Questions On is the video interview format created by C41. The video portrays an insider perspective of some of the Klen Sheet crew’s members, dialoguing on their collective and on the Milanese scenario through their personal prism.
1. How did you come up with the name “Klen Sheet” and what does it mean to you in the broadest sense?
Monoryth: The name Klen Sheet has autobiographical roots, as “Klen” is the name of the dog that Maggio had until a few years ago. In fact, the whole collective was born as a tribute to Klen, linked then with the word “Sheet”. The combination of these two words creates this expression that can be interpreted in multiple ways, starting from the idea of the “dog’s sheet” to the idea of the “dog’s shit”, passing through more interesting meanings as the one of “clean sheet”, that symbolizes the start, the idea of the creative act that grows. Speaking about the idea of telling a story, we also play with the oxymoron “clean shit”, as when you expose your own weaknesses and vulnerabilities, bringing them out through a song, a story, or a video, in a certain way they become “clean”, in a liberating and cathartic way. Moreover, in football terminology, “clean sheet” is a formula used to express a match in which a team prevents the opposing side from scoring. A perfect and flawless victory. And this is also the idea – not in a “rap” and egocentric way – of a victory almost taken for granted, as the reason why we do what we do is to simply feel good together and express ourselves. And if these are the starting points we cannot fail, as the victory lies in the act of what we do. Therefore, to us Klen Sheet has multiple meanings that even go beyond the ones I have explained you, as we play with different interpretations and meanings.
Maggio: The meaning that “Klen Sheet” has today I don’t even explain it to myself anymore, as it represents more a mix of feelings I collected and internalized over the time, calling them simply “Klen Sheet”, that refers from the way in which I approach people – for work or for simply interest or curiosity – to the way in which I face difficult situations in the everyday life, so I guess Klen Sheet is more of a temperament.
2. The word family is often mentioned by you, and you consider yourself as an atypical family where everyone is different. At this point what meaning do you give to the word family? What are the keywords to define your crew?
Maggio: Nowadays family to me is who is around me, without asking and pretending anything to them, and without them asking or pretending from me. So it is more of a living with naturalness, trying not to push those boundaries that otherwise would destroy the logic’s group. Respect of spaces and limits are the best things, and respect of our characters that actually define who we are.
Vittoria: I believe that family is a very wide concept, usually connected to what we are living, and I think that family corresponds also to the people that in a certain way experience with us a series of important things of our lives and that somehow share with us the weight of these experiences. This is first of all what family means to me. Regarding the key words that define our crew, it is hard to explain it, as everything is so spontaneous, we have not any pre-established values to follow to be together as everything is so spontaneous and most of all the trust we have in each other is there regardless, and by instinct. Therefore, from an insider viewpoint, it is complex to define ourselves with specific key words, but there are surely some recurring elements, that are the desire to do something together, the cohesion, mostly the brotherhood – as there is no value greater than that in our relationship – and the simplicity. The simplicity of those little things we carry on and we get excited from, that we experience together and give us beautiful sensations.
Monoryth: I think in our crew we really complete each other, and this is what allows us to feel a family, to feel close to each other, as no one “eats each other’s sheet”. Everyone helps everyone and this is connected to the fundamental value of the Klen Sheet’s family: the truth, the idea to be real, a widespread concept often connected to a concept of “street rap”. But for us being real does not mean coming from the street, but it means to be sincere to the others and to express ourselves without the fear of being judged. Accepting ourselves for who we are and trying to valorise our best sides is the best way to always improve and to be mutually stimulated.
3. How do you find the Milanese milieu you are living in? And what’s its response to the creativity promoted by youngsters?
Maggio: Milan is a city that since I was in high school I wanted to experience, as a way to escape from my way of being. Now that I am living here I can say that it actually reflects what I want to do, and it answers positively. Of course the difference where I’m from and from the other guys come are quite evident, but I think we are made for adapting and for learning and growing. So overall we are all satisfied in the context we live in otherwise we would have not even met each other.
Monoryth: I am the last one arrived to Milan and I’m adjusting to it quite well. I get involved to do what I love and surviving thanks to that. And this, for the small province I am from, is something quite strange because not only what I do in Milan is not seen as a job, but is also seen as wasting time, or just a hobby. Therefore to me, arriving to the Milanese environment, so fervid and so responsive towards the youngsters’ ideas, it was a big welcoming that makes me actually feel so serene also with the Klen Sheet crew and with the everyday routine of what we do.
Goldreick: When Tanca, Giumo and I arrived to Milan we were only kids. We had more fights than easy encounters, but from our union we got to know people as Maggio, Ngawa and Ratematica, and despite the struggles and the difficult moments we managed to create a family. Tanca, Giumo and I are from Altamura (Apulia) and I can only say, after I left my roots, that “If you leave your town, your town leaves you”.
Credits:
Featuring:
Klen Sheet
Maggio
Vittoria Elena Simone
Monoryth
Goldreick
Curated by Alice De Santis, Luca A. Caizzi, Cecilia Terenzoni
Writer: Cecilia Terenzoni
Visual: C41.eu
Editor: Elena Ottavi