Christopher Salat

Christopher Karl Salat (born July 1976), also known professionally as BeZerK One is an American graffiti artist, virtual reality artist, and turntablist. Known for his early work in Houston as a graffiti innovator,[1] active in the Houston Alternative Art scene,[2] original crew member of "Aerosol Warfare" art collective[3] and the scratch DJ for "Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations".[4]

Christopher Salat
Born
Christopher Salat

July 1976
Houston Texas
NationalityBritish American
Known forPublic art
Graffiti
Painting
Street-Art
Turntablist
VRArtist
Notable workGraffiti Art, Album Covers, Virtual Reality Graffiti
MovementHip-Hop Culture

Biography

In 1992, Salat began to develop the art form professionally, combining efforts on the street and assisting in establishing the "Aerosol Warfare" arts collective in Houston, Texas.[5] Salat played an active role of gathering street artists. producing large productions known as "Burners" and placing some art effort in galleries to make money for street artists. His efforts are outlined in the hardback publication "The History of American Graffiti", published in 2011 by Roger Gastman.[1]

"In 1992, the duo established the “Wall of Fame,” which still runs today on Palmer and McKinney Streets as a legal spot for artists to graffiti. In 1994 ChristianAZUL and Christopher Karl “BeZerk One” joined Aerosol Warfare and established Aerosol Warfare Gallery in 2000." - Nimra Haroon, Houston's Graffiti Culture[5]

As Salat's career moved forward, he started a sculpture series of "Aerosol Bombs" using his empty cans of Krylon spray paint. In 1997, gathering attention from outside the southern region, Limp Bizkit's front man Fred Durst used one of Salat's Bomb Sculptures "Aerosol Warfare #2" (VA0001131224) to promote the track Counterfeit on Interscope Records.[6][7] The single was promoted to record executives, radio station DJs and industry professionals to promote Limp Bizkit's debut sound. In 1998, Limp Bizkit released an international maxi single entitled "Counterfeit Countdown",[8] taking Salat's Bomb design worldwide. The image of the sculpture was also used in the liner notes of the "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all" album.[9]

Audio media

After spending time in the visual arts, Salat shifted focus and joined the Band A>S>H>S or Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations as the frontman, using samples with turntables to narrate the musical atmospheres. A>S>H>S played the southern part of Texas for many years[10] before producing an album at SugarHill Recording Studios in 2006.[11] Upon its release, the "Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations" debut album had significant impact.[12][13][4]

"I'm the guy who does all the scratching and adds all the vocals," Karl says. "The vocals tell a story about the atmosphere we're creating. Act Fast is about the atomic bomb. As the music changes, there's a man warning you, saying, 'The bomb can explode at any time.' When the music changes, it's like the bomb exploding, and the vocal there is, 'You can't see radiation, but can you feel it?' We try to say something without saying it." - Christopher Karl, "Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations" Houston Chronicle[4]

Further education

In 2007, Salat left Texas to pursue his passion of building video games and other digital technologies. He attended The University of Advancing Technology, majoring in video game environmental design, and later adding cybersecurity to his study agenda. Salat had the opportunity to intern with The Department of Defense, designing a browser based game called "CyberHero", educating young people about cybersecurity scenarios.[14]

"It was a great educational opportunity to help young people understand that defense in the future means securing our Networks" - Christopher Salat, "When Games are more than just play" Geek411[14]

Technology testing

In 2015, Salat gained a testing position at 343 Industries testing their new console release Halo 5: Guardians.[15][16]

References
  1. Gastman, Roger (2011). The History of American Graffiti (1st ed.). New York: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 338. ISBN 9780061698781.
  2. Kamps, Toby (2009). No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston (1st ed.). Houston: Contemporary Arts Museum.
  3. "Aerosol Warfare History". Aerosol Warfare Collective Original Members
  4. Cress, Sarah (2006-03-16). "A>s>h>s: Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations". Houston Chronicle
  5. Haroon, Nimra. "Houston's Graffiti Culture" (PDF). Establishing Aerosol Warfare Gallery, Page 2
  6. "docket://gov.uscourts.ilnd.1-02-cv-08044". Hon. Geraldine Soat Brown : Settlement conference: Binding settlement Docket
  7. "Counterfeit Countdown US". Discogs Database, Limp Bizkit Single "Counterfeit" Song, US.
  8. "Counterfeit Countdown INT". Discogs Database, Limp Bizkit Single "Counterfeit" Song, International.
  9. "3 Dollar Bill Y'all". Discogs Database, Limp Bizkit Album "3 Dollar Bills, Y'all" LP.
  10. "A>S>H>S, Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations". Space City Rock
  11. "Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations". Discogs Database, A>S>H>S Album.
  12. Ritter, Travis (2006-03-23). "Rockin Your A>S>H>S". Houston Press
  13. Cobb, David (July 2006). "A>s>h>s: Audible Stellar Hypnotic Situations". AllAboutJazz
  14. Keating, S. "When Games are more than just play" (PDF). Geek 411, CyberHero DoD Project, Page 36
  15. "Halo 5: Guardians Credits, Moby Games". Christopher Salat, Test Reserves
  16. "Halo 5: Guardians Credits, IGDb". Christopher Salat, Test Reserves
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