Peter Coffin

My husband and I are fortunate to know quite a few very interesting and talented people working in music and the arts. I thought it might be fun to do some casual interviews and get a little background on what they’re into.

NYC-based artist Peter Coffin is a good friend. He married my husband and I, and even helped me drag my tradeshow props all the way to Javits over the summer in his stationwagon, for which I still owe him big. I don’t want to describe his artwork for fear of saying something stupid or leaving something out, but to start, it’s refreshingly approachable, with a good dose of humor (You can check out a pretty comprehensive interview with Peter in Flash Art).

Pete came and visited us here in Łódż earlier this year, and between gorging on Polish food, playing with our baby, and web surfing like a maniac, he found time to answer a few questions:

PB: What have you been researching the past few days?
PC: Galactic life unveiled. The phenomenon of biological communication between advanced life in space and its subliminal effects on terrestrial man. (That’s the title of the book he’s been reading)

What is one thing you wish people would pay most attention to?
Life in space and its subliminal effects.

What are your top 3 favorite Polish foods, listed in order?
1. Stuffed cabbage (gołombki… meat and rice stuffed cabbage leaves in tomato sauce)
2. Potato pancakes with gulash
3. Barszcz z uszkami (beet soup with mini meat pierogi)
4. Crispy fried mushroom pierogi (honorable mention)

What’s up with the shapes you keep leaving around the hallway and apartment? Last time you came over to our house in Berkeley, you were stashing circle stickers with words on them all over stuff, remember?
The silhouettes are meant to be reminders of the things they reference. I like things that at first go unnoticed, are barely noticable or are a surprise. I did a project recently that involved large sculptural silhouettes which were meant to be reminders of the icons they reference. These Silhouettes were very big and very thin and flat so they’d appear and disappear as you walk by them in the park.

The piece above is from a series of public art works Peter made a couple of years ago. All about it here. Love Park! This one is especially iconic for me… brings me right back to Philadelphia’s favorite skate-park in the 90s.

What are 2 of your favorite things about NY?
1. The new bike path that’s about to go around Manhattan
2. Every Frederick Law Olmstead park. City parks in the summer.

What media do you take in on any regular basis?
The Huffington Post, Pacifica News, Project Censored, the UFO dude from late night AM radio, Wiki leaks

What is your biggest flaw?
“I’m an over-achiever” …That’ll really impress them. just kidding. I think my humor is hilarious. That’s my greatest flaw.

Do you get a lot of email? Too much.

Pete and Deco enjoying some quality web surfing.

While visiting, Peter told us about his interest in making a moss-solution that you could paint/stencil onto a surface. The idea is that the moss would then grow in a pattern or something. I was picturing moss-flocked wallpaper (amazing right?). We put some moss in the blender with some beer, according to the recipe, and stenciled a pattern in our attic (see blurry pic below), and a Face of Jesus stencil by the stairs to our building, but no luck getting it to grow. I think I’m in charge of finding a recipe that works, so I better get on it.

Check out some of Pete’s pieces below, or see more here (boooooooooom).