We went to the Nottingham Green Festival on Sunday at The Arboretum. It’s a fabulous event (we go every year). As we were walking along the path Kurt spoke to me.
“Is that your dog, she’s beautiful”
Kurt had seen Elsie our little whippet, we had a chat about whippets. Kurt was wearing a football shirt. I’m a bit geeky and can usually spot a football club from the shirt, but I didn’t recognise Kurts’s shirt.
Kurt told me it wasn’t a football club, he doesn’t follow football. The shirt is a from a Dutch streetwear brand, Patta. The brand is 16 years old and was formed by two Surinamese guys. The brand is strong on community links. Kurt then showed me the back of his shirt, it had two names Kempi and Alchemist. Patta partnered with music label Top Notch to present the 'Rap N Glorie' collaborative project with Dutch rapper Kempi and American producer, Alchemist. Patta utilized the pair, connecting Dutch language goals with Alchemist-produced beats to create an international sound. Kempi and Alchemist linked together in a recording studio to create the music that formulated the four-track EP, ‘Rap N Glorie.’
To commemorate the release, Patta designed special football jerseys in two colours, featuring a checkerboard base in white/red/navy or black/grey. The back of the jersey features Kempi’s and Alchemist’s names and number 16, signifying the year release date. The ‘Rap N Glorie’ 12” vinyl EP contains the four original tracks and only comes with the purchase of the limited edition jersey. So there you go , who’d have though a football shirt that’s not a football shirt, had so a diverse story to it.
I noticed Kurt’s partner had a little dog, a miniature pinscher, so I asked Kurt if he would be part of my strangers project with his dog. Kurt agreed and as you can see the pair make a great photo (I usually type the names of my strangers into my phone immediately after I’ve photographed them, but I got distracted and by the time I got back to the bandstand area to meet my wife, I’d forgotten Kurt’s dog’s name !
Kurt’s socials tells me he runs a successful security company installing shutters and doors into commercial and domestic properties. Thanks for letting me take your picture Kurt, I hope you enjoyed the festival.
