James Burke and Paul Arad - Acrylicize

What started out as a simple university project, has now evolved into a quirky money making business, better yet an international enterprise that is set to hold grounds in the US as well as UK. James Burke - Creative Director and Paul Arad - Managing Director are the duo behind Acrylicize who initially 'started spraying ink designs onto acrylic to make a statement about the public perception of art.' Not only is JB a whizz with visual arts, but also a highly skilled musician who has been drumming since the age of 6. He has had the pleasure of performing at the Jazz Cafe and London Palladium and is schedule to tour with LeaLea Jones later this year. I thought I'd catch up with the duo to find out more about the company. .


What do you do and where did the love for acrylic start?

JB: Acrylicize is a boutique art and design studio that I started in final year Manchester Met as part of an art project. I started spraying ink designs onto acrylic to make a statement about the public perception of art. I put mock price tags on everything, with random numbers that were meant to represent prices. But then to my shock, people kept trying to buy them and I sold almost all of my exhibition pieces, without even intending to.

I wanted to bring the traditional art canvas into the 21st century and create art that could be admired at face value. The acrylic canvas wasn’t very widely used and I liked the modern, clean and minimal effect it had. The clean and simple lines of an acrylic piece give a fresh and modern feel to photography, and I like how the finish worked with the light to create luminosity.

What has been your best outcome?

PA: Our most recent installation, ‘The Light Wall’, has had an amazing response. Engine is a very cool global marketing and communications agency and they wanted something for their reception area that communicated its flair and innovation.

We worked in conjunction with Jump Studios, a London-based architecture and interior design practice, on a brief to re-imagine the ‘visitor experience’ at Engine’s West End headquarters on Great Portland Street. We’ve created a one-of-a-kind light installation that shines through over one hundred blocks of acrylic, changing colour at random throughout the day.

We also made a Making Of Video which shows in a few minutes how the installation was built from start to finish.


What sacrifices have you made for your business?

JB: Basically living without an income for the first few years as we invested all the we money made back into the business in order to buy equipment and create a solid infrastructure. Plus working all hours of the day including weekends, putting in the hours wherever needed, as the buck stops at us.

Any regrets?

PA: Life’s about learning. We tend not to regret things as we believe we're making the right decisions as we make them. If things don't go to plan, all we can do is learn in order to be more equipped for next time.

Where do your other talents lie?

JB: I’ve been drumming since I was 6. I’ve been lucky enough to perform at The Jazz Cafè and the London Palladium. I’m actually in rehearsals at the moment with LeaLea Jones. We’re going on tour in the US next month.

I’ve also got a side project called Shesh, which all came about at uni. It started as a band then expanded to my personal graffiti tag as well as inspiration for fashion.


How do you promote yourself as a business and has this been successful?

PA: A lot of our work has been through word-of-mouth. We’re really lucky that the art speaks for itself. When it comes to pitching, we go out and seek it. We go through the trade press and walk the streets of London, looking for new building developments to fill with art.

We also have a lot of fun with social media to spread the acrylicize word. We ask people to request acrylicize-branded stickers and stick them on landmarks around the world. Check some of them out here. We also use Twitter and Facebook to get on the radar of architects, interior designs and cool magazines. We also use it to let our followers know what inspires us, what we’re up to in the office and our projects. We have Project 365, where we upload a new photo every day, something that represents acrylicize and our ethos.

What advice would you give someone with a similar quirky design?

JB: Stay true to what you believe and work hard. I believe that these two attributes can take you where ever you want to go. Too many people try to follow fashion or produce work that they think they should because it’s the style of the time. By doing this your work is likely to look like everyone else's. Challenge the norm!


What have you got planned for 2011?

Lots more exciting projects in the pipeline! We also hope to eventually open an office stateside, most likely NYC. We’ve got some exciting collaborations on the horizon, but can’t say too much at this point in time!

To get more from James and Paul you can visit Acrylicize Online where you can view their Blog and all Projects.