Artist Beccy McCray has created a new poster series titled Make Friends With Food In 5 Easy Steps… fun images that challenge our perceptions of food waste.
I explore playful, socially engaged art and design using a diverse approach that includes intervention, installation, participation, print, paint or whatever media necessary to create imaginative acts of resistance and more human moments in the world.
Through my work I seek to break down boundaries between art, activism and every day life, ultimately aiming to spread joy and inspire positive change, using creativity to raise awareness of environmental issues and social ideals.
I’m also slightly obsessed with food – not just eating it but sourcing, growing, making and composting it …and I do like to play with my food too..!
My latest series of self-initiated posters, ‘Make Friends With Food In 5 Easy Steps‘, is a fun call to arms and a friendly reminder of some of the simple sustainable actions we can all take when sourcing and disposing of our food. Using 3D type made from sugar cubes, sandwich crusts and live mustard sprouts amongst other things, I’ve spelled out playful solutions such as ‘Small Is Sweet – Steer Clear Of Supermarkets‘, ‘Eat More Biscuits – Bid Adieu To Beef‘, and ‘Grow Stuff – Give Packaged Products A Miss‘.
You can see more of Beccy McCray‘s work on her website here.
Written by Beccy McCray on Thursday June 18th, 2015 11:18 am
Image courtesy of Environmental Justice Foundation
ENVIRONMNENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION POP-UP STORE
13-27 NOVEMBER (MON-SAT: 10-7PM, cialis 40mg SUN: 12-6PM)
WHITE GOLD, 1ST FLOOR, KINGLY COURT, W1
FREE ENTRY
Over the coming fortnight the Environmental Justice Foundation charity will be setting up shop in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street to help raise awareness of forced child labour and environmental abuses in cotton production. The EJF pop-up store will be selling a limited edition range of T-shirts designed in collaboration with fashion heavyweights such as Luella, Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, John Rocha, Betty Jackson, Christian Lacroix, Allegra Hicks, Katharine Hamnett, Jenny Packham, Alice Temperley, Richard Nicoll and Ciel. EJF will also be stocking 100 shopper bags designed by Eley Kishimoto which will retail at the bargain price of £10 or come free when you spend over £50 in store. As they sold out like hot potatoes at LFW last month make sure you get there while stock lasts.
ASSEMBLY THRIFT STORE OPENING
19 NOVEMBER
THE WATERMAN’S BUILDING, ASSEMBLY PASSAGE, E1
FREE ENTRY
This week sees the lovely chaps behind the East End Thrift Store open a new shop called Assembly just off Brick Lane. As an expansion of the existing space in Whitechapel, Assembly aims to bring together the most eclectic and unique vintage finds in clothing, accessories, jewellery, quilts, fabrics and even rare books. Situated within a disused factory the shop space has been created to resemble a New York loft which will also be used to host exhibitions and installations and installations by young contemporary artists.
Image courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum
CELEBRATE OUR FASCINATION WITH HAIR
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER (6:30-10PM) V&A MUSEUM: SACKLER CENTRE, CROMWELL ROAD, SW7
FREE ENTRY
If you’re looking to change your image or simply want a new hairdo for the festive season than treat yourself to a makeover courtesy of London College of Fashion students. Head down to the V&A to take part in a fashion illustration workshop and watch an A-list make up demonstration led by LCF’s partner institution the Hong Kong Design Institute. For those who are less keen on having a student get to grips with your locks you can always experiment and try new hairstyles digitally.
Image courtesy of Ethical Fashion Forum
GLOBAL SOURCING MARKETPLACE
20-21 NOVEMBER (FRI: 10-7PM, SAT: 10:30-5PM)
CHELSEA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN, 16 JOHN ISLIP STREET, SW1
£20 FOR UNLIMITEDE ACCESS OVER BOTH DAYS
Later this week the Ethical Fashion Forum will be hosting a two-day ethical sourcing marketplace which will bring together an array of brands, retailers, manufacturers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. This yearly event aims to create opportunities for suppliers with the overall goal being to reduce the environmental impact of the industry, support fair and equitable trade, and reduce poverty. The event gives industry professionals and consumers an opportunity to network with suppliers and gain information about ways to get involved through a series of seminars and talks.
DESIGNER SALES UK SAMPLE SALE
20-22 NOVEMBER (FRI: 11-9PM, SAT: 11-8PM, SUN: 11-5:30PM)
85 BRICKLANE, E1
£2 ENTRY, £1 CONCESSIONS
Brainchild of Elaine Foster-Gandey, the DSUK website was founded 20 years ago and is the first in its kind to sell samples and stock directly from the biggest fashion houses to customers at seriously discounted prices. Currently gearing up for their fourth sample sale of the year later this week, expect to find great value womenswear, menswear, kidswear and accessories. With over 100 different labels to choose from during this three day shopping extravaganza you’re sure to find a bargain.
Image courtesy of Environmental Justice Foundation
ENVIRONMNENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION POP-UP STORE
13-27 NOVEMBER (MON-SAT: 10-7PM, mind SUN: 12-6PM)
WHITE GOLD, more about 1ST FLOOR, information pillsKINGLY COURT, W1
FREE ENTRY
Over the coming fortnight the Environmental Justice Foundation charity will be setting up shop in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street to help raise awareness of forced child labour and environmental abuses in cotton production. The EJF pop-up store will be selling a limited edition range of T-shirts designed in collaboration with fashion heavyweights such as Luella, Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, John Rocha, Betty Jackson, Christian Lacroix, Allegra Hicks, Katharine Hamnett, Jenny Packham, Alice Temperley, Richard Nicoll and Ciel. EJF will also be stocking 100 shopper bags designed by Eley Kishimoto which will retail at the bargain price of £10 or come free when you spend over £50 in store. As they sold out like hot potatoes at LFW last month make sure you get there while stock lasts.
ASSEMBLY THRIFT STORE OPENING
19 NOVEMBER
THE WATERMAN’S BUILDING, ASSEMBLY PASSAGE, E1
FREE ENTRY
This week sees the lovely chaps behind the East End Thrift Store open a new shop called Assembly just off Brick Lane. As an expansion of the existing space in Whitechapel, Assembly aims to bring together the most eclectic and unique vintage finds in clothing, accessories, jewellery, quilts, fabrics and even rare books. Situated within a disused factory the shop space has been created to resemble a New York loft which will also be used to host exhibitions and installations and installations by young contemporary artists.
Image courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum
CELEBRATE OUR FASCINATION WITH HAIR
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER (6:30-10PM) V&A MUSEUM: SACKLER CENTRE, CROMWELL ROAD, SW7
FREE ENTRY
If you’re looking to change your image or simply want a new hairdo for the festive season than treat yourself to a makeover courtesy of London College of Fashion students. Head down to the V&A to take part in a fashion illustration workshop and watch an A-list make up demonstration led by LCF’s partner institution the Hong Kong Design Institute. For those who are less keen on having a student get to grips with your locks you can always experiment and try new hairstyles digitally.
Image courtesy of Ethical Fashion Forum
GLOBAL SOURCING MARKETPLACE
20-21 NOVEMBER (FRI: 10-7PM, SAT: 10:30-5PM)
CHELSEA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN, 16 JOHN ISLIP STREET, SW1
£20 FOR UNLIMITEDE ACCESS OVER BOTH DAYS
Later this week the Ethical Fashion Forum will be hosting a two-day ethical sourcing marketplace which will bring together an array of brands, retailers, manufacturers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. This yearly event aims to create opportunities for suppliers with the overall goal being to reduce the environmental impact of the industry, support fair and equitable trade, and reduce poverty. The event gives industry professionals and consumers an opportunity to network with suppliers and gain information about ways to get involved through a series of seminars and talks.
DESIGNER SALES UK SAMPLE SALE
20-22 NOVEMBER (FRI: 11-9PM, SAT: 11-8PM, SUN: 11-5:30PM)
85 BRICKLANE, E1
£2 ENTRY, £1 CONCESSIONS
Brainchild of Elaine Foster-Gandey, the DSUK website was founded 20 years ago and is the first in its kind to sell samples and stock directly from the biggest fashion houses to customers at seriously discounted prices. Currently gearing up for their fourth sample sale of the year later this week, expect to find great value womenswear, menswear, kidswear and accessories. With over 100 different labels to choose from during this three day shopping extravaganza you’re sure to find a bargain.
Walking into the ICA on Sunday the 8th of November and you would not have recognised the usual contemporary art venue. The corridor joining the reception to the cafe area was transformed in a vast art experiment with artists drawing little sketches of witty speech bubbles all over the walls.
Welcome to the sixth Comica festival, ailment a place where aspiring graphic novelists get the chance to rub shoulders with established comic book artists for a whole day and where the average age of the hip attendees is 25 to 35. Paul Gravett, price a long time supporter and influential figure in the English comics community who also happens to be organising the festival, viagra 100mg believes that events such as Comica are proof that people’s mindsets about the comics book industry is changing. “Comics tend to be ghettoised by the fan community but we’re trying to build connections between comics and other art forms. It has taken time for people to realise that comics can be about anything. Comic artists haven’t got to draw Batman and there aren’t many rules. It’s about the maturing of the readership and publishers, recognising that this is an exciting form of storytelling.”
The first talk of the afternoon, Starting Out in Graphic Novels, was aiming to help aspiring graphic novelists understand better what it takes to succeed in a business that does not pay as well as commercial art but is as competitive a field. Brian Talbot and Julian Hanshaw explained how time-consuming and hard-graft it is to put a graphic novel together; It took Talbot about 4 years to concoct his last one.
The talk was followed by the presentation of the winners of The Observer/Jonathan Cape/Comica Graphic Short Story prize. This competition is in its third year and attracted over 300 entries. The first prize went to the vividly captured and tender story “Paint” by Vivien McDermid, which the judges thought was a touching portrayal of mother with their small toddler.
Meanwhile, the most sizzling and significant gathering of scribes and scrawlers from across the UK indie scene was taking place in the main theatre; Comica Comiket Small Press Fair was packed with an eclectic selection of self-published comics from dozens of storytellers and collectives. The Internet is a great tool but these exquisite limited editions, show that holding an hand printed original piece is much better than web-comics.
Later, I attended the Ctrl.Alt.ShiftComic Art Propaganda panel discussion where author Fredrik Strömberg, writer Pat Mills, Sean Duffieldand cartoonist Polyp debated about political cartooning and its relevance today in our society. There is a huge variety of stories and genres out there that go way beyond any stereotypes people may have about comics and graphic novels. Women artists have flocked to be part of the scene; Cartoonist Polyp is the author of Speechless, an eco-fablepublished by Friends of the Earth. Award-winning biographies such as Perseplois by Marjanne Satrapi have been turned into successful movies. Comic books are a vibrant and compelling medium where so much can still be achieved. Graphic novels are at last getting some well deserved recognition; they are not just for the illiterate or teenage geeks as some people still believe. It is the older generations who mainly buy graphic novels in the UK and at Comica you could really see that fact reiterated.
Written by Valerie Pezeron on Tuesday November 17th, 2009 11:23 am
Courtesy of George and Betty Woodman and Marian Goodman Gallery, pills New York
When I hear the word Surrealism, for sale instantly the likes of Salvador Dali, approvedAndré Breton, André Masson and Max Ernst come to my mind. Well I can now addFrida Khalo, Leonora Carrington, Eileen Agar and many more female Surrealist artists to that male dominated list, thanks to Manchester’s Art Gallery! Their current exhibition, Angels of Anarchy, sets out to not only celebrate the works of female artists but to educate and inform those who know little (people like me) or nothing at all about the important role females played in the Surrealist movement. How about that?
The exhibition covers five main categories within Surrealism – Portrait/Self-Portrait, Landscape, Interior, Still Life and Fantasy; the medium used ranges from sculpture to photography to film and the more traditional oil on canvas. Thanks to Salma Hayek’s performance in the eponymous film, Frida Khalo -who features in both Portrait/Self Portrait and Interior – is probably the name most will recognise but you will not be disappointed with the other lesser-known artists on display.
Courtesy ADAGP Paris, Musée National d’Art Modern – Centre Georges Pompidou. Courtesy Photo CNAC / MNAM, Dis. RMN / courtesy Jacques Faujour
The most interesting piece comes in the form of film by photographer/filmmaker Lola Alvarez Bravo -who incidentally went to school with Frida and was one of her closest friends. The 30 seconds (approx) of rare footage is left untitled but is captivating from start to end, not least thanks to the presence of Frida herself; the artist is more stunning on film that I had imagined. There is no audio in this eerie film and it’s quite foretelling that Frida is welcoming death into her home in the shape of an innocent looking girl; this was shot when Frida was in ill health and I thought this was one of many nice surprises within the exhibition. Bravo documented much of Frida’s life and she went on documenting even after her death; there is a poignant shot of Frida’s room after her death (Frida’s Room 1954), where her wheelchair, paintbrushes, a self-portrait and a picture of her husband are strategically placed in order to sum up her life. This particular scene left a lump in your throat!
Courtesy Manchester Gallery
Another big name featured in the exhibition is Eileen Agar – whose Angel of Anarchy (1936-1940) mixed media head dress is featured alongside its opposite number Angels of Mercy (1936-1940) – only two surviving pieces of four, are portraits of Joseph Bard(her husband) and to see them both is quite magical. Angel of Anarchy is wrapped in rich African bark cloth decorated in Chinese silk, beads and osprey and ostrich feathers and has a decadent aura about it. Angel of Mercy is quite the opposite but none less impressive to its corresponding part, using only her skills to sculpt the piece and her hand to paint it.
