A recent chat with friends led to a discussion about what colour we intrinsically ‘were’. Fascinatingly we all agreed on the colours that came to mind, as if subconsciously they were obvious to us all. Colour is absolutely intrinsic to the way we feel, the way we look and the way we act. And for illustrators and artists it plays an enormous part in the creation of work. Of course many of us see colours differently (a huge amount of men, for instance, suffer some form of colour blindness) and colours also mean different things to different people. Why, for instance, do I love bright red and green, but dislike orange brown? I find it absolutely fascinating.
Now a major lifestyle brand is planning to collect stories of how people have been positively impacted by colour. They would like to know what your relationship is with a particular colour, what three words you would associate with it, and what kind of details from your life, your culture and your home have played a part in your opinion of that colour. To get involved you can submit your story as words, photography and video: the most compelling one will be filmed by leading film makers Blair & Oliver and edited into a short documentary about how colour has affected lives. If you submit the best story you’ll win £250.
What better way to get you inspired than a series of illustrations exploring what colour means to some of my contributors. To take part in this open callout send your stories to renewalstories@redant.com along with your contact details. The deadline for submission is 1st March 2013.
Green by Cissy Hu. When I see green, my eyelashes will become a forest. The creatures of imagination will come out and play. Everything goes lively above the lake of heart (the eyes).
The Colour Pink by Christine Charnock. The colour pink has so many beautiful and versatile shades – from vibrant and bold, to calming and subdued. In the natural world, the colour pink is present in many fascinating forms. The sky of a sunset, flora and fauna, and the flamingo bird are particularly memorable and beautiful examples. Pink always seems to create a positive, uplifting and cheerful vibe, and this is one of the reasons why I adore this colour.
Green is such a relaxing colour by Joanna Boyle. My favourite time of year is spring time, when everything starts to get green after months of rain and cold. I associate the colour green with feeling calm and refreshed. As a result I love visiting green houses and like to keep lots of plants in my flat!
Turquoise Planet by Laura Redburn. I absolutely love all colours, and colour is my world. Turquoise is my favourite, though. It both gives me energy and keeps me calm. I like to always have this colour around me because it also helps me feel creative but not overwhelmed. I feel as if there’s something magical about it that other colours don’t possess. To me it’s representative of earth and life.
Yellow Portrait of Silvia Pezzati by Rosa Crepax, Illustrated Moodboard. My friend Silvia is the ‘yellowest’ person I know. Yellow is a very happy colour, I’ve always associated it with sunshine, cheerfulness and intellectual creativity. She is enthusiastic about everything, warm, bright and she actually smiles sun!
Green by Gemma Hampton.Green is my favourite colour. To me, it represents growth and freedom. As a keen gardener, I am forever fascinated when planting a seed and watching it spring into life, growing stronger and healthier by the day. I enjoy studying this process of development and feel a deep sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that I am nurturing this new life.
Red by Gemma Cotterell. I chose to illustrate red shown as a ‘mothers love’ – to me the colour projects power, warmth, love, strength, passion, and permanence. The beating heart is life itself, protected unconditionally by the flowering cactus, which symbolises maternal love.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday February 12th, 2013 10:25 pm
Julian Casablancas needs no introduction, visit thisambulance yet journalistic values insist I give him one. This kind of contradiction is an apt paradigm for this album and review. In Phrazes For The Young, the front man from The Strokes has produced a body of work that I would hate (if I were not a Strokes fan), but I don’t (because I am). I can’t shake the teenage self that was instantly infatuated by the vacuously cool Manhattan socialites upon the release of Is This It. So much so that I refused to dislike the two subsequent albums, even though they were clearly inferior. They lacked the impact of the debut, but they had a debonair personality of their own. I relay this as a warning of the rose-tinted glasses that I approach listening this album wearing.
The Strokes’ legacy is a funny one. Having set the style agenda for TopMan for the last ten years, their other achievement can only be having been beaten to death by their own hype stick. The Strokes will always be the band that didn’t realise the potential that the critics attached to them. We hear a possible an introspection of which in the opening lyrics, “Somewhere along the way my hopeness turned to sadness.” I say, so what if Casablancas’ offering plays as a sub-par tribute to The Strokes, that is his schtick. Indeed, a schtick that has so far earned him and his band members a ton of money and adoration. Predictably, Phrazes For The Young doesn’t stray too far from the schtick, but does coat it with a veneer of synthpop. It certainly does feel like the continuation of a dialogue that was started in a Lower East Side coffee with his band members. The trademark nonchalant Casablancas vocals are present, as are The Strokes’ interpretation of 70s CBGB guitar riffs but so are drum pads, and cheesy keyboard sequences that ebbed their way into First Impressions. It seems that what Casablancas does do without the presence of his bandmates is produce longer songs. Most songs here hover around the 5-minute mark, which is a full two minutes longer than anything in The Strokes repertoire. If Strokes branded releases now only please their avid fans like me, an extra two minutes to each song is greatly appreciated.
This album will certainly divide parties, he certainly won’t be winning over any music listeners that refused to digest previous Strokes offerings, but for the completists out there, the continued dialogue of Mr Julian Casablancas is welcome.
In the new fangled world of the web – providing you have the appropriate technology – Amelia’s Magazine are in the position to offer you live streaming of Phrazes For Young below. How modern we are.
Julian Casablancas is venturing to these shores in December to tour the album. Get your fingers ready to jump on the announcement of these tickets going on sale some time in the near future. The dates are:
11th Dec – Manchester – Ritz
12th Dec – Glasgow – ABC
14th Dec – Dublin – Academy
16th Dec – London – Forum
Installed on the ground floor, salve the silent sewing machines of Nations are stacked three feet high, prostate spinning threads tangles and pools between the machines. The flags of those included in the UN hang from each poised needle. If able to match each flag to the correct country would the viewer see who is excluded from the UN and question on what grounds in today’s society a country is judged for their eligibility to join?
In terms of the textile manufacturing no country has a clear conscious that they have not broken the charter of human rights with regards to the treatment of employees. The exhibition refers to the impact of globalisation; as located within NS Harsha’s words (with thanks to INIVA’s excellent website) “This work took shape after my visit to a local small scale textile factory in which I personally experienced the realities of ‘human labour’. Hierarchies and exploitation are part of today’s global economic order. Nations engages with these socio-political complexities and cultural entanglements.”?
The exhibition is suggestive that as industry is now global, it is not enough to look after one’s own population, by choosing to outsource globally, the boundaries of countries disappear.
Due to the women’s request the film silently traces their steps through the disused building, still occupied by the remains of their industry. Their passage through the space is occasionally interrupted by archive footage of the Taiwan textile boom, the noisy interruption highlighting those abandoned in the aforementioned search for ever cheaper labour.
The women of Factory are physical reminders of those all over the world, whose quality of life has come to depend on the presence of the textile industry within their country. It’s time that these employees were treated to the rights we so often take for granted whether it is something as simple as a lunch break or as fundamental as a living wage.
The exhibition asks us to question both our reliance and ignorance of outsourced workers at the same time as questioning our knowledge of political intricacies and deals made by the UN that effect relationships across the world.
Installed on the ground floor, the silent sewing machines of Nations are stacked three feet high, spinning threads tangles and pools between the machines. The flags of those included in the UN hang from each poised needle. If able to match each flag to the correct country would the viewer see who is excluded from the UN and question on what grounds in today’s society a country is judged for their eligibility to join?
In terms of the textile manufacturing no country has a clear conscious that they have not broken the charter of human rights with regards to the treatment of employees. The exhibition refers to the impact of globalisation; as located within NS Harsha’s words (with thanks to INIVA’s excellent website) “This work took shape after my visit to a local small scale textile factory in which I personally experienced the realities of ‘human labour’. Hierarchies and exploitation are part of today’s global economic order. Nations engages with these socio-political complexities and cultural entanglements.”?
The exhibition is suggestive that as industry is now global, it is not enough to look after one’s own population, by choosing to outsource globally, the boundaries of countries disappear.
Due to the women’s request the film silently traces their steps through the disused building, still occupied by the remains of their industry. Their passage through the space is occasionally interrupted by archive footage of the Taiwan textile boom, the noisy interruption highlighting those abandoned in the aforementioned search for ever cheaper labour.
The women of Factory are physical reminders of those all over the world, whose quality of life has come to depend on the presence of the textile industry within their country. It’s time that these employees were treated to the rights we so often take for granted whether it is something as simple as a lunch break or as fundamental as a living wage.
The exhibition asks us to question both our reliance and ignorance of outsourced workers at the same time as questioning our knowledge of political intricacies and deals made by the UN that effect relationships across the world.
Installed on the ground floor, sildenafil the silent sewing machines of Nations are stacked three feet high, spinning threads tangles and pools between the machines. The flags of those included in the UN hang from each poised needle. If able to match each flag to the correct country would the viewer see who is excluded from the UN and question on what grounds in today’s society a country is judged for their eligibility to join?
In terms of the textile manufacturing no country has a clear conscious that they have not broken the charter of human rights with regards to the treatment of employees. The exhibition refers to the impact of globalisation; as located within NS Harsha’s words (with thanks to INIVA’s excellent website) “This work took shape after my visit to a local small scale textile factory in which I personally experienced the realities of ‘human labour’. Hierarchies and exploitation are part of today’s global economic order. Nations engages with these socio-political complexities and cultural entanglements.”?
The exhibition is suggestive that as industry is now global, it is not enough to look after one’s own population, by choosing to outsource globally, the boundaries of countries disappear.
Due to the women’s request the film silently traces their steps through the disused building, still occupied by the remains of their industry. Their passage through the space is occasionally interrupted by archive footage of the Taiwan textile boom, the noisy interruption highlighting those abandoned in the aforementioned search for ever cheaper labour.
The women of Factory are physical reminders of those all over the world, whose quality of life has come to depend on the presence of the textile industry within their country. It’s time that these employees were treated to the rights we so often take for granted whether it is something as simple as a lunch break or as fundamental as a living wage.
The exhibition asks us to question both our reliance and ignorance of outsourced workers at the same time as questioning our knowledge of political intricacies and deals made by the UN that effect relationships across the world.
Installed on the ground floor, cheapest the silent sewing machines of Nations are stacked three feet high, spinning threads tangles and pools between the machines. The flags of those included in the UN hang from each poised needle. If able to match each flag to the correct country would the viewer see who is excluded from the UN and question on what grounds in today’s society a country is judged for their eligibility to join?
In terms of the textile manufacturing no country has a clear conscious that they have not broken the charter of human rights with regards to the treatment of employees. The exhibition refers to the impact of globalisation; as located within NS Harsha’s words (with thanks to INIVA’s excellent website) “This work took shape after my visit to a local small scale textile factory in which I personally experienced the realities of ‘human labour’. Hierarchies and exploitation are part of today’s global economic order. Nations engages with these socio-political complexities and cultural entanglements.”?
The exhibition is suggestive that as industry is now global, it is not enough to look after one’s own population, by choosing to outsource globally, the boundaries of countries disappear.
Due to the women’s request the film silently traces their steps through the disused building, still occupied by the remains of their industry. Their passage through the space is occasionally interrupted by archive footage of the Taiwan textile boom, the noisy interruption highlighting those abandoned in the aforementioned search for ever cheaper labour.
The women of Factory are physical reminders of those all over the world, whose quality of life has come to depend on the presence of the textile industry within their country. It’s time that these employees were treated to the rights we so often take for granted whether it is something as simple as a lunch break or as fundamental as a living wage.
The exhibition asks us to question both our reliance and ignorance of outsourced workers at the same time as questioning our knowledge of political intricacies and deals made by the UN that effect relationships across the world.
Installed on the ground floor, the silent sewing machines of Nations are stacked three feet high, spinning threads tangles and pools between the machines. The flags of those included in the UN hang from each poised needle. If able to match each flag to the correct country would the viewer see who is excluded from the UN and question on what grounds in today’s society a country is judged for their eligibility to join?
In terms of the textile manufacturing no country has a clear conscious that they have not broken the charter of human rights with regards to the treatment of employees. The exhibition refers to the impact of globalisation; as located within NS Harsha’s words (with thanks to INIVA’s excellent website) “This work took shape after my visit to a local small scale textile factory in which I personally experienced the realities of ‘human labour’. Hierarchies and exploitation are part of today’s global economic order. Nations engages with these socio-political complexities and cultural entanglements.”?
The exhibition is suggestive that as industry is now global, it is not enough to look after one’s own population, by choosing to outsource globally, the boundaries of countries disappear.
