Amelia’s Magazine | Kingston University: Illustration and Animation Ba Hons Graduate Show 2011 Review. Upstairs.

Ellie Tzoni lobster
Lobster by Ellie Tzoni.

The illustration on display at the Kingston graduate show, sales Highs For Your Eyes, sick was of an overwhelmingly high standard, cheapest so much so that I’m going to split this into two blog posts – Upstairs and Downstairs. Plus then of course there’s the animation to consider…

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 review

Kingston Illustration and Animation students chose to show their degree work in a gallery space behind the Foundry (now closed, RIP) which shares the same idiosyncratic characteristics of the old bar space. The best of the installation set pieces were shown in the upstairs rooms and downstairs a cavernous space was filled with a plethora of artwork. At the back a rickety industrial belt vanished up into the bowels of the building.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Ellie Tzoni whaleKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Ellie Tzoni whaleKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Ellie Tzoni whale
Ellie Tzoni‘s work was the first that I saw as I entered the show. She plays with strong iconographic screen printed shapes and words to create graphic designs. I really liked her deceptively simple pieces, which reduce seafood to the simplest of shapes and textures.

Jason Munro Olympics bikeKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Jason MunroKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Jason Munro dogKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Jason Munro cat
Jason Munro showed a host of curious globular animals in scrumptious colours, some of which formed letters and numbers. I absolutely adore his very unique style.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Eve Lloyd KnightKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Eve Lloyd KnightKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Eve Lloyd Knight
Eve Lloyd Knight specialises in a kind of abstract surrealism that involves tiny figures scaling huge neon brick blocks. Curious animals and evocative words also feature in her work.

Tom Clohosy Cole Road Accidents
Tom Clohosy Cole Machinery accidents
Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Tom Clohosy Cole Machinery accidents
Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Tom Clohosy Cole Machinery accidents
In the next room Tom Clohosy Cole had put together an extraordinary installation to showcase his insurance based final piece. Sounds boring, but was anything but that. Are You Covered? asked a suspiciously wonky sign on top of a carefully constructed plywood booth. He explored the imagery of accidents such as falling down sinkholes, gas poisoning, car crashes, falling and even the results of nuclear fallout. A billboard declared that You are at Risk from the Eight Perils. All of it was rendered in a simplified screenprinted colour palette of raspberry red and layers of berry blue. I was quick to take my very own insurance hand out, stacked at the side of his stand.

Abigail Read Spectrum of Emotion
Abigail Read cycle to the olympics
Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Abigail Read
Next door Abigail Read‘s work featured diagrammatic layering of shapes and lettering and a carefully made 3D pop out book on a stand that took my breath away. Her delicate bike collages were framed so that they seemed to pop out in motion, with shadows behind.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Henry Wood
At the back Henry Wood had grabbed some space on a flat surface to showcase his wonderful sculptures of… wood. Sadly the website given on his business card does not work, but you can try him here on this website.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Hey Gyeong Jang owl
Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Hey Gyeong Jang owl
Hey Gyeong Jang has only the most minimal of blogs, which is a shame as I struggled to take photos of her artwork through thick panes of glass. Absolutely loved the anthropomorphic watercolour foxes, squirrels and owls that populate her landscapes. I apologise about those pesky reflections.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Patricia VoskovaKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Patricia Voskova
Patricia Voskova works mainly in black to create simple shapes and textures that tell a story. I loved the people tramping up and down an endless staircase in her showcase book.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes Solar Flare Village
Jack Hughes created a Tender Buttons juke box and piano stand in response to a brief put together by Diesel for the D&AD student awards. He has a very special way of putting colour together. I also picked out this book cover from his website.

Sam Falconer CloudySam Falconer Humpty DumptyKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Sam Falconer
Sam Falconer‘s work dwells in the land of fairy tales and children’s stories. His enormously fun collages feature curious people and animated buildings. Through copious use of a mild grey tone they manage to be both bright and subtle at the same time.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Sarah Maycock bearKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 Sarah Maycock lionsSarah Maycock fox_print
Next door Sarah Maycock had pinned a giant friendly bear to the wall and beneath this she had piled up some limited edition screenprints on newspaper of an equally lovely fox. There were none left when I came back upstairs later but she kindly gave me a print made on much better quality paper. He’s a winner I’m sure you will agree!

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 review Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 review Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 review
I also liked the watecolour buildings and books next door to Sarah’s work, which was the work of Nina Cosford.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 emily rudd wallKingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 emily rudd wall
Emily Rudd had appropriated the staircase with a series of bold monochrome screenprints on newspaper inspired by a book written by Albert Camus. I can’t get her website to work but you can follow her on twitter.