Courtesy Manchester Gallery
Whist big names like Kahlo, Agar, Oppenheim and Cahun are used to encourage people to visit the exhibition the lesser known artists really do shine and in some cases surpass their well known counterparts. Kay Sage’s beautiful black and white, landscape photography will lead you into the word of the extra-ordinary within the ordinary – her vision of seeing something interesting within what seems to be an ordinary landscape impressed me a great deal! Leonora Carrington’s self portrait (1937-1938) will immediately grab your attention as it did mine; I faced this one particular piece for a good10 minutes and I must admit I was truly transfixed and consumed in my trail of thought! This, in my opinion, is by far was the best self portrait (oil on canvas) in the entire show. I felt deep sympathy for Carrington and I was left wondering and wanting to know more about this wonderful talent.
The exhibition is over teeming with beautiful oils on canvas and sculptures that include a rarely seen Lee Miller torso cast that has only even been exhibited once before. Surrealist literature is present in the form of Leonora Carrington’s En Bas ( Down Below 1945) a memoir of her emotional journey after Max Ernst is arrested by the Nazis which leads her to being institutionalized in a mental hospital in Spain. There are video instillations by Francesca Woodman documenting herself exploring the female form and a beautiful interpretation of ‘There was a Miller on a River’ (1971), byEva Svankmajerova. This old folk song tells the story of a young soldier returning home after 20 years. His parents do not recognise him, rob and murder him; once they realise it was their son they take their own lives. Such a brutal act is given a beautiful lease of life in Svankmajerova’s gorgeous illustrations.
Courtesy Manchester Gallery
Another nice surprise is the room ‘Teenangels’ in which the Manchester Art gallery has teamed up with art students from Levenshulme High School who have came up with their own Surrealist inspired artwork. I would have happily been left to think they were part of the Angels of Anarchy exhibition had I not seen the sign! Seeing interaction between a prestigious art gallery like Manchester’s and GCSE art students topped the exhibition off perfectly.
All in all this was a good exhibition which ran from the 26th of December 2009 to the 10th of January 2010. Penny Slinger describes her work as ‘a protest against females being seen as mere objects at a male’s disposal’. This exhibition sets out to break the notion that Surrealism is a male dominated movement and it does so successfully. Without the likes of Frida Kahlo,Claude Cahun, Edith Rimmington, Meret Oppenheim and the rest of the female Surrealist featured in the exhibition I doubt very much that women in art would be where they are today. They helped the female cause for decades to come and paved the way for equality in Art. They proved that chicks can do what guys do… and dare I say in some cases even better? If you were one of the lucky few who visited the show then you surely came away enlightened, informed and inspired by those surrealist amazons…just like I did.
At Amelia, information pills we thought you should know about these before you go out and brave the cold for that all important shopping trip! From limited edition prints to games and furniture, there is something here for all pockets deep to not so deep. But always for the art connoisseur that you are.
Jess Smart Smiley – The Weather Outside Is Frightful
The Weather Outside Is Frightful is a 2×3 foot winter-themed “look-and-find coloring poster”. Find the evil Ice Wizard and his mischievous bat brigade before they destroy winter cheer! The poster comes with a pack of crayons and a list of items to find and color. Get your own for just $12 + shipping by sending your address and dollars via PayPal to jess.smiley@gmail.com. Orders of 2 or more posters get a free original drawing of a snow creature. Check the Iphone Wallpaper too!
Jean-Claude Mattrat – Le Reste Offense
2008,
limited edition of 25 copies at £95
Jean-Claude Mattrat’s self-published book is full of beutiful original screenprints all nicely clothbound in slipcase. Rocket Gallery offers this and other interesting prints, books and objects from an affordable £50 to £650. Martin Parr’ s enamel tray or Tomoko Azumi ‘s Hexad [stacking table] can be viewed at the gallery or shipped in time for Christmas. Don’t wait!
WWP – Originals by Artists
From £100
This new series of originals by leading artists is the perfect last minute Christmas gift. These are ‘one-off’ items and exclusively available through the WIWP site. They will be sold on a first come, first served basis, so be quick if you are genuinely interested in purchasing one. Series One Includes Seb Lester, Dan Baldwin, Wilfrid Wood, David Bray, Kristian Hammerstad, Hellovon, Mr Bingo and Pomme Chan. The selection of Sculptures, Drawings, Sketches and Ceramics are with prices starting as low as £100+PP
Rob Ryan – You Can Still do a lot with a Small Brain
Published by Yorkshire Sculpture Park £24.99
Rob Ryan is a renowned artist of many achievements. He is a magician at paper cutting and his intricate screen prints are unmistakably romantic and always appealing. The likes of Elle and Vogue magazines, Liberty’s of London, Fortnum and Mason and our favorite designer here at Amelia, Sir Paul Smith, have all been seduced by his wonderfully detailed and delicate work. This hardback is a glossy and classy affair in which trees stand taller than buildings, leaves have faces and birds speak with more wisdom than humans. Published to accompany the exhibition of the same title, Ryan’s first at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, You Can Still do a lot with a Small Brain includes an interview with the artist and stunning photographs of Ryan’s work.
Amelia’s House – Amelia ‘s Anthology of Illustration
Published by Amelia’s House £25
Talking of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, they stock our homegrown Anthology of Illustration. This 265-page long colourful and exquisitely designed page-turner has garnered rave reviews from the Guardian, Creative Review and many others. It is also available to order from Concrete Hermitover the Christmas vacation while Amelia is away helping to make this world a better place!
Etsy – Monaw
From $11.50 USD
Handmade with love and care, Monaw‘s handbags and other items such as pouches and accessoires are decorated with lovely designs. What’s more, they have a lovely eco theme to them, with the organic handpicked lavender filled houses or the cute zippeed pouches made of cotton fabrics. Etsy is a brilliant shop for one of a kind art gifts and many are also ecologically sound- as you know, we care about that at Amelia! Elsewhere on Etsy, the Sparrow Coffee Cozy is a treat, Slidesideways’ Screenprinted poster are environmentally friendly and woolandwater‘s doll sets are just show stopping!
A2 (420 x 594mm), digital print on archive paper with archive inks, edition of 50, £300.00 UK, £320.00 overseas, p+p inclusive
The Drawbridge – One Year Subscription
4 issues for £12.00
Paul Davis‘s fantastic satirical drawing “The planets of un-failure” (first published in The Drawbridge issue 4, 2007) is now available as a limited edition print signed and numbered by the artist. The Drawbridge is a quirky and innovative independent quarterly delivering thought, wit and reflection through words, photography and drawing. It is in turn critically nonsensical and radically serious. With each issue, authors and artists cast an unflinching look at a selected theme. Why not offer a gift subscription of one year and 4 issues? Passionately written, elegantly designed and intelligently illuminated, full-colour newspaper is the perfect gift for the the progressive readerin search of surprising combinations of views, insights and visual wit!
Articulado’s Book – Sanserif
At first sight, this book looks like one of a kind and it is undeniably so; this limited edition portable book-product is more sculpture for your mantelpiece than mere reading material .A not-for-profit publication featuring opinions and reflections from leading names in international design —Erwan Bouroullec, Ana Yago, Karim Rashid, Milton Glaser…— and other experts —Alice Rawsthorn, Covadonga Pendones…— on the relationship between design, the environment and the economy. Conceived to transmit values like sustainable growth, recycling, low impact production processes… printed in one colour on ecological paper without varnishes or special treatments. Coordinated by José Antonio Giménez & Designed by Ana Yago (Sanserif Creatius), with the support of ADCV and Impiva. More info at prensa@sanserif.es. The book is available to buy online or at prensa@adcv.com.
Sonny McCartney – T-Shirts
From £20
SonnyMe is a very talented photographer and designer. His T-shirts are sticking black and white designs that reflect his off-beat sense of humor. Buy this T-shirt on his website.
Jennifer Strunge – Cotton Monsters
From $35.00 USD
Maryland Institute College of Art graduate Jennifer Strunge makes fantastic creatures out of recycled fabrics that she culls from old garments and linens. The one she has for sale via her websitehave pockets in their mouths, making them comforting hand-warmers.
Haunch of Venison – Limited Edition Prints
Books from £12 and prints from £100
Haunch of Venison has published a number of new books and editions over the past year and their series of prints are particularly noteworthy! Polly Morgan’s etching ‘Blackbird with Maggots‘, produced for ‘Mythologies’, depicts a rotten blackbird that has become a nesting site for flies. Morgan, an artist who incorporates highly skilled taxidermy in her work, has talked of a ‘desire to celebrate the corpse as a thing of beauty and significance’. Published to accompany ‘Mythologies’, Haunch of Venison London, 12 March – 25 April 2009, this etching on Somerset textured paper is an edition of 100 priced at £100.00. Or what about Mark Alexander’s ‘Via Negativa‘ or Hew Locke’s striking ‘Chariots of the Gods‘. Have a look at the Haunch of Venison website; it is a treasure trove of gorgeous books and editions.
V&A – Press-Out and Stand-Up Paper Circus
Price £5.00
Created exclusively for the V&A, this delightful press-out and stand-up circus is adapted from an early twentieth century paper circus in the museum’s collection. Each pack includes 2 sheets with a press out, slot together and stand up circus tent and crowd; now all you have to do is press out, fold and stand circus performers and animals! Great price for even greater fun and playful idea!
PYMCA – Richard Braine and Sky Sheldon
From £30.00
This limited edition from the PYMCA archive is the perfect last-minute Christmas gift.The archive contains over 80,000 classic and contemporary images from Mods, Two-Tone, Madchester, Acid House, Swinging London, Punks, Skins…and every subculture and youth movement in-between. The archive also features famous faces from the music world such as The Clash, The Stone Roses, Madness, The Beat, Faithless and many more. Featuring the work of such fantastic photographers as Richard Braine, Ted Polhemus, Paul Hartnett, Toni Tye, Janette Beckman, Syd Shelton, Dean Chalkley, David Swindells, Normski, Eddie Otchere, to name but a few, a PYMCA Limited Edition Print would make a stunning addition to every living room wall. Each print is strictly limited edition, coming with a certificate of authenticity and can be framed or unframed in many sizes up to 50 x 70cm. Prices range from £35 for a small print up to £150 for a signed, 50 x 70cm.
Chris Martin – T-shirt Designs
Chris Martin is one busy illustrator as his blog will demonstrate. At Amelia, we like original illustrators and Matin’s work is quirky, colorful and wonderfully detailed! This design and many more are available to buy. Contact the artist to find out more: Chris@mrchrismartin.co.uk
Geri’s Cushions Covered
This new company specialises in bespoke cushions, blinds and mounted fabric images. All items are handmade with the choice of shape, design and colour left to you! Contact Geri at cushionscovered@gmail.com. Website to come soon!
Jan von Holleben – Journey to Everywhere Calendar
Large 2010 Wall Calendar, 47×45cm, 13 Pages, Published by Chrismon Edition 2009, Price: £15.00
‘Its great to come back to a place and continue where things were left in the past’. It’s seven years ago since Jan von Holleben started to put his kids and childhood dreams into photographs. Since then trees have grown and new houses have been built in the little village in Sasbach at the Kaiserstuhl, in the South West of Germany. The kids he works with have grown too, but are still keen on playing along with him. ‘It’s just that demands from the kids are much higher now and that I can confront them with more complex ideas than in the past. We still meet in front of my mother’s house, discuss the photographic ideas and collect the props we need for the images”. Perspectives are closely defined for everything needs to be perfect for an illusion that needs no digital postproduction. See for yourself and buy here!
Written by Valerie Pezeron on Tuesday December 15th, 2009 3:18 pm
Monday 20th October Design Museum, ailmentwebsite Alan Aldridge: Until Jan 25th
28 Butlers Wharf, try Shad Thames
Retrospective of Aldridge, an illustrator and graphic designer whose work includes album covers such as the Who and Elton John.
Tuesday 21st Rich Gallery, ‘Reflect Refract’: Pilita Garcia, Daniel Medina, Esperanza Mayobre, Eduardo Padilha, Lucia Pizzani, Dafna Talmor: Until 30th October
111 Mount Street, London W1K 2TT
Bringing emerging Brazilian, Chilean and Venezulan artists to the forefront, with photos, drawings and objects focusing on the themes on reflection and refraction, spaces and urban environments.
Thursday 23rd Beyond Retro, ‘Rob Flowers Vs East End Lights’ at beyond Retro: 6-8pm
100-112 Cheshire St, E2 6EJ
The opening of the new East End Lights exhibition promises Halloweeny frocks, tricks and drinks as well as macabre illustrations and films by Flowers. His influences include Victorian sideshows, seaside images, owls and circus posters.
Friday 24th b Store, 24a Saville Row, ‘ONGALOO’: Yamataka EYE, Paperback Magazine and Magical Artroom: Until 13th November
24a Saville Row, W1S 3PR
PAPERBACK magazine, b store and Magical Artroom present the first London exhibition of artworks by Yamataka EYE.
Conway Hall, ‘Small Publishers Fair 08‘:Fri 24th-Sat 25th 11am-7pm: Admission Free
Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
Celebrating books by contemporary artists, poets, writers, composers, book designers and their publishers, together with a programme of readings and talks. Keep an eye out for ‘Pick and mix’ press publications.
Saturday 25th ICA, ‘Incredibly Strange Comics’: Until 26th Nov
The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH
The world’s weirdest comics: Amputee Love! Hansi, The Girl Who Loved The Swastika! Trucker Fags in Denial! My Friend Dahmer! Mod Love! are all here for your viewing pleasure. American presidents as musclebound superheroes, warnings about the perils of smoking, communism and the A-bomb and promotions for popsicles, prunes and poultry feed.