Due to the women’s request the film silently traces their steps through the disused building, still occupied by the remains of their industry. Their passage through the space is occasionally interrupted by archive footage of the Taiwan textile boom, the noisy interruption highlighting those abandoned in the aforementioned search for ever cheaper labour.
The women of Factory are physical reminders of those all over the world, whose quality of life has come to depend on the presence of the textile industry within their country. It’s time that these employees were treated to the rights we so often take for granted whether it is something as simple as a lunch break or as fundamental as a living wage.
The exhibition asks us to question both our reliance and ignorance of outsourced workers at the same time as questioning our knowledge of political intricacies and deals made by the UN that effect relationships across the world.
This exhibition continues until the 21st November 2009, hurry down!
The first three photographs are by George Torode and the last three are stills from Chen Chieh’s Factory.
Earlier this year the directors of ‘X’ Emily Whitebread and Sarah Walters invited Art students and recent graduates to participate in an proactive exhibition based in Romford. Amelia’s Magazine spoke to Emily and Sarah, look on the development of their continuously shifting project space for young creatives.
What motivated you to put together X?
To be honest, order the fact that we couldn’t find a job. There was much frustration at this turn of events, clinic especially after coming out of university having worked really hard for three years. We thought that an empty shop was the perfect place to bring out that frustration at things becoming derelict or abandoned and then critisied for being an eyesore.
What was it that you wanted to do that you couldn’t find after university?
The assumptions on achieving an university place and subsequently a degree is that on graduation you will come out and find a job, especially if you have a good degree, but all too often that’s not the case. To start within the artworld you find you have to work for free for a substantial amount of time by doing internships. It often feels that no one gives you any respect until you’re older. From speaking to other graduates in our year we thought that their views should be heard.
Could you outline what X is?
X is X marks the spot, so in the future we will take over new premises over a short period of time and then move on again. Our idea is to try and give a free space to recent graduates and students to exhibit in. Normally, when graduates try to put on shows it’s costly for them and the audience tends to be mostly family and friends. We want to make the point that we aren’t just graduates, we’re the young artists of today, and we’re fresh, rather than the YBA’s who aren’t exactly young anymore. The question we are really concerned with is, where is contemporary art going now?
So will it always be a place for people who haven’t broken into the industry yet?
Hopefully, a lot of the shows that are around at the moment aren’t that inspiring, and neither are the artists! Most of it is copycaty or branded as being a particular art that is popular at the time. So, we think if X presents could be a place where voices with more varied opinions could be sounded, X presents could possibly disrupt the usual habits of the more prominent galleries and the recurring artists who always get exhibited.
Have you come across any difficulties while trying to sustain this platform?
We have to organise everything ourselves but then when we try we don’t get taken seriously. There seems to be a large gap. Its so frustrating doing so much work and then being treated so negligible. In the end, we did the best we could, we cleaned and re-decorated the disused space to try and get people using it again. We just didn’t want to see buildings with the potential to give back to a community, crumble and fall apart.
How do you see your space impacting society? What kinds of relationships with potential visitors do you what to stimulate?
The idea is that the project should benefit the community, and in this case the shop owners along ‘High Street’ in Romford. One of the artists, Susanna Byrne, worked with the shops along this road, capturing their stories and histories of the street and inviting them to help build an installation. The shops along this road are not big brands, so the arrival of a gallery here might draw more attention to this street, and hopefully draw people into the independent shops along here too.
It would be great if we could get people who feel alienated from contemporary art to have the opportunity to see it more and feel welcome, make them feel apart of it. We’ve been encouraging schools here to come along and see art that they might not be taught in school. Sarah organised workshops with art students, to enable them to see a larger picture of what art can achieve.
How do you see the idea evolving in the future?
Going to university, you feel as if you have the opportunity to do something, change something, but with the number of students it has become so saturated, there doesn’t seem to be any space for anyone to hear you. We’d like to break that ceiling of not being able to do anything until your older and ‘known’ within the art scene. We’re aiming really high and giving unheard people a space for their hopes and ambitions.
The first exhibition ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’ ran from the 24th September – 1st October 2009 and included 21 artists. Their next project, ‘X presents…Exchange Studios’ continues the work begun in ‘X presents…Heart of Dixie UK’. The idea being to question our current system of exchange and potentially offer something new, whilst constantly providing a free space for art and discussion.
If your interested in participating please email Emily or Sarah at xpresents@hotmail.com or follow their website for further information.
Written by Natalie Dray on Tuesday November 3rd, 2009 2:40 pm
After witnessing a whole lot of jolly sensible fashion trends being bandied about – think short, page sleek, sophisticated and feminine – we were thrilled to see a total vision of insanity at the Blow Presents… show where the models barely human, let alone feminine. Ladies and gents, meet the new woman of 2010: the Fembot.
Wigmaker Charlie le Mindu’s collection made Danielle Scutt’s hairstyling look positively placid: models were bombing down the catwalking with “haute coiffure” teetering atop their tiny heads, like a warped modern paraphrase of 18th century wigs.
Squeezed into flesh-coloured PVC bodysuits, these were pneumatic bodies that resembled genetically mutated Barbies, with the hairpieces swelling into jackets (bearing a strong resemblance to Margiela’s two seasons ago) or even shoulder pads, evidently a trend that translates into the most avant-garde of arenas.
Margiela reared his head again with Gemma Slack’s collection, who by masking her models also evinced a preoccupation with the concealing of the face. With pieces constructed from leather and suede, it was a bold collection that turned the models into superheroes and warriors, with the conical bras making another resurgence as seen with Louise Goldin’s latest offering.
The inclusion metal studs and slashed leather also made it profoundly sexual – with the oppressive metal-plated umbrella and circular skirts mechanising the body, a territory previously explored, of course, by Hussein Chalayan. Unlike Chalayan this mechanisation was also sexualised, with the constant sado-masochistic details (even the traditional Burmese neck rings looked more like dog collars) in line with uncomfortable images of fetishised modernity that J.G Ballard expressed in Crash.
IMAGE
Next up was Lina Osterman, with a show styled by Robbie Spencer, with a evocation of Victoriana repression playing with the effects of concealing the body – a difference so far for a series of shows that has been all about long, bare legs.
IMAGE
A completely androgynous collection, there were undertaker-style long tailored jackets paired with trousers and shorts, with Osterman manifesting the Victorian secret obsession with sex, like Slack, with bondage-like details and choices in fabric. Lurking underneath all the bravado, however, was a surprisingly soft and wearable collection, with some fabulous knits and grandpa shirts both for the boys and the girls.
IMAGE
Finally upping the drama stakes was Iris van Herpen, with a slow and intense collection of sculpted leather and rubber – heavy and cumbersome pieces that were inspired by radiation waves around the body, results of collaboration with artist Bart Hess.
IMAGE
Proving a fantastic metaphor as a means of highlighting parts of the human body, this was true craftsmanship, with sequins and reflective panels catching the catwalk lights – as the models lined up together for the final few moments they seemed like soldiers with armour constructed from artwork.
A rather fascinating foursome on show, then, and at least Lady GaGa will have some new things to wear with those big pants of hers – well until next season anyway.
After witnessing a whole lot of jolly sensible fashion trends being bandied about – think short, page sleek, order sophisticated and feminine – we were thrilled to see a total vision of insanity at the Blow Presents… show where the models barely human, let alone feminine. Ladies and gents, meet the new woman of 2010: the Fembot.
Wigmaker Charlie le Mindu’s collection made Danielle Scutt’s hairstyling look positively placid: models were bombing down the catwalking with “haute coiffure” teetering atop their tiny heads, like a warped modern paraphrase of 18th century wigs.
Squeezed into flesh-coloured PVC bodysuits, these were pneumatic bodies that resembled genetically mutated Barbies, with the hairpieces swelling into jackets (bearing a strong resemblance to Margiela’s two seasons ago) or even shoulder pads, evidently a trend that translates into the most avant-garde of arenas.
Margiela reared his head again with Gemma Slack’s collection, who by masking her models also evinced a preoccupation with the concealing of the face. With pieces constructed from leather and suede, it was a bold collection that turned the models into superheroes and warriors, with the conical bras making another resurgence as seen with Louise Goldin’s latest offering.
The inclusion metal studs and slashed leather also made it profoundly sexual – with the oppressive metal-plated umbrella and circular skirts mechanising the body, a territory previously explored, of course, by Hussein Chalayan. Unlike Chalayan this mechanisation was also sexualised, with the constant sado-masochistic details (even the traditional Burmese neck rings looked more like dog collars) in line with uncomfortable images of fetishised modernity that J.G Ballard expressed in Crash.
Next up was Lina Osterman, with a show styled by Robbie Spencer, with a evocation of Victoriana repression playing with the effects of concealing the body – a difference so far for a series of shows that has been all about long, bare legs.
A completely androgynous collection, there were undertaker-style long tailored jackets paired with trousers and shorts, with Osterman manifesting the Victorian secret obsession with sex, like Slack, with bondage-like details and choices in fabric. Lurking underneath all the bravado, however, was a surprisingly soft and wearable collection, with some fabulous knits and grandpa shirts both for the boys and the girls.
Finally upping the drama stakes was Iris van Herpen, with a slow and intense collection of sculpted leather and rubber – heavy and cumbersome pieces that were inspired by radiation waves around the body, results of collaboration with artist Bart Hess.
Proving a fantastic metaphor as a means of highlighting parts of the human body, this was true craftsmanship, with sequins and reflective panels catching the catwalk lights – as the models lined up together for the final few moments they seemed like soldiers with armour constructed from artwork.
A rather fascinating foursome on show, then, and at least Lady GaGa will have some new things to wear with those big pants of hers – well until next season anyway.
After witnessing a whole lot of jolly sensible fashion trends being bandied about – think short, visit sleek, mind sophisticated and feminine – we were thrilled to see a total vision of insanity at the Blow Presents… show where the models barely human, let alone feminine. Ladies and gents, meet the new woman of 2010: the Fembot.
Wigmaker Charlie le Mindu’s collection made Danielle Scutt’s hairstyling look positively placid: models were bombing down the catwalking with “haute coiffure” teetering atop their tiny heads, like a warped modern paraphrase of 18th century wigs.
Squeezed into flesh-coloured PVC bodysuits, these were pneumatic bodies that resembled genetically mutated Barbies, with the hairpieces swelling into jackets (bearing a strong resemblance to Margiela’s two seasons ago) or even shoulder pads, evidently a trend that translates into the most avant-garde of arenas.
Margiela reared his head again with Gemma Slack’s collection, who by masking her models also evinced a preoccupation with the concealing of the face. With pieces constructed from leather and suede, it was a bold collection that turned the models into superheroes and warriors, with the conical bras making another resurgence as seen with Louise Goldin’s latest offering.
The inclusion metal studs and slashed leather also made it profoundly sexual – with the oppressive metal-plated umbrella and circular skirts mechanising the body, a territory previously explored, of course, by Hussein Chalayan. Unlike Chalayan this mechanisation was also sexualised, with the constant sado-masochistic details (even the traditional Burmese neck rings looked more like dog collars) in line with uncomfortable images of fetishised modernity that J.G Ballard expressed in Crash.
Next up was Lina Osterman, with a show styled by Robbie Spencer, with a evocation of Victoriana repression playing with the effects of concealing the body – a difference so far for a series of shows that has been all about long, bare legs.
A completely androgynous collection, there were undertaker-style long tailored jackets paired with trousers and shorts, with Osterman manifesting the Victorian secret obsession with sex, like Slack, with bondage-like details and choices in fabric. Lurking underneath all the bravado, however, was a surprisingly soft and wearable collection, with some fabulous knits and grandpa shirts both for the boys and the girls.
Finally upping the drama stakes was Iris van Herpen, with a slow and intense collection of sculpted leather and rubber – heavy and cumbersome pieces that were inspired by radiation waves around the body, results of collaboration with artist Bart Hess.
Proving a fantastic metaphor as a means of highlighting parts of the human body, this was true craftsmanship, with sequins and reflective panels catching the catwalk lights – as the models lined up together for the final few moments they seemed like soldiers with armour constructed from artwork.
A rather fascinating foursome on show, then, and at least Lady GaGa will have some new things to wear with those big pants of hers – well until next season anyway.
After witnessing a whole lot of jolly sensible fashion trends being bandied about – think short, medical sleek, find sophisticated and feminine – we were thrilled to see a total vision of insanity at the Blow Presents… show where the models barely human, side effects let alone feminine. Ladies and gents, meet the new woman of 2010: the Fembot.