Kingston Illustration graduate exhibition 2011 red gallery

I hope that I’ve got everything right in this round up – it was incredibly hard to match business cards to my photos when I got home. Note to future graduates: it’s so much better to have a clear name on a wall next to your work. Now I’ve just got to tell you about the stuff downstairs…and the animation

Categories ,2011, ,Abigail Read, ,Albert Camus, ,animals, ,animation, ,Are You Covered?, ,D&AD, ,Ellie Tzoni, ,Emily Rudd, ,Eve Lloyd Knight, ,Foundry, ,Graduate Show, ,Henry Wood, ,Hey Gyeong Jang, ,Highs For Your Eyes, ,illustration, ,Jack Hughes, ,Jason Munro, ,Kingston University, ,Nina Cosford, ,Patricia Voskova, ,Red Gallery, ,Sam Falconer, ,Sarah Maycock, ,screenprinting, ,Sculptures, ,shoreditch, ,Tender Buttons, ,Tom Clohosy Cole, ,watercolour

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Amelia’s Magazine | Hudson and Klonek: A Plasticine Englishman and a Woodcut Pole

A Saturday night in downtown Kilburn saw the long awaited (and, case decease considering it was recorded about 18 months ago, treat long overdue) launch of Horses for Courses, more about the debut album from Teesside trio Das Wanderlust. Taking the stage after sterling support from the ever wonderful Bobby McGees, the place of lead singer and keyboard player Laura Simmons was taken by the mysterious “Rock Wizard”, decked out like some prog-tastic spawn of the mid-70′s Rick Wakeman. But – lo and behold! – ‘twas indeed that cheeky scamp Laura underneath (the cape and false beard were in fact discarded because it was bloomin’ hot)!

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Das Wanderlust are one of those bands that can be guaranteed to divide opinion. So much so that, confusingly, the NME decided to produce a schizophrenic review which on the one hand raves about the album, whilst on the other describes one track (Sea Shanty) as “literally the worst song we’ve ever heard and annoying on an almost nuclear level” (guitarist Andy Elliott ruefully reminded the audience of this). Personally, I think they’re great.

DasWanderlust276.jpg

Musically, they are very reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, particularly Simmons’distinct vocal delivery, and late-70′s Fall. Crunchy guitars, buzzy 20p second hand Casio-style keyboards and melodies that don’t go quite where you expect, it’s a style that Das Wanderlust describe as “wrong pop”. The single Puzzle is what Elastica might have sounded like if they hadn’t spent all their time transcribing Wire and Stranglers albums whilst, conversely, the piano-based Turn to Grey has a very nursery-esque quality.

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One thing to say about Das Wanderlust is that in no way do they take themselves seriously on stage. After a little dig at the archetypal Shoreditch gig crowd, there is much onstage banter (which apparently led to a bit of a rebuke from a rather sniffy reviewer in Cardiff recently) and they appeared to be having so much fun that they didn’t realise they’d reached the end of their set.
Heading back to the distant north, I’m sure their hearts were gladdened by the response to their set and the generally positive reviews to Horses for Courses suggest that hopefully we shall be seeing much more of Das Wanderlust soon.

Live photos appear courtesy of Richard Pearmain
For the next few weeks, purchase London will be transformed under an umbrella of environmentalism and sustainability. Which ever corner of London is your turf, treatment you will find something to watch, shop learn, listen to or take part in. Love London: The Green Festival is the biggest green festival in Europe, and will be running from June 4th – June 28th. It will encompass hundreds of cheap and free events in and around the capital that will be categorised under three themes: Green Places, Green Living and Green Innovations. There will also be an onus on Eco – Thrift, a topical theme given the current climate that we are all facing. From a Love London Recycled Sculpture Show at the Wetland Centre in Barnes, Community Garden Open Days, London Farmers Markets Picnic on The Green, Eco-Cultural Festival…. the list seems almost infinite. That is before we include the talks aimed on sharing tips and ideas on how to live a more sustainable and green lifestyle.

1LoveLondon

I spoke with the people behind Love London and asked a little bit more about what we can expect in the next few weeks.

What is the purpose of the Love London festival?
The purpose of the festival is to empower Londoners to build a more sustainable future for the Capital. The festival achieves this by bringing communities together to share ideas and celebrate innovations. It supports and promotes grass roots action.