Having a minor obsession with denim, cost and more specifically, decease7 For All Mankind, doctor I couldn’t be more enthused to see what 28-year-old, pop artist, Stuart Semple has created using my favorite brand, along with others including, Levi’s and J brand, as the canvas for his latest exhibition, Cult of Denim.
Last Thursday evening, I strolled into Selfridges for the quite impressive opening. I was expecting the usual, small, crowded room filled with art and free drinks along with a bit of live entertainment if we’re lucky, but this far surpassed my assumptions, as we were graciously ushered from one floor to the next to tour Semple’s work displayed throughout the store. Using mixed-media, his contemporary images can be found on square, denim canvases as well as directly on pairs of jeans. Giving off a street-art vibe, he explores the exponential influence denim has, not only in the fashion industry, but in everyday culture, as he considers jeans a “ perfect second skin for billions of people worldwide.”
It was quite impossible to get bored throughout the night, as we were served a variety of beverages and had an interesting line-up of musicians including an acoustic set by Zac Harris, and ending the evening with a lively performance by the Subliminal Girls, who have worked with Stuart Semple on projects in the past including a music video for their Hungry Like the Wolf remix.
Zac Harris
Subliminal Girls
Subliminal Girls
The Cult of Denim will be on display in Selfridges from October 17 through November 15, so be sure to head down to Oxford Street to check it out. If interested in making any purchases, the limited edition prints and apparel are for sale, with 20% of the proceeds going to Refuge, a charity campaign to stop domestic violence.
If there is a band that offer a more alluring live show, drug I’ve yet to see them. For a band to pull off costume changes and conceptual dance routines, hospital at a less than stadium sized venue seems ridiculous. That’s what they are though, tadalafil ridiculous – but in the most charming way possible.
Their live show mimics their songs in this aspect though. If of Montreal had any kind of staple philosophy to their music, it’s pretty much trying to make something absurd, but somehow make it catchier than The Muppet’s singing Mahnahmahna. They boast perhaps one of the best songwriter of the last five years, teamed with a super tight rhythm section (why does the use of two drummer always seem to work so well?). That’s not to discredit the rest of the band; they’re all just super talented.
For a band who tour endlessly, you could almost forgive them looking jaded on stage, but their show is as fresh as it could possibly have ever been. Understandably they run through a big chunk of the tracks from their new album, which is fine by me because I don’t think there is a bad song on it. It’s not like those who are yet to hear it would be left with a moment to be bored though. There’s so much going on around the band you hardly know where to look. The high point of this for me was during Gallery Piece. Every time lead singer Kevin Barnes say what he wants to do, the small group of performance artists act out a different metaphorical representation.
The only thing that detracted from my enjoyment was where we ended up having to watch the show from. A late arrival (for once not actually my fault) meant that we ended up scaling the labyrinth that is Koko looking for a decent spot. We settled on a spot right near the back, resigning to the idea that the best view we would get would be on a screen, and with a few stolen glimpses of the stage. It’s a testament to how good they were though to have still be thrilled by the entire show, even if it was probably viewable through some type of special sky+ pack.
They leave the stage to screams of adoration, before cheekily reappearing for an encore. During which they do a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, which strikes me as more than odd. To begin with I assume it’s going to lead into one of their own songs, but it just doesn’t. In fact, it’s just a pretty much bog standard cover of it. The best thing however was the girl we were standing by for it. She had been fairly unphased by most of the gig, but as the opening chords were banged out she started jumping like crazy and swinging her ponytail at the nearby couples that seemed to be having quite a pleasant evening. Although it was undoubtedly a fantastic show, the crazy girl was probably the most interesting thing I saw.
Instores are odd. The glare of shop lighting, view the looming displays of point-of-sale puts something as transcendental as music into its blatant retail context where no matter how tight, click how on–it the band are, and it’s hard to dispel the hard sell of this environment and invoke the magic of their sound.
No Age Photos: Maddie Woodcock
No Age look a little bleary-eyed. And of course it being three o’clock on a Sunday afternoon they bloody well have the right to be. What’s more, the LA duo has the affable US college slacker demeanour of men who may well know a great deal of Pavement B-sides. Amidst the racks of Moshi Moshi sleeve displays this is like watching the guys from High Fidelity playing in their own shop. No Age are fine, at their most average a compendium of the best bits of an impeccable set of influences. The moments they truly excel are when the psychedelic oceanic shimmer of the guitar/drumfest merges into crystallized shapes with prime melodic slacker fuzz to create something as untouchably airborn as early Jane’s Addiction.
No Age
Next we head to Beyond Retro, which has the distinct advantage of not being a record shop and therefore feeling less like a personalized free voucher. Framed in an enclave in Cheshire Street’s slightly overpriced warehouse (go to East End Thrift Store down Whitechapel for the same stuff at a much cheaper price!), Times New Viking look like crazy kids playing in a giant dressing up cupboard. I should really discuss the music here, but I have to say that Beth Murphy is the coolest and damnest most attractive front woman I have seen in ages, a vision of cool, geeky sex with perfect hair. She leads her merry pranksters through a brittle mess of slightly cutesy shambolic discordance.
Times New Viking
Times New Viking
Finally we make it to Rough Trade East, passed some kids selling stolen bikes who tell me to get a haircut, to see Cardiff’s Los Campesinos. The exposed naiveties that occasionally grate on their debut, We are Beautiful, We are Doomed, here in a live context add up to the band’s many qualities. Los Campesinos could have never existed in another period of time. The way that out of the murk of the early part of the decade – the post rock of Godspeed and even the self pitying of a countless number of arse cleavaged Emos can mutate into something as buoyant, as upliftingly trivial/epic is, like the energy flash of Rolo Tomassi, a victory sign that kids will constantly and more often than not unselfconsciously find ways to rewire and mutate, finding life in even the drabbest of situations.
Los Campesinos
Los Campesino
I received an email from an excited blog writer who is interested in Chinese culture about a new project by Common Ground. Their online showcase of digital art on the theme of the Environment allows a community of Chinese and American artists to focus on ecology whilst also raising money for projects too.
With a touring art exhibition coming up in Beijing, erectile China at the Huan Tie Art Museum on 8th November the public will get a chance to eye ball over some leafy creations. Being a non-for-profit organization, order they hope to raise the profile for sustainable projects around the world. With art works from more than 40 countries and 20 gifted Chinese artists as well as films focussed on the environment, abortion the exhibition promises to stimulate whilst raising questions. A worthy project indeed.
Written by Tanya Geddes on Wednesday October 22nd, 2008 1:14 pm
WOO HOOO Grafik magazine have beaten me to an official announcement of dates for my ACOFI Book Tour. But here’s everything you need to know if you would like to join me somewhere in the UK.
The #ACOFI Book Tour
On Tuesday 10th May I will be embarking on a mini book tour across the UK to promote Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration. In case you haven’t visited my website before this is what you need to know about my new book, dosage which is otherwise known as #ACOFI (especially on twitter):
Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration: the Book. Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration *featuring the very best in ethical fashion design* was published at the end of 2010, approved and is the second publication from Amelia’s House, order the book publishing wing of Amelia’s Magazine. It is a showcase for the work of thirty up and coming fashion illustrators who have interpreted the work of 45 exciting new ethical fashion designers, as well as plenty of good independent design that was first featured online at Amelia’s Magazine.
What I’ll be doing:
I’ll be visiting various wonderful independent art and design shops around the country to talk about the rise of eco fashion, the illustration process and social media for creatives and I will also be offering portfolio crits. I’m hoping to meet lots of creative people en route, so if you think you might like to take part don’t forget to bring your portfolio along with you: personal crits will be free on purchase of both my books at a special tour discount. Not to worry if you can’t bring your portfolio along in the evening though! At some shops I’ll be doing a 24 Hour Crit, so you can come along and talk to me personally the next day if you prefer.
ACOFI illustrators to join me en route, plus more:
I’ll be accompanied at various points by some of the fabulous illustrators featured in my blogs for Grafik this week, and alongside my informal chat there will be lots more creative excitement at each shop: at the Tatty Devine Covent Garden shop participants will be invited to help paint the shop windows and at Tatty Devine in Brick Lane there will be the opportunity to learn how to ice biscuits with Biscuiteers. Not only that but guests will be able to enjoy complimentary organic juices from top juice mixologists Juiceology, fine teas from Lahloo and there will be plates laden with traditional biscuits and cakes for you to munch on. Once again the fabulous folks at Dr. Hauschka will be providing yummy free samples for participants to take away.
Here’s a full list of all the dates – all talks are free but space is limited in some shops so please book where necessary to ensure your place. I’ll be tweeting about my adventures on the #ACOFI hashtag and you can follow me on @ameliagregory. I have also linked to the six associated facebook events. Six of ‘em, oh yea baby. Please do join if you would like to be kept updated about a specific event. Bring on The ACOFI Book Tour.
Tatty Devine in Covent Garden, London: Tatty Devine in Covent Garden 24 Hour Crit and Window Painting on Tuesday 10th May 6-10pm, then continuing into Weds 11th May as part of the 24 Hour Crit. Tatty Devine blog about the event.
Please book your place here admin@tattydevine.com Facebook event and Twitter.
44 Monmouth Street, London, WC2H 9EP, 0207 836 2685
The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh on Tuesday 17th May, 6.30-10pm, no booking necessary. 24 Hour Crit continuing into Wednesday 18th May. Facebook event and Twitter.
Fruitmarket, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DF, 0131 226 8181
Soma Gallery in Bristol on Thursday 26th May, 6-10pm, 24 Hour Crit continuing into Friday 27th May. To book your place email: fiona@somagallery.co.uk Facebook event and Twitter.
4 Boyces Avenue, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4AA, 0117 973 9838
Tatty Devine in Brick Lane, London: 24 Hour Crit and Biscuit Decorating with Biscuiteers on Tuesday 7th June, 6-10pm, continuing into Wednesday 8th June. Please book your place here admin@tattydevine.com Facebook event and Twitter.
236 Brick Lane, London, E2 7EB, 0207 739 9191
Reviews of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration:
Champions the art form and gives a thorough insight into working practices… and it looks stunning, which is not a suprise considering the calibre of the work included. Design Week
Beautiful and informative as each interview and feature takes you on a personal journey, understanding where each artist and designer get their inspiration from and why ethical fashion is important to them. Ecouterre
A coffee-table book with a difference… perfect for dipping in and out of for both artistic and fashion inspiration. The Young Creatives
So, approved Lets tackle the name situation. (A few months ago these fellas were known as Starfucker) I was on your blog reading the suggestions that fans sent you and my favourites were Rad Stewert and Wasabi Lube…
J: Oh, buy more about I don’t like that one at all!
That was my favourite!
J: You can have it! I dunno if you play but whoever suggested that would be stoked to know that there was a band called it I’m sure.
Pyramiddd was the one to go with?
R: Not necessarily, viagra 100mg I fucking hate it.
J: Not really, I kinda hate Pyramiddd too.
I got that vibe when I read that blog, there seemed to be a little tension surrounding the issue…
J: The thing that sucked was that we had to pick it so quick. We rushed into it, We were releasing our 7” here and everyone was like “What the fuck is your name, you need to pick a name so we can release this” So we were like – I guess this is it.
R: That was the one that we agreed on more than any other name, out them all.
J: Master Control was close and Trust Fund was close. They were the two runners up.
R: We had some other ones we picked. But, We picked ones and we liked it for a day and the next day we hated it. But there’s no such thing as a good band name. Like Radiohead sucks. That’s a stupid band name.
There is another band called Starfucker, Can they have it, are they worthy?
J: Yeah they can have it, It’s a stupid fucking name!
R: Starfucker is a bad name too.
J: It was a joke! We didn’t think we would be touring the US let alone coming to Europe and Japan if we had any kinda foresight we would have picked a better name a long time ago. Its like getting married, a joke that goes too far… Never again!
Another thing I saw on your Myspace was the Las Vegas episodes…
J: That was funny, That dude talking bout the cist! I dunno how he saw it, I like bent over to pick up a key and he was like “Aahh cist there”
R: Its not even that big!
Are you guys filming what your doing over here?
J: Yeah we have, We have mainly been filming in the car because that is all we do. It takes hours to get everywhere, but its pretty, the architecture is pretty. Have we filmed anything interesting?
R: I filmed the red light district. That was difficult, your not meant to.
J: He got flipped off.
The Internet told me about the Target commercial, One of your tracks feature on it?
J: Unfortunately, that’s the way it is now- that licensing your songs to commercials is a way to make money. Which is better way of making money than parking cars for me.
Yeah, but its does get a lot of people to hear your music that wouldn’t necessarily hear it…
R: Yeah, I didn’t know that people did this but people will actually find the songs used in commercials and find out who the band is. I didn’t know that was a thing because I don’t have a TV. Target has great music on their commercials.. plus Target has great things at great prices! Make sure you go to target! Today!
“Medicine” is your first release over here, Is this a good representation of what is to come with the album, or is it not that far on?
J: It’s not that far on but it seems mostly a little darker than stuff we have so far. The new idea is a 30 minute dance block-all the same tempo and songs that fade into each other. Maybe it will b like that. I dunno about “Medicine”, We didn’t really pick that. Other people were like “This will be a good song” So we were like, “Alright, do what you want.”.
R: Really every song is a single on the album!
Sorry for the “Smash Hits” stylee question, But what is your medicine for winter?
R: Most the things that make me feel good, make me feel bad later
J: I have been really homesick on this tour. I just started dating someone I really like so we are gonna take a trip to LA I’m excited about that. I’ll be all warm all my friends will be cold in Portland. I have been eating lots of good food like cantrell mushrooms chopped up with pasta.