Wigmaker Charlie le Mindu’s collection made Danielle Scutt’s hairstyling look positively placid: models were bombing down the catwalking with “haute coiffure” teetering atop their tiny heads, like a warped modern paraphrase of 18th century wigs.
Squeezed into flesh-coloured PVC bodysuits, these were pneumatic bodies that resembled genetically mutated Barbies, with the hairpieces swelling into jackets (bearing a strong resemblance to Margiela’s two seasons ago) or even shoulder pads, evidently a trend that translates into the most avant-garde of arenas.
Margiela reared his head again with Gemma Slack’s collection, who by masking her models also evinced a preoccupation with the concealing of the face. With pieces constructed from leather and suede, it was a bold collection that turned the models into superheroes and warriors, with the conical bras making another resurgence as seen with Louise Goldin’s latest offering.
The inclusion metal studs and slashed leather also made it profoundly sexual – with the oppressive metal-plated umbrella and circular skirts mechanising the body, a territory previously explored, of course, by Hussein Chalayan. Unlike Chalayan this mechanisation was also sexualised, with the constant sado-masochistic details (even the traditional Burmese neck rings looked more like dog collars) in line with uncomfortable images of fetishised modernity that J.G Ballard expressed in Crash.
Next up was Lina Osterman, with a show styled by Robbie Spencer, with a evocation of Victoriana repression playing with the effects of concealing the body – a difference so far for a series of shows that has been all about long, bare legs.
A completely androgynous collection, there were undertaker-style long tailored jackets paired with trousers and shorts, with Osterman manifesting the Victorian secret obsession with sex, like Slack, with bondage-like details and choices in fabric. Lurking underneath all the bravado, however, was a surprisingly soft and wearable collection, with some fabulous knits and grandpa shirts both for the boys and the girls.
Finally upping the drama stakes was Iris van Herpen, with a slow and intense collection of sculpted leather and rubber – heavy and cumbersome pieces that were inspired by radiation waves around the body, results of collaboration with artist Bart Hess.
Proving a fantastic metaphor as a means of highlighting parts of the human body, this was true craftsmanship, with sequins and reflective panels catching the catwalk lights – as the models lined up together for the final few moments they seemed like soldiers with armour constructed from artwork.
A rather fascinating foursome on show, then, and at least Lady GaGa will have some new things to wear with those big pants of hers – well until next season anyway.
It could be a sequestered, dosage slimy corner of any 21st century metropolis, order the “small square yard where the trash bins were kept – the ones for the carbon garboil trash and the other kind. Then there was a board fence, approved and on the other side of it there was a vacant lot where a building had burned down. Now it was just hard earth with pieces of cement and charred wood and broken glass, and weeds growing on it.” But, for a group of kids in the un-located urban ‘pleebs’ of Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Year of the Flood’, this grim patch is school. Here, they’re engrossed in their Predator-Prey Relations class one day, and stumbling on the corpse of a woman the next, her dumped body still bearing the glossy green scales of the costume that once glistened as she swung from the trapeze in the strip joint next door.
‘The Year of the Flood’ makes for uneasy albeit enthralling reading, and not just because both the city and society depicted in it are, but for a few glinting exceptions, beyond ugly. What’s really unnerving is that they’re so familiar. And that’s just why Margaret Atwood’s ‘Year of the Flood’ is so potent, why the Canadian author’s crown as one of the most important writers of contemporary fiction remains fixed 40 years after she published her first novel, ‘The Edible Woman’: her apocalyptic visions are too close for comfort for us to ignore.
Defying critics’ attempts to crack the bones of her work and fold it neatly into a single, constricted literary genre (in her case, Science Fiction), Atwood once told The Guardian that “science fiction has monsters and spaceships; speculative fiction could really happen,” and, in ‘The Year of the Flood’, Atwood’s speculative muscles are given a damn good flex. The novel’s ‘waterless flood’ epidemic mows mankind down in a tidal wave of airborne ferocity, and the reactions of its characters to that event, each other and the world that it creates holds a distant mirror to the reader and our reality. Reflected are real-life recent health hysterics and individuals’ behaviour in the light of them, plus the tales – both heroic and horrific – that still float on the wake of modern-day disasters such as 2005’s New Orleans floods.
Preachy? Undoubtedly some will see it that way, but at least Atwood can’t be accused of not putting her messages into practice. The tour that accompanies ‘The Year of the Flood’s publication has been a carbon-neutral, veggie-vowing, community-centric, eco-conscious green sweep, with local performers joining Atwood to bring the book’s characters and their songs (yes, you read that right…) to life at each stop. If you missed it, the author has been chronicling the trip, its trials and its triumphs at her blog.
Whatever messages readers absorb from Atwood’s tales, they’re always coated by a tasty narrative dripping with juicy characters to help them slip down more easily. A post-graduate pole-dancer with a penchant for wearing feathers, a woman who flits from her horrific burger-flipping job to defending a fortress in the shape of a top-end spa, and the man who makes it his job to save mankind from itself – these are the people who act as the eyes, ears and mouths of ‘The Year of the Flood’. The fictional foreboding that they dish up in turn adds Atwood’s voice to the likes TckTckTck, Greenpeace and Climate Rush, the active chorus hoping to inspire us to reassess the choices we make, through protest or performance. Atwood, as always, does it by the book.
Written by Amy Hughes on Tuesday September 22nd, 2009 5:41 pm
On the first cold Wednesday of November, my brisk walk up Kingsland Road was rewarded by ‘Small Things‘ a collective exhibition of photography at 67a Dalston Lane. The works on display are an exquisite foray (two of the four participants Annie Collinge and Amy Gwatkin contributed to Amelia’s Magazine whilst in print) into the possibilities of photography. Here the four participants, Annie Collinge, Anna Leader, Bella Fenning and Amy Gwatkin discuss their involvement in the exhibition and introduce a few of the threads running through their work.
Annie Collinge’s tightly composed portraits documents the faces of four girls dressed as their favourite comic book heroines.
For the Small Things Exhibition, why did you decide to sidestep the girls costumes at the Comic Con convention?
There were a lot of people taking photographs there, so I wanted to take a different approach. I actually just used it as an opportunity to photograph strangers, because they were at the conference, they didn’t question why I wanted to take their picture. I actually shot a lot of men too but when I looked at the images, the pictures of the girls were much stronger.
How do you choose your subjects?
I picked out people that had a natural, though awkward, appeal which in most cases they seemed unaware of possessing. Those with the best costumes didn’t necessarily make for the best subjects
I was a Brighton with Amy, Anna and Bella and they very kindly asked me if I would like to be part of the show. Having worked in editorial for a while I think showing personal projects is by far the most important thing so I am really pleased I took part in it.
Anna Leader documents the components required for an amateur science project.
What was the concept behind your latest photographic series?
The series was a reaction to the title of the show, Small Things. I explored something simple but wondrous, one of the first things we learn in science: light refracting through a prism and being broken down into its basic components that are usually invisible to the naked eye.
Placing a crystal and a spectrum side by side, prompts the viewer to remember this phenomenon of cause and effect. The rainbow was created in a controlled environment however, using an overhead projector, a glass of water and a piece of mirror, a man-made trick that I relate with the nature of photography itself, a mechanical tool making use of the elements of what we see and creates something beyond the realm of the immediately visible.
What I chose to exhibit therefore were all elements: the beautiful spectrum and the real device that allowed it to be visible, rendering the crystal inanimate. The consequence is a continual short circuit between the three images and between three versions of the same story.
What intrigues you about amateur or DIY Science Experiments?
Amateur or DIY Science Experiments contain some of our most basic questions regarding what makes up the physical world around us and the results obtained are a celebration of the answers readily available through patient observation and the desire to see. Photography has the same power. We try to grasp what we see and record it for the future, putting the documents into categories: aesthetic, informative, emotive and so on.
Bella FenningArrivals and Departures presented on a tower of Photo Cubes, invites the viewer to participate in the narration of the images.
How did the photographic series for the exhibition Small Things develop?
I’m really interested in how we experience or engage with photographs. I wanted to get away from the traditional hanging of images in the gallery space, and the fear of getting to close to the work on display. Audience participation, or being an active viewer, was an important aspect. I wanted to make something sculptural that combined the 2 different languages I work with (still and moving imagery), but was also tactile and had multiple viewing screens.
This idea of what you can hold on to and what you can’t is conveyed in the images through a series of events that are fleeting yet leave a lasting impression. I’d started thinking about photo cubes, which had been a popular display object to have in your home when I was growing up. I happened to find one at a jumble sale when I was on holiday in the midst of making the work and that became the base of this project.
What intrigues your camera when photographing a landscape compared to a portrait?
To me, landscapes and portraits are of equal measure – I see as much personality or character in the landscape as I do when photographing people. I’m also drawn to the intimacy of people in their domestic settings, which is a common thread throughout my work.
Who are your favourite photographers or filmmakers?
I would say John Cassavetes and David Lynch for the profound effect their films have had on me. Maya Deren for the wonder of her timeless, playful and experimental approach, and the brilliant wit and poinancy of Sophie Calle. But I never tire of looking at the work of Nan Goldin, and the poetic nature of Duane Michals and Doug Aitken. The list goes on……
Amy Gwatkin’s Nothing Happened, forms a census of men smoking naked or partially clothed in the photographer’s documentation of a mass performed individualised act.
By advertising your photography project on Craig Lists casual encounters (please correct me if this is the wrong title) there is an element of danger when meeting strangers who are willing to pose for you naked, what impact do you think this has on the outcome of the photographs?
I think sometimes it forces me to be very quick – encourages lots of preparation. It’s tiring too; no matter how sure I feel that I’m able to control a situation, there’s always an awareness of potential danger somewhere in the back of my consciousness.
It does mean that some of the sittings are better articulated than others. I approach each model with a ‘menu’ of 2 or 3 ideas I want to explore. As soon as i walk in the door i can tell that some will/won’t work. It also depends which advert they answered – the artists’ community one, or the casual encounters one. So in the latter case, often the model’s face has to be cropped out/obscured. I think I must enjoy the risk. Occasionally it makes the images harder to look at/edit, as you can get away with doing certain things with strangers that you couldn’t with friends.
Voyeurism forms a long and complicated chapter in the history of photography, what your relation or thoughts on the role or aspect of voyeurism in photography?
(Def: one who habitually seeks sexual stimulation by visual means )
Although it is also officially classified as a term about sexual behaviour – I think now we’ve broadened it to include connotations of watching/looking but not participating; perhaps of being an outsider. Making a distinction between those who act/take part, and those who merely watch, getting a vicarious thrill. I think in the case of this project perhaps the thrill is in re-ordering/editing the images to create an impossible./untrue narrative. Is there something inherently sexual about the pictures? Yeah. Even though nudity doesn’t have to be sexual, sometimes it can just be beautiful, or vulnerable, or liberated.
Would you class these photographs as voyeuristic as they involved sitters with whom you know personally or who had agreed to be photographed naked, as the sitter themselves found the concept of being photographed naked intriguing?
I don’t know if I find the individual portraits voyeuristic – certainly the presentation of them is more so. Something about re-shooting the images from the screen before outputting gives them a contrasty, metallic edge – the moiré reminds us we’re looking at a screen, putting an extra distance between the portrait and the viewer. It looks like a surveillance image. But yes, my advert started with “exhibitionists wanted”, which I guess instantly makes them willing participants in a role-play in which I take the voyeur’s position behind the lens.
Small Things runs at 67a Gallery until 28th November.
67a Dalston Lane, London, E8 2NG
Opening times: Wednesday – Saturday, 1-6pm
All images courtesy of the artist.
Born in Osaka, Yuki Nishimura studied Graphic Design at Tama Art University in Japan, then flew over to our fair shores to continue her education at MA level at Camberwell College of Art. Her illustrations are varied, but unique. They have the madcap sentimentality that captures a childlike sense of imagination. Illustrators, or at least the great ones, have an ability to transport the viewer into the wonderland inside their minds, which is exactly what Yuki’s illustrations do. According to her website, her inspirations are drawn from ‘nonsense jokes, poetry, animation, comics, toys, air balloons, climbing, watching rocks, deserts and tropical plants.’ The last three might explain why everything she creates has a Peyote like delirium inheirent to it. Which, in this case, is a great thing.
‘Circus’ walks the line of that dreamy young imagination and something that’s a bit wrong, and reminds me of something that might be found in a Tim Burton sketchbook.
