the sixties. It’s kind of a homage to that period in time – lots of great illustration and typography all printed in inventive and creative ways. If you cant find anything on ‘Other Scenes’ magazine then make sure you check out OZ magazine as its one of the best examples of the underground papers.
 

That's a snippet of the interview - click here to read more on the Concrete Hermit website!