R: That’s another great thing bout Portland, You can get so many great vegetables. That’s my winter medicine- I like cooking and baking pies.
J: He is an amazing cook!
R: I like to save my vegetable ends, put them in a big plastic bag in your freezer then boil it and it makes good vegetable broth. Keep all your ends and boil for a few hours = Perfect, amazing vegetable broth.
J: I want ask you how to make granola-he makes really good granola. He is like Mom, he would make us sandwiches when we started on tour.
R: I don’t do it anymore now, I get tired. I’m too busy now. I have a kid. If I make granola while my kid is with me the kid will end up in the granola.
The first thing I thought when I heard “Medicine” was that you guys played a lot of video games in the 90s?
J: Yeah, That’s really true! 007 was my favourite video game from the 90s on N64. Playing 007, listening to The Fugees album on repeat for hours on end.
R: I was a Nintendo system kid. I never moved beyond that. I played the Sega Genesis once, but that’s it.
J: Genesis was good.
I wasn’t a Sega fan, Nintendo all the way..
Both: Yeah
J: But I think Sega had, Mortal Combat, that was rad.
R: Yeah totally, Sega had Road Rash and Sonic the Hedgehog.
J: Sonic was rad too.
It’s such a colourful song but the video is black and white, any reason behind this?
J: I think it was easier for Andrew to make-he’s our friend, he is learning the programmes.
R: I think its fitting, I think the video is still very colourful, l like the dancing in black and white, it can bring out the movement. Whether or not that was intentional or not, I think It works really well.
I kind of came to my own conclusion that you were really into what Beyoncé does right now?
R: Her video was after ours!
J: That “Single Ladies” video was amazing though!
With the black and white thing and also all the moves being busted out all over the place I assumed she was one of you creative influences?
R: I like her for sure, I have total respect for her she’s queen diva. Neal Medlyn, a comedian/performance artist came to Portland and did “The Beyoncé Experience” and wore a wig and had gay dancers with him and that was one of my favourite shows ever. Yeah, so that was inspiring!
What’s your signature dance move, I know you defiantly got one Ryan from that at the end of the set? (He owned the floor)
J: I don’t go out, I don’t dance. Only on tour.
R: I love when he does though, its awesome!
J: It’s horrible!
R: I don’t dance like on stage when I got out, I tone it down, I cant go out on a dancefloor like BLUGHG, Some things are strictly for performance but for the most part when im around other people I don’t go too crazy I respect peoples space.
J: What that called, grinding though, that’s always nice. That’s how you get laid thts how it happens. You like it? Love it!
R: Yeah, it doesn’t matter you just find someone you like!
J: That’s how it happens!
R: It’s very primal.
What live acts do you aspire to be as good as?
J: Of Montreal are amazing live! We played with them at Monolith festival, Colorado. They really put a lot of effort into putting on a live show. There is a lot of thought- interesting clothes, people coming out doing crazy shit.
R- I don’t even like Of Montreal that much, but live is amazing for sure. There aren’t that many live shows, I don’t really know, There just aren’t many good live bands…Broadcast they don’t do much, but they have a certain energy while they are playing that draws you in.
J: Deerhunter’s great live, they are one of my favourites.
What should people be prepared for when they see you live?
R: I like it when people don’t know what to expect, when people don’t know who we are. When there’s some mystery about it. I like going to something and not knowing anything about it and then when its really good, it being awesome like makes me feel like I have a secret now.
J: Sometimes you can see Keil’s junk when he is playing drums, like a lot because he wears dresses. Be prepared.
I thought they were nice boys.
If you think they are nice boys,
Follow them on twitter
Add them on myspace
AND BUY THEIR TUNE HERE
Bare Bones however still fits in the gallery’s motto. Published in the paper format but looking a lot like a fanzine with its black and white series of independent-minded designs, the second edition embraces the abused tabloid format and has many more contributors. Funded entirely by its creators, Bare Bones features no advertising and revels in not being associated with corporate shilldom. Featuring artists, photographers, writers, musicians and other beautifully wayward human flotsam, Bare Bones aims to provide an insight into the unexplored creative avenues being beaten out by its protagonists. Positioning itself as an alternative to the morass of mind numbing free press littering the brains and streets of London Bare Bones shoots to provoke thought and conversation. Whilst not always aiming to offend just for the sake of it, people who quickly jump to back-footed offence and ill conceived moral judgment only encourage ignorance and deserve to be appalled at least four times a year. Bare Bones seems to be on a quest for a stronger constitution.
The gallery space is small and two walls are covered with limited edition prints costing between 50 and 200. One featured artist is aptly named Heretic Printmakers with gem quotes such as “ Themes that run through our work are ancient symbolism, (…) the inner beast, sex bats, naked witches, demented cats, trees, paranoid owls (…) the freakily parallel cosmos of Mutinopia…”
BARE BONES was Neal Fox, Frank Laws, Hannah Bays, Billy Bragg, Amelia Johnstone, and has since added Hanna Hanra, Sam Kerr, Richard Gilligan and Jamie Putnam to its list. Russell Weekes fromlie-in and tigers is a previous Amelia’s magazinecontributor- his stricking and witty drawings are part of the work created by the motley crew of proud to be baiting misfits. See it all at your enjoyable peril!
If you try to describe this to someone (which you shouldn’t, this websales don’t give anything away), doctormedications you will sound like you are conjuring from memory a nonsensical and fantastical dream; not something remotely tangible that actually happened in a 25-minute journey through a Shorditch warehouse.
Enter the ride and find yourself wheeled through 15 distinct scenarios with over 70 artists acting out micro-performances. “Designed to mentally and visually astound”, check; “leaving you overwhelmed and exhilarated’, check and check; and finishing the ride “in a totally different emotional state from the one you were in when you embarked on the journey”, most definitely true: utterly elated, mesmerised, and psychologically discombobulated.
The You Me Bum Bum train represents a new branch of experimental live art where the line between performer and audience is not just blurred, but utterly turned on it’s head; interaction is integral to the experience, and how far you take this is up to you. It’s creators Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd, intend to strip individuals of decision-making, giving passengers the would-be ordinary experience of somebody else’s shoes. You are left with fleeting slices of alternate realities, one moment you might be a drummer, the next a translator (I really don’t want to say much!). It’s real human experience through the prism of the utterly surreal, and it will take you some time to reclaim your grasp on the two, a most marvellous and novel experience.
The venue is essential to the experience, and they describe Cordy House as their dream venue, lending itself to the most ambitious event they’ve held yet.
There isn’t much time to go, and I whole-heartedly recommend it as an unforgettable experience. It runs every Saturday from now until the 20th of December between 7pm and 11pm.
Hip Parisian fahion and electro label, buy Kitsuné, what is ed are fast becoming as well known for their associated music as they are for their fashion. In fact, there is a clear cut three-way divide at Heaven tonight: scenesters, dressed for the fashion blog photographers collide en masse with those who know Kitsuné for the music and are quite unprepared for the additional rooms full of said scenesters, and with the regular Heaven clubbers, used to G-A-Y Camp Attack on Friday nights and probably the most bemused of everyone here.
Within the four rooms there’s a frustrating mix of real djs and acts like Autokratz, whose Pet Shop Boys go big beat set was a joy to behold and left me humming ‘Stay The Same’ for the rest of the night. Hearts Revolution, Punks Jump Up and Kitsuné house band Digitalism all turned out in force to impress and did so, although at times the acts felt a little repetitive. Alas, alongside these quality acts, we also got a number of vanity djs, including various models and boutique owners, which all blurred into the same set as the night progressed and seemed to play to rooms full of people aiming to get to the bar and move on.
It transpired that the ‘Don’t Panic’ room was the place to be. Inspired by K-Tron, blasting bass heavy No-Wave, they held me and the room in near divine rapture. The highlight of the night however, was Matthew Stone who dragged us back to 1985 via The KLF, his effortlessly sublime musical compass taking us on a seemingly random adventure, fitting perfectly with the tone of the night. There were some true high points tonight, but Kitsuné are probably best enjoyed via one of their compilations than live, based on tonight’s evidence.
Global Day of Action
6th December 2008
This will be the Saturday midway through the next round of UN Climate Talks and our best chance to influence the decisions of delegates ahead of the critical UN talks in 2009 at which a post-Kyoto treaty agreement will be decided.
LONDON
Climate Bike Ride 2008
Assemble 10.30 am Lincolns Inn Fields for a mass bike ride around Central London joining up with the National Climate March at Grosvenor Square (see next listing for National Climate March info)
The three stops on the route are:
-Outside Greenergy, 198 High Holborn – for an agrofuels protest organised by Biofuelswatch
-Outside E.On 100 Pall Mall – for a speaker on NO NEW COAL
-Outside the Department of Transport – for a speaker on sustainable transport
Everyone welcome; decorate your bikes, bring whistles, bring music!
Want to help out for this action? Contact Jeremy Hill on 07816 839883 or jeremy.hill1@btopenworld.com
National Climate March and Global Day of Action on Climate
The march starts at 12noon at Grosvenor Square and will move via Carlos Place and Mount Street to Berkley Square and Berkley street to Picacadily, Picadilly Circus, Lower Regent street, Pall Mall and Cockspur street to Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to Parliament Square.
We will bring the UK issues of Aviation, New coal and Biofuels to the streets of London, along with a call for more investment in renewable energy, more energy efficiency and more green jobs.
Speakers will include Nick Clegg (leader Liberal Democrat Party), Caroline Lucas (leader, Green party), Michael Meacher (ex-Environment Minister) and George Monbiot (Honorary President, Campaign against Climate Change).
Contact: 020 7833 9311 www.campaigncc.org
There will also be an After-Party in the Synergy Centre from 5.00 pm till late.
The March on Parliament has four main themes –
1) NO to a 3rd runway at Heathrow and the runaway expansion in aviation expansion.
2) NO new coal – no new coal-fired power stations as planned at eg Kingsnorth in Kent
3) NO to the expansion of agrofuels – with negative impacts on forests, the climate and world food supply.
4) YES to a renewable energy revolution and green jobs – a “Green new Deal”
Come with your own banners, costumes on one of these themes and join up with others pushing that theme……
The March on Parliament for the Climate marks the Saturday midway through the UN Climate Talks in Poznan, Poland and we make our demands on the UK government in solidarity with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities that will suffer worst and most immediately from climate change caused overwhelmingly by the rich long-industrialised countries.
We need the government to act now on climate, to stop building coal-fired power stations and new runways – and to begin the renewable energy revolution. We need a tidal wave of people outside parliament to make them act to stop climate catastrophe now! Be part of that tidal wave, be there! Next year may be too late.
BUST is a magazine devoted to the female. Providing an unapologetic view of life in the female lane, they break down stereotypes! Based in the US and established in 1993, the magazine addresses a variety of different issues within pop sulture, including music, fashion, art & crafts and news.
Editor-in-Chief, Debbie Stoller, decided to call the magazine BUST, because it was “aggressive and sexy and funny… It was a title that could belong to a men’s porn magazine.”
For Women With Something To Get Off Their Chests! Click here for the Christmas Craftacular’s Facebook Page
Jumble Fever Under the bridge on Beck Road, E8 Saturday 6th December
Midday-4pm, Entry £1
A fabulous jumble sale with a boogie twist! There will be a great deal to see and do and buy.. See you there!
ETSY
An online shopping bazaar; Etsy is a cross between eBay and Amazon with a humble handmade twist. Launched in June 2005 by Robert Kalin, for sale Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik, the site has grown to be incredibly popular, with tens of thousands of people selling their handmade goods (90% of whom are women!).
As Christmas draws nearer and greener, we have chosen our favorite handmade things to inspire your presents list. www.etsy.com
“The Kelsey”; a pleated clutch in paisley mocha
This handmade clutch is one of many adorable bags created by GraceyBags; get in touch through etsy.com to custom order a clutch and choose from a rainbow of fabrics.
Featured is ‘The Kelsey’ in a paisley mocha print on the outside in greens, blues, pinks, yellows and browns. The inside has been sewn from a silky brown fabric and the bag closes with a small magnet.
Recycled Journal – handbound Find a lovely selection of hand bound recycled books by Rhonda; bookbinder and book artist.
This particularly wonderful journal is made with a variety of recycled scrap papers ranging from large envelopes, posters, junk mail, blank paper, lined and graph paper, covers from old sketch books, old maps, discarded photocopies, misprints from the computer printer to paper bags.
Perfect as an art journal, the book is covered with an old map of the world, the one pictured above showing the islands of Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
There are 256 pages (when you count both sides of each sheet). The pages are handbound using green and brown linen threads, visible on the spine in 4 rows of chain stitches.
The book size is approximately 4″ x 4¼” and 1″ thick (or 10.5cm x 11cm x 2.5cm).
This adorable cotton tote is the perfect carry-all for any occasion. BellaBlu Designs signature French Bulldog silhouette has been cut from Heather Bailey‘s ‘Sway in Brown’ Pop Garden print and appliquéd to this cotton canvas bag. It is 100% 10 oz. cotton, measures 15 x 13 x 3 inches and can be customized with most other dog breeds.
We’ve also had a browse round treefort.myshopify.com, for some gift ideas for those of you with little ones in your life!
Dreamlets Dolls These cute little creatures would make an adorable gift this season, and as a product that gives 1% back to Artworks, Bridges to Understanding, or Poncho, they’re doing a lot more than making a loved one happy! The dolls come in a variety of shapes and colours, each with their own quirky personality. You are also able to choose which organization will benefit from your gift by registering your doll online.