‘Inky Impala’ an illustrated poem, continues with that stylistic quality, and quite simply makes me happy looking at it. It’s a snapshot of Nishimura’s evocative creativity, a wonderful little world filled with strange mythical beasts, wildlife, and other things that you don’t actually know what they are, but they’re pretty awesome and you’re quite happy to sit in front of them and grin like an imbecile.
Although her style doesn’t vary from the demented fairytale, her subjects do. From a portrait of mathematician, Johannes Kepler to a feature for Little White Lies on ‘Where The Wild Things Are’, Yuki dips her brush into many pots of inspiration and always brings out a sterling piece of work that keeps her aesthetic unique and her outlook refreshing.
After last weeks feature on Café Royal I felt inspired to search out some illustrators who make zines regularly as part of their practice. Mark Judges is a friend of a friend and other than the fact that he’s a great illustrator the only other thing that I know about him is that he likes socks. Clearly this isn’t enough of a basis for a profile piece so I sent some questions over quick sharp to find out more about the talented Mr Judges.
Tell us a bit about yourself Mark?
I like to make things, and at the moment I’m making things at Brighton University.
I get the impression that illustration students from Brighton are really prolific and good at getting themselves out there. Is there any truth in this assumption?
It’s a domino effect of unspoken competitiveness. Someone does something to promote themselves and everyone else thinks ‘yeah i’ll do that and something better’ and in turn that has to be topped and so on. That makes it sound depressing, but it’s really the best way to be. The course is structured with some commercial ethics, basically ‘do what you want and we’ll try and help you sell it’. I guess it’s art meets business studies. That sounds even more depressing.
How is it being out of the capital, do you think it affects your practice? Is there lots of art stuff happening in Brighton? I’m scared of London. Everything in Brighton is walking distance, but living here means we don’t get to see as much good art stuff. Then again I really like living by the sea because it makes people want to visit you. I guess its swings and roundabouts.
How long have you been making zines for? Can you remember why you made the first one?
I first started buying fanzines at punk shows when I was about 13 and I just liked to have them at the time. I mostly didn’t understand them, because they were reviews of bands I hadn’t heard of, being compared to other bands that I hadn’t heard of. I just liked that they existed. The first time I saw an art zine a few years later I thought, ‘wow these don’t have words in’. I think that might have been when I realised I was allowed to make art instead of just admire it.
Of all the ones you’ve made which is your favourite?
The first one I did after starting art school. It was called Based loosely on true events and being a full month or so into an art foundation course in Maidstone Kent I thought I was a ‘real artist’. I got it printed in colour on 180gsm card so you couldn’t see the previous page through the paper which was a first. I think getting interviewed about art to get on the course had gone to my head.
How is the process of making a zine with someone else as oppose to just making one on your own?
I only ever really collaborated on zines with Tom Edwards all the other were multiple contributor zines I’ve been in. I just sent the work off and waited for a copy. Working with Tom is like helping your dad with DIY, he knows what he’s doing and he can do it faster than you but he lets you help anyway.
This might seem like a stupid question, but why zines? Why not just frame your work?
I like zines loads it’s really the only way I buy art. It’s nice to collate work in some way and I like to think they inspire participation.
There seems to be a lot of hands and Nazi’s in the work i’ve seen of yours, what’s that about?
Yeah the hands is a problem, it started in New York last year when I wanted to draw people on the subway, but was too scared to look them in the eyes and now they’re my favorite thing to draw. I have a screen print of a ‘sexy nazi’ that I was going to show at the London zine symposium. The people working our stall didn’t want to put up as there were a lot of left wing and anarchist zine writers with stalls all around ours. When I finally got there I had a tantrum until they agreed to put it up; I sold one before I even finished blue tacking it to the wall. I was totally vindicated.
What kind of mediums do you work with in your drawings?
I used to live really far away from my studio so I started using a lot of pencil because they don’t weigh a lot. I try to be flexible but I never learnt how to use oils. I once heard Wolf Howard say he never thinned his paint because no one told him you could thin it. Whereas I knew there was some kind of thinning involved, but that was all I knew and that scared me enough never to try.
Humour is a big feature in your work, particularly humour with a dark edge like with your S.TD package. How important is a piece being funny to you?
Not important at all. I’m usually not trying to be funny but the world is usually quite funny so its hard to avoid.
Is the aim of your zines for someone to see them and then hire you? Is the ultimate aim to become a commercial illustrator or would you want to continue to do your own self motivated/funded things and hope you can make a living through that?
I like drawing and I like money, but I often don’t know what to do with it. I usually just try to at least break even with printing costs with the work I sell. I don’t think I could mastermind any kind of living from self-publishing at the moment. I have been asked to contribute on a few things off the back of my zines, but I never really intended them to create any kind of response. I am always interested in working on projects.
Who are your favourite artists?
I like Billy Childish, Picasso’s pencil drawings and Edvard Munch and all the contempory stuff that everybody loves. Luke Best, Paul Davis, Café Royal. Paul burgess just lent me a book about Bob and Roberta Smith, which is very good.
What inspires you?
The over active imagination that has made everything else so hard.
What music are you into?
Again everything Billy Childish. I come from the ‘Medway delta’ which is a little unpleasant and Billy is one of a handful of people from the area who defiantly shits gold (except I just got a split 7” with Sexton Ming that wasn’t so good). Lots of garage, punk, rock&roll, blues, r&b and skiffle that no one seems to care about. Several years of working in many infamous high street shops means I never need to hear any more funky house or Christmas songs. Oh and Zeegen Youth.
Tell me a bit about Illustrators Elbow. Illustrators Elbow was Kaye Blegvad’s idea I think it’s because she makes so much work her blog couldn’t handle it and she kindly asked me and a few others to contribute to a collective website and blog. A bunch of us ended up getting involved with other projects from people seeing the site.
Where can we buy your things from?
You can buy a small selection of very limited edition prints from ink-d
excuse the dingy photos there much brighter in the flesh and Illustrators Elbow is updated with art and zine fairs we will have work for sale at.
Written by Chloe Stead on Thursday March 26th, 2009 11:44 am
Tent London is a ‘creative hub’ of new designers presenting fresh product ideas. Housed in the Truman Brewery, providing a great location for such an event, this annual exhibition showcases established designers alongside new ones.
Here are Amelia’s Magazine’s top ten finds at the event…
1. Troy Abbott’s Nano Cage
Want a pet budgie, but have concerns over mess or mortality? Then look no further than this – a brass bird cage with a video projection of a feathered friend inside. Look through the glass magnifier and he’s there, tweeting away. Guiltless fun!
2. Zoe Murphy’s Recycled Furniture Zoe Murphy, a Margate resident with a passion for vintage furniture, works her magic on re-salvaged mid-20th century pieces. Each one features delicate and beautifully painted illustrations, inspired by her home town and the 1950s – the glory days of the seaside. She also dabbles in textiles, too!
3. Voronoi Fluids by Seeper Seeper is an arts and technology collective who create digitally-enabled art and design installations. Not one for the lounge, but this huge spherical structure with a tactile surface projects light patterns which interact with the user’s hand. When users touch the surface, the light changes accordingly, providing beautiful, organic shapes and patterns.
4. James Plumb’s curious assemblages
James Russell and Hannah Plumb, better known as James Plumb, are two artists who create curious works using vintage antiques which have been discarded. They fuse together forgotten antiquities to make innovative, interesting and unique artworks.
5. Lights and Shadows by WOW
WOW is an international design studio involved in installation works across the globe. At Tent they presented Lights and Shadows, a large-scale video-installation which makes use of the latest technology, presenting one film via three projectors. The result – which makes use of footage of Tokyo nightscapes – is a powerful and consuming piece which allows the viewer to be at the centre of the action.
6. Stuart Forsyth’s KeepCup
KeepCup is an Australian product with reduce, re-use, recycle at the heart of its ethos. Essentially a re-usable coffee cup, this lovable-looking item boasts ergonomic design and bright, customisable colours. Better still, it makes re-use plain and simple.
7. The Wattson by DIY KYOTO
The Wattson is a brand new product which looks a bit like an alarm clock, but is actually a device to record how much electricity your home is using. It claims to reduce your utility bills by 25%, helping you reduce your emissions in the process, obviously. Its sleek design is unlike similar products, it uses very little electricity itself, and it’s 100% recyclable. There’s also an online community who share energy saving hints and tips!
8. Hundreds Tens Unit’s Wall Clock
Picked for it’s elegant and aesthetic design, this piece stood out because it was so simple amongst a hell of a lot of over-designed products. Less is more with these simple, sleek timepieces.
9. Esther Coomb’s Illustrated fancies
Esther coombs rescues delicate and ornate china from charity shops and customizes each piece by hand with ceramic ink. The result are quaint and cute little treasures.
10. London Timepiece
London Timepiece is a one-man-band who lovingly restore vintage industrial and traditional clocks. Sourced in Britain and Eastern Bloc countries, each timepiece is considered unique. The industrial clocks, particularly, are excellent examples of designs past, with each piece telling a story as much as it does the time.
Written by Matt Bramford on Tuesday September 29th, 2009 3:06 pm
London has had many guises over the millennia, cheapestwebsite like this and what we Londoners (born and bred in my case) consider essential and iconic about it varies wildly from what foreigners do, buy information pills whether they be from the Welsh borders or much further afield. Some outsiders hate London and all it stands for – everyone knows someone from outside who refuses to ever come to the Big Town because it is so “noisy and dirty, and everyone is so rude”.
Of course it is! It’s a big, bad mess of a place. It’s also much more than the sum of Oxford Street and Madame Tussauds, where lots of visitors start their London experience, missing out on the more personal, human aspect of the city because it’s all just too overwhelming. Admittedly, sometimes London feels like an overpriced dump, but it’s our dump. So how to make outsiders see what we see?
Mayor Boris has issued a competition to ad agencies to give London a new identity, presumably with an eye on the Olympics, and branding agency Moving Brands has decided to take its bid public. It’s inviting submissions from all of us to suggest ideas and images in the hope of coming up with something that’s quintessentially Londonic, something Londoners might actually like and want to look at, as well as luring more tourists to the banks of the Thames. There’s a lot of logos already defining some of London’s attributes, some more popular than others:
London needs its brand identity to unite all the different facets of city life in the capital. The new face of London can’t be all shiny and perky because we aren’t in America; it shouldn’t be too “yoof” or urban because huge swathes of London is preppy and upper-crust. But we also don’t want to see any references to Shakespeare or any mythical past golden age. London has street markets, opera houses, a Queen, gay clubs, curry houses, Fashion Week, Soho and more scenes than you could count. Why not have a go at designing something that does justice to the London you know and love?
The project is also an interesting peek into the journey a brand goes through during development. Moving Brand’s blog is essentially the brainstorm phase played out in public, where everyone can see the false starts and evolving ideas. There’s quite a few interesting submissions up on their blog already, which could form the basis of the agency’s tender, and they’re getting feedback on everything via Twitter and Facebook. One of these images might become very familiar some time soon.
Jeans for Genes day was once the highlight of the primary school calendar: one of only a few days when our joyous little selves can don our own clothes and ditch our school uniforms (of course inspiring the mini divas in each of us to spend hours deciding what combo to go with to best impress our school-kid counterparts, order or was that just me?!) Synonymous with freedom, this site equality and embracing the American way of the Western frontier, denim has always held associations with youthful hope. Becoming popular in the James Dean era with 1950s teenagers everywhere, jeans have become symbolic of casual dress, ‘devil-may-care’ attitudes and rebellion. Perhaps that’s why they make an excellent choice for supporting this charity for Genetic Disorders; giving kids a chance to make a difference through self-expression. Whilst providing adults a chance to embrace their inner child, wear their jeans with pride and be optimistic about making a change for a day in our doom-and-gloom world.
At the same time as raising money for children and families affected by genetic disorders, the charity donates funds to groundbreaking research into cures for the disorders it supports such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. Frequently funding research into many unknown disorders enables small projects to receive help they would scarcely be able to generate on their own. By simply donating a bit of dosh each year to help change a life on Jeans for Genes day millions of people are ‘allowed’ to wear jeans to work and school. And this year is no different, with the event taking place on Friday 2nd October across the country.
With supporters such as Project Catwalk‘s Nick Ede and Donna Ida, of Dona Ida’s denim boutique, Jeans for Genes is well-known in the fashion world. Frequently running other initiatives to unite the fashion and charity spheres, including a t-shirt design competition at London College of Fashion. This year the competition was won by Asha Joneja, a London College of Fashion student for her gold foil double helix design.
