The Infamous Texture Issue [ Spring 2007 ]

DLa #020 The release of the DLa Texture Issue [TI] is itself a remarkable event. Three years in the making, the TI began with serious momentum. Within days after Westside DLa headquarters announced the official theme of the next issue — texture — Eastside posse hit the streets of ML, armed to teeth with cameras, paints, papers, and pens. After capturing and creating a treasure trove of digital texture chunks, Eastside went to work with individual page layouts and other assigned tasks. Within six weeks, the Eastside crew had met the generous deadline set by the Westside Bosses. The next few weeks that passed after submission involved some moderate content editing and other bureaucratic business, and everyone remained excited to see the scheduled release of the eagerly anticipated Texture Issue. After watching the planned release date come and go, some of our fellow DLa comrades became skeptical. "How could we begin work on the next issue — DLa #21 — with DLa #20 still in production?" Assuredly, Westside insisted that all was going according to revised plans, and that the new issue would definitely be finished and shipped by the end of October 2003. Then, as the Eastside clan watched the rescheduled release date disappear with nary a TI in sight, plans to move ahead with an interim issue of DLa — DLa #20.5 — were developed and pursued. Needless to say, the next year bore witness to several significant events — completion of DLa #20.50, completion of DLa #21, the DLa MLHS Art Lectures, the unofficial dissolution of DLa, the unofficial reformation of DLa, and even the completion of DLa #22 — but the long-awaited release of the Texture Issue was not on the list. As for 2005, nothing — including the Texture Issue — was released or otherwise accomplished by the Dead Letter Art collective. Apparently, DLa had finally passed away..

And then, suddenly, in early 2006, rumours in the West — whispers of a texturized issue — began resurfacing and eventually gave way to the reunion of several key members of the DLa organization. Once again the inspiration began to flow — ideas, projects, plans.. Which brings us here — after several months of planning and diligence, Dead Letter Art is back in business.

To commemorate the event, the DLa collective has launched this new website, a fresh issue of DLa, and the infamous DLa Texture Issue, all shipped out to core personnel via deluxe invitational packaging replete with custom postage, wrapping, and exclusive invitations.

Within the Texture Issue, readers will discover a host of once-forgotten Eastside relics united with long-awaited Westside artifacts. The issue includes several regular DLa features, such as the Werdz Page, Il Commentator, Tarot Card, art{space}, and even a few crazy comix. Of course, the Texture Issue also features an abundance of texture-related drawings, sketches, and mixed-media art..