Nikki McClure’s Mama & Baby Things Treefort also sell many of Nikki Mcclure‘s prints, books, cards, and calendars. Nikki McClure creates complex, yet natural designs by cutting away from a single piece of black construction paper with an x-acto knife. Her works are printed on 100% Recycled, 100% Post-Consumer Waste, Processed Chlorine Free paper that was manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e® certified renewable energy. Her work is printed by a small family-owned press in Portland, Oregon, US- and uses soy-based inks.
Kids On Roof “House” is made of Eco friendly-100% recycled cardboard and is 100% biodegradable. These houses are the perfect gift for creative children, as they’re meant to be decorated and personalised! (see below for examples from treefort) Kidsonroof donates 5% of its profits to specific Unicef projects; €24,000 has now been collected for the Unicef project for building better, small-scale housing for HIV/Aids inflicted orphans in Russia.
Beyond Retro Christmas Party!
This evening Beyond Retro is throwing it’s annual seasonal gathering – in both it’s shops, viagra buy the original Cheshire St warehouse and new sibling store in Soho – from 6pm – 8pm, there’ll be lots of exclusive goodies for you to browse through and they’ll even throw in some mulled wine and mince pies. Good times.
Made In Clerkenwell
This evening and all weekend, the Clerkenwell Green Association open their studios for Made in Clerkenwell, an event that showcases the work of over 70 designers they support through providing them with studio space, mentoring and business advice to help them create their work.
The fruits of their labors are exhibited and available for purchase, so you can hunt out that unique Christmas gift and buy all kinds of original and creative wares – ranging from fashion designs to jewellery, accessories, textiles and even ceramics.
What makes this shopping experience so different is that you can mingle with and chat to the designers and find out about their craft, inspirations, working method, becoming a designer, anything you want to know! So pop down, get a great gift and support new designers.
Open 6pm to 8pm, Thursday 27th November 2008 and
12pm to 6pm on Friday 28th, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November 2008.
£2.50 entrance – free to the under 16s.
It’s no secret that Brooklyn’s the place to be for smart indie pop these days, view but look a little closer to home and you might be surprised. Take tonight’s superb support acts, advice for example. First up is Pens, erectile a cute lo-fi local trio who, despite playing to only a handful of people, put on a wonderfully frantic and ramshackle performance – think Karen O‘s kid sisters gleefully bashing at snare, guitar and synths.
Fellow Londoners Chew Lips are up next and are nothing short of a revelation. The threesome cater in captivatingly melancholy electronic music and boast a bona fide icon-in-waiting in singer Tigs; she prowls and creeps around the venue, all black bob and wide eyes, unleashing powerful vocals and jumping on the bar to serenade us, while the boys whip up a glitchy synth and bass storm in the background. ‘Solo’ is the band’s set-closer and an undeniable highlight – scuzzy and danceable yet strangely sad, it will be one of your anthems of 2009, no question.
This bunch are hard to follow, but Telepathe just about manage it. Dave Sitek-produced debut ‘Dance Mother’ is on the way in January, and recreating its majesty live is clearly still a tricky undertaking for the Brooklyn duo. They do their best, unleashing a stream of cluttered soundscapes, layered harmonies and clipped rhythms, and while the effect is hypnotic at times, barely a word is uttered between songs – resulting in a distinct lack of atmosphere. This could of course be due, in part, to the fact that they are playing to a room full of typically disinterested Shoreditch types. Whatever the reason the performance falls a little flat, until final effort ‘Chromes On It’ that is, its spine-tingling beats waking the crowd from its stupor and climaxing with speakers shaking and half the band hanging from the ceiling as the hysterical throng down the front excitedly punch the air. It’s just enough to convince us that we’re not quite prepared to give up on Telepathe as a live proposition yet. More like this please.
Nuclear: Art and Radioactivity discount -4.064941&sspn=16.764146, visit this site 39.418945&ie=UTF8&ll=51.524712,-0.079694&spn=0.008598,0.019248&z=16&g=E1+6PG&iwloc=addr”target=”_blank”>Nicholls and Clarke Building, 3-10 Shoreditch High Street, Spitalfields, London E1.
‘Half-life’ Chris Oakley, 2008
High-definition video, 15 minutes
The Nicholls and Clarke Building hosts an exhibition that explores the changing perceptions of nuclear power. In our rapidly deteriorating climate, the effects of nuclear development from the past have come to haunt us. ‘The Nightwatchman,’ by Simon Hollington and Kypros Kyprianou, captures this disturbing predicament.
As we entered the installation there was something immediately unsettling about it. A board-meeting table situated in the centre of a large dilapidated storeroom indicated recent activity, and as we crept further through the exhibition space there was more evidence of some night watchmen. But they are no where to be found…
Together with the film ‘Half-life’ by Chris Oakley, there was a sense of being caught in a crossfire of two different eras: the naïvely optimistic 80′s and the knowledgeable cynicism of the present day.
The film showed a series of paradoxical images of nature vs. technology, and through it we were reminded of how our idea of what is progressive has been turned on it’s head.
If you’d like to have something of yours across the chests of music aficionados throughout the country, viagra you might like to apply for this. 100% music, cheap 100% recycled paper (well done), sildenafil Bearded Magazine is preparing for the re-launch of the printed magazine on January 29th, and they’re throwing in a t-shirt as well.
When it came to deciding what should go on the front of said t-shirt, they mumbled gibberish into their beards and drew blanks, and so they’ve put the task out to you the reader to help them out. In fact, they might be so filled with indecision that there could be four winners, so better chances for you! Have a look at the criteria and send in a design soon, you have until the 15th of December.
The Wellcome Collection’s new temporary exhibition is entitled ‘War and Medicine’ and focuses on the individual human consequences of war rather than the overall statistics of death and destruction that impersonalise and almost glorify military combat and which we are most often presented with. Soldiers are heroes when they die for their country but uncomfortable representatives of horror when they return wounded and disfigured.
Installation artist David Cotterrell‘s film, sales specially commissioned for the exhibition, salve attempts to rectify this. Covering three walls of a darkened room, more about the film shows wounded soldiers, with varying degrees of injury, being loaded onto a flight back to England from Helmand Province in Afghanistan. The only soundtrack is the constant hum of the plane’s engine, an eerie backdrop to the calm, efficient activity taking place on screen. There is an unsettling disjunction between our inclusion in the scene through the way it is presented to us and the alienness of the sight before our eyes. This slightly dreamlike atmosphere helps separate the artwork from the realms of documentary photography and helps us understand the confusion of this homeward flight, which we are told in the information outside, is often only partially remembered by the soldiers.
What is most striking about this piece is the individual humanity behind the uniforms of the men and women depicted. On the left are the walking wounded with a variety of arm slings and facial injuries being tended to by medical staff and waiting patiently for their journey to begin, on the right, more distressingly, a person is carried in on a stretcher, connected to breathing apparatus. It is heartbreaking to realise that although most of these people will probably survive, and so not register in the public consciousness, they will have been scarred for life both physically and emotionally. I began to see them as people beyond whatever my personal attitudes to their profession and the war they are fighting in was.
A harrowing counterpart to this work is Cotterrell’s written diary, where he describes with civilian horror, the daily minutiae of life amongst the medical staff in Camp Bastion. The exhibition’s mission statement is to explore the dichotomies in a society that is simultaneously developing ever more sophisticated means of destroying life and protecting it. The stalemate futility of this situation is given a human face by Cotterrell’s work.
David Cotterrell is featured in issue 10 of the magazine, out shortly.
Hurrying through the lights and sounds of Soho, stuff the words ‘bloody hell it’s cold’ rattled my skull. I was heading to see the Canadian singer and illustrator Chad VanGaalen, this known for rarely leaving his basement. In this weather, who would blame him?
Once inside Borderline I was able to thaw out and to take in the cosy surroundings. Kindly folk in chequered shirts patiently waited as they sipped Guinness. But there was something odd about this fresh-faced crowd. Moustaches, I realised. There were loads of them.
It’s Mo-vember, apparently. The time of year for all socially conscious gentlemen to grow out their fluff to raise money for testicular cancer. ‘That’s nice,’ I thought.
This playful and boyish act of sincerity seemed fitting for the night in store as there’s something of the fourteen-year-old boy about Chad VanGaalen. Deceptively awkward and immediately charming, he’ll break your heart.
Together with a hairy-faced accordionist he delivered a homemade and reflective sound. It was as if we had wandered into his basement, and he seemed a little surprised to see us there.
His hesitancy on stage draws you nearer, and his tight and masterful song-writing capabilities took a hold of my senses like a sedative.
That uneasy fluidity reminded me of Beach House and the unexpectedly punchier tunes provided an excitable energy that twanged some of those moustaches.
Listening to Chad is like putting on a pair of earmuffs and skate boarding down smooth suburban streets.
There’s a yearning to be free and limitless but it only slightly ventures out of the comfortable. A girl behind me whispered excitedly ‘It’s the kind of music I’d ride my bike to.’
It is difficult for any set at the Borderline to not feel intimate and Chad VanGaalen’s was by no means revolutionary.
But the evening was all together thoughtful and enchanting, and as I braved the bitter London streets once more, the words of Electric City wrapped me up like a duvet.
At 8am on Friday 28th November on a wet and grizzly morning, stuff the Greenwash Guerillas and a band of allies rallied together outside the E-On Head Office at 100 Pall Mall. We were there to protest against the planned government-approved scheme to build 7 new coal fired power stations. E-on will be responsible for the first of these havoc wreaking death chambers (no hyperbole here) at Kingsnorth, Kent. This power station alone will emit between 6 and 8 million tones of CO2 every year. If all 7 are built, treatment their collective emissions would be approximately 50 million tones of CO2 a year. This would make the Climate Change Committee’s proposal to cut back on CO2 emissions an average of 2% per annum so that by 2050 we’ll have an 80% reduction well… impossible.
Browsing through E-on’s website, it might be easy to be fooled into thinking they are an environmentally conscientious company promoting ‘clean, green energy that never runs out.’ But it doesn’t take long to realize that their wind farms and claims of boosting local employment are cleverly marketed to cast a rosy sheen over more profitable projects that use coal.
Coal is the grimiest of fossil fuels. It’s carbon-intensity is higher than oil and double that of natural gas. Yet, as the driving force behind the industrial revolution, it has been the primary source of power for the electricity generation. Gathered outside the E-on head office, we are no longer in the 19th century but in the 21st century and in the midst of a climatic crisis. With sea ice disappearing at a never-before-seen rapidity now is the time to use new greener sources of power, not to revert to the practices of the past.
So why is the government supporting what seems a disastrously archaic project?
The government’s answer is that by increasing the cost of carbon, power stations will be forced to use a process of carbon capture and storage (CCS) whereby the harmful carbon dioxide produced by coal is extracted from the air and buried underground.
However, a presentation made by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee concluded that this reasoning is implausible. Voicing research from the U.K. Energy Research Centre and Climate Change Capital, it showed that using a process of CCS would in fact be the least cost effective option for power stations. The research they gathered predicted that CCS will cost power companies like E-On 70-100 or 90-155 Euros per ton of CO2, while the government estimates that the price of carbon between 2013 and 2020 will be less at approximately 39 Euros per ton.
It’s fair to say that it is extremely unlikely that power companies will go for the more expensive option, especially when the margin is as large as it is. In short, the government’s criteria for approving E- On’s power station at Kingsnorth is worryingly unsatisfactory.
If our government is failing to alleviate the catastrophic predicament of climate change that is costing lives then it is up to us as citizens to take action against the construction of Kingsnorth and others like it. For more information on what you can do please click here and please go to the national climate march on Saturday 6th December, bring your mates and make it fun. This is a serious issue and we need to get the message across but optimism is always the best the way of creating change, in my view anyway. Klimax is a network for climate activists that started in 2007 by environmentalists who wanted a platform for people with more radical ideas about direct actions. Well known in Sweden for their campaigns against private motorism and the meat industry, viagra sale the group has spread to a number of Swedish cities, cialis 40mg and in Gothenburg they consist of 20 active members.
Members of Klimax initially wanted to protest on the 13th October, which is the actual date of the anniversary, but after finding out there were no meetings that day, postponed to the 12th November. This allowed them the much needed time to plan their action in detail; the first few weeks consisted of a few hours of planning and as the time drew nearer members were working five hours a day to make sure everything was finished. Among writing speeches, making banners and establishing contact with the media, they had to prepare their costumes!
Our contact at Klimax said “We do not always dress up for events but we believe that it is a good way to spice up an action! We sometimes dress up as penguins or polar bears because they are the two types of animal that are severely affected by Climate Change; it is also fun and looks nice!”
Their aims with the action was threefold; firstly to pay tribute to the work done by the suffragettes- strong women fighting for women’s right to vote, secondly to make the politicians aware that there was strong opposition to the building of another tunnel under the river in Gothenburg; Miahabo Berkelder from Klimax in Gothenberg says that the group believe this to be an awful way to spend a large amount of money, just so that more cars can be on the road; asking ‘What if the money was invested in buses instead? New roads simply lead to more traffic and that is a disaster for our climate.’
The third reason for the protest was to make sure that politicians knew that climate change isn’t just a moral topic, it is a political topic.
On the day, members were shocked to see the six activists storm the meeting,
but after the action Klimax joked that if they had been politicians sitting there during long and boring meetings, they would have been happy with the distraction!
They certainly created a buzz, and definitely caught the attention of the council! After a short while the six were asked to leave the building and did so with little fuss.
In reaction to the protest, a woman from the Swedish environmental party said Klimax had a valid point, but a man from the conservative party was more concerned about security, wondering what would have happened if terrorists had stormed the meeting instead!