Donna Ida summarises the case for Jeans for Genes rather fittingly: “Fashion speaks to such a wide audience that I thought it important to use that platform to gain awareness for a great charity, and Jeans for Genes was the perfect fit,” using the mass-appeal of the fashion industry to generate money for a good cause, rather than personal profit or greed.
Moreover Jeans for Genes are not the only ones with this attitude. It seems this ethic is spreading at the moment; with other charitable organisations tied to fashion springing up and stomping their heels in the name of raising money. One such event, Fit for a Princess, will be held on 26th September 2009 at the Bentall shopping centre in Kingston. Endeavoring to fuse the worlds of fashion and charity, the shopping centre states that it champions the event because it is giving back to the local community with a kick-ass fashion punch.
Helena Bonham Carter
The event’s exhibition is run by the Princess Alice Hospice, a local charity with 25 years of experience caring for its patients, providing free, excellent quality support in a modern setting; it’s income is largely generated by charitable donations such as this event promises to secure.
Undeniably, the event has drawn much fashionista support in the form of Twiggy, Trinny Woodall and Fern Cotton. Each celebrity will showcase their personal party outfits in shop windows throughout the centre, promising to exhibit sassy personal styling as well as trend and designer knowledge. Giving a new meaning to the term ‘window shopping’, shoppers will be able to bid on their favourite celebrities’ stylings on eBay from the 19th October. To locate the clothes type ‘fit for a princess’ in to the site’s search engine.
Fearne Cotton
Key pieces featuring in the exhibition include an Alberta Ferretti sequin skirt and top worn by Helena Bonham-Carter at the Planet of the Apes premier, and a body con dress by current fascination and legend of the eighties, Hervé Leger, donated by Beverly Knight. It seems that fashion, despite its bad rep as heartless and money-grabbing, can also use its power for good… watch this space for more events that Amelia’s Magazine thinks you should be involved with.
Beverley Knight
Over the last few years, there the British summer has seen the festival crescendo. Featuring initially as a mere whisper in the background of our holiday activities to an overwhelming, generic near inaudible screech with festivals popping up bigger and louder than ever before. We all need to take a long hard look at ourselves and ‘STOP!’ Not everything needs to grow to epic, brand-lavished proportions, things can remain at a small, intimate size. In our economic c*****e (excuse the blasphemy), let’s take it DIY…
An antidote to all things grotesquely commercial, this weekend I ventured to Mellow Croft Farm in the idyllic hills of South Wales to check out the fifth annual CWM event, hosted by South London arts collective, Utrophia.
In place of queue foreboding portaloos, were handmade huts where excrement was neatly disposed of with a layer of pine needles. To be ethically turned into manure by the landowner in two years time. There was no sign of any beer sponsored, overprized bars. Instead a table offering £2 pints of local ale and organic cider via, at times, an honesty box system. Not to mention the fire-heated open-air bath to wash off the festival fun. But best of all, the festival goers consisted of around 200 like-minded music lovers and the organisers intend to keep it that way.
“Using the word ‘festival’ to describe these events is debatable, as we like to think they mimic the outdoor gatherings that had occurred pre-Woodstock. You know the ones you never heard of, where folk came from near and far to share their goods and entertain one another, ” says the collective.
Something charming about such an intimate event is that you don’t have that (self-coined) ‘Clashtonbury’ moment, where after desiring no bands all morning, you are forced to choose between seeing your two favourite acts, billed simultaneously. At Cwmback, the schedule was as organic as their cider, with announcements of acts made by a cowbell assisted role call from around the campsite. In between acts, was an obligatory regroup at the bar tent or campfire where gems of entertainment were born out of idle moments; the ‘communal hair washing’ incident and ‘crisp eating to music’ event to name just two.
Rather than a main stage live experience that is more like watching BBC iplayer for all you can see of the bands, Cwmback’s live music setting was built within a snug pine forest which handily provided shelter from the rain when those Welsh skies opened – which they love to do.
So what of the music? A cast made up mostly of friends of friends, there was an eclectic mix of the obscure to the bizarre, but never a weak link. Jame Dudy Dench delighted on the opening night with a comical Hip-Hopera, more in a vein of a satirical Beastie Boy than R. Kelly. Staying on the ironic end of the spectrum, duo Ginger & Sorrel, opened Sunday night’s entertainment blending Fairground keyboard phrases with beer sipped in comedy timing and a rap about tarpaulin, which was also a component of their outfits.
Gentleman’s Relish brought an air of Sinatra, if he’d have gotten lost on the way to Vegas and found himself in a sweaty indie club. The lead singer croons over a mire of guitar riffs and in ‘Wolves and Monkeys’, chimpanzee noises.
The Human Race managed to overcome technical obstacles in the form of a broken amp/guitar and eventual loss bass guitar string mid-performance to deliver a stomping set – nothing like staring into the face of adversity to up your musical prowess.
The lo-fi element of the weekend came in the form of girl/boy folk duo, Mouth 4 Rusty who had the audience clicking and clapping along to stripped back simple songs of love forlorn.
A personal hightlight were Limn, an instrumental 4-piece who play in a revolving drum/guitar rectangle, communicating in call and response riffs that transport you to an old Batman cartoon series.
Pop crooner, Mon Fio, was joined by a trombone player in an appropriately, Sunday afternoon, ad hoc fashion from the depths of the pine forest location. Such was the desire for an encore (and hangover), songwriter Jon, simply repeated the last song in the set to an audience who had broken out into a line dancing formation.
Please paid a fleeting visit to the farm to play a full throttle performance at dusk which had the most timid of music listeners moshing at the front. Festival closer, Pseudo Nippon donned African prints and tropical inspired outfits to screech over a Gameboy backing track, in a Japanese accent and individually hug every member of the audience several times throughout their set. We were charmed.
If you like to enjoy your festival from the confines of your bourgeois motorhome, then this may not be the one for you. If, however, you’ve given up on the scene, loathing everything about Reading Festival and its conglomerate cousins, then Cwmback, because you may well have met your match. Maybe next year avoid the big punchers of the festival circuit, take a leaf out of the Utrophia book and Do It Yourselves.
Raised on a diet of sun-drenched, price rural, buy more about Californian folk, about itAlela Diane came from relative obscurity, initially self-releasing her albums in paper and lace sleeves with hand lettering, before finally getting noticed by the world’s music press. Only to have one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2007 with her debut, ‘Pirate’s Gospel’. Amelia’s Magazine finds out that she’s still keeping it all in her stride, as we chat on the phone with the down to earth lady, from her house in Portland, Oregon, before she crosses the Atlantic to tour her latest release, ‘To Be Still.’ Here’s how it went…
Amelia’s Magazine: After such a successful debut, how does it feel to release an album with all eyes on you?
Alela Diane: Well I guess I don’t always really realise that all eyes are on me if they are. I try to maintain a low profile. But it is nice to put out another record knowing that people are going to hear it.
AM: Are you excited to bring it to the UK?
AD: It will be nice to do a few more dates in the UK… We’ve been on tour so much this year and part of me is, ‘oh I haven’t been home at all’, but… we haven’t done a lot of touring this album in the UK so that’ll be nice. We’ve done lots of UK festivals with this album but not many smaller venues yet.
AM: Your music lends itself to an intimate setting, do you enjoy those smaller gigs more for that reason?
AD: It’s really difficult to compare the two. They both have a unique energy. At a festival people are out to have a great time. It’s just so different in a smaller venue. I enjoy both. But sometimes you can really get into the feeling of the music in a smaller setting.
AM: There is a fuller arrangement of the tracks on ‘To Be Still’ compared with your first album. Will you be joined by a full band on tour?
AD: I have a drummer and a bass player and back up singers. And my dad is touring with me also, playing electric guitar and mandolin. Yeah it is more full than I’m used to.
AM: Is that something that makes you feel proud to have your dad touring with you?
AD: My dad is an amazing musician and it really is great having him with me. It keeps me grounded. Makes away feel more homey.
AM: Is he responsible for getting you into music and writing it yourself?
AD: When I really started writing songs and began to perform… that was a thing I kind of did on my own. But my whole life growing up with my parents, my dad is a performer so it was a massive part of my upbringing.
AM: Michael Hurley‘s vocals in ‘Age Old Time’ off the new album really capture the raw, nostalgia present in a lot of your music. Was that a conscious decision?
AD: He was really fitting for that song because I wrote that song about my Grandma’s dad. He’d written all these songs for my grandma when she was little. So the song would resonate we really wanted a voice that sounded from another time. I’d met Michael living in Portland and gave him a record. His voice really captured what that song was about. It was one of those magical little moments of the record.
AM: Tell me about Headless Heroes, it was such a favourite album of mine… Is that ever to be repeated?
AD: I really don’t know. It was one of those somewhat random projects, which I was invited to be a part of and what I did on that project was really just sing. I didn’t have anything to do with picking the songs or really much else other than lending my voice. But it was kind of liberating and a lot of fun to just do it and not be responsible for every other detail of that recording. In some ways it allowed me to just really experiment with my voice and have a great experience. I think I learned a lot from doing it and perhaps in the future I will do more projects like that.
AM: So back to your own music, do you write mainly at home in Portland, Oregon or on tour? Where is most condusive for you?
AD: For ‘To Be Still’ I wrote most of them when I was living in this little cabin in Nevada City and I wrote some of them up in Portland when I was living there. Lately because I have been on the road so much I have started to write a lot more lyrics without having the chance to develop the songs yet. But I have a bunch of words that are waiting to become songs. And I never did that before. I was writing at home where I could make it a song right away. But I don’t have the time and space to do that on tour because I’m around people all the time or in a van. But in a way it’s nice because it’s given me a chance to really develop the words before they become songs. I think once I’m home after this tour I’ll get chance to find the music and the melodies for them.
AM: So it sounds like there could be quick turnaround…
AD: Yeah I think so. I’m feeling like there is good stuff there and I can’t wait to develop it.
AM: What do you listen to yourself?
AD: Well… I listen to a lot of older stuff – I guess I’m sitting in front of my vinyl collection right now… the one on the top is a Johnny Cash record.
AM: Which one?
AD: He’s older on the front and it just says CASH… Unchained! Erm… I’ve been pretty into Fleetwood Mac lately and Fairport Convention. I think Sandy Denny has my actual favourite voice. She’s my favourite vocalist.
AM: Is there anything modern that ever catches your ear?
AD: It has been a while… I have friends who I definitely appreciate. My friend Mariee Sioux, I love her music. She does something very different and special. I heard the Fleet Foxes last summer and really, really liked that. For a while I was a bit sceptical because they had been so hyped up and I was like, ‘yeah, yeah.’ But then when I actually heard it, I realised they were very, very talented.
AM: There’s definitely a folk explosion apparent with bands like Fleet Foxes in the US and much in what is coming out of the UK at the moment. Are there any countries that have gripped onto your music that have surprised you?
AD: Yeah. I’ve been a France and lot. And something about my music seems to be really liked in France. I don’t necescarily understand it but I think in a way it is so foreign to them. It’s coming from a place that is so unlike France. The things I sing about…
AM: Will the next album see any new collaborations?
AD: I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Because I’ve been touring with the band so much… my dad, my good friend Lena sings the back up vocals. She’s been writing a lot of songs. My boyfriend is the bass player in the band and the four of us are starting to collaborate and working on the idea of what we can do writing together. So that is something that may end up happening.
AM: Is that a first for you then?
AD: Up to this point, all the songs have been written by me and then the studio arrangement… The songs come together from an idea from me or an idea from my dad. But the actual writing with a group like that, exploring ideas, I’ve never done that. And the little that we’ve done together is really inspiring and it feels really different and good. So we’ll see what happens. Everybody has a little different of thing to bring to the table and it’s working out to be pretty groovy.
You can catch Alela Diane with dad in tow on her UK tour this month in these places:
Cambridge (09/09),
Bristol (10/09),
Cardiff (11/09),
Exeter (13/09),
Birmingham (16/09),
London (Shepherd’s Bush Empire) (17/09)
Lee Scratch Perry and new Caribbean cinema at the Tabernacle
Two very different events at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill this month will show how the Caribbean has been and continues to be a hive of creative activity, viagra 40mg with one of its iconic figures stepping out of music for a moment to create visual art, doctor and up-and-coming film-makers trying to get noticed.
