This week Miranda speaks with Patrick Miller and Patrick McNeil—better known together as FAILE.
Since meeting on the very first day of high school, the two have been creating art side by side for over twenty-six years. What began with trading sketchbooks in Arizona grew into a wide-ranging practice rooted in printmaking—particularly silkscreen and stenciling—and expanded into painting, sculpture, large-scale public installations, and even immersive nightclubs.
In their conversation, they trace FAILE’s evolution: from cutting stencils in garages and late-night sessions in college print labs, to bringing their layered, frenetic aesthetic from the streets of Brooklyn all the way to Lincoln Center and Times Square. Along the way, they talk about the push and pull between street and studio, the role of music and photocopy culture in their work, and how parenthood and time have reshaped their creative lens.
Whether it’s a 40-foot tower at the New York City Ballet, a nightclub floor covered in hand-pulled prints, or a massive tiled facade soon to be unveiled in Manhattan—FAILE continues to expand what printmaking can be while staying true to the collaborative spirit that started it all.
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