The plans for the tunnel are still up in the air. The initial decision to build the tunnel was made solely by Göran Johansson, the chairman of the Municipal Council. Because this wasn’t a democratic way of deciding, the case has been reported to the county administrative court.
According to Miahabo, there are a lot of plans in Klimax’s future; new actions will take place during the spring and there will be a new regular event called Climate Café- where anyone can attend to share coffee and discuss climate change, sometimes including an expert on the subject to answer any questions.
The next big event for Klimax is on the Global Day of Action, taking place in cities all over the world on the 6th of December. At the same time as the leaders of the world will be discussing the climate problems, demonstrations will be arranged all over the world including London and of course Gothenberg. Klimax have come together with several other groups to arrange a huge demonstration, Miahabo says that Klimax are organising a “Climate Clash” which is a wide spread Klimax phenomenon; they will walk out in the middle of a busy road and block the traffic; a perfect and simple way to make people aware of the climate problems.
Anyone who is interested in joining Klimax is welcome- it is a flat organization with no board of directors, anyone who wants to be a member is simply one.
For more information about Climate Rush, please visit: www.climaterush.co.uk Monday 1st Dec
The Ashni Art Gallery specialises in Indian Art that is both contemporary and of the past. They will be exhibiting the best of their collection from now until the 19th of December.
Tuesday 2nd Dec
Live in Bristol? Feeling somewhat alarmed by the continued transformation of the city centre to all things consumerist (with 120 new shops having just opened)? Slipping between the gap of reality and fantasy, andSomewhere Here are hijacking advertisement space to provide shoppers with a brief respite during the fall of capitalism. Nine artists take nine advertising hoardings (billboards) until the 3rd of December only. Catch them before they are swallowed by Advertisement Beast.
Wednesday 3rd Dec
Opening today at the ICA: Dispersion; an exploration by seven artists of the appropriation and circulation of images in contemporary society. They examine money, desire, and power in our accelerated image economy. It runs until Feb 1st.
Thursday 4th Dec
First Thursdays of the month is here! But aren’t galleries open most Thursdays anyway? It would be silly tell you a single thing to go and see, 100 galleries will be opening their doors until 9pm, so there will plenty to satiate your creative appetites, but if you perhaps feel so inspired that you are driven to the pencil yourself, The Princess Studios will be hosting free life-drawing drop-in sessions throughout the evening.
Friday 5th Dec
Vauxhall’s best kept secret-art-laboratory, Beaconsfield, curates Late at Tate this Friday, adapting Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries and transitory places to create a terminal space, with an array of arrival and departure points, in which only the surreal applies …
Satuday 6th Dec
Colin McKenzie senses that art ought to be more like a day at Woodstock, or at least what he imagines Woodstock to be like: electric, dynamic, smooth, and mind-expanding. At the Red Gate Gallery. McKenzie strives against order and sense, aiming to manoeuvre without restriction.
Monday 1st December
The Lady: A Tribute to Sandy Denny, page Royal Festival Hall, treat London
An evening of songs from the back catalogue of one of the most influential female folk singers, approved Sandy Denny. Various artists including Marc Almond, P.P. Arnold and Johnny Flynn will be performing songs from her Fairport Convention days as well as her solo career. Should be a really interesting night in light of the current trend for new female folkies and a timely tribute to one of the godmothers of the genre.
A lovely gentle way to start the week with this folky-country duo who will hopefully be celebrating the first day of December with a performance of their Christmas single, released next week.
In the UK for one night only, this much-loved San Francisco band’s staccato, rough-round-the-edges punk pop is even better live.
Ten Kens, The Duchess, York
Anyone who has a blurry picture of people snogging on their record sleeve is a good bet for a messy live show and these Canadian grungers are reportedly no exception. Should be good in this small venue too.
New album produced by Will Oldham, harpist on Anthony and the Johnsons first album and with Andrew W.K. providing bass on her new record, this transsexual musician’s musical pedigree is assured.
Wednesday 3rd December
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis single launch, Madame JoJos, London
Snappily dressed, hearse-driving siblings playing rockabilly at their single launch party.
Liam Finn, Night and Day, Manchester
Introspective folk.
The Wave Pictures, Club Fandango, St Aloysius Social Club, London
Thursday 4th December
Vivian Girls, The Social, Nottingham
Uber-hyped Brooklyn girl group bring their shoe-gaze tinged grunge-pop to the UK. Time to see if they live up to their recorded promise as a live act.
Really bummed about breaking up with some girl called Emma, he headed into the woods alone and wrote an album about it. He must be feeling a bit better as he’s spreading the heartache on a UK tour.
Lovely duets from surprisingly compatible artists.
Pretty Taxing is a fashion collection with a twist, stuff as the end product is not clothes but car tax discs. Unusual – yes, sick but we all know how important accessorising is…
It would seem like a bad idea if such creatively interesting designers hadn’t contributed to the cause. They include Emma Bell, who has twice shown at London Fashion Week, David David and Pam Hogg. Along with artists Natasha Law and Stuart Semple, they have all created unique collectable pieces of fashion memorabilia.
You can pick up these discs of fashion-random-brilliance at Matches or at the pop-up shop KIN in Kingly Court, Carnaby Street. Abiding the law has never looked so good.
Today I was sent to Coventry, abortion quite literally. Together with 30 other Climate Camp activists dressed as Santa we descended on E.On, health the energy company responsible for the proposed new coal fired power station to be built at Kingsnorth.
This action followed a 48 hour action that happened over last Friday and Saturday – and E.On were not expecting our return. In fact, buy they were probably kicking themselves that the special fencing that they had put in place late last week was now lying dismantled on the floor next to their headquarters.
As a result our merry busload hopped off easily and headed straight for the main entrance of E.On’s offices.
Why? Despite spending a lot of time and energy letting the public know that they are one of the biggest investors in renewable energy in the UK (they’ll point out the big array of solar panels on one of their buildings and the lobby features a looped tape about wind farms) they are also pitching to build the first new coal fired power station to be built in the UK in 30 years, which will alone defeat all our CO2 emissions goals. So why spend so unwisely?
Whilst some merry santas climbed atop the revolving door and superglued their hands to the various entrances, another bunch of santas headed off into the building to see if they could speak to head honcho Paul Golby and let the employees know a bit more about the facts behind new coal.
Bearing banners that said Stop Coal and E.On F.Off they set off down the corridors singing some specially adapted carol songs.
Two intrepid santas managed to enter a boardroom meeting, surprising the attendees with some gifts of lumps of coal – for as you know santa gives bad children coal instead of gifts and E.On has been very bad this year. They were ejected from the property, but soon raced back in again…
We managed to disrupt operations for four hours, stopping employees and visitors as they came to work and giving interviews to the BBC and ITV, and live on the radio. Our action was spoken about on the World at One on Radio 4, which you can listen to here. We are talked about at approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds into the programme.
The police were surprisingly even handed, although some employees were clearly fuming, especially the head of security (woops) One indoor santa even managed to locate a cup of tea and a newspaper to read.
At one point we were able to reenter the building, with the santas forming a conga line for the cameras. We delivered papers written by leading NGOs describing why there is no need for coal power, and generally had a merry old time. All employees and visitors were rerouted through back entrances, so I think it is fair to say that we were fairly disruptive…
Eventually we decided that once unstuck it was best that we leave, but the police had other ideas, and as we walked off down the road they tried to contain us, managing to trap four of our number and arrest them.
The rest of us ran off down the street to find our getaway vehicles, parked up in a local pub car park. Our drivers had thoughtfully bought us lunch in the pub, but shortly after we had gulped it down we were asked to leave because the police presence was putting off other customers. The police followed us as we left to pick up the other santas at Warwick university student union, and thereafter ensued the slowest police chase ever, with us managing to lose them after taking a wrong turn.
The purpose of this action was to embarrass E.On and raise awareness of what they up to in a light hearted and humourous way – I think that as a bunch of merry santas we did this exceptionally well. We hope that E.On will take heed and stop greenwashing their plans. It’s simple, don’t build Kingsnorth. Spend your money increasing investment in your (meagre) renewable energy supplies. If you would like to help us stop companies like E.On destroying our world check out what Climate Camp is up to next. More articles on this action can be read on Indymedia here and here.
We’re having a bit of a Grace Jones moment here at Amelia’s HQ. Obviously we’ve always known she was AMAZING but her majestic new single ‘Williams’ Blood’ goes to prove that she’s still totally got it. In fact, buy it’s been on repeat for about the past week and we’ve all been waving our arms in the air singing “I’ve got the Williams’ blood in me”. There’s an infectious gospel refrain running through this song that really brings out Jones’ strident message. Strongly autobiographical, link ‘Williams’ Blood’ tells the story of her parents’ life together in small-town domesticity and her musician grandfather – he of the Williams blood – philandering his way around the world, an insight into the Grace Jones spirit of rebellion.
There’s a cry for freedom and for breaking away from the strictures and constraints of her background, which you can’t help but feel has been successful for this overtly sexual, bonkers wardrobed, gay icon, hence the joyful bursts of the chorus. It also seems almost subversive for a female singer to talk about the influence of a male ancestor on their lives but Jones has never been one to play by the rules. In fact, as one of our writers proved, she’s perhaps the only woman with such immense stature you could prove your respect for by mooning. But that’s another story…
‘Williams’ Blood’ is released next Monday 8th December on Wall of Sound.
“The film was an experiment”, abortion says Jonas Cuaron, settling down across from me on a sofa at the Renoir this Saturday. I’ve come for the release of his debut film, Año Uña – year of nails – and the place is abuzz with excitement; I’m especially enamoured by the snippets of Mexican-tilted Spanish I hear that always make me nostalgic (Luisa with no ‘o’, can you guess?), “Ai que deliciosa!” someone behind me exclaims at the sight of a quesadilla in the first few minutes of the film; maravillosa indeed.
“I wanted to make a film”, he continues, “using a format that would be hard to watch”. Hard to watch? A legitimate concern when it dawns on you that you’re in for a feature-length film composed entirely of still-frame photographs. But the merit of any film boils down to one thing, a good story – and the impossible romance between American girl and Mexican boy in the throes of puberty, subsumes this hard-to-watch format and makes it altogether accessible. Plot aside for a moment though, the genesis of the film deserves as much attention, so I asked Jonas how the whole thing came about.
JC: For the film I took photographs of my everyday life for a year. I wanted to break the way in which film is normally done. Normally people write a screenplay first, and then out of the screenplay they do the image, but here I wanted to do it backwards. I took the photographs and then we made an installation where we put them all up in a room, and made a story from that.
Were there other possible narratives, did you find it hard to pick which story to tell?
Well I always knew that it had to be a story of this girl from the US and this boy from Mexico. They were the ones I photographed the most that year, and so I knew they were going to be the main characters and it grew organically from there. But sometimes I think, with all those photographs I could make a different movie, draw something completely different from the same images.
What was exciting about working in that format?
Well I wanted to play with the boundaries between reality and fiction. I wanted to have images that were real, but to show, how with text, or with a narrative over those images, you can have a completely different meaning. All the images in the movie are real, but none of that happened, I wanted to play with that boundary.
So there was no interchange between reality and fiction? There must’ve been!
Well I mean, in the events there was. Like my Grandpa really did get sick and he had cancer, but for instance, the main characters, Diego and Molly, they are my brother and my girlfriend, so I hope that wasn’t real (chuckles).
How did your brother feel about in falling in love with your girlfriend, was that awkward?
Well the narrative was so fictional, so far away from reality that both him and Eireann saw it as an acting job; they never thought of it as real. All the character’s names are real aside from Eireann, which I changed to Molly because I wanted to help Diego and Molly not feel awkward, and I knew that Diego was gonna be saying really dirty things about her character, so I thought it would be easier for him if she was called Molly and not Eireann.
Throughout the film, Molly seems to be perpetually trying to capture something real from Mexico in a photograph, and failing. Is that Ironic? Seeing as you’re playing with a moment captured and how it can mean lots of things.
With Molly, a lot of what I wanted to play with was the idea of the tourist, being a foreigner in another country, so even though she’s the one seeing, she’s the observer with the camera, in the case of a tourist like Molly, people are also observing her. So with her character I played a lot with the subconscious of being in a new place.
You grew up partially in Mexico and partially in the US, so is that something you link closely too?
For me, that part of the narrative – the interchange between two cultures – it really fascinates me; so when I realised that Diego and Molly would be my main characters, I was happy because the relationship between both cultures is an important one for me. I know what it is to be new in a different place, and I understand the boundaries between the two languages, and a lot of this is seen in the character of Molly. Many of those pictures were taken during Eireann’s first visit to Mexico, and it was at the time when Bush had just been elected. For her it was really hard to be in Mexico because everyone was judging her for what Bush was doing, so I wanted to play with the idea, that I also feel from being a Mexican in the US, that people see you as a nationality and not who you are.
What is the main theme of the film for you?
When I first started making a film with photographs, I realised that the main theme would be the passage of time and the impermanence of things. You can’t do anything about photography and not talk about the passage of time, and particularly in a film – film is always dependent on the idea of time and still-photography doesn’t have time in a way, and so for me, the whole film is an exploration of how nothing lasts forever.
Would you use the format again?
I think it’s a very interesting format to explore, but for me, I’ve done everything I would want to do with that format. It’s been a very important learning experience for me. At the end of the day, the important thing is having a good story.
Muchisimas Gracias Jonas. How do you like London?
It’s cold.
Written by Luisa Gerstein on Tuesday December 2nd, 2008 4:58 pm
So, approved Lets tackle the name situation. (A few months ago these fellas were known as Starfucker) I was on your blog reading the suggestions that fans sent you and my favourites were Rad Stewert and Wasabi Lube…
J: Oh, buy more about I don’t like that one at all!