What types of events take place during the Love London festival?
A huge range of events take place during the festival – all have an environmental /
sustainable focus. Events are organised by themes. The 2009 main theme is Green Places. Sample events: Culpeper Community Garden (growing veg in small spaces) Love London Recycled Sculpture Show, WWT London Wetland Centre, Waste Free Picnics Tour the Greenwich Eco-House.

Sister themes + sample events include Green Living Green Innovations, The Art of Green Cleaning Eco-Vehicle Rally (Brighton– London), Energy Doctor Surgeries Insider London – Eco Tours, There is also a cross-theme focus on Eco-Thrift this year – many events will teach Londoners how they can save money and save the environment eg Swap Shops and Energy Use surgeries.

Jessy%20P.everything_is_connected-artwork1.jpg
Illustration by Jessica Pemberton


Sustainability is a very topical subject matter isn’t it?

Very much so, obviously sustainability is always on the agenda, and this year we have a large aspect around eco-thrift. People think that sustainability will cost them more more but it will actually save them money.

How long has Love London been running?
The festival is now in its seventh year. Over the years it has grown from a weekend event to one week, then two and is now three weeks long. It has evolved from London Sustainability Weeks to Love London Green Festival. Starting with less than ten events it now offers hundreds.

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Events from previous Love London Green Festivals. Note the Naked Bike Ride of 2006!

How can Love London benefit the city and the lives of Londoners?
Love London events give Londoners the knowledge and inspiration to do their bit to make the Capital cleaner and greener. As the festival spreads the word and people take action the city will become a more pleasant place for all.
The main theme for 2009 encourages Londoners to celebrate and protect the city’s vital Green Places. Londoners will get out cleaning up rivers and carrying out conservation work as well as enjoying the space with picnics in the park and nature craft workshops. The Love London Recycled Sculpture Show is a highlight event.

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The Heron is the focal piece in the Recycled
Sculpture Show. It is by the artist Ptolemy Elrington and has been
made from old shopping trolleys dragged out of a canal.

Who organises the festival?
It’s a partnership of like minded charities such as London 21 Sustainability Network,
The London Environment Co-ordinators Forum, London Community Recycling
Network
, London Sustainability Exchange, The Federation of City Farms and
Community Gardens, London Civic Forum, Sponge, Government Office for London,
Open House, Global Action Plan and The Mayor of London.

Click here to find out more about Love London Green Festival.
Henry Hudson is a strange chap. I’m absolutely sure of this, ambulance though the only evidence I have is his art. I’ve seen plenty of wacky art made by otherwise normal people. You can usually tell. But this is the real deal. Luscious gilt picture frames house these extraordinary works which don’t so much update Hogarth as render a more visceral, visit web decaying Hogarth. The works currently on show at the Trolley Gallery on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch are drawn from the Rake’s Progress and Harlot’s Progress series. They are details and deteriorations. And they are paintings made of plasticine, stained with tea.

henryhudson.jpg

Hudson’s selection of the imagery brings us the moment when squalour invades the Eighteenth Century gentleman’s oasis of luxury. Everything is opulence bought with bad debts that are just turning nasty. A beautiful wall mounting for a candle tries to maintain its dignity beneath menacing cracks in the cieling. It feels like a very contemporary concern, refracted through a prism of history which we are doomed to repeat.
Fundamentally, these are works which straddle being good fun art, and being a veiled threat. It’s original, and supremely confident work, and leaves me in no doubt about one thing: Henry Hudson is a strange chap.

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On the other side of Shoreditch, Roman Klonek is exhibiting his stunningly vibrant woodcuts. 20th Century Russian Propaganda jostles with the lowbrow feel of Fantagraphics comix or some of Spumco‘s more knowing animation.

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Some of this is really stark and simple. A hairy-faced man does some ironing, but somehow it turns into an existential moment for him, but then, wait; that is filtered somehow through the bold and bright cuteness of it all. It’s as if Camus were a gonk. Other scenes are more complex, with a few figures going about their business, totally isolated from one another. I was reminded of some of Balthus’s better works, but with colour sense that comes purely from early comics.

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Some of the most striking works are laid out as comic book front covers, in fact, with text in Polish, Russian, and Japanese. Klonek’s work is seriously slick, and his background in graphics show’s through. Almost all of these prints made me wish there wre an animated TV show which made almost no sense and looked just like a Klonek. There’s just something about his associations betwen the cartoon world and the exotic characters of foriegn alphabets and spellings that draws you in and thrills. Judging by the little red dots appearing by the works, I’m not the only one who felt the need for a some Klonek in my life.

