Get Familiar: Boris Tellegen Aka Delta
Hi Boris, introduce us to the world of DELTA. How did your relationship with art begin?
Long story. Started as a 14-year-old kid with marker and spray paint. Endlessly repetitive drawing my name somehow led to where I am now. It was never meant to be art, it was just sports/play. Nowadays I can't say that I am the sporty type, but I do still like to play.
How old were you the first time you tagged a wall?
At 14, I made the transition from tagging school toilets to street walls.
Can you tell us how you met your crew and when you began tagging walls with them?
I did use to hang with crews, but I guess I preferred to go alone. I found it more intense to go alone. It is more a spiritual thing to go by yourself, and if you believe that nobody sees you, nobody sees you. Even when you are sober.
How did your expertise in graffiti art evolve to installations and other forms of art?
The one thing that helps is being persistent. Just continue what you do over and over again.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your art? How do you translate your ideas envisioned on a sketch, to a final product?
I have small Moleskine books I put my doodles and ideas in. It can be anything. Ideas for sculptures. drawings.. nothing special about the process really. The trick is to cross-reference your ideas though. Maybe this one doodle you did as an idea for plan A, works really good actually for plan B. Does that make sense?
Has your art evolved over time?
I hope so! Although I am not shy going back to older paths.
What is your favourite part about being an artist?
The freedom! I count myself very lucky that I can live from doing what I like doing best. It never feels like working. It is playing.
Coming back to the collaboration with Patta, can you tell us about the creative process in designing of the Brickwheels?
I tried to remember how I came to the idea of doing a small little metal block with wheels. I looked back through my ideas, but I don't know what triggered it. I think it must have been on holiday or so.
I have collected Matchbox cars a little bit after I found some still in their packaging box at the Noordermarkt. I really liked the packaging. And I remembered the rotating display with all the little boxes with cars in them. What I like about toy cars is that they are mostly metal. Not many toys nowadays are metal anymore. Metal toys are instantly serious toys.
But maybe doing this toy was just an excuse to do the package. So when I had the idea and the design I had to look for a manufacturer. The one thing with metal is that the production is done by die-cast. And die-cast moulds are expensive. that meant that the minimum order quantity as too high to get rid of through my own channels. So when I bumped into Gee I proposed it for Patta, and he was instantly enthusiastic. Thanks Gee!