That was my favourite!
J: You can have it! I dunno if you play but whoever suggested that would be stoked to know that there was a band called it I’m sure.
Pyramiddd was the one to go with?
R: Not necessarily, viagra 100mg I fucking hate it.
J: Not really, I kinda hate Pyramiddd too.
I got that vibe when I read that blog, there seemed to be a little tension surrounding the issue…
J: The thing that sucked was that we had to pick it so quick. We rushed into it, We were releasing our 7” here and everyone was like “What the fuck is your name, you need to pick a name so we can release this” So we were like – I guess this is it.
R: That was the one that we agreed on more than any other name, out them all.
J: Master Control was close and Trust Fund was close. They were the two runners up.
R: We had some other ones we picked. But, We picked ones and we liked it for a day and the next day we hated it. But there’s no such thing as a good band name. Like Radiohead sucks. That’s a stupid band name.
There is another band called Starfucker, Can they have it, are they worthy?
J: Yeah they can have it, It’s a stupid fucking name!
R: Starfucker is a bad name too.
J: It was a joke! We didn’t think we would be touring the US let alone coming to Europe and Japan if we had any kinda foresight we would have picked a better name a long time ago. Its like getting married, a joke that goes too far… Never again!
Another thing I saw on your Myspace was the Las Vegas episodes…
J: That was funny, That dude talking bout the cist! I dunno how he saw it, I like bent over to pick up a key and he was like “Aahh cist there”
R: Its not even that big!
Are you guys filming what your doing over here?
J: Yeah we have, We have mainly been filming in the car because that is all we do. It takes hours to get everywhere, but its pretty, the architecture is pretty. Have we filmed anything interesting?
R: I filmed the red light district. That was difficult, your not meant to.
J: He got flipped off.
The Internet told me about the Target commercial, One of your tracks feature on it?
J: Unfortunately, that’s the way it is now- that licensing your songs to commercials is a way to make money. Which is better way of making money than parking cars for me.
Yeah, but its does get a lot of people to hear your music that wouldn’t necessarily hear it…
R: Yeah, I didn’t know that people did this but people will actually find the songs used in commercials and find out who the band is. I didn’t know that was a thing because I don’t have a TV. Target has great music on their commercials.. plus Target has great things at great prices! Make sure you go to target! Today!
“Medicine” is your first release over here, Is this a good representation of what is to come with the album, or is it not that far on?
J: It’s not that far on but it seems mostly a little darker than stuff we have so far. The new idea is a 30 minute dance block-all the same tempo and songs that fade into each other. Maybe it will b like that. I dunno about “Medicine”, We didn’t really pick that. Other people were like “This will be a good song” So we were like, “Alright, do what you want.”.
R: Really every song is a single on the album!
Sorry for the “Smash Hits” stylee question, But what is your medicine for winter?
R: Most the things that make me feel good, make me feel bad later
J: I have been really homesick on this tour. I just started dating someone I really like so we are gonna take a trip to LA I’m excited about that. I’ll be all warm all my friends will be cold in Portland. I have been eating lots of good food like cantrell mushrooms chopped up with pasta.
R: That’s another great thing bout Portland, You can get so many great vegetables. That’s my winter medicine- I like cooking and baking pies.
J: He is an amazing cook!
R: I like to save my vegetable ends, put them in a big plastic bag in your freezer then boil it and it makes good vegetable broth. Keep all your ends and boil for a few hours = Perfect, amazing vegetable broth.
J: I want ask you how to make granola-he makes really good granola. He is like Mom, he would make us sandwiches when we started on tour.
R: I don’t do it anymore now, I get tired. I’m too busy now. I have a kid. If I make granola while my kid is with me the kid will end up in the granola.
The first thing I thought when I heard “Medicine” was that you guys played a lot of video games in the 90s?
J: Yeah, That’s really true! 007 was my favourite video game from the 90s on N64. Playing 007, listening to The Fugees album on repeat for hours on end.
R: I was a Nintendo system kid. I never moved beyond that. I played the Sega Genesis once, but that’s it.
J: Genesis was good.
I wasn’t a Sega fan, Nintendo all the way..
Both: Yeah
J: But I think Sega had, Mortal Combat, that was rad.
R: Yeah totally, Sega had Road Rash and Sonic the Hedgehog.
J: Sonic was rad too.
It’s such a colourful song but the video is black and white, any reason behind this?
J: I think it was easier for Andrew to make-he’s our friend, he is learning the programmes.
R: I think its fitting, I think the video is still very colourful, l like the dancing in black and white, it can bring out the movement. Whether or not that was intentional or not, I think It works really well.
I kind of came to my own conclusion that you were really into what Beyoncé does right now?
R: Her video was after ours!
J: That “Single Ladies” video was amazing though!
With the black and white thing and also all the moves being busted out all over the place I assumed she was one of you creative influences?
R: I like her for sure, I have total respect for her she’s queen diva. Neal Medlyn, a comedian/performance artist came to Portland and did “The Beyoncé Experience” and wore a wig and had gay dancers with him and that was one of my favourite shows ever. Yeah, so that was inspiring!
What’s your signature dance move, I know you defiantly got one Ryan from that at the end of the set? (He owned the floor)
J: I don’t go out, I don’t dance. Only on tour.
R: I love when he does though, its awesome!
J: It’s horrible!
R: I don’t dance like on stage when I got out, I tone it down, I cant go out on a dancefloor like BLUGHG, Some things are strictly for performance but for the most part when im around other people I don’t go too crazy I respect peoples space.
J: What that called, grinding though, that’s always nice. That’s how you get laid thts how it happens. You like it? Love it!
R: Yeah, it doesn’t matter you just find someone you like!
J: That’s how it happens!
R: It’s very primal.
What live acts do you aspire to be as good as?
J: Of Montreal are amazing live! We played with them at Monolith festival, Colorado. They really put a lot of effort into putting on a live show. There is a lot of thought- interesting clothes, people coming out doing crazy shit.
R- I don’t even like Of Montreal that much, but live is amazing for sure. There aren’t that many live shows, I don’t really know, There just aren’t many good live bands…Broadcast they don’t do much, but they have a certain energy while they are playing that draws you in.
J: Deerhunter’s great live, they are one of my favourites.
What should people be prepared for when they see you live?
R: I like it when people don’t know what to expect, when people don’t know who we are. When there’s some mystery about it. I like going to something and not knowing anything about it and then when its really good, it being awesome like makes me feel like I have a secret now.
J: Sometimes you can see Keil’s junk when he is playing drums, like a lot because he wears dresses. Be prepared.
I thought they were nice boys.
If you think they are nice boys,
Follow them on twitter
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AND BUY THEIR TUNE HERE
Bare Bones however still fits in the gallery’s motto. Published in the paper format but looking a lot like a fanzine with its black and white series of independent-minded designs, the second edition embraces the abused tabloid format and has many more contributors. Funded entirely by its creators, Bare Bones features no advertising and revels in not being associated with corporate shilldom. Featuring artists, photographers, writers, musicians and other beautifully wayward human flotsam, Bare Bones aims to provide an insight into the unexplored creative avenues being beaten out by its protagonists. Positioning itself as an alternative to the morass of mind numbing free press littering the brains and streets of London Bare Bones shoots to provoke thought and conversation. Whilst not always aiming to offend just for the sake of it, people who quickly jump to back-footed offence and ill conceived moral judgment only encourage ignorance and deserve to be appalled at least four times a year. Bare Bones seems to be on a quest for a stronger constitution.
The gallery space is small and two walls are covered with limited edition prints costing between 50 and 200. One featured artist is aptly named Heretic Printmakers with gem quotes such as “ Themes that run through our work are ancient symbolism, (…) the inner beast, sex bats, naked witches, demented cats, trees, paranoid owls (…) the freakily parallel cosmos of Mutinopia…”
BARE BONES was Neal Fox, Frank Laws, Hannah Bays, Billy Bragg, Amelia Johnstone, and has since added Hanna Hanra, Sam Kerr, Richard Gilligan and Jamie Putnam to its list. Russell Weekes fromlie-in and tigers is a previous Amelia’s magazinecontributor- his stricking and witty drawings are part of the work created by the motley crew of proud to be baiting misfits. See it all at your enjoyable peril!
Hello, treattreat Katie!! featured in our latest issue, prescription as part of the New Brasil section. It’s the vision of Hisato, who Amelia described as ‘a small portly man with the slightly pallid demeanour of someone who lives for the night”. He’s a very well respected DJ, and I think this says a lot about the key idea behind his latest EP, ‘Girls’.
Opener ‘Don’t Panic (That’s The Way It Is)’ is drenched in the atmosphere of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ – famously the highest selling 7″ of all time, purely because of it’s popularity with DJs. Vocals come in the form of some super cool sounding girl, who I imagine to look exactly like the type you see standing in front of DJ booths in the hope of grabbing attention. It’s a song that I guess comes from Hisato’s time spent hanging around the super cool, Djing fashion shows and stuff like that. Considering the band is named in honour of Kate Moss herself, this is perhaps something to be expected.
My favourite track is ‘Female Moustache’. It has the feel of a soundtrack from a high octane action movie, building and plateauing, only to return to its peak moments of drama once again. You can imagine some bald guy with stubble diving between trains to it, or something like that anyway.
It finishes with ‘Today’s Tomorrow’s Breath’, something of a respite compared to the rest of the album. The vocals sound almost scary, sung by Hisato himself in what sounds like a cave.
The EP comes across like a party in your ears. It has all the aspects of really fun party music that has put Brazil on the musical map in recent years.
Having interviewed the girls who will be featuring in issue 10 of Amelia’s mag (keep an eye out for them), click I was keen to make a pit stop to their preview of their exhibition, look‘in bed with the girls’.
The first thing that hits you as you enter the bubblegum pink Beverly Knowles Gallery in Notting hill is the burst of colour within all the photos. Cramming 12 years worth of staged portrait photography, capsule self portraiture and performance pieces in one smallish room gives their work an intensity. A few faves are the performance piece where a naked lady is adorned with various sweet treats such as: swiss rolls, tarts, custard creams. The performance piece reminded me of the oldsy english countryside picnics that now looks like a novel practice. With a priest sat next to her this set to unnerve the viewer.
Most of their work is playful, set with lavish sets, however I also like some of their black and white shots particularly Dungeness which are actually tiny.
With so many different sets designs and images, these reflect two varied, bubbly personalities. They reference pop culture, the idea of Englishness, gender roles, nostalgia and desire in a fun yet also subtly dark way. So there really is something for everyone.
Perhaps you’d like a pair of wizard boots? A caterpillar? some skeleton string? or a monster forest? Inventory of Parlour, ed an Australian designed jewellery label, more about offers treats for the imagination! A range of delectable pieces with intricate and distinctive designs that originate from another realm.
Katia, who studied textile design at RMIT University in Melbourne, was introduced to the wonderful world of jewellery when she spent some time living in London interning with the infamously unique Tatty Devine. The influence is clear – treating jewelry as a piece of art, creating something personal to illustrate the wearer. Katia’s own inspirations draw from the Parlour rooms of the 1800′s and the curious happenings within them. The pieces themselves are made mostly out of collages using text and vintage imagery from periodicals, catalogues and encyclopedias.
“A world of alakazams and abracadabras.. demented delights and a menagerie of oddities..”
Intrigued? Want to see more? Unlock the cabinet of goodies on the their blog and get a new lace for that neck!
Photo: Dan Spinney
Despite my obsession with These New Puritans (we’ve all read the inspiring reviews from music boffs across the globe so its not necessary for me to rationalise this passion), medical neither time nor cash had granted me with a chance to witness them live, prescription until their set at the Amersham Arms. Perhaps it was dangerous levels of excitement which left me doubtful (or the fact that Derv from Amelia’s team wouldn’t stop chatting in my ear), but I couldn’t help but feel that I was left half empty.
There’s something about the intensity of delivery by lead vocalist Jack Barnett which just didn’t hit me as hard as my 5 year old Woolworth’s headphones. Its not that I’m not accusing them of being poor live performers, ‘Colours’, ‘Infinity ytinifnl’ and ‘Swords of truth’ resembled the album versions to a T, but all that intellectual equation and science stuff just seemed that little bit more magical without the hustle and bustle of a pub. Naturally These New Puritans took the opportunity to drop a few new tracks, which if this occasion is anything to go by, prove to be bordering on bland or atmospheric depending on your perspective or the volume of your glass.
Micachu and The Shape’s set wasn’t as enthralling as it should have been, mainly due to the venues poor sound. Teamed with a crowd that seemed preoccupied with having a chin wag, their music almost seemed to take a back seat. When I’ve seen them before, crowds are usually silenced by their magnificent performances, but I think most people were too preoccupied with drinking at that stage of the night. ‘Golden Phone’ did seem to divert people’s attention, and it’s definately still her standout track. She’s an artist destined for much bigger events this time next year.
Next we headed over to The Tavern to finish our night with sets from Loefah and Benga, and were subjected to some very garage heavy selections, which delighted some, but for me it just wasn’t too exciting. Soon after they had taken to the decks though, the speakers blew. It was announced that the line-up would be moved to the nearby Goldsmith’s Student Union Bar.
Photo: Louis Hartnoll
We followed the crowds round the corner to where there was already a sizeable queue forming. I hate situations like this, when a mass of people is trying to get into a venue and the venue’s security sees it as an excuse to exercise their power by just being weird and annoying. Eventually they decided everybody had waited long enough an allowed us in. The choice of venue was strange, and didn’t really suit the music. Nevertheless, everyone was there to have a good time, and it’s difficult not to enjoy yourself in that type of environment.