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Henry Hudson is at the Trolley Gallery until July 25, while Roman Klonek closes at Kemistry Gallery on May 30.

Categories ,Albert Camus, ,Graphic Design, ,Hogarth, ,Hudson, ,Klonek, ,London, ,Paintings, ,Plasticine, ,Poland, ,Print, ,shoreditch, ,Soviet, ,Tea

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Amelia’s Magazine | Best of D&AD New Blood Graphic Design Graduates 2011

New Blood show review 2011 Dawn Cooper
Illustration by Dawn Cooper.

Shh, adiposity I know that the D&AD New Blood exhibition was held absolutely months ago… but I would rather play catch up than leave all this talent behind. And besides, this blog was all prewritten – I just needed to post the bugger. Here then are the best of the graphic designers that I found, with possibly a few illustrators thrown in too as it can be hard to distinguish between the two at times.

New Blood show review 2011-Dawn Cooper
There was some wonderful work at Bath School of Art and Design: illustrations for The Outsider by Albert Camus illustrated by Dawn Cooper produced some beautiful prints.

New Blood show review 2011-Charles Van Der Essen
I thought Charles Van Der Essen‘s Atom self portrait poster was rather wonderful, as was his primary coloured beetle waving a spanner on a BMX bike.

New Blood show review 2011-David Otokpa's Eggs (Humanity)
At American Intercontinental I liked David Otokpa‘s Eggs (Humanity), a photo of many sized eggs to represent the similarities of all humans.

New Blood show review 2011-Juliana Roldao orishas
New Blood show review 2011-Juliana Roldao orishas
New Blood show review 2011-Juliana Roldao orishas
New Blood show review 2011-Juliana Roldao orishas
From Middlesex University Juliana Roldao had produced Orishas, a beautiful screenprinted book in barely there neons and black.

New Blood show review 2011-christine harrison
New Blood show review 2011-christine harrison
At Nottingham Trent Uni Christine Harrison‘s Elton the Abominable Snowman and zoetrope caught my eye.

New Blood show review 2011-samuel jones
New Blood show review 2011-samuel jones
Over at Huddersfield I liked Unleashed illustrations by Samuel Jones, which were rendered in a very basic colour range to great success.

New Blood show review 2011-Aaron Vohra
New Blood show review 2011-Aaron Vohra
A very similar colour palette was used by Aaron Vohra, who tackled people in graphics with a faintly 50s style.

New Blood show review 2011-Zane Aldere
At the University of Bedfordshire the force of Nobrow was strong: especially for Zane Aldere, who produced a hand scene printed book that tells four versions of Little Red Riding Hood in concertina form.

New Blood show review 2011-Julia Kisselmann
New Blood show review 2011-New Blood show review 2011-Julia Kisselmann
Julia Kisselmann had produced a lovely series of hand screenprinted prints, Transmutation, inspired by patterns in nature.

New Blood show review 2011-amy collins collin banana
New Blood show review 2011-amy collins collin banana
I do love a bit of a wild card: at Loughborough University Amy Collins showed a purple hippo and featured bird from her Collin Banana Circus project – she hopes to go into animation.

New Blood show review 2011-Bertie the Ickle Pickle Bean
Carolyn Bayley‘s Bertie the Ickle Pickle Bean for a book by Rosie Collins reminded me of the simplicity of Simone Lia‘s work.

More coming up soon…

Categories ,Aaron Vohra, ,Albert Camus, ,American Intercontinental, ,Amy Collins, ,Atom, ,Bath School of Art and Design, ,Bath Spa, ,Bertie the Ickle Pickle Bean, ,Buckinghamshire New University, ,Carolyn Bayley, ,Charles Van Der Essen, ,Christine Harrison, ,Collin Banana Circus, ,D&AD, ,David Otokpa, ,Dawn Cooper, ,Deepwater Horizon, ,Eggs (Humanity), ,Elton the Abominable Snowman, ,Fakery, ,Graphic Design, ,Huddersfield, ,James Rogers, ,John Ellis, ,Julia Kisselmann, ,Juliana Roldao, ,Little Red Riding Hood, ,Loughborough University, ,MIddlesex Univerisity, ,New Blood, ,Nobrow, ,Northumbria University, ,Nottingham Trent University, ,Orishas, ,Rosie Collins, ,Sheffield Hallam, ,Sheffield Institute of Arts, ,Simone Lia, ,Transmutation, ,typography, ,University of Bedfordshire, ,University of Huddersfield, ,Unleashed, ,Zane Aldere, ,Zoetrope

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