Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Presentation Review: Ada Zanditon

Illustration by Kellie Black

Illustration of Little Shilpa by Yelena Bryksenkova

Illustration of J Smith Esquire by Kellie Black

Illustration by Kellie Black

The Headonsim exhibition is hidden in the Embankment Galleries on the lower ground floor of Somerset house, medicine behind the BFC tent. I’ve been down there twice, once on Thursday and once yesterday – and both times it seemed very under attended. Actually, all the exhibitions around the scrum of the registration area seem very quiet but they are all well worth a look, even if it is just to take a closer look at some of the collections as I did upstairs for Louise Amstrup.

Curated by milliner extraordinaire Stephen Jones, the Headonism exhibition is all about the hats and is the only section of London Fashion Week to do so. There are only five exhibitors: J Smith, Little Shilpa, Noel Stewart, Piers Atkinson and Soren Bach, but the difference between the stands is remarkable. The xxxxx has no one manning it, nor does Little Shilpa – merely a book to leave details in and the only exhibitor to have put any real effort into their display is Piers Atkinson but more on him later. The importance of showcasing your wares appropriately at London Fashion Week is shockingly something that many have left to the last minute. Read xxx post on the displays upstairs to find out who did it well.

We were lucky enough to interview two of the exhibitors prior to the show, the first was J Smith Esquire. His exhibit is immediately to your right as you enter the exhibition, displaying his most recent foray into the high street market with a Mister Smith display of flat pack hats in colourful cut out leather. He told us about the collection: ‘Mister Smith is designed to be robust, accessible, affordable millinery with high design values, so everyone can have a J Smith Esquire hat’.

Illustration of J Smith Esquire by Kellie Black

Mixing together the ready-to-wear and couture, J Smiths talent shines with his main collections. Illuminated promises to be VERY eclectic, ‘(it’s) inspired by vintage Italian fashion papers to create a modern-day Edwardian couture, and yes, expect a very colourful collection!’

Illustration of Little Shilpa by Yelena Bryksenkova

Illustrations by Paolo Caravello

Monday saw the fourth day dawn on London Fashion Week and delightfully my first day of intriguing ethical fashion presentations. First up on No. 1 Greek Street was the delightful Lu Flux, try followed in the afternoon by – congratulations! – the Ethical Fashion Forum’s Innovation Award winner Ada Zanditon. –

All photographs by Sally Mumby-Croft

In the run up to London Fashion Week, stomach Katie Antoniou interviewed Ada Zanditon about the trials, tribulations and positive rewards of producing innovative ethical fashion. Often the problem lies in the assumption that ethical fashion is boring and unfashionable – that most heinous of sins! – a situation being speedily rectified with the continuing presence of Estethica’s exhibition and support of young designers exploring the possibility of sustainable fashion at London Fashion Week Exhibition.

Illustrations by Paolo Caravello

Starting at 2pm, Ada Zanditon’s presentation – which in the grand scheme of things was more of catwalk – displayed the designer’s incredible 3D textiles used to embellish the collection of pretty dresses. Utilising her presence at On|Off, Ada showcased the delectability of clothes made through using up-cycled materials. The outcome of which had the group of ladies behind me swooning.

Christopher Raeburn and Lu Flux, (whose review will be appearing later on today…) are but two of Ada Zanditon’s trailblazing contemporaries in the field of ethical fashion. All three designers are successfully proving there need be no distinction between ‘fashion’ and ‘ethical fashion.’

Surely it is time for all designers to take the ethics of their production lines into consideration: namely where the fabrics originate and who is physically making the clothes for commercial consumption.

Illustrations by Paolo Caravello

When answering Amelia’s Magazine’s final question , Zanditon touched upon the difficult reality of encouraging people to achieve not only sustainable fashion, but sustainable lives; “I only think the planet can truly convince people of the importance of sustainability. I’m sure most people living on the coast of Bangladesh are highly convinced that we need to live in a more sustainable way as they are effected daily by climate change.”

A common fault in humanities mentality is our failure to project successfully beyond today, nurtured as we are on natural resources being infinite. It is incredibly hard to convince worldwide populations’ materials are and will become finite, whilst items still appear in their thousands on shop floors. Perhaps it will take empty shelves to convince us of the perils of fast fashion.

Intriguingly Ada Zanditon uses geometric cutting to produce zero waste. Tell us how you do it Ada!

Categories ,Ada Zanditon, ,Alexander McQueen, ,Amelia Gregory, ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,Bloomsbury, ,Christopher Raeburn, ,Ecover, ,estethica, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Ethical Fashion Forum, ,Gareth Pugh, ,Innovative Design Awards, ,Katie Antoniou, ,London Fashion Week, ,Lu Flux, ,onoff, ,Somerset House, ,SS11, ,Upcycling

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Amelia’s Magazine | London College of Fashion MA 2012 Exhibition Review

Hana Cha by Sam Parr
Hana Cha by Sam Parr

Two weeks ago, there was a multicolour explosion deep in the basement of Victoria House, Bloomsbury – it was the MA Graduate Season 2012 show at the London College of Fashion – and it was inspiring.

Hana Cha by Jason Lear
Hana Cha by Jason Lear

The first collection that catches my eye is Carry on Closet, a collaborative project between Renée Lacroix (MA Fashion and the Environment) and Zahra Ash-Harper (MA Entrepreneurship), collectively Antithesis (who Amelia mentored on the CFE Fashion Bootcamp). They’ve created an enviable capsule collection of trans-seasonal, versatile pieces, and it’s the team’s hope that their high quality clothing will result in long-lasting, treasured pieces. I covet the second cloak in their video below, which doubles as a short jacket and vest – it’s one of many thoughtfully-crafted pieces which would slot in well to any contemporary wardrobe.


Next, I meet Daisy Jie Feng (MA Fashion Artefact), who is sporting a delicate silver neckpiece which resembles a set of wings. As we get talking, I understand that this is completely intentional – she was inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis to produce a series of necklaces that combine fine jewellery with a story of evolution. Each of her mannequins on display show the pieces becoming progressively more intricate, until we reach the final neckpiece which is made from 265 silver cones wrapped in silver and white gold.

Tina Elisabeth Reiter by Gareth A Hopkins
Tina Elisabeth Reiter by Gareth A Hopkins

Octavia Xiaozi Yang (MA Fashion Artefact) has applied traditional Chinese elements to contemporary jewellery for her Joinery in Jewels project, for me characterised by the enormous resin rubies which can be spied from a distance. No glue or nails are used to create the neck pieces, instead all the materials are constructed to work together, with laser cut perspex, 18 carat gold, and wood.

Tina Elisabeth Reiter by Claire Kearns
Tina Elisabeth Reiter by Claire Kearns

Rounding a corner, everyone stops to gaze at Vivien Ying’s (MA Fashion Footwear) vibrant shoes, which would be perfect come spring. She asks, ‘Is it possible to adapt the aesthetics and principles of Kimono wrapping into the scale and techniques of footwear?’ And indeed it is, as she’s draped the shoes without adding weight to them, and maintained the essence of the Kimono concept by using leathers delicately imprinted with floral patterns.

Vivien Ying by Sam Parr
Vivien Ying by Sam Parr

Ruth Holland’s (MA Fashion Artefact) neck pieces are spectacular. She focuses on reusing materials and wants to make precious pieces from non-precious materials – traditional handmade rope, mixed plastics and resins. This kind of approach makes for pieces obviously steeped in careful craftsmanship, and leaves me wondering why we would ever want to wear anything else – it’s the kind of artwork that is easy to connect with ethically and visually – you just want to reach out and put it on.

Necklace by Ruth Holland
Necklace by Ruth Holland

Tina Elisabeth Reiter by Jason Lear
Tina Elisabeth Reiter by Jason Lear

Charlotte Valkeniers (MA Fashion Artefact) tells me that she isn’t a jewellery person, which is a little bit funny given her enormous neck pieces! Everything is laser cut in to spirals with hand-knitted tubes and hand-forged metal, and her curiosity about the human body and muscle structure is apparent in the shape and weave of the pieces. I like the neutral tones and textures, and come to think of it, their simplicity might be perfect for the person who shies away from decoration.