So this morning I received an email shouting about NOISE, erectile an online arts showcase funded by the Arts Council & NWDA. The idea is to showcase art, ask music and fashion all conjured up by creative beings under 25. The curators include acclaimed industry professionals such as Badly Drawn Boy for music and Norman Rosenthal for fine arts. This month NOISE festival will cherry pick the crème de la crème for your viewing pleasure. Here’s a few things I spotted:
The talented miss amy brown, prescription who designed the cover of amelia’s mag issue 8 has her portfolio on here. She says that an average day consists of replying to e-mails, tea drinking, drawing, and wiping paint off my kitten Millie-Rad. She also comments that she has always loved drawing and just hope that people get as much enjoyment from looking at [her] work as [she]does making it! Have a peek at her work.
patrick gildersleeves, aka wowow is inspired by the people of the world, patterns, paper, animals and plants. He likes to work with a pencil, felt tips and paint. His biggest influences are Inuit art, Ancient South American culture and drawings from the Far East.
heres a cool image of promo shots for the electric circus band by ‘paul’
6 by rae:
clockface by chimere:
brunch from brunch series by shauba:
So if you want to inject a little brightness to your day or are seeking some inspiration go and check it out.
It’s been a busy few days – I’ve been up early again with the Suffragettes to try and persuade city commuters that they should join the Climate Rush on Monday.
getting ready in the station
Tamsin sandwiched by commuters
I’ve learnt that the amount of technical devices attached to your body is a direct indicator of whether you are likely to engage with a piece of paper coming your way. Commuters plugged into ipods are in their own little world and noone is going to disrupt that other place… and if you also have a mobile in your other hand you are doubly likely to ignore anyone else. Interesting, this site how we disassociate from the real world around us. Also a trend I have noticed that disheartens me – people with bikes are also more likely to ignore people who are flyering. Very saddening that – all the more I think because as a fellow bike rider I always expect people who ride to be on our side.
flyering aplenty
That said, remedy many flyers were given out and since then the Suffragettes have been out every day all over town to try and raise awareness. I will be joining them on Friday afternoon in Soho (5.30pm in Soho Square if you fancy coming along) The more the merrier – we’re quite an arresting sight amongst all that grey.
On Saturday we’re going to be making more sashes at my house – if you fancy joining in email us. I am in east London and we plan to go out on the town afterwards dressed as Suffragettes, so come meet us and join in the fun!
shaking a fist for the cameras
Then yesterday I hotfooted it over to Newham town hall in East London (well, more like District line slowfooted it. How slow is that tube line?!) to meet up with the Flashmob, there to oppose plans to expand City Airport.
I love this golden light…
The council was meeting to make the final decision on whether expansion goes ahead and local group Fight the Flights directed a flashmob of about 30 people in a chant for the ITV cameras. Everyone was wearing distinctive STOP AIRPORT EXPANSION t-shirts. It was all over very quickly and I then had to slowfoot it back into town to do my jewelery class for the evening.
flashmobbers still need lipstick
Unfortunately I have since found out that the council has given the go ahead to the expansion, but the evening was not without its drama. I’ve just spoken with Leo from Plane Stupid, who was one of some 25 people to present objections during the meeting, and it sounds like the locals put up a great fight. There were about 75 objectors in the audience who were “kicking off left, right and centre,” so that by the time the meeting drew to a close some hours later a lot of people had been removed for causing a ruckus. Leo was eventually removed for throwing paper airplanes.
looks like Ken, of Barbie and Ken fame. is actually a highly groomed ITV reporter.
Apparently the local group will be taking the council to court on the grounds that there was no proper consultation – even though up to 13,000 people will be affected by increased noise pollution there have been no new measurements of noise since the year 2000, and only 10,000 letters have been sent out as part of a mandatory consultation.
A local teacher explained that his students had been processing field data which showed that the noise levels are frequently reaching 85-95 decibels, and not the declared 57 decibels, over which the government considers noise to be a nuisance. Funny then, that the airport owners have forgotten to take new measurements in the past 8 years.
Leo described the yellow tie wearing owner as being totally complacent, safe in the knowledge that his plans would get the go ahead. In fact he was looking so smug that the locals even had a pop at him about it. I wasn’t there, but I can picture him in my mind’s eye. I bet he would have wound me up too.
The airport expansion may be mooted to go ahead, but don’t expect it to happen without a fight…
sporting an E.On F.Off badge in a hairband. Lovin the look
We think we may just have sparked a bit of a trend with the USB we gave away free with our last issue. Mr. Scruff has made a pretty tasty looking; tuna shaped stick that has his new album ‘Ninja Tuna’ on it – and it’s the first thing we’ve seen similar to what we did in the UK.
Now you may think that such fancy packaging may be compensating for something, look but I assure you that the album is equally as good. It has all the jazzy hip hop stylings you expect from Mr. Scruff, but with a few forward thinking surprises thrown in for good measure.
The high point of the album for me has to be Roots Manuva’s cameo on ‘Nice Up The Function’. It’s a far cry from their previous collaboration ‘Jus Jus’ on Scruff’s second album ‘Keep It Unreal’ – something of a standard Roots Manuva tune (if that’s possible).
Scruff has a philosophy behind his music, in which ‘drinking tea holds mythological status and where it’s always music that gets you high’ – which lead me to believe that perhaps he’s just a little bit too much free time lately to be thinking about these things. It did mean however that a tin of organic tea bags was also sent to us. I’ve now listened to the album when drinking tea, and when I have not been drinking tea. My verdict is that the tea makes no difference to your listening pleasure, but is quite nice.
Every year at two different creative cities in Europe, buy more aboutIllustrative International Art Forum displays the best in graphics and illustrative arts. This year is happening at Zurich and displays over 400 works from more than 60 artists. This two week long festival aims to exchange ideas, treatment promote emerging new talent as well as rediscovering current trends. With conferences, film programs, book art, illustration and concept art added to the mix, the festival promises to titillate the creative senses. At the end of the festival a Young Illustrators award will be presented to the best young talent. Why not have a peek at the talented bunch’s work. You might even pick up some inspiration. Here’s a few bits of art that tickled my fancy:
I walked along to this gig not expecting anything particularly unusual, viagra little was I to know that I would walk away from it wondering whether it may have actually been the best thing I had seen all year.
It was the last night of the tour, which always kind of suggests that you’re in for something special. Jape take to the stage and announce that they’re most excited about the fact that they’ll soon be able to go home and wash their clothes. Their set however suggests they’re a bit more excited than they let on. The singer is literally leaping as he thrashes his drum machine.
As a support band they more than fit the bill. They’re a band not a lot of the people in the room would have known of before the gig, but they manage to get a pretty good reaction. I can’t help but think that their songs don’t seem to have quite enough body to them though. They make Tom Vek styled electronica that could be brought to life by laying off with the use of backing tracks and adding a couple of band members. In my opinion you just can’t beat doing things live. Obviously some bands are great using purely electronics and sampler, but I think Jape’s style of music just doesn’t quite suit it.
Friendly Fires have been a real favourite of mine for quite some time. They have the same chic, funk sound LCD Soundsystem mastered, but with a little more swagger and panache. Lead singer Ed Macfarlane demonstrates some of this panache by strutting and wriggling around the stage like a man possessed.
They open with ‘Photobooth’; one of their songs that I think is slightly overlooked. Out of all their songs I think it has to be the best demonstation of their songwriting skills. But then it was the song that first got me interested in them. So perhaps I’m a little biased.
I expected the crowd to be standing through their album tracks, waiting for them to play the hits. I was sorely mistaken though. Not that they have any bad album tracks, I just thought they would be hard to make enjoyable live. I was sorely, sorely mistaken. ‘White Diamonds’ and ‘Strobe’ were perhaps some of the highlights from their set. The band took them to whole new levels, and the light shows that went along with it more nothing short of dazzling.
Understandably ‘Paris’ and ‘On Board’ seem to kick the crowd into a frenzy, and it’s at this point that they let off confetti launchers. Usually I’d say this was pretty gimmicky, but I’ll let it pass, it was the last night of their tour.
They finish their set with recent single ‘Jump In The Pool’, and about half way through some Brazilian drummers and carnival dancers appear on stage. From then on the song just builds and builds until everyone in the crowd’s faces are awestruck. Ending your tour with a miniature carnival works, and as the stampeed of everybody trying to leave the building began, the only words on people’s lips were “Wow!”
We flyered the Friday night drinkers in Soho Square, buy information pills culminating in some chalking outside the Private Eye offices and the offer of a free haircut for Alice from The Soho Salon. I managed to wangle myself a complimentary up-do for my appearance as emcee at the Climate Rush, and a quick look at their website also tells me that they specialise in ‘boyzillians’ – that’s male waxing to you and me! Boyzillions are described as a “must for every discerning man” – so now you know! (or maybe not… what are they talking about?) Anyway, I anticipate a suitably Edwardian pin-tucked hairstyle to go with my not very suitable cobbled together probably a bit too plunging neckline and ruffled petticoat Suffragette get-up.
now who would like a free haircut?!
what kind of haircut would madam require?!
foxy Alice modelling her new do from the Soho Salon (done in remarkably quick time)
On Saturday I frantically tidied up my house in anticipation of a Suffragette beer-swilling bake-off.
Anna mixing up vegan glories
It was a roaring success – we knocked out dozens of colourful fairy cakes, coconut yoghurt cake and vegan banana bread. Expect these lovingly baked delights to be handed out at the rally with a nice cup of tea. With ten suffragettes in the house we also made light work of pinning all the sashes, which are going to look absolutely magical.
messy red food colouring…
Tamsin and I double icing
ooh, look at them colours!
Aside from the odd paranoia dream where hardly anyone turns up to the Climate Rush – and those who do have forgotten to wear period dress – I’m now really looking forward to tomorrow.
pinning sashes
I hope it will be the start of a new era of direct action, so please do come along to Parliament Square from 5.30pm and remember, Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History
Monday 13th:
Tate Modern, ‘Cildo Meireles‘: Until Jan 09
Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Cildo Meireles creates mysterious and atmostpheric installations which invite the audience. A new version of Fontes that includes 6,000 carpenter’s rulers hanging from the ceiling, a thousand clocks and thousands of vinyl numbers is included.
Tuesday 14th: YFBS gallery, Pivot Points: Turkey England Turkey, New Photography by Helen Sheehan: 15th-18th October 08
207 Whitecross St, London, EC1 8QP: 15-18 October, 930-5pm
In ‘Pivot Points’ Sheehan showacases narrative photomontage work which focuses on two individuals James and Zehra. James comes from a well-off background yet his value systems ensure he is involved in campaigning on oil and social justice. Sehra’s family have been persecuted for political reasons in Turkey. Sheehan explores the intensely delicate territory of integration, loyalty, longing, alienations and belonging across two landscapes that shape her subject’s realities.
Wednesday 15th: Bournemouth, ‘Postcards’: ‘Ishihara’: Emily Draper, Charlie Gates, Rebecca Johnson etc: All day-12pm
An all day exhibition of instillations, video, interactive and
wall-based artwork, accompanied with live elctronica and djs in the evening.
Ishihara is here to feed your eyes, ears and dancing feet with the talent of
current students and recent graduates, as well as music from Bournemouth’s
best kept secrets. Ishihara doesn’t end when the bar closes, with
afterparties and opportunities for all of you to get involved and exhibit in
future Ishihara shows.
The old brewery, ‘NEW SENSATIONS’:
The old Truman brewery, T2 Space, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL: 15th-19th October:11am-6pm
Taking part in the Frieze Week in October are 20 shortlisted artists as well as four finalists chosen by judges in this exhibition showcasing new exciting talent. The four finalists of the competition will be given £1000 bursury to make new work. There will be 2 winners of the new sensations 08 competition- one will be decided by the public and one by the panel of judges. So if you want to check out the latest and newest ‘sensation’ then stroll along for this free show.
Thursday 16th: Regents Park, ‘FRIEZE ART FAIR’: 16th-19th Octobe
Frieze Art Fair focuses on contemporary living artists with a line up that is packed with talks, artists’ commissions and film projects, many of which are intereactive or performative and encourage visitors to engage with art and artists directly. 11 commisions curated by Neville Wakefield, a New York based curator, critic and editor. With talks including ‘passages of light’ by yoko ono, and ‘the aesthetic responsibility’ by Boris Groys, this is one to write in your diary. Tickets from £21.75
Brown mountain Festival of Performing Arts at Slade Research Centre, ‘Brown Mountain Festival’: the dolly mixtures, goodipal, grand theft impro, emma hart and others: 16th-18th October
Slade Research Centre, Woburn Square, London WC1
Why not indulge in your drama queen tendencies for a bit of performance art action. With collaborations between artists, producers the range of pieces promises satire, wit and optical ingenuity.
Friday 17th: The Hayward, Robin Rhode: Until 7th December
Southbank Centre, London SE1 8EZ
South African artist Robin Rhode presents inventive performances, photographs and drawings. Charcoal drawings and witty performances as well asanimations makes him a jack of all trades. Animations include two-dimensional representations of everyday objects; he draws a candle and tries to blow it out. His work comments on urban poverty, the politics of leisure and the commodification of youth culture.
Saturday 18th: V&A,’Cold War Modern’: Until Jan 11
Cromwell Rd, London, SW7 2RL
The Cold War is the cite for inspiration for an exhibition which shows over 300 objects that reflect both the fears of nuclear devestation and the fantasies of space flight (an Apollo Mision suit). All this characterises an anxious era, from brutalist architecture of the Eastern bloc to the futuristic designs of Dierter Rams.