First up, pilule an icon of reggae, Jamaican musician, producer and generally unusual person Lee “Scratch” Perry, has collaborated with artist Peter Harris to create works that burst with colour and liveliness, much like the legendary man himself. You might not know him, but you’ll have heard many of his cuts on the radio, at the Carnival, or blasting out of windows. Sometimes called “the Jamaican Phil Spector”, he was responsible for producing most of the famous reggae tunes that came out of Jamaica in the 70s. He ran the Black Ark recording studio, which he also claims to have burnt down when he got tired of it.
This project, entitled “Higher Powers” sees him create zany poster-style works, which will be displayed at the Tabernacle in conjunction with songs performed by Perry and mixed live by Adrian Sherwood, founder of On-U Sound Records. The songs relate to a film created by Harris, where he asks a variety of people, including reverends, gangsters and Boris Johnson about their ideas of a higher power. There’s a personal element to the film as Harris found out during the project, begun in 2007, that his sister and father had both been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The event will support CLIC Sargent children’s cancer charity.
The Higher Powers event is on September 10 and tickets cost £20.
Also at the Tabernacle this month is the Portobello Film Festival. Beginning tomorrow, all events are free and films range from Wall-E to a mini-festival within a festival showcasing Caribbean films. Only three hours long, the “Caribbean Film Corner” (September 16) is a chance to see short films from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, with the aim of promoting film-makers from all of the West Indies’ main language groups, and the region itself as a good place to make films. The films range from documentary to one-minute clip, via animated and musical offerings.
The following day, September 17, there will be a director’s and actor’s workshop presented by journalist Franka Philip and including leading British film-maker of Trinidadian descent Horace Ové. There will be an introduction to Ové’s works and a screening, followed by a Q&A.
An eclectic mix of art work by a group of like minded people exploring expressionism through art.
Peckham Square, tadalafilpage 28th of March 2- 6pm
In the Pines
Jack Strange Limoncello 2 Hoxton St London, rx opening 27th of March 6.30 – 8.30pm, case exhibition: 26th – 28th of March 11am – 6pm and by appointment until 2nd May 2009.
Order and Disorder
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
A look at a very unique collection of paintings and prints, several have never been publicly exhibited before. Art first in Cork street, 24th March – 23rd April
One or Several Wolves
Priya Chohan, Coral Churchill, Annelie Fawke, Kwang-Sung Hong, Heidi Locher and Anne E Wilson.
A group of artists look at conceptual motivations within Art, using a variety of media each artist explores the relationship between concept, material and final work created. Kingsgate Gallery, 20th March – 5th April Free
Bandits present
New installation work from Glaswegian artists littlewhitehead. The Bun House Bandits, 96 Peckham High Street London. Preview: 15th March 2009, 4pm. Exhibition: 16th March 2009 – 29 March 2009, 11am–11pm
Being and nothing-ness
Youngmi Kim, Kiwoun Shin and Seunghyun Woo
Three Korean artists explore the notion of “being” through various multi media methods, the exhibition includes paintings, videos and sculptures. Nolias Gallery, 60 Great Suffolk St SE1. Private view: 26thMarch at 6pm- 9pm, exhibition: 27th March- 7TH April 200 10:30Am-6pm,
We are his body
installation art work inspired by the artist’s exploration of the cross in today’s society.
Viewing at Christ Church URC 663 Barking rd Plaistow E13 9EX, 25th March 6pm
Kate Marshall: Live Painting.
This dextrous figurative painter will be doing a live drawing and painting gig at Movida, Argyll Street on April 2nd. Arrive at 9.30pm, you might get a free drinky. She’ll be starting work at 10pm. Check out the event on facebook.
I just woke up from the best nightmare I ever had, store at least I think it was a nightmare. I mean, side effects I’ve heard of mutton dressed as lamb and a wolf in sheep’s clothing, health but last night I saw a couple of ladies, dressed as a wolf and a sheep respectively, among other things.
But what was this, what had I stepped into? Well I found the best person to ask, Annie Oldfield. A lovely young lady from Leeds, dressed as a wolf! I thought it would be fun to create a one-off themed party where you can listen to music all night that`s in some way related to animals: Animal Collective (Panda Bear), Deerhunter, Modest Mouse (the list is endless), eat crackers and, of course, what themed party is complete without fancy dresses. Shark, tiger, zebra, duck, crab, swan, cat (there were lots of cats) all had turned out.
After Annie along with friend Bonnie Wan came up with the idea they went to
DJ/Promoter friend Dave Bassinder (Underachievers) and Filthy animals! was born.
Not one for getting down on the dance floor, that was no problem here, you could keep yourself occupied by making animal balloons or watching films played on a big screen, obviously starring our fantastic furry friends. Or grab a piece of paper and give origami a go, make some sort of flapping pterodactyl. Of course the term filthy suggests more than balloon modeling so a few cheap drinks and many tunes later and the dance floor got the attention it deserved, well you spend all day making a costume you gotta show it off, right?
It`s a real shame it had to end as there are no plans for further repercussions. If you read this Underachievers “BRING BACK THE ANIMALS and KEEP EM FILTHY”!
I have something to admit, viagra sale I am a warehouse party virgin. By warehouse parties I mean not-really legal parties, treat which announce their locations via facebook messages about five minute before they start and you quickly have to get yourself to some remote north London spot in Zone 4. For me there is nothing fun about the obvious issue of trekking all the way out there just for the police to shut it down at twelve. Or 11.30 PM on New Years Eve, rx which is what happened to one of my friends!
After one of our writers posted about their last exhibition I decided i couldn’t miss the LuckyPDF warehouse party, even better it was all above board and legal. There were rather fancy gold flyers promoting the event and they even hired their own bouncers, who were at the door all night checking ID. While this might take some of the thrill away for regular warehouse party goers I rather enjoyed being somewhere with plumbing and electricity. My favourite part was not having to trail across London to a Saw-esk industrial park, because the event was just off Peckham high street. As the LuckyPDF people boldly proclaimed before the event, “The people of South London shalt need to travel to East London any longer for their Huge Party needs.”
I arrived at eleven and the queue to get in was absolutely insane, luckly i’d sent a RSVP email, but I still had to wait a good fifteen minutes to get into the rooms even once I was through the main gate. This was no thrown together event, they had obviously put a lot of effort into sound and lighting, which was refreshing and very welcome. As I entered the bottom room floor I was immediately hit with throbbing lights and heavy bass. There were hoards of people, I couldn’t even begin to count how many attended the event, but nothing was too serious. I think something about the fact it was in a warehouse just made the whole event more relaxed, there was a lot less people there just to smoke and be seen than there were people just wanting to have fun. No “this is the dance floor, this is the bar” locations usually explicit in gig venues meant people were just doing what they wanted where they wanted.
The LuckyPDF warehouse party aimed to be “a rampant music/art extravaganza that will continue til the early morn..” The music was definitely there with the order of the day being, “Bass, Bass, Garage, Electro, Bass, Drum n Bass, Swing, Tango, Nintendocore and Bass”. There were Dj sets from 10 PM – 4AM from South London party circuit favourites, XXX, My Panda Shall Fly and Tomb Crew, plus many, many more. These Dj’s were well selected and well received (apart from whoever kept cutting tracks short in the top room!) effortlessly mixing cutting edge bass tracks with forgotten classics.
However, I was completely perplexed about the other bit, you know the art. Unless really, really small (microscopic) art has come in fashion since the last exhibition I went to I would swear that there wasn’t any. It could have been hidden by the hoards of people there, but still if you’re going to advertise art it would be helpful if people could see it. Previously this would have annoyed me, but I feel i’m just starting to get the point of collectives such as LuckyPDF and it’s peers. Although these guys are artists, they’re not together to try and promote a certain type of art or medium over any other. With the exception perhaps being Off Modern who have a whole Off Modern manifesto on their website. As far as I know there is no particular theme or common interests in the work of the organisers of these events and if there were it would be purely incidental. It’s more a case of getting people excited about South London. Which something that hasn’t happened since (dare i say it) the YBA’s, and they all rushed off to live in the East End or houses in the country as soon as they could anyway.
I will forgive the LuckyPDF guys just this once having an event light of the art and heavy on the music (which draws people in and allows them to charge entry fee), because they have stated that they’re a not for profit organisation, and I hope the money they made will be going into more exhibitions. And when they do I’ll be there, pen in hand, because I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do next. Photography by Ted Williams
Monday 23th
The Rakes release their third album, symptoms KLANG, buy information pills today and to celebrate the band will play a special gig at London’s Rough Trade East at 6pm tonight.
The follow up to ‘Ten New Messages’ is pure and the best of The Rakes as you can check out on lead track ‘1989‘.
Wristband collection 1 hour prior to gig, first-come-first-served basis-one per person.
The Rakes
Tuesday 24th
It`s crunch time at The Social and the venue welcomes Kid Carpet to promote his new single, followed by Moonfish Rhumba with their electro beats and peculiar lyrics.
If great music is not enough to take your mind of recession, this month the venue provides the Crunch Time Rant where you can take your anger to the stage, step on to a soapbox and speak out your thoughts.
Doors 6pm, 99p.
Moonfish Rhumba
Wednesday 25th
Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen receives Joseph Mount, aka Metronomy and DJs, including the opulent pop of Your Twenties (whose harmonious frontman is Metronomy’s former bassist).
8pm, £7, adv £6.
The three new yorkers forming The Virgins land in town for some dance rock at Koko London.
9:30pm, £7, £5 before 11pm, concs £4.
The Virgins
Saturday 28th
Up for some healthy girlie pop? Betty and the Werewolves bring their female fronted indie-ditty-pop vocals (they do count with one boy on the drums!) to Bardens Boudoir next Saturday.
8pm, £6.
Betty and the Werewolves
Sunday 29th
Close (or begin?) your week with the Society of New Music – an avant garde event featuring Wet Dog live at The Social.
7pm, £2.
Wet Dog
To all you vintage addicts I bring you salvation!
On April the 4th a vintage bonanza will be hitting the streets of Bethnal Green to bombard you with their scandalously cheap vintage, viagra 40mg so prepare yourself Shoreditch! I understand if you are dubious, case “what makes it unique in comparison to the endless array of oversaturated vintage fairs and markets in London” I hear you say? Well, the differentiation is that at this event you won’t be leaving empty handed if you left the house with a mere twenty pounds. This is vintage on an extremely tight shoestring, for any savvy shopper the affordable vintage fair is akin to the sensation of being a child in a sweet shop again!
Heralded as the largest vintage fair in north England, the organizers have delved the nation with their noble quest for affordable vintage, leaving no stone unturned. Our loyal travellers have unearthed hidden gems and want to bring you the fruits of their labour! So cast aside the idle and banal window shopper, let your hair down and embrace your style hungry primordial urges. The fair is an emporium of vintage wonderment; there are style advisors, a customisation and alternations area, swapping area as well as bundles of vintage clothes and furniture.
But the most exciting element of the fair has to be the pay by kilo vintage stall. This really is vintage paradise; trawl to your heart’s content safe in the knowledge it’s not going to cost you much more then your weekly grocery shop. The phenomena is commonplace with our European counterparts, but kilo shopping will be making its debut here in the UK. So get trawling and scout some hidden gems, this might just be your chance to revive your wardrobe from the brink of darkness and inject a whole new burst of life. What other chances would you get to weigh out your clothes, just like you would weigh out your sugar?
They have catered for your every whim feeding your ears and taste buds with a nostalgic trip down memory lane. With music spanning the decades from the bohemian 60s to the energetic 80s, not forgetting a whole host of cake stalls and beverages to whet your appetite.
So don’t miss out, get down there 11am pronto on the 4th of April, I for one will be installing my vintage bargain radar and heading down myself!
Everyday at the office here, treatment while we`re writing our articles and drinking our teas, we try to go through the many cd`s we receive daily and now and then there`s one that catches everybody`s attention, making everyone in the room ask “who`s this”?
That`s exactly what happened when Cari put on the single from up and coming group My Tiger My Timing. In less than 30 seconds heads were bopping and legs were shaking unanimously. This Is Not The Fire is so catchy that I`ve been listening to it non stop since Tuesday.
They play a delightful, totally danceable afro beat, electro-pop and still they compare themselves with bands like Metronomy and Casio Kids. While most of the groups desperately run away from extreme pop and commercial tracks, MTMT does exactly the opposite, recognizing their will for creating easy listening and fluid beats.
The foursome was formed in 2008 in south east London and their debut single was produced by Andy Spence of New Young Pony Club and will be released April 6th 2009 downloadable through Silver Music Machine.