Neckpiece by Charlotte Valkeniers
Neck piece by Charlotte Valkeniers

Photographs by Rebecca Merrick
Photographs by Rebecca Merrick

After perusing the photography portion of the show (including some beautiful, threaded images from Rebecca Merrick), I witness performances from the students doing their MA in Costume Design for Performance. The audience is captivated, first by Lisa Duncan’s costume for a performance of Orlando, and later, by a very personal work from Lesley Asare, iShape Beauty, which ends in cheers.

Costume design by Lisa Duncan
Costume design by Lisa Duncan

Oenghus in Love by Lucy Mitchell
Óenghus in Love by Lucy Mitchell

Two nights after I visit, the annual MA Catwalk Show takes place at the V&A: Tina Elisabeth Reiter (MA Fashion Design Technology, Menswear) is announced winner of the Menswear Collection of the Year, and Hana Cha (MA Fashion Design Technology, Womenswear) winner of the Womenswear Collection of the Year. Congratulations to both on creating such rich, innovative collections.

Watch the MA_12 Catwalk Show here

Object by Ana Rajcevic
Object by Ana Rajcevic

If you’re interested in seeing more from this exciting institution, read our London College of Fashion Fashion Illustration and Photography and Styling reviews from 2011.

Categories ,2012, ,Ana Rajcevic, ,Antithesis, ,Bloomsbury, ,Carry on Closet, ,Charlotte Valkeniers, ,Claire Kearns, ,Daisy Jie Feng, ,Ecofashion, ,fashion, ,Fashion Bootcamp, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Hana Cha, ,iShape Beauty, ,Jason Lear, ,jewellery, ,Joinery in Jewels, ,Kafka, ,Lesley Asare, ,Lisa Duncan, ,London College of Fashion, ,Lucy Mitchell, ,ma, ,Menswear Collection of the Year, ,Metamorphosis, ,Octavia Xiaozi Yang, ,Óenghus in Love, ,Rebecca Merrick, ,Renée Lacroix, ,Ruth Holland, ,Sam Parr, ,Tina Elisabeth Reiter, ,Victoria House, ,Vivien Ying, ,Womenswear Collection of the Year, ,Zahra Ash-Harper

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Amelia’s Magazine | Bath In Fashion; Bath, 23rd – 27th March

Ross Harrison, dosage Director and Writer of Beyond the Brink, unhealthy Illustration by Francesca Bourne

Beyond the Brink is young filmmaker Ross Harrison’s personal investigation into the debate on Climate Change. After feeling inundated by the media discussions in the lead up and fall out of Copenhagen, Ross set himself the task of answering the ever present question of “What is Climate Change” followed by the more provocative  “and does it really matter?” To help himself along his journey and to find out more about the current consensus on climate change Ross interviewed a selection of commentators and scientists from  David Attenbrough, Deepak Rughani, Mark Lynas, Dieter Helm to Dr Heike Schroeder.

Amelia’s Magazine interviewed Ross about why he decided to make this film, the impact the film has had in schools and what he now thinks needs to be achieved on a personal and governmental level to tackle the impact of Climate Change.

First things first, what inspired you to make a film that investigates the vast and divisive topic that is Climate Change?

Back in 2009, it seemed like an unavoidable issue – what with the media coverage building up to Copenhagen for nearly the whole year and films like The Age of Stupid being released. I also found the subject cropping up more and more in my school work.

Film Still from Beyond the Brink

What did you feel was missing from the discussion in the media or schools during the lead up to Cop 15 in 2009?

It seemed like a very polarized debate with no middle ground. I was frustrated by hearing the same arguments again and again bouncing between the same groups of people. I didn’t understand why people weren’t cooperating more to work towards a common goal. That hasn’t changed a great deal. Probably and most importantly I wanted to provide a young person’s perspective.

How has the film been received since its release? Has it been taken around schools in the UK?

Since I launched the website at the end of last year there has been a lot of positive feedback, which is encouraging. For the week of screenings I posted about 300 DVDs to schools, universities, community groups and individual volunteers. I’ve been along to some screenings myself, but because they’re all over the country it’s mainly teachers and students using the film themselves, which I’ve tried to make as easy as possible by releasing the film for free.

What -for you- were the most difficult aspects to making this film?

Weighing up the masses of information about climate change – articles, books, blogs, programs, interviews – and trying to filter that down into a documentary that was balanced, accessible and understandable was the first difficulty. The second was trying to think of ways of doing things differently, using different language, presenting the problem in a new way that might make it more inspiring.

Beyond the Brink contains a mixture of talking heads and personal narration, what lead you to construct the film in this way?

The talking heads are in there because I felt that was the best way to convey the experts’ viewpoints. The audience hears what I heard and can draw their own conclusions. I chose to feature myself because it was a very personal project and I wanted to include my slant as a teenager.

Was it particularly important to you that the film was released for free and under a creative commons license?

Definitely. My hope is for the film to get the widest audience possible and I think making it freely available should mean more people watch it that otherwise might.

Beyond the Brink Trailer


On reflection, since Cop 16 and the overshadowing of Climate Change in the media by the recession and the arrival of the coalition government, what do you think is next for the climate movement?

Cancun was not surprising – after such a flop at Copenhagen the officials involved were bound to be desperate to publicize some sort of success. Even so COP16 was a small step rather than the deal people had set their hopes on in 2009. I don’t want to rule out the UN process completely, but I think its limited real impact in the 19 years its been running, is a sign progress needs to be made elsewhere. Those involved in the climate movement need to be pressuring the governments of their own countries to lead by example. The discussion needs to move away from talking about climate catastrophe to selling the benefits of a clean energy infrastructure and low-carbon lifestyles. People are far more likely to be driven by an appealing goal than a danger that could affect them at some point in the future.

What did you learn during the making of the film that surprised you with regards to the debate on Climate Change?

A greater proportion of the scientific community than I realized think that humans are largely causing current climate change. A scientific debate about whether we are contributing to climate change doesn’t really exist anymore, it is widely assumed we are.

Sir David Attenborough by Abi Daker

Have you plans to follow up the film with further interviews?

No, although it’s something I may come back to at a later date, after I’ve finished working on distributing this film I’ll be looking to take on a new project.

How difficult did you find approaching the range of experts -from Sir David Attenborough to Deepak Rughani and Dr Heike Schroeader- that appear in Beyond the Brink?

It was certainly a challenge. Obviously the people I met know a massive amount about the subject, much more than I do, but you still have to research lots to be able to ask good questions. Thankfully all the interviewees were very approachable and generous with their time. Like many things, you get better at interviews with practice and in the end I was really pleased with the responses I had. That’s not to say there weren’t disappointments. Sometimes technical problems meant some of the best answers couldn’t be used.

How did the animations within the film develop and do you feel they were integral to explain a few of the ideas behind the causes of Climate Change?

Concepts like the greenhouse effect are difficult to explain at all, let alone with a strict time limit and so animations seemed like the best option. The problem is they take a long time to create. I’ve still got 100 paper Earths on my shelf that I traced from my computer screen.

Film Stills from Beyond the Brink

What fact or possible event as a cause of Climate Change shocked you the most during the making of this film?

I found that the number of species threatened by potential warming was really startling. One in four land animal and plant species could be threatened with extinction this century.

Which five environmental documentaries would you recommend everybody watches?

The Age of Stupid, The End of the Line, The Planet Earth series is brilliant and Planet Earth: The Future is a conservation focused companion series. The ‘Jungles’ episode of the recent Human Planet series.

What conclusions have you come to since Beyond the Brink was completed?

Being optimistic is important. Working towards a vision of a better world with a reliable renewable energy supply, full employment, smaller bills, and healthier lifestyles, has got a far greater chance of uniting the population than struggling to avoid a catastrophe. You don’t have to be an environmentalist to want those things. And working together is essential. In whatever situation people are taking action, by joining forces with their neighbours, friends, schoolmates or colleagues, they can make their voice much louder.

