Local DJ and artist views art like he hears a hip-hop beat

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Wallace Berkley Gibbs III loves art and music. Instead of choosing, he does both. By day, he’s Berkvisual  – artist and co-owner of Elm & Oak  in Norfolk. When the store closes, he’s DJ Tanner – playing gigs at area hangouts like New Belmont and The Boot. 

LEARNING THE ART

Gibbs was never into formal art training. In high school, he went from the beginner’s art class to a college-level course that stifled his creative edge. Most of the lessons were about color theories and shapes. “It was messing it up for me. It was stressing me out,” he said.

That’s why he studied audio production and photography at Middle Tennessee State University. “If I’d have went for art, it would have ruined it,” Gibbs said. “Music was a technical skill. I knew they wouldn’t judge me on my ideas.”

THE CRAFT

Skateboard trucks, hangers, stickers, wallpaper samples – Gibbs said everything can be turned into art. “I use found objects and sample things visually.”

He likes to draw faceted stones and whales, too, but he rarely has a concrete plan. “All of my art is a stream of consciousness,” he said.

“I don’t know why I do things. I just do.”

THE INSPIRATION

Gibbs’ work is inspired by graffiti, one of the five elements of hip-hop. It’s the connection between the hip-hop musicians, dancers and artists that keeps him intrigued. “You don’t have ballerinas and classical violin players who kick it together, but you have DJs, B-boys and graf artists who do, and all those things influence each other,” Gibbs said. “Guys might twist their letters in a way they saw their boy dance.”

Gibbs said graffiti is the most public art form. That’s why he loves it. “You do a gallery show, and the people who want to see it stop by. You do graffiti, and people will see it even if they don’t want to see it. That’s the beauty of graffiti. I’m more along the lines of punching people in the face with my art.”

THE STUDIO

The back room of Elm & Oak  is stuffed with supplies – black binders filled with wallpaper samples, an atlas, stickers, a standard-size white bathtub to rinse T-shirt screens and bulletin boards.

“This might not be the most productive environment for some, but it is for me. I guess I could be considered a pack rat,” Gibbs  said. “Ideas come from everything around here.”

A studio isn’t complete without music. “Hip-hop is my favorite. A beat is a sound collage. To me, art is a visual sound collage.”

The store’s clients have included Commonwealth, Ghent Business Association,  and hip-hop artists Clipse  and Fam-Lay. 

LIVE ART

After college, Gibbs  was hired as a performance painter for Sound Tribe Sector 9   and other bands. “The first time I painted live, it was a sold-out show in Nashville. Kids were outside who couldn’t get in, and they were peering in the window. People were cheering for me. It’s, like, really weird to have people screaming, 'Get it! You got it! You the man!’”

In April, Gibbs  will paint for a Juxtapoz  magazine party in San Francisco. Juxtapoz  caters to underground artists. While his paintings haven’t made it into the magazine yet, his goal for 2008 was to get his name in. “It’s early, and I’m already doing that.”

BERK THE DJ

Wallace Berkley Gibbs III got his first DJ job when he was 16. When he went to school at Middle Tennessee State University, his younger brother took over the DJ gigs. Gibb s traveled with bands and worked for U-Haul until his brother made him a job offer.

“He had more gigs than he could take, and he was getting ready to go to fireman’s school. He told me that he’d give his gigs to me and pay me. I lived in Tennessee for seven years. I packed up my life in seven days.”

He DJs about four nights a week. He makes about $100 an hour. “The very worst and most boring DJ gig is much better than washing dishes.”

BERK THE BUSINESSMAN

Gibbs met his business partner, Charlie Restless, on a visit to Hampton Roads a few years ago.

“When I was here, I invited him to a show that I was going to have at Relative Theory in the future. I had the show, and he actually showed up. I couldn’t believe it. We connected, man.”

When Gibbs moved back to Hampton Roads from Tennessee i n 2006, he worked with Restless at his Virginia Beach clothing store, Restless Bodies.  In 2007, they turned Restless Bodies into a brand and called their store Elm & Oak (Exclusive Limited Merchandise & One of a Kinds). Elm & Oak specializes in custom T-shirts, bags, fliers and posters.

The two moved to the Norfolk location near Old Dominion University in October.

Reach DeAnne M. Bradley at 222-3897 or deanne.bradley@link757.com.