Tuesday I had the chance to see them live at Cargo and I`m definitely looking forward to the entire album, it was quite an electrifying performance. Here`s a little video of the last song:
Yesterday, buy a few of the Amelia’s Magazine girls went along to witness the G20 protests in the City of London. The day had dawned to brilliant sunshine, and clear blue skies, which meant that the sight and sound of the police helicopters hovering overhead was even more pronounced. The events which were due to unfold promised to be extraordinary, and I was keen to see what was going to happen. It was hard to know what to expect, but here was the run down. Four different carnival parades, were to converge around the Bank Of England, and protest the current economic and environmental climate. We were guided there by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, leading the processions from four rail stations. We were setting off from Liverpool Street, led by the Green Horse – representing climate chaos. Walking from Brick Lane to the station, I was struck at how different the city seemed. Spitalfields Market, and all the restaurants around it were closed. There were not many city workers around, but those who were out and about were dressed down. I didn’t see a single suit around me.
The Barbican towards The Bank of England. It was enjoyable to be part of such a good natured crowd and it was fun to watch all the shop owners standing outside their establishments, watching with fascination at the colourful carnival proceeding past them.
As we walked towards Bank we passed Northern Rock. Some clever jokers had hung a sign inside their office entitled ‘We Love Money”. As I went to take a picture they hastily pulled the sign down. I could only marvel at the thoughtlessness of that statement, wasn’t it hundreds of thousands of pensioners money that they had lost – was that the money in question that they loved so much? After a brief stop, we marched into the space around The Bank Of England. I was shocked by the amount of people who were here. Estimates at 4,000 are not an exaggeration. The place was packed. Having only ever seen this section in London as a thoroughfare for busy, frantic city workers, and crammed to the gills with buses, it was surreal to see it filled with so many protesters. No cars, just people.
After about 45 minutes, we were ready to head back to the office. I went to walk past a row of police and quickly found that I couldn’t get through. Not quite understanding the situation I was unconcerned, thinking that they were guarding just one exit. Knowing there were plenty more exits around Bank station we wandered back to the road that we had come in on. Again, we were met with a throng of police. They stood arms locked. Still assuming that this was something that would be resolved soon, we sat down and scrounged some crisps off a girl sat next to us. (Not expecting to be there for long, we didn’t take any food, and not much water.)
Then some of the police vans next to us started to move through the police and drive away. We thought that this was our cue to leave as well, and strode towards the police. They immediately closed ranks. It was at this moment that I took in the situation. They had cordoned us all in; we had unwittingly become kettled. (This word now chills me to the bone). No one was going anywhere without their say so. the crowds started to fill up and began asking questions. As I was nearest the front I asked how long this situation would last for. “Don’t know” came the response. Many people started asking why this was happening, but the police would not respond. Our crowd was large, and there was not an ‘anarchist’ in sight. Many tried to squeeze towards the police and told them that this was violating their human rights, and was against the law. Again, no response.
We were soon packed so tightly that it was like being at the front of a gig, but instead of watching a band, we were staring into the hard faces of men who refused to talk to us, and would sooner beat and arrest us then let us get past them. At this point the crowd surged and we fell into each other. The police shouted at us “Get back!” a woman shouted “Where to?!” We were trapped in a scrum, and the police were pushing us back while we were being pushed forward. I saw riot police walk towards us and I felt a surge of panic. We had been trapped by the police and there was nothing that we could do. I pleaded with the officer in front of me to let us go (I can now see how futile that was). I said that we were scared, and asked if a riot were to kick off, who are they going to protect? “I can’t answer that” was the response. Women started shouting that they had children from school to pick up, jobs to get to. The most common cry to the police was “Why won’t you speak to us?” I got so fed up from this feeling of powerlessness that I phoned the news desk at BBC News. I shared my feelings of worry to the reporter on the other end of the phone; and told her the scenario. I relayed what the officers had told one girl to do who said that she needed the toilet – “you can go in the street”; what they told one boy who said that he wasn’t even part of the protest – “You are now”. The BBC reporter told us that this situation was happening at every exit of the march. She said, “You are all being tarred with the same anarchist brush, this is their tactic”.
Around an hour later, still in the same position, a man passed out in front of me. He had been standing quietly, not trying to defy the police, and his only movement for the two hours that we were held was to quietly read a peace of paper that he had in his hands. I had looked at it at one point and could see that it was a Psalm. Thankfully, the officers took him away and led him to an ambulance. Just as I started to feel that it was going to be an all night cordon, my friends phone rang. A friend of hers told her that they had just opened one of the exits round the corner and we bolted for it. Walking to the tube, we were jumping up and down with exhilaration. We began receiving updates that the RBS building was being stormed, and that the police were beating protesters. What had started off as a peaceful and well meaning protest was quickly turning into something much darker, but who was at fault? If you asked anyone in the 4,000 strong crowd they would have no trouble telling you. The police’s tactic of kettling us, purposely providing us with no information and locking us in for two and half hours was easily going to generate the mayhem that they had predicted. Nonetheless, I am so pleased that I attended. It was always going to be an interesting day, I just wish that the peaceful protesters would have been treated better and not denied their basic human rights. Monday March 23rd.
WE CAN postcards to Ed Miliband and MPs: Monday 23rd March
On Monday 23rd March, pills hundreds of children dressed as endangered animals will write postcards to Secretary of State Ed Miliband and to their MPs, in an effort to make the government call a halt to plans to build a third runway at Heathrow and a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth.
According to NASA scientist James Hansen, who is now advising President Obama, up to 400 species of animals are threatened with extinction by the emissions from Kingsnorth.
Filmmaker, mother of three and founding member of WE CAN, Rebecca Frayn said, ‘The children are horrified that so many animals could be wiped out. Ed Miliband has said that carbon capture and storage will be introduced to clean up the emissions, but nobody knows when, or if the technology is even practical.’
The postcards will be coloured in and presented after a gathering in Old Palace Yard at 5pm on Monday 23rd March. Several MPs including Andy Slaughter and John McDonnell have agreed to meet children in the lobby of the House of Commons
Forests and Climate Change: an Amazonian Perspective for Copenhagen
Date: Tuesday, 24 March, 2009 – 17:30
Chatham House?
10 St James’s Square
?London
?SW1Y 4LE
A joint IIED and Chatham House event, the debate will be led by Professor Virgílio Viana, Director General, Amazon Sustainability Foundation.
Doors open 5.30pm?Event starts 6.00pm?Reception to 8.30pm
Venue:?email: Alessandra.Giuliani@iied.org Tel: 0207 388 2117
Professor Virgílio Viana is one of Brazil’s leading academics and practitioners on forestry, environment and sustainable development. Prof. Viana served as Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development, Amazonas, Brazil, between 2003 and 2008. He stepped down from the position of Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development, Amazonas, in March 2008 in order to devote his time to new challenges and projects. He is currently the Director General of the new Amazon Sustainability Foundation, and is presently in London as part of a 3 month sabbatical with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
Wednesday 25th March
St James’s Church
197 Piccadilly
London W1J 9LL?
7.00pm GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM – Governments; friends or foes of development?
Contact 020 7734 4511 for further details
The Age of Stupid (PG)
Genre: Drama/Documentary
Dir: Franny Armstrong
The Age Of Stupid is the documentary-drama-animation hybrid from director Franny Armstrong (McLibel, Drowned Out) and Oscar-winning Producer John Battsek (One Day In September, Live Forever, In the Shadow of the Moon).
Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (In The Name of the Father, Brassed Off, The Usual Suspects) stars as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055. He watches ‘archive’ footage from 2008 and asks: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
Plus Q+A with
Thurs 26 March after 6.45pm screening- Lizzie Gillet (The Age of Stupid film producer)
Forests and Climate Change,
7pm, Royal Geographical Society,
1 Kensington Gore, SW1 London
The world’s forests are home to an extraordinary range of species, and are arguably one of our greatest safeguards against climate change. Yet deforestation, whether for timber, farming or human settlement, continues at an alarming rate. Climate Change, Canopies, and Wildlife
Dr. Mika Peck, University of Sussex
What are the impacts of climate change on the cloudforests of north-west Ecuador? Are existing reserves in one of the richest and most diverse of all biodiversity hotspots big enough to protect large charismatic mammals like the spectacled bear and big cats? How much do carbon offset programmes really benefit wildlife? Can technology such as Google Earth help us to identify canopy tree species and biologically diverse areas from space? These are just some of the questions that will be addressed during this lecture, which is based on data collected by Earthwatch volunteers in the mountains of Ecuador.
“Hell and High water: Climate Change as a spiritual challenge.” An evening talk with Alastair McIntosh
6.30pm drinks & light buffet at Gaia House, (18 Well Walk, Hampstead, NW3 1LD)
7.30pm Talk & discussion at Burgh House (Opposite Gaia House, New End Square, Hampstead, NW3 1LT)
Alastair McIntosh’s recent book, “Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition” has been described on Radio 4′s Open Book programme as one of the best on climate change “because of its rage and optimism.” But Alastair’s “optimism” is not of a conventional type that relies on political, technical and economic solutions. His book is about hope, and how our response must also be psychological and spiritual. During the course of this evening, Alastair will introduce the book exploring why he thinks climate change is as much about our inner lives as outer realities, and discuss here this leaves us as campaigners for change.
Saturday 28th March 2009
“Climate Change, Consumerism and the Decolonisation of the Soul.”
10am – 4.30pm at the Gaia Learning Centre
18 Well Walk, Hampstead, NW3 1LD
Alastair will build on his presentation from the previous evening, focussing in particular on the role that consumerism plays as the driving force of climate change. He will unpack the history of consumerism and demonstrate how it has “colonised the soul” in an addictive manner, that needs to be responded to in a manner akin to other addictions. This will bring us back to the need, discussed the previous evening, to understand climate change as a call to deepen our inner lives, as well as come up with outer solutions. Many of these solutions will touch on the need for “Rekindling Community” – the title of his other recent book (a Schumacher Briefing) which he will introduce in the latter part of the workshop.
Alastair McIntosh is a writer, broadcaster and campaigning academic best known for his work on land reform on Eigg, in helping to stop the Harris super quarry; also for pioneering human ecology as an applied academic discipline in Scotland. He is a Fellow of Scotland’s Centre for Human Ecology, a Visiting Fellow of the Academy of Irish Cultural Heritages at the University of Ulster, and in 2006 was appointed to an honorary position in Strathclyde University as Scotland’s first Visiting Professor of Human Ecology. He is the author of many books, including the critically acclaimed “Soil and Soul: People versus corporate power“.
Booking for either the talk, workshop, or both is essential. Evening talk £10 / One-day workshop £45.
Reserve your place online at: www.gaiafoundation.org
Or send a cheque made payable to The Gaia Foundation.
For further details contact Vicky at: vicky@gaianet.org or 020 7428 0055.
Put People First march for Jobs, Justice and the Climate
11am Victoria Embankment, London
Please come along and add your voice to the Put People First march for Jobs, Justice and the Climate in London on Saturday 28th March.
Global leaders are meeting in London on 2nd April for the G20 meeting, and we want them to Put People First and focus on jobs, justice and the climate. Greenpeace is one of the 50 organisations supporting the march, which is calling for — among other things — a green new deal to help rebuild the economy and create green jobs. To see the full list of demands visit www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk.
Put People First is a coalition of organisations ranging from environmental and development charities to unions, churches and mosques, and we are expecting thousands of people from all walks of life to take to the streets and send a strong message to the G20 leaders. If you can make it to London, please join them.
The march will start at 11am at Victoria Embankment and head to Hyde Park for a rally with speakers and entertainment including comedian Mark Thomas and environmentalist Tony Juniper. Visit the website for more details including a route map.
We’re sorry if you’re not based in or around London and can’t make it, but if you do want to travel down for the march, Put People First are organising coaches from various places around the UK.
Hope to see you there, http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk/
Timothy M Duong is a fine artist searching for something extra ordinary to put “the ordinary on blast”. He as no interest in the ideal beauty, pilule finding that painting from life poses a challenge that often results in mistakes which can change simple art works into timeless pieces. This week I had a chance to find out what inspires his creativity.
What inspires you?
People inspire me. The space around us inspires me. What fills that space and our relationships to it inspire me. Anything that sparks a resonance inside of me to ask the question “why” is probably the reason why I continue my work. So I guess you could say what I am making at the current moment is a documentation of how I perceive the world or my view of it and this is constantly changing as for my work also.