Film Still from Beyond the Brink

What policies would you like to see Governments world wide implement?

I’d like to see serious investment in green technologies, stricter regulation of energy industries, and policies that make it easier for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint. Channelling money into developing renewable energy and other green products can create jobs. On the one hand if our current energy system is replaced by a carbon neutral one then individuals will not have to make many changes, on the other, behavioral change is essential because we need to start appreciating almost all the resources we use are finite. One policy I think is especially urgent and needs to be implemented by some South American and Indonesian governments is strong protection of rainforests. The rate of deforestation is mind-blowing and can’t go on.

Dr Heike Schroeder by Sam Parr

“Are we really causing Climate Change and who cares?” (Question taken from Beyond the Brink’s website)

It is very likely we are changing the Earth’s climate by changing the composition of its atmosphere and this is a stance that the vast majority of climate scientists and scientific organizations around the world agree on, as far as I can tell. The implications are serious and everybody could be affected, but importantly the poorest people in the world who are less able to defend themselves against potential hazards are likely to be affected first.

Like many problems, climate change is easy to ignore and only a minority are taking action, even if a much larger number might say they are concerned. The next step must be to encourage changes that people want to see and which reduce our impact at the same time, like demanding cheaper, better public transport, or designing more energy efficient products. What really makes me hopeful, though, is education. I’m hopeful people my age will grow up with different attitudes to those of generations before.

After watching the film, what’s the next step for a viewer who would like to be engaged in the Climate Change debate?

Well, for a start the debate has largely moved from are we really causing climate change, to what’s the best way to minimize the impact we are very likely having. If someone wants more information, there are endless books and websites. The Rough Guide to Climate Change is particularly good. But be wary of blogs – it’s very easy for people to write anything they like and pretend to know more than they do.

In terms of getting involved, the best thing to do is join an existing network, of which there are many. There are so many organizations with basically the same aims I sometimes think if they all joined forces then they could really change things. If you’d call yourself young then check out the UK Youth Climate Coalition, some of whose members feature in the film. Other initiatives like 350 and 10:10 are building the movement, making it exciting and making an impact.


bath fashion by daria
Illustration by Daria Hlazatova

“No dear, viagra dosage I can’t sit there!” The older, polished and perfectly pronounced lady says. He tilts his head to the left, lightly bemused and replies: “You can look, plenty of spaces”. Then follows a warm, dismissing smile. She frowns: “No dear, there seem to be handbags on every single seat.” He puts his arm out and lightly touches her back, broadly smiling; “They’re goodie bags. For you.”, he says. “Oh goodness!” she exclaims. Bath in Fashion.

I was at the daytime show; two pm. It was tattering with excited ladies sipping wine and orange juice. The front row sat gracefully, if self consciously, and crossed their legs to the side. The lady behind me was rifling through the goodie bags on all the chairs, and the row in front was full of ‘Oooh, I say!’, as they saw, picked up and looked in the bags. Something I never saw at London Fashion Week, and I never felt I could do it, through the power of appearing nonchalant. But here we all were, in this beautiful room, the Octagon, cooing over Clarins. And there was a lovely atmosphere in the domed ceilinged venue. Bath is a stunning city, and unapologetically affluent. I often feel like I am entering a bubble when I go to Bath. Not necessarily aspirational, but certainly high above my own current living luxuries. For me sour dough bread and a saturday coffee out is a luxury. These ladies have bespoke kitchens – with SMEG fridges, four ovens and a wine collection – as standard. I don’t know this, but I know this.

Bath in Fashion

Most of the women here remind of when referring to my mum, as mum, feels wrong; she is mother. Mother wears, Whistles, Phase Eight, HOBBS – coincidentally like all the bags on the seats; target women. Although my mum doesn’t like being called mother, she has more to her than to be defined by these shops, and is far more friendly than ‘mother’ sounds. Just like these women here, they are relaxed, past the needs and issues that being young can hold claim to. They have lived more, seen more and have stories to tell. Which in fact many of them were doing; “I wore the most amazing things, Oh! Now, there’s that lovely boutique…” They were all very chatty with each other and talked enthusiastically about fashion and life. It all had a pleasant, relaxed feel.

Bath in Fashion

The show started with loud and vibrant music. The high street was paraded before of us, with pouting, sunglasses wearing models. They strutted stripes, flowers, maxi dresses, midi length skirt suits and colour pop! Camel, red, purple, chiffon, 30s maxi, 70s midi and maxi, little skirt suits and beautiful dresses. It was a gorgeous spring day outside, and the show made the buzz of spring streaming through thoughts, arrive firmly in the desires and excitement section of the audience’s minds. “Ooohs” and “ahhhs” were heard echoing quietly, as if we were watching a private little firework display of spring sensations. The dresses with the statement shoes were my favourite; glamorous light numbers, with red stillettos. Also block heels, headscarves and ballooning sleeves looked fresh and stylish. TOAST and Reiss stood out as particularly good this season, whilst Monsoon was flourished in the 70s trend. The fashions would certainly suit many a lady, and had just the right amount of pizazz. Kate Middleton should be wearing more of these styles. Safe but stylish, with an extra something.

Bath in Fash
A photo of the catwalk show that took place at the Roman Baths.

It was soon over and as we stood up to leave, everyone had a little natter. Eventually filing out I heard discussions of perhaps a spot of shopping, a coffee or a cool glass of white wine. I myself scooted off, back out of the bubble, but filled with the visions of beauty that Bath always leaves me with. Well done Bath In Fashion for a lovely week of events, fun and a genteel celebration of a sophisticated city. You can still see a couple of the fashion exhibitions for a while yet; Marilyn Monroe Exhibition at The American Museum in Britain, and a wedding dress exhibition at the Fashion Museum.

Categories ,American Museum in Britain, ,Banana Republic, ,Bath In Fashion, ,catwalk show, ,city, ,exhibition, ,fashion, ,Flamboyance, ,Georgian, ,Hobbs, ,Kate Middleton, ,Marilyn Monroe, ,Phase Eight, ,Roman Baths, ,Sophisticated, ,The Octagon, ,Wedding Dress, ,Whistles

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Amelia’s Magazine | The Other Art Fair April 2015: Review

The Other Art Fair 2015 Lindsay Mapes
A few weekends back I made a flying visit to The Other Art Fair, which was held in the basement of Victoria House in Bloomsbury, a busy and boisterous affair where visitors were encouraged to chat with the artists as they perused the show, drink in hand. Here are a few highlights that will hopefully introduce you to some exciting new artists you have not previously heard about.

The Other Art Fair 2015 jo beattle embroidery
The Other Art Fair 2015 Jo Beattle
Jo Beattie is a textiles artist who is inspired by the memories of people we love and how we associate them with what they wear. ‘Their patterns and colours are embedded into our memory and become inseparable from our image of them. Our patterns and colours determine not only our character and how we want to be perceived by others but also define us in a time, place and culture.Playground is a vast embroidered tapestry of children, suspended like gossamer so that the shadows play against the wall behind. I also liked smaller vignettes that were displayed on shelves alongside work by her artist son.

The Other Art Fair 2015 Kate Keara Pelen 2
The Other Art Fair 2015 Kate Keara Pelen
Another textile artist which caught my eye was Kate Keara Pelen, who creates thickly encrusted abstract needlework hoops, and swathes of mini crochet vases. Definitely an inspiration for the modern craft lover.

The Other Art Fair 2015 Rococo skull
The Other Art Fair 2015 rococo flaws
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the extravagant designs by Rococo Wonderland Neon Art but underlit skulls and questioning type certainly made for an attention grabbing display as I descended the stairs into the lower hall.

The Other Art Fair 2015 Lindsay Mapes 2
Lindsay Mapes (see also the opening image) is a London based artist who was born in the USA. Her colourful abstracts are inspired by autobiographical memories, conversations and experiences, in particular the way that ideas are erased or obscured.

Remember, all of these images were first shared on my instagram feed, make sure you follow me @ameliagregory to share my finds in real time!

