For sweet spot doc #5, I catch up with artist One9 in his Dumbo studio to take me through the many styles he is currently working on and get a lesson on chess and a peak at his "back row series". This artists is all about rhythm and movement .. check it!

sweet spot doc #5 One9 from Leah Hamilton on Vimeo.

One9 began his artistic career as an aerosol artist on the streets, alleys and corners of urban America. With a can of spray paint as his chosen instrument of expression, One9 was able to successfully connect his creative thoughts with the passion and cutting edge sentiment that characterized his environment. This period of the artist’s life culminated in his inclusion as a featured artist in the upcoming book “History of U.S. Graffiti” (By Roger Gastman), a book that takes a close look at the ideas and work of the capital city’s most prominent street artists.

Unsatisfied with the traditional course offerings available to him at the University of Maryland, One9 designed a new curriculum that combined traditional artistic practices with new technological advances and graduated with a degree in Visual Communications in 1996. His receipt of the International Competition for Broadcast Design Award (BDA), a NY Film Festival Cultural Award and his 6 Telly awards showcased the artists’ ability to integrate two seemingly disparate forms into an artistic whole and validated the unconventional path he chose to travel.

As One9 matured his artistic vision followed suit. He became increasingly interested in communicating the visual manifestations of rhythm and his work began to illustrate this new philosophy. In 1997, One9’s work led to his being chosen to conduct a workshop on the interpretation of rhythm as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Seeing Jazz Festival. One9 led workshop participants through exercises that allowed them to translate music into visual form.

One9’s work has been featured in numerous art shows including: Manifest Hope DC, in collaboration with Irvine Contemporary Gallery, MoveOn.org Political Action, The Service Employees International Union and Obey Giant, Washington DC, The Walls Belong To Us Art Benefit, in collaboration with FiftyFive DSL and Sound of Art, New York, NY, 2007 3rd Wave: The Planet of Brooklyn Transitions, in collaboration with Brooklyn Arts Council Gallery and natcreole.com, as well as co-creating the 1st Annual Kings & Queens Chess Give, The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, New York, NY. check out his site www.one9.com.