How did you get into Art?
My cousin who passed away several years ago introduced me to comic book art when I was very young and for years until high school that was all I was doing. While I was deep into the world of comics and the linear art, cure I bumped into “Kabuki” a book written and illustrated by David Mack and that was probably one of the most pivotal points in my artistic development. I didn’t even know that it was possible to bring such a way of communication with such a medium as comics. From then and there I abandoned comics and ventured into fine art.
Who do you aspire to be like and who inspires you at present?
I really don’t aspire to be like anyone. I aspire to be more my self, if that can be an answer. People that do inspire me at the moment are artists like Phil Hale, Alex Kanevsky, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Degas, Egon Schiele, Richard Diebenkorn and anyone that has a way with the brush and pencil.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
I see myself living comfortably from what I love doing. I can’t really put it any others words other than that…but I guess we’ll see how the economy goes eh.
What advice would you give to someone trying to get into the Art?
My advice would be to have an open-mind and be forgiving of your mistakes, yet be your harshest critique. Our experiences are what makes us and to be afraid of consequences generated by our “experience” is to neglect ourselves. It’s all about trial and error in my book.
Do you have a muse?
I have no muse. Although I do hire models and try to work with some friends but no one on a regular basis, at least for now. I need constant change and revision so for me to have a regular muse would probably bore me, but you never know…maybe I haven’t found the “one”.
Ctrl.Alt.Shift is a seriously cool experimental youth initiative dedicated to politicising a new generation of activists for social justice and global change. Last time I heard of them, link they were organising a comic book themed talk at the ICA Comica festival. Using creativity, price photography, film, stories, illustrations and music, it aims to give a voice to the silent majority- meaning you and I, dear artistic and socially motivated Amelia’s readers! On January 7th, experimental youth movementCtrl.Alt.Shift will become the first charity to venture onto newsagent mainstream shelves with the release of its own bi-annual magazine – Ctrl.Alt.Shift: The Corruption Issue.
All photographs Adrian Nettleship
It’s hot stuff! Spanning 84 pages, the launch of Ctrl.Alt.Shift: The Corruption Issue will focus on corruption as both a key cause of poverty and the barrier to overcoming it, and represents an ongoing attempt by the organization to bring a marginalized social and political agenda back into mainstream rhetoric. Including a satirical fashion shoot inspired by Guantanamo Bay, and drawing on comment and work from contemporary artists such asV V Brownand Sarah Maple, the magazine taps into popular culture to provoke debate and counter apathy amongst its audience of 18 – 25 year olds.
Highlights of the issue include the artist Sarah Maple; described by The Independent on Sunday as ‘the heir to Tracy Emin‘s throne’, Maple unveils a bespoke piece of work influenced by corruption and sex. Richard Shoyemi looks at how Asda’s new Asian range will inspire a generation of fashionistas for the Culture club section of the magazine. There is an interview with Tim Westwood as the Radio 1 DJ talks marrying music, activism, and why he wouldn’t take Pimp My Ride to Palestine. Freelance journalist and Middle East expert Ben White is the author of Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide. White breaks down the language of corruption for the magazine. There is alsoRiz Ahmed; fresh from appearing alongside Jude Dench in the movie Rage, the actor and MC finds time to give his take on the effects of corruption. Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s Face the Music unearths the sounds which are making it big in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and beyond. There will be a goody two shoes feature on how Brazilian shoe company Melissa and designer Vivienne Westwood have met in ethical style heaven. And there is ‘Murder he wrote’, an investigative feature into honor killing in India.
We love the fact that the magazine puts what it preaches into action. It’s well known that magazines add to the pollution issue we all now face; printed on completely uncoated paper using vegetable ink, the magazine is completely biodegradable and has a cover price of £3.95. It is available from most WHSmithstores, as well as www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/magazine
Katrin Owusu, Head of Youth Marketing and Innovations at Ctrl.Alt.Shift and Chantelle Fiddy, Editor of Ctrl.Alt.Shift Magazine tell Amelia’s art editor Valerie Pezeron about their exciting new venture.
Valerie Pezeron: It’s a very brave act of faith to launch a magazine at a time when the industry is experiencing economic problems. Why should people buy your magazine?
Katrin Owusu: Ctrl.Alt.Shift: The Corruption Issue is inclusive, broad and at times controversial; with content ranging from a fashion-shoot inspired by Guantanemo Bay, to Sarah Maple creating art inspired by sex and corruption, to the music which is making the charts in Afghanistan. We hope the magazine will reach out to people who wouldn’t traditionally be interested in politics or current affairs, and encourage those people out of their comfort zones and into action.
VP: I love Ctrl.Alt.Shift and you guys are really setting the bar really high!
Chantelle Fiddy: It’s a real accomplishment to have produced a magazine that takes on board third sector objectives yet sits happily alongside consumer titles. Having had the freedom to explore new ways to package stories on global and social injustice, from Tim Westwood talking about activism to looking at the work of ethical shoe company Melissa and highlighting trends from around the world, we’ve resulted in something of a first (for the charity sector).
VP: So the new year is commencing with a bang?
CF: It’s the icing on the cake for what’s been an amazing eighteen months for Ctrl.Alt.Shift!
Run to the shops now, there aren’ t that many original magazines with a conscience out there…besides Amelia, of course! Photograph courtesy of Ctrl.Alt.Shift.
Ctrl.Alt.Shift is a seriously cool experimental youth initiative dedicated to politicising a new generation of activists for social justice and global change. Last time I heard of them, medications they were organising a comic book themed talk at the ICA Comica festival. Using creativity, try photography, film, stories, illustrations and music, it aims to give a voice to the silent majority- meaning you and I, dear artistic and socially motivated Amelia’s readers! On January 7th, experimental youth movementCtrl.Alt.Shift will become the first charity to venture onto newsagent mainstream shelves with the release of its own bi-annual magazine – Ctrl.Alt.Shift: The Corruption Issue.
Photograph by Luke Miley
It’s hot stuff! Spanning 84 pages, the launch of Ctrl.Alt.Shift: The Corruption Issue will focus on corruption as both a key cause of poverty and the barrier to overcoming it, and represents an ongoing attempt by the organization to bring a marginalized social and political agenda back into mainstream rhetoric. Including a satirical fashion shoot inspired by Guantanamo Bay, and drawing on comment and work from contemporary artists such asV V Brownand Sarah Maple, the magazine taps into popular culture to provoke debate and counter apathy amongst its audience of 18 – 25 year olds.
All other photographs by Adrian Nettleship
Highlights of the issue include the artist Sarah Maple; described by The Independent on Sunday as ‘the heir to Tracy Emin‘s throne’, Maple unveils a bespoke piece of work influenced by corruption and sex. Richard Shoyemi looks at how Asda’s new Asian range will inspire a generation of fashionistas for the Culture club section of the magazine. There is an interview with Tim Westwood as the Radio 1 DJ talks marrying music, activism, and why he wouldn’t take Pimp My Ride to Palestine. Freelance journalist and Middle East expert Ben White is the author of Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide. White breaks down the language of corruption for the magazine. There is alsoRiz Ahmed; fresh from appearing alongside Jude Dench in the movie Rage, the actor and MC finds time to give his take on the effects of corruption. Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s Face the Music unearths the sounds which are making it big in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and beyond. There will be a goody two shoes feature on how Brazilian shoe company Melissa and designer Vivienne Westwood have met in ethical style heaven. And there is ‘Murder he wrote’, an investigative feature into honor killing in India.
We love the fact that the magazine puts what it preaches into action. It’s well known that magazines add to the pollution issue we all now face; printed on completely uncoated paper using vegetable ink, the magazine is completely biodegradable and has a cover price of £3.95. It is available from most WHSmithstores, as well as www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/magazine
Katrin Owusu, Head of Youth Marketing and Innovations at Ctrl.Alt.Shift and Chantelle Fiddy, Editor of Ctrl.Alt.Shift Magazine tell Amelia’s art editor Valerie Pezeron about their exciting new venture.
Valerie Pezeron: It’s a very brave act of faith to launch a magazine at a time when the industry is experiencing economic problems. Why should people buy your magazine?
Katrin Owusu: Ctrl.Alt.Shift: The Corruption Issue is inclusive, broad and at times controversial; with content ranging from a fashion-shoot inspired by Guantanemo Bay, to Sarah Maple creating art inspired by sex and corruption, to the music which is making the charts in Afghanistan. We hope the magazine will reach out to people who wouldn’t traditionally be interested in politics or current affairs, and encourage those people out of their comfort zones and into action.
VP: I love Ctrl.Alt.Shift and you guys are really setting the bar really high!
Chantelle Fiddy: It’s a real accomplishment to have produced a magazine that takes on board third sector objectives yet sits happily alongside consumer titles. Having had the freedom to explore new ways to package stories on global and social injustice, from Tim Westwood talking about activism to looking at the work of ethical shoe company Melissa and highlighting trends from around the world, we’ve resulted in something of a first (for the charity sector).
VP: So the new year is commencing with a bang?
CF: It’s the icing on the cake for what’s been an amazing eighteen months for Ctrl.Alt.Shift!
Run to the shops now, there aren’ t that many original magazines with a conscience out there…besides Amelia, of course! All photographs courtesy of Amy Hughes
Hiding in the loo from the conductor; tearing your hair out at awkward crossword clues; playing I-Spy; attempting to mop up spilt coffee with a balled-up bus ticket – there are a multitude of ways to pass the time on a mammoth journey, erectile not all of them particularly productive. For Joanna Tinsley, story though, gazing out of the windows of trains as they zig-zagged across Japan on a visit to her brother last September ignited an initiative that last weekend saw hundreds of Bristolians pack their picnics and head out into the snow.
“The Love of It started, as all good ideas do, with a list,” Jo recalls. “I wrote down a list of everything I loved doing: road trips, wild swimming, picnics, telling stories, playing Scrabble, night-walking and star gazing, climbing hills and camping, spending time with friends. It dawned on me that there wasn’t one single place that brought all these things together – so I decided to make one!”
And so began The Love of It, which Jo describes as “the source of all knowledge on good, wholesome fun.” Jo and her blossoming team of international editors seek out, promote and organise community-based events and activities of the frolicsome (and usually free) variety, from rickshaw road trips to Scrabble tournaments to – for the especially thick of skin – outdoor Boxing Day dips. After just its first fortnight, The Love of It had even had a hand in forging the Bristol chapter of the Cardboard Tube Fighting League.
“I started thinking about the all the movements that have gathered momentum recently – the slow movement, downsizing, growing your own food, green living, freeconomy, the resurgence of crafts and pervasive gaming, wild swimming and cool camping,” says Jo of her motivation for kicking off The Love of It, “and I began to think that what underpins many of these movements is the idea that doing something creative, just for fun, makes you happier. It’s the idea that spending time with the people you love, joining a community, sharing skills, making things and playing out is not only part of a more eco-friendly way to live but is a surefire way to feeling good. Or, on a more casual level, that every now and then doing something random, creative and just for the love of it can help you chill out after a busy week.”
The south west’s big chill was thawed on Sunday at Bristol’s Biggest Indoor Picnic, the event that marked the official launch of The Love of It and invited the people of Bristol to bring their hammocks, board games and cucumber sandwiches in from the cold. Jo called on the likes of Lucy and Lucy of positive psychology art workshop organisationLight Box ; the monster-making flair of Stuffed Nonsense; Cloth magazine; and long-time collaborator and Bath’s Magic Lantern film club founder Kerry to bring their skills and enthusiasm to the Indoor Picnic. The result was an afternoon of treasure hunts, International Homemade Hobnob Day nibbles , fabric fight-offs, mass Twister contests and bubble-blowing competitions. And this is only the beginning…
“Project 2010 is a series of 52 challenges to help you live for the love of it,” says Jo. “We plan to include such fun projects as having a monster swap (making a quirky little critter and sending them on adventures around the world) and pimping a board game (human Monopoly anyone?). Oodles of fun!
“Our main aim is to make 2010 the year you live for the love of it. We’d like to help people focus on all the little things that make us feel happy (building dens, skimming stones, conker fights) and spend less time worrying about the big things that keep us awake at night.”
Written by Amy Hughes on Monday January 18th, 2010 12:40 pm
The Barbican towards The Bank of England. It was enjoyable to be part of such a good natured crowd and it was fun to watch all the shop owners standing outside their establishments, watching with fascination at the colourful carnival proceeding past them.
Forests and Climate Change: an Amazonian Perspective for Copenhagen