Categories ,2015, ,Bloomsbury, ,Jo Beattie, ,Kate Keara Pelen, ,Lindsay Mapes, ,playground, ,review, ,Rococo Wonderland Neon Art, ,The Other Art Fair, ,Victoria House

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Amelia’s Magazine | Exhibition: HIPSTAMATICS at the Orange Dot Gallery, Bloomsbury


Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, here Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.  

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label. 

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!” 


Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them! 

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech. 

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made. 

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds. 

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones. 


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well! 

 Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see! 

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A. 

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…

Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, more about Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.  

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, approved Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label. 

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, visit this how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!” 


Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them! 

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech. 

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made. 

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds. 

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones. 


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well! 

 Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see! 

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A. 

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…

Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, dosage Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.  

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label. 

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!” 


Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them! 

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech. 

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made. 


Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds. 

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones. 


Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well! 

 Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see! 

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…
 Gareth A Hopkins _ Martha Tilston _ Ameliasmagazine _480dpx

Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

If you’re feeling a bit delicate and would quite like to be wafted by a soft feathery fan type device, no rx as you contemplate, viagra Martha Tilston is for you. With songs entitled; Wild Swimming, Rockpools, Space and Firefly, she is all about sweet country and looking out from under the covers. But with the protection of delicate notes and kindness.

I first discovered Martha Tilston a few years ago and to be honest, I didn’t really want to tell anyone about her. She is my safety blanket and makes me feel at home. Back when she and I met, I had just left University in Cornwall and was at a loss as to what the hell to do next. My boyfriend and I moved to Bristol and temped for a hideous agency. All winter we were stuck working together inputting money off coupons for Tena Lady. Fabulous for any relationship. We’d cycle there, numb ourselves for eight hours, then cycle home. I kept a notebook by my desk and had my i pod streaming Tilston. I wrote loads in those endless, dark hours.

Then our bikes got stolen, we were laid off Tena Lady, our rented flat was put up for sale and I wrote even more. Tilston is good as a background to “Why is the world doing this to me?!” She restores faith. I give you Lucy:

Literally surrounded by art, Martha Tilston must have found it hard not be inspired as she grew up. She was born in the West Country and is the daughter of English folk singer, Steve Tilston. When her parents split, she moved to somewhere just outside London with her artist mother, who remarried a theatre director. As a teenager she would play the piano every night to the family. This led to Tilston writing songs and then picking up the guitar. Throughout she also visited Bristol, where her father and stepmother, Maggie Boyle– also a folk singer – lived. There she would spend time with folk legends like John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Imagine! How could she not be arty?

Illustration by Karina Yarv

In 2000, she formed a duo, Mouse, with guitarist Nick Marshall. Releasing two albums, they became extremely popular with the more underground loving, festival goers. However, Tilston decided to go solo in 2002, supporting Damien Rice on a tour in Ireland. Then in 2005, she released her first full length album, Blimbling on her own label Squiggly. This album holds Brighton Song, (which is where she was living at the time) a song I adore and makes me think about my years growing up in the hills next to the coastal city. Ah – nostalgia. Bimbling was funded by selling the original canvases she had painted to provide the artwork for the CD.

Martha Bimbling

Bimbling album available on Squiggly Records – Art work by Martha Tilston

Tilston was nominated for Best New Act at the BBC Folk Awards in 2007. She has since become increasingly popular and has opened the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury. However, she still loves impromptu and small shows. Her love of music outshining any desire for glitz. Her latest album Lucy and The Wolves, (Squiggly Records through Proper) is out now. It features her glorious band; The Woods, comprising of a host of instruments, including the mandolin, cello, violin and double bass. They truly add and compliment the atmospheric, delicate sound. Favourites include the aforementioned; Wild Swimming and Rockppols. The former, a slow, purposeful song full of delicious lust and feeling. The simile of liberating and beautiful night swimming, illustrating the purity of her love. Whilst Rockpools is also dedication to love and nature, it is centered more on her comfort found in the landscapes and nuggets of beauty. Eyes clapping on a tiny piece of peace, that at that second is shining only for you to see.

Martha Lucy and the Wolves

Lucy and The Wolves available on Squiggly Records through Proper. Art work by Martha Tilston

To summarise; Tilston is thought out, dancing on the hills, living in yurts complete with outdoor fires, English folk. If you like artists like Mary Hampton, Alela Diane and gentle Bellowhead, and you don’t know about Martha Tilston already, then you really should listen. If you don’t like folk, listen anyway, as she will make you feel wrapped up and safe on a blustery January day. Like today.

Martha Tilston‘s albums are available on Squiggly Records and she is touring in May, with dates to be released – Watch out for listings on Amelia’s Magazine.

If you’re feeling a bit delicate and would quite like to be wafted by a soft feathery fan type device, look as you contemplate, adiposity Martha Tilston is for you. With songs entitled; Wild Swimming, more about Rockpools, Space and Firefly, she is all about sweet country and looking out from under the covers. But with the protection of delicate notes and kindness.

I first discovered Martha a few years ago and to be honest, I didn’t really want to tell anyone about her. She is my safety blanket and makes me feel at home. Back when she and I met, I had just left University in Cornwall and was at a loss as to what the hell to do next. My boyfriend and I moved to Bristol and temped for a hideous agency. All winter we were stuck working together inputting money off coupons for Tena Lady. Fabulous for any relationship. We’d cycle there, numb ourselves for eight hours, then cycle home. I kept a notebook by my desk and had my i pod streaming Martha. I wrote loads in those endless, dark hours.

Artifcial:

Then our bikes got stolen, we were laid off Tena Lady, our rented flat was put up for sale and I wrote even more. Martha is good as a background to “Why is the world doing this to me?!” She restores faith.

I give you Silver Dagger:

Literally surrounded by art, Martha Tilston must have found it hard not be inspired as she grew up. She was born in the West Country and is the daughter of English folk singer, Steve Tilston. When her parents split, she moved to somewhere just outside London with her artist mother, who remarried a theatre director. As a teenager she would play the piano every night to the family. This led to Martha writing songs and then picking up the guitar. Throughout she also visited Bristol, where her father and stepmother, Maggie Boyle- also a folk singer – lived. There she would spend time with folk legends like John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Imagine! How could she not be arty?

In 2000, she formed a duo, Mouse, with guitarist Nick Marshall. Releasing two albums, they became extremely popular with the more underground loving, festival goers. However, Martha decided to go solo in 2002, supporting Damian Rice on a tour in Ireland. Then in 2005, she released her first full length album, Blimbling on her own label Squiggly. This album holds Brighton Song, (which is where she was living at the time) a song I adore and makes me think about my years growing up in the hills next to the coastal city. Ah – nostalgia. Bimbling was funded by selling the original canvases she had painted to provide the artwork for the CD.

Martha was nominated for Best New Act at the BBC Folk Awards in 2007. She has since become increasingly popular and has opened the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury. However, she still loves impromptu and small shows. Her love of music outshining any desire for glitz.

Her latest album Lucy and the Wolves, (Squiggly Records through Proper) is out now. It features her glorious band; The Woods, comprising of a host of instruments, including the mandolin, cello, violin and double bass. They truly add and compliment the atmospheric, delicate sound. Favourites include the aforementioned; Wild Swimming and Rockppols. The former, a slow, purposeful song full of delicious lust and feeling. The simile of liberating and beautiful night swimming, illustrating the purity of her love. Whilst Rockpools is also dedication to love and nature, it is centered more on her comfort found in the landscapes and nuggets of beauty. Eyes clapping on a tiny piece of peace, that at that second is shining only for you to see.

To summarise; Martha is thought out, dancing on the hills, living in yurts complete with outdoor fires, English folk. If you like artists like Mary Hampton, Alela Diane and gentle Bellowhead, and you don’t know about Martha Tilston already, then you really should listen. If you don’t like folk, listen anyway, as she will make you feel wrapped up and safe on a blustery January day. Like today.

She is touring in May

If you’re feeling a bit delicate and would quite like to be wafted by a soft feathery fan type device, more about as you contemplate, look Martha Tilston is for you. With songs entitled; Wild Swimming, Rockpools, Space and Firefly, she is all about sweet country and looking out from under the covers. But with the protection of delicate notes and kindness.

I first discovered Martha a few years ago and to be honest, I didn’t really want to tell anyone about her. She is my safety blanket and makes me feel at home. Back when she and I met, I had just left University in Cornwall and was at a loss as to what the hell to do next. My boyfriend and I moved to Bristol and temped for a hideous agency. All winter we were stuck working together inputting money off coupons for Tena Lady. Fabulous for any relationship. We’d cycle there, numb ourselves for eight hours, then cycle home. I kept a notebook by my desk and had my i pod streaming Martha. I wrote loads in those endless, dark hours.

Artifcial:

Then our bikes got stolen, we were laid off Tena Lady, our rented flat was put up for sale and I wrote even more. Martha is good as a background to “Why is the world doing this to me?!” She restores faith.

I give you Silver Dagger:

Literally surrounded by art, Martha Tilston must have found it hard not be inspired as she grew up. She was born in the West Country and is the daughter of English folk singer, Steve Tilston. When her parents split, she moved to somewhere just outside London with her artist mother, who remarried a theatre director. As a teenager she would play the piano every night to the family. This led to Martha writing songs and then picking up the guitar. Throughout she also visited Bristol, where her father and stepmother, Maggie Boyle- also a folk singer – lived. There she would spend time with folk legends like John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Imagine! How could she not be arty?

In 2000, she formed a duo, Mouse, with guitarist Nick Marshall. Releasing two albums, they became extremely popular with the more underground loving, festival goers. However, Martha decided to go solo in 2002, supporting Damian Rice on a tour in Ireland. Then in 2005, she released her first full length album, Blimbling on her own label Squiggly. This album holds Brighton Song, (which is where she was living at the time) a song I adore and makes me think about my years growing up in the hills next to the coastal city. Ah – nostalgia. Bimbling was funded by selling the original canvases she had painted to provide the artwork for the CD.

Martha was nominated for Best New Act at the BBC Folk Awards in 2007. She has since become increasingly popular and has opened the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury. However, she still loves impromptu and small shows. Her love of music outshining any desire for glitz.

Her latest album Lucy and the Wolves, (Squiggly Records through Proper) is out now. It features her glorious band; The Woods, comprising of a host of instruments, including the mandolin, cello, violin and double bass. They truly add and compliment the atmospheric, delicate sound. Favourites include the aforementioned; Wild Swimming and Rockppols. The former, a slow, purposeful song full of delicious lust and feeling. The simile of liberating and beautiful night swimming, illustrating the purity of her love. Whilst Rockpools is also dedication to love and nature, it is centered more on her comfort found in the landscapes and nuggets of beauty. Eyes clapping on a tiny piece of peace, that at that second is shining only for you to see.

To summarise; Martha is thought out, dancing on the hills, living in yurts complete with outdoor fires, English folk. If you like artists like Mary Hampton, Alela Diane and gentle Bellowhead, and you don’t know about Martha Tilston already, then you really should listen. If you don’t like folk, listen anyway, as she will make you feel wrapped up and safe on a blustery January day. Like today.

She is touring in May


All Hipstamatic photography by Matt Bramford

For anybody that’s been under a rock for the past year, medicine Hipstamatic is an iPhone app(lication) that converts your terrible phone camera into an analogue wonder (sort of). For the past year, no rx it has transformed the way we use phone cameras. Once a means of taking quick snaps of your mates having a pint, mind the Hipstamatic app has allowed everybody from Joe Public to professional photographers to capture beautiful images with speed and ease. Hipstamatic pictures now appear everywhere – on the front page of the New York Times, in fashion stories in magazines and on countless websites.

It was only a matter of time, then, that somebody would present an exhibition of Hipstamatic pictures (Jeez that H word is hard to type). The ‘Hipstamatics’ blog allows users from all over the world to submit their photographs and 157 of those submitted have been selected for this unique exhibition. 157, coincidentally, is the number of Hipstamatic 100 analogue cameras that were first produced by Bruce and Winston Dorbowski in the 1980s.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Hipstamatic. It’s transformed the way I take photographs. I would never use the standard camera on the iPhone for photographs to use in posts here, but Hipstamatic allows myself and other contributors to take aesthetically pleasing photographs that perfectly capture whatever it is we’re talking about. There’s also Autostitch, but that’s another story/blog/exhibition…

So what to say of the exhibition? It’s certainly presented brilliantly. Small prints of 6″x6″ cover the walls of the intimate gallery, held up pegged to string. There’s a huge variety of photographs, including obligatory cat portraits, cityscapes, beach scenes, cups of tea, fashion portraits and everything in between. All 157, presented side by side, taken by 157 different people in 157 different places, look fantastic. The problem I have (and I’m aware that I’m bitter for not submitting any of my own) is that everybody can take a great picture with Hipstamatic. That’s the beauty of it. Of course, there’s a certain amount of skill involved and there are some great pictures here that I assume are by professional photographers, or at least people with a damn good eye. Cropping, lighting and subject have all been considered. They’re all brilliant. But I could have done that! Anybody could have!

The best way for me to judge the exhibition is get over myself and ignore the fact that I could have been one of the featured artists. Instead, I’m genuinely pleased that somebody decided to do it. It cements the phenomenon that Hipstamatic has generated. I also think it’s a bit of a social experiment as well as an exhibition. It’s a modern day Duchamp’s Readymades; it questions who and what we should put in a gallery. This is ordinary people using a revolutionary app to create stunning photographs that don’t look out of place at the side of some of the world’s greatest photographers. Of course, I’m sure the exhibition hasn’t launched to be taken so seriously. It’s wonderful to see so many images of a similar nature, from all over the world, side by side.

You do have to wonder though. Can you imagine going to a gallery to see a collection of phone camera pictures? I mean, I’m sure if Hirst or Emin or some other famous wally at the Saatchi Gallery did it we’d all flock to it, but can you really imagine what that might be like? Without the vintage quality of the app – its ghostly vignetting, chromatic aberration, muted colours and film-like texture, the majority of these would just be ordinary personal photographs.

It’s retinal art. There are no hidden meanings or artist’s thought processes, they’re a selection of beautiful pictures and it’s interesting to see how people have used the app in a number of different ways. You can also see, clearly, that each photograph has been considered much more than your typical holiday snap. Many are posed (including the reclining cat – one of my favourites) while others make use of unusual light or extraordinary objects.

The problem I have with Hipstamatic, which becomes clear from the exhibition when you print the images, is that the resolution isn’t wonderful. Some of them had obviously been shot on the lower setting (there are two, and the high-res images aren’t great either) and some images are a little pixelated when you get close up. As a collection, though, this isn’t such a problem – but in a way it reminds us that these are ephemeral photographs and, really, they wouldn’t stand up at the side of traditional film images.

In terms of artist integrity, the exhibition isn’t going to win any awards. But as a Hipstamatic fan, thank God the Hipstamatics have cemented, in this small but effective way, the power and phenomenon of Apple’s App of the Year 2010 in this mesmerising and thought-provoking exhibition. Long may it reign!

Categories ,Bloomsbury, ,Camera, ,Hipstamatic, ,iPhone, ,Orange Dot Gallery, ,Photographs, ,Tavistock Place, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | Exhibition: HIPSTAMATICS at the Orange Dot Gallery, Bloomsbury


All Hipstamatic photography by Matt Bramford

For anybody that’s been under a rock for the past year, Hipstamatic is an iPhone app(lication) that converts your terrible phone camera into an analogue wonder (sort of). For the past year, it has transformed the way we use phone cameras. Once a means of taking quick snaps of your mates having a pint, the Hipstamatic app has allowed everybody from Joe Public to professional photographers to capture beautiful images with speed and ease. Hipstamatic pictures now appear everywhere – on the front page of the New York Times, in fashion stories in magazines and on countless websites.

It was only a matter of time, then, that somebody would present an exhibition of Hipstamatic pictures (Jeez that H word is hard to type). The ‘Hipstamatics’ blog allows users from all over the world to submit their photographs and 157 of those submitted have been selected for this unique exhibition. 157, coincidentally, is the number of Hipstamatic 100 analogue cameras that were first produced by Bruce and Winston Dorbowski in the 1980s.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Hipstamatic. It’s transformed the way I take photographs. I would never use the standard camera on the iPhone for photographs to use in posts here, but Hipstamatic allows myself and other contributors to take aesthetically pleasing photographs that perfectly capture whatever it is we’re talking about. There’s also Autostitch, but that’s another story/blog/exhibition…

So what to say of the exhibition? It’s certainly presented brilliantly. Small prints of 6″x6″ cover the walls of the intimate gallery, held up pegged to string. There’s a huge variety of photographs, including obligatory cat portraits, cityscapes, beach scenes, cups of tea, fashion portraits and everything in between. All 157, presented side by side, taken by 157 different people in 157 different places, look fantastic. The problem I have (and I’m aware that I’m bitter for not submitting any of my own) is that everybody can take a great picture with Hipstamatic. That’s the beauty of it. Of course, there’s a certain amount of skill involved and there are some great pictures here that I assume are by professional photographers, or at least people with a damn good eye. Cropping, lighting and subject have all been considered. They’re all brilliant. But I could have done that! Anybody could have!

The best way for me to judge the exhibition is get over myself and ignore the fact that I could have been one of the featured artists. Instead, I’m genuinely pleased that somebody decided to do it. It cements the phenomenon that Hipstamatic has generated. I also think it’s a bit of a social experiment as well as an exhibition. It’s a modern day Duchamp’s Readymades; it questions who and what we should put in a gallery. This is ordinary people using a revolutionary app to create stunning photographs that don’t look out of place at the side of some of the world’s greatest photographers. Of course, I’m sure the exhibition hasn’t launched to be taken so seriously. It’s wonderful to see so many images of a similar nature, from all over the world, side by side.

You do have to wonder though. Can you imagine going to a gallery to see a collection of phone camera pictures? I mean, I’m sure if Hirst or Emin or some other famous wally at the Saatchi Gallery did it we’d all flock to it, but can you really imagine what that might be like? Without the vintage quality of the app – its ghostly vignetting, chromatic aberration, muted colours and film-like texture, the majority of these would just be ordinary personal photographs.

It’s retinal art. There are no hidden meanings or artist’s thought processes, they’re a selection of beautiful pictures and it’s interesting to see how people have used the app in a number of different ways. You can also see, clearly, that each photograph has been considered much more than your typical holiday snap. Many are posed (including the reclining cat – one of my favourites) while others make use of unusual light or extraordinary objects.

The problem I have with Hipstamatic, which becomes clear from the exhibition when you print the images, is that the resolution isn’t wonderful. Some of them had obviously been shot on the lower setting (there are two, and the high-res images aren’t great either) and some images are a little pixelated when you get close up. As a collection, though, this isn’t such a problem – but in a way it reminds us that these are ephemeral photographs and, really, they wouldn’t stand up at the side of traditional film images.

In terms of artist integrity, the exhibition isn’t going to win any awards. But as a Hipstamatic fan, thank God the Hipstamatics have cemented, in this small but effective way, the power and phenomenon of Apple’s App of the Year 2010 in this mesmerising and thought-provoking exhibition. Long may it reign!

Categories ,Bloomsbury, ,Camera, ,Hipstamatic, ,iPhone, ,Orange Dot Gallery, ,Photographs, ,Tavistock Place, ,vintage

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Amelia’s Magazine | Becoming A Successful Illustrator: An interview with illustrator, publisher and author Derek Brazell

Understanding Illustration_cover_dancing bear

Illustration guru Derek Brazell has an awesome amount of projects on the go – as well as being a successful illustrator in his own right he also works for the Association of Illustrators, publishes the illustration industry bible Varoom, and has recently co-written three essential books about illustration. His first book with collaborator and cohort Jo Davies was Making Great Illustration, (read our review right here), and below he introduces his two most recent publications – Becoming A Successful Illustrator and Understanding Illustration. Read on, and glean some essential advice…

Derek Brazell_portrait

Last year you published Becoming A Successful Illustrator. Why do you think it is so important for illustrators to know more about the business? Do you think it is an especially difficult industry to work in and if so why?
It seems all creative industries can be an initial struggle to get established in, and tenacity and loads of enthusiasm are really important. Co-author, Jo Davies and I wanted to help illustrators get a grip on the side of the business which isn’t the artwork side. If you want to be an illustrator, you also want to make some income from creating artwork, and that means having an understanding of the industry so you can thrive within it. Just having an artistic talent isn’t always enough. So we cover topics in the book including Illustration and the world of work; Working for clients; The art of self-promotion; Getting your work seen; Securing work; Finance and legalities and added in an activities section covering Understanding fees, Promotional strategy, Skills audit, Where to work and Costing commissions.

For this book, Jo and I wanted to combine our varied experiences in the illustration world, both as illustrators since the 1980’s, and myself through a thorough understanding of copyright, licensing and negotiating and Jo’s longstanding teaching experience as professor of illustration at Plymouth University – our ‘insider’ knowledge. We knew we wanted to combine strong, contemporary visuals with solid advice, coupled with first hand quotes from illustrators from across a range of experience – newer artists as well as more established ones. This turned out to be a successful approach to illuminating illustration business, and gives the book a unique voice and visual style.

Becoming a Successful Illustrator cover

How did you decide upon the illustrators that were commissioned for inclusion in the book?
We were keen to break up the chapters in a visual way, and the best solution to that was to commission five illustrators to create a piece around the number of the chapter they were asked to illustrate. It was important that they all looked different, with varied approaches to their artwork, so both Jo and I went back to our research and selected illustrators we liked and then discussed our long list. Some had been taught by Jo at Plymouth University and others were people whose work we generally admired.

BASI_Spread_104-105

What is the single most important thing an illustrator should know before embarking on a new piece of work for a client?
The brief is ultimately the most important element of a commission, as that is what starts off the creative process. And even if it’s a fairly open brief, it’s important to know the parameters of a job. But a close second is what rights are being requested from you by the client, and does the fee you’re asking reflect those rights accurately?

Understanding Illustration_Audrey Niff

Understanding Illustration is a sumptuous volume that was published this year and focuses on the work of a selection of illustrators. How did you choose the ones included and was it difficult choice?
Jo and I spent ages deciding who we thought would best suit Understanding Illustration. There are four sections covering Traditional Uses, Documentary, Message and Off the Printed Page, and we wanted each image to reveal something about the subject in the 21st Century, whether demonstrating the power of illustration to communicate (such as Luba Lukova highlighting social issues and Veronica Lawlor exposing the neglect after the New Orleans flooding disaster), revealing the breath of subjects it deals with, examining the way that illustration functions across a diversity of platform and reflecting on the way that artists create.

So we took a long list and got ruthless with who we thought would really demonstrate the points we were raising with each of the four sections. It meant we ended up with a wonderful diversity of projects: Emma Houlston’s seven foot high monsters for Mulberry fashion house catwalk show, Jan Pienkowski’s delightful silhouette fairy tale images, Victor Ambrus’ battle drawings for Time Team and Richard Johnson’s reportage sketches from Afghanistan.

Understanding Illustration_Message

Can you tell us a bit more about the project?
With Understanding Illustration we wanted to provide a snapshot of what is happening with illustration at this time internationally and emphasise that illustration continues to be powerful – culturally, politically and commercially. And also that the individual illustrator is still important and valued in the creation of imagery, that illustration contributes to other fields of knowledge, working as it does with science, history, conservation, and that it is a vast and evolving subject, constantly re-defining itself, in fascinating ways. So showing amazing work, but also the thinking behind each project.

Understanding Illustration_KristjanaW

What has been your favourite project to work on recently and why?
I feel really passionate about illustration, it’s great to continue to be immersed in that world, so all projects involved with it are enjoyable. Jo and I organized a launch event for Understanding Illustration at Foyles bookstore earlier in the year, and that was great to work on. We invited Sara Fanelli and George Butler, who are both in the book, to speak on the projects we’d featured, and they were really entertaining speakers. Illustrators are so often really nice, generous people.

Understanding Illustration_EmmaH

How does your collaboration with Jo Davies work?
Jo’s often come up with the concept for a book, and then we brainstorm it, spending time on the structure and what’s required and how a reader will approach it. We don’t think people start our books at the beginning and go methodically through, but more probably dip in and out – so it’s got to function well in both contexts. Once we know what we’re doing we divide texts up and write them separately but then send them back and forth for comments – and that seems to work well. Sometimes when I read them back I can’t remember if I did them or Jo did! Unless I interviewed a certain artist, of course. Jo’s great fun to work with as she has a fantastically positive attitude and a really sharp mind.

Understanding Illustration 1

Why do you think that illustration continues to be such an important medium today, and what can it contribute to the visual landscape that perhaps a photograph cannot? 
Illustration has a unique ability to explain a concept and illuminate an idea, but also to be less literal than a photograph, although obviously both disciplines can blur together and produce amazing artwork. Illustration brings so many personal voices to the table, something that possibly is more challenging to create in photography.

Understanding Illustration-2

As well a working at the AOI you also publish Varoom magazine, how do you split your time between these two outlets?
Varoom takes up a substantial amount of my time at the AOI, and it’s great working with editor, John O’Reilly, whom I liaise with over themes and content (plus proof reading and liaising with the designers and printer). I also write as one of the magazine’s contributing editors on Reportage illustration. I feel proud of the depth of writing on illustration in Varoom, and believe it gives a fantastic interrogative platform to the art form. The rest of my time at the AOI is involved with working with other visual artists’ rights organisations including the British Copyright Council on protecting illustrators rights, which are always under threat, running the illustration research network, VaroomLab (we’re holding a conference called Interpretation with Arts University Bournemouth in September), supporting the membership department, and lots of other things!

BASI_spread_KanittaM

How on earth do you churn out the volume of work that you create? What is your secret to such large scale productivity? I am in awe…
It’s exhausting! Doing a full time job and writing complement each other fairly well, as they’re different areas for me, but we wrote Becoming A Successful Illustrator and Understanding Illustration at the same time, for two different publishers, AVA and A&C Black (subsequently AVA was bought by Bloomsbury, so they ended up under the same publishers’ imprints). That meant sidelining my social life for quite some time. Friends were moaning I never saw them for a year, and culture took a back seat. But I’m back having some fun again now.

What other projects do you have lined up and what are you most looking forward to doing during the rest of 2014?
Jo and I have continued promoting our three books (they were all recently featured in Pick Me Up fair’s bookstore) but currently I’m taking a rest from writing books and doing more artwork for myself – working on decorative tiles (on cardboard) and I’ve started a project on trees, my favourite growing things. Something where I can paint a few leaves and think ‘Yep, done some art today’.

Categories ,A&C Black, ,AOI, ,Association of Illustrators, ,Author, ,AVA, ,Becoming A Successful Illustrator, ,Bloomsbury, ,Costing commissions, ,Derek Brazell, ,documentary, ,Emma Houlston, ,George Butler, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Jan Pienkowski, ,Jo Davies, ,John O’Reilly, ,Luba Lukova, ,Making Great Illustration, ,Message and Off the Printed Page, ,Pick Me Up, ,Plymouth University, ,Promotional strategy, ,Richard Johnson, ,Sara Fanelli, ,Skills audit, ,The art of self-promotion; Getting your work seen; Securing work; Finance and legalities, ,Traditional Uses, ,Understanding fees, ,Understanding Illustration, ,Varoom, ,VaroomLab, ,Veronica Lawlor, ,Victor Ambrus, ,Where to work

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Amelia’s Magazine | Book launch: ‘Your voice in my head’ by Emma Forrest

Cockroach Amelia Gregory
Cockroach-tour-Science-Museum-by-Mina-Bach
Cockroach tour by Mina Bach.

A couple of months ago I was invited to visit the Science Museum to dress up as a Cockroach. How on earth could I resist such an invitation? So it was that with trepidation myself and boyfriend strolled up Exhibition Road on a Saturday afternoon. Who would be our fellow Cockroaches? Children? Families? Other slightly bewildered online journos and bloggers?

Cockroach-couple-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach couple by Sarah Matthews

We arrived at the tail end of nibbles in the lecture theatre, recipe and were hastily whisked off to the Cockroach dressing room – right at the front of the museum so that interested passers by (and slightly petrified children) could watch as we donned our Cockroach regalia.

Cockroach Amelia
That’s me, medications dressed as a cockroach. Photo by Tim Adey.

Cockroach by Jessica Holt
Cockroach by Jessica Holt.

The purpose of all this Cockroach fun? Well you might ask… the Science Museum has just opened a swanky new Climate Change Science gallery, all swelling colours and interactive screens that change the digital atmosphere. (Immediate thought: what the hell is powering all this technical gadgetry? I was assured it was green energy).

cockroach tour maria papadimitriou
Cockroach tour by Maria Papadimitriou.

The Cockroach Tour is an art installation commissioned from Danish art collective Superflex – wherein my definition of art is VERY stretched – and takes groups of Cockroaches on a tour of the museum that ends up in the high reaches of the Climate Change Science gallery. The aim being to introduce people to the concept of human idiocy, as viewed through the eyes of a Cockroach, one of the oldest and most resilient life forms on the planet.

Cockroach-boy-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach boy by Sarah Matthews.

For this tour we were led by a rapidly overheating actor. Ah yes, the Cockroach costumes. These are made of fibre glass and that rubbery stuff that you find in lots of kid’s toys these days. Hardly sustainably sound in itself, but very fun, even if my shell did bang rather hard against the back of my knees as I scuttled around the exhibits.

Cockroach tour car
Cockroach tour leader

Sample Cockroach talk: “Why do humans eat pizza when the box is so much more preferable?” I must confess that I really wasn’t listening very hard: it was just too damn distracting to gaze upon Cockroach Boyfriend, knowing that I looked equally ridiculous. The tour was indeed funny, but our leader could have been talking total mumbo jumbo and I would still have been chuckling like a mad woman at the looks on people’s faces. Oh how I love to dress up – we spent most of our time trying to out silly each other’s photos. Did we feel like overgrown children? Hell yes, but that’s no bad thing every once in awhile. After a few wrong turnings we arrived at our final destination, with all it’s interactive Climate Change wizardry, where we finally de-Cockroached.

Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews
Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews.

I’d like to turn a totally blind eye to the principal gallery sponsor (Shell, cough, greenwash, cough) but there has clearly been a large amount of money thrown at the Climate Change projectit was renamed the Climate Science Gallery in the wake of the Climate Scepticism controversy last year (boo, hiss) – so why not get along and enjoy it?

Amelia Cockroach from behind
That’s me showing off my shiny cockroach ass in the Climate Science Gallery.

I personally feel I know enough Climate Change Science to last a lifetime, but for somebody who hasn’t got a wide knowledge this would be a really fun way to get up to the top floor, especially if you have lots of kids in tow, and even just this brief visit reminded me just how much there is to see in the Science Museum, which I haven’t really visited since I was a child. And if you don’t believe me why not watch their very fancy video.

YouTube Preview Image

Cockroach tours are being held every weekend until December 2011, and you can find out more about them and book online here. To celebrate the launch of the tours the Science Museum is offering one lucky winner four places on a tour of the weekend 12-13 February – they will be given a hand held camera and their video will be slicky edited into a film for the winner to keep. Oo-er. More information on this link.

I’m quite tempted to go back and visit their Trash Fashion exhibition myself.

CUCARACHA  COSMOPOLITA by Geiko Louve
CUCARACHA COSMOPOLITA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique
EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

Cockroach-tour-Science-Museum-by-Mina-Bach
Cockroach tour by Mina Bach.

