Jaimie Baird was born in England in 1952 and brought up in New Zealand from 9 years of age. He attended Nelson College, as a boarder, completed a diploma in Horticulture at Massey University, and then joined the department of Agriculture in 1972.
In his early thirties, Jaimie watched a TV documentary called Style Wars, bought a book called Subway Art and met Kosmoe (aka Frosty K) in Manners Mall. The journey of investigating the hip hop sub-culture, ‘bombing’ as an art form, then all things graffiti, had begun.
Despite a fascination with art and graphic design, Jaimie acknowledges he lacked the talent and has never been a graffiti artist or hip-hopper. He sees himself more as a street photographer and recorder of art history, with a keen interest in social science. Witnessing the creativity has been Jaimie’s privilege.
