About this submission

Skateparks, abandoned buildings and basements! These are where artists get their start. A group of friends embark on a journey to Philly's DIY scene that highlights what makes the scene so special. I wanted to document how us weirdest of the weirdos find our sense of community in the diy scene. Its a place of pure artistic expression that is hard to find now.

Nico Swan

Creator

Hailing from the west side of Detroit, Nico Swan has been storytelling since he was gifted a camera at 9. His musical dramedy Hip Hop Clowns, featured Grammy Award winner Jonathan B. Wright and a conglomerate of Detroit artists. Since then he became the first ever Red Bull Emerging Filmmaker Fellow & created the documentary Fly High DIY. Recently, he was selected as a Culture Source Arc Fund Fellow which supported his publication Video Gaga where he writes mixed media video essays reaching over 100,000 views. His work has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer & Metro Times. more...