A couple of months ago I was invited to visit the Science Museum to dress up as a Cockroach. How on earth could I resist such an invitation? So it was that with trepidation myself and boyfriend strolled up Exhibition Road on a Saturday afternoon. Who would be our fellow Cockroaches? Children? Families? Other slightly bewildered online journos and bloggers?

Cockroach-couple-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach couple by Sarah Matthews

We arrived at the tail end of nibbles in the lecture theatre, cialis 40mg and were hastily whisked off to the Cockroach dressing room – right at the front of the museum so that interested passers by (and slightly petrified children) could watch as we donned our Cockroach regalia.

Cockroach Amelia Gregory
That’s me, dressed as a cockroach. Photo by Tim Adey.

Cockroach by Jessica Holt
Cockroach by Jessica Holt.

The purpose of all this Cockroach fun? Well you might ask… the Science Museum has just opened a swanky new Climate Change Science gallery, all swelling colours and interactive screens that change the digital atmosphere. (Immediate thought: what the hell is powering all this technical gadgetry? I was assured it was green energy).

cockroach tour maria papadimitriou
Cockroach tour by Maria Papadimitriou.

The Cockroach Tour is an art installation commissioned from Danish art collective Superflex – wherein my definition of art is VERY stretched – and takes groups of Cockroaches on a tour of the museum that ends up in the high reaches of the Climate Change Science gallery. The aim being to introduce people to the concept of human idiocy, as viewed through the eyes of a Cockroach, one of the oldest and most resilient life forms on the planet.

Cockroach-boy-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach boy by Sarah Matthews.

For this tour we were led by a rapidly overheating actor. Ah yes, the Cockroach costumes. These are made of fibre glass and that rubbery stuff that you find in lots of kid’s toys these days. Hardly sustainably sound in itself, but very fun, even if my shell did bang rather hard against the back of my knees as I scuttled around the exhibits.

Cockroach tour car
Cockroach tour leader

Sample Cockroach talk: “Why do humans eat pizza when the box is so much more preferable?” I must confess that I really wasn’t listening very hard: it was just too damn distracting to gaze upon Cockroach Boyfriend, knowing that I looked equally ridiculous. The tour was indeed funny, but our leader could have been talking total mumbo jumbo and I would still have been chuckling like a mad woman at the looks on people’s faces. Oh how I love to dress up – we spent most of our time trying to out silly each other’s photos. Did we feel like overgrown children? Hell yes, but that’s no bad thing every once in awhile. After a few wrong turnings we arrived at our final destination, with all it’s interactive Climate Change wizardry, where we finally de-Cockroached.

Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews
Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews.

I’d like to turn a totally blind eye to the principal sponsor of this gallery (Shell, cough, greenwash, cough) but there has clearly been a large amount of money thrown at what has now been renamed the Climate Science Gallery in the wake of the Climate Scepticism controversy last year (boo, hiss) – so why not get along and enjoy it? Hell, why not enjoy it dressed as a Cockroach?

Amelia Cockroach from behind
That’s me showing off my shiny cockroach ass in the Climate Science Gallery.

I personally feel I know enough Climate Change Science to last a lifetime, but for somebody who hasn’t got a wide knowledge this would be a really fun way to engage any kids you might have in tow. And for the adults – even just this brief visit reminded me just how much there is to see in the Science Museum, which I haven’t really visited since I was a child. And if you don’t believe me why not watch very fancy Cockroach Tour video:

YouTube Preview Image

Cockroach tours are being held every weekend until December 2011, and you can find out more about them and book online here. To celebrate the launch of the tours the Science Museum is offering one lucky winner four places on a tour of the weekend 12-13 February – they will be given a hand held camera and their video will be slicky edited into a film for the winner to keep. Oo-er. More information on this link.

I’m quite tempted to go back and visit their Trash Fashion exhibition myself.

CUCARACHA  COSMOPOLITA by Geiko Louve
CUCARACHA COSMOPOLITA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique
EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

Cockroach-tour-Science-Museum-by-Mina-Bach
Cockroach tour by Mina Bach.

A couple of months ago I was invited to visit the Science Museum to dress up as a Cockroach. How on earth could I resist such an invitation? So it was that with trepidation myself and boyfriend strolled up Exhibition Road on a Saturday afternoon. Who would be our fellow Cockroaches? Children? Families? Other slightly bewildered online journos and bloggers?

Cockroach-couple-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach couple by Sarah Matthews

We arrived at the tail end of nibbles in the lecture theatre, thumb and were hastily whisked off to the Cockroach dressing room – right at the front of the museum so that interested passers by (and slightly petrified children) could watch as we donned our Cockroach regalia.

Cockroach Amelia Gregory
That’s me, order dressed as a cockroach. Photo by Tim Adey.

Cockroach by Jessica Holt
Cockroach by Jessica Holt.

The purpose of all this Cockroach fun? Well you might ask… the Science Museum has just opened a swanky new Climate Change Science gallery, all swelling colours and interactive screens that change the digital atmosphere. (Immediate thought: what the hell is powering all this technical gadgetry? I was assured it was green energy).

cockroach tour maria papadimitriou
Cockroach tour by Maria Papadimitriou.

The Cockroach Tour is an art installation commissioned from Danish art collective Superflex – wherein my definition of art is VERY stretched – and takes groups of Cockroaches on a tour of the museum that ends up in the high reaches of the Climate Change Science gallery. The aim being to introduce people to the concept of human idiocy, as viewed through the eyes of a Cockroach, one of the oldest and most resilient life forms on the planet.

Cockroach-boy-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach boy by Sarah Matthews.

For this tour we were led by a rapidly overheating actor. Ah yes, the Cockroach costumes. These are made of fibre glass and that rubbery stuff that you find in lots of kid’s toys these days. Hardly sustainably sound in itself, but very fun, even if my shell did bang rather hard against the back of my knees as I scuttled around the exhibits.

Cockroach tour car
Cockroach tour leader

Sample Cockroach talk: “Why do humans eat pizza when the box is so much more preferable?” I must confess that I really wasn’t listening very hard: it was just too damn distracting to gaze upon Cockroach Boyfriend, knowing that I looked equally ridiculous. The tour was indeed funny, but our leader could have been talking total mumbo jumbo and I would still have been chuckling like a mad woman at the looks on people’s faces. Oh how I love to dress up – we spent most of our time trying to out silly each other’s photos. Did we feel like overgrown children? Hell yes, but that’s no bad thing every once in awhile. After a few wrong turnings we arrived at our final destination, with all it’s interactive Climate Change wizardry, where we finally de-Cockroached.

Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews
Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews.

I’d like to turn a totally blind eye to the principal sponsor of this gallery (Shell, cough, greenwash, cough) but there has clearly been a large amount of money thrown at what has now been renamed the Climate Science Gallery in the wake of the Climate Scepticism controversy last year (boo, hiss) – so why not get along and enjoy it? Hell, why not enjoy it dressed as a Cockroach?

Amelia Cockroach from behind
That’s me showing off my shiny cockroach ass in the Climate Science Gallery.

I personally feel I know enough Climate Change Science to last a lifetime, but for somebody who hasn’t got a wide knowledge this would be a really fun way to engage any kids you might have in tow. What’s more, even just this brief visit reminded me just how much there is to see in the Science Museum, which I haven’t really visited since I was a child. And if you need any more reason to get down with the Cockroaches why not check out this very fancy Cockroach Tour video:

YouTube Preview Image

Cockroach tours are being held every weekend until December 2011, and you can find out more about them and book online here. To celebrate the launch of the tours the Science Museum is offering one lucky winner four places on a tour of the weekend 12-13 February – they will be given a hand held camera and their video will be slicky edited into a film for the winner to keep. Oo-er. More information on this link.

I’m quite tempted to go back and visit their Trash Fashion exhibition myself.

CUCARACHA  COSMOPOLITA by Geiko Louve
CUCARACHA COSMOPOLITA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique
EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

Cockroach-tour-Science-Museum-by-Mina-Bach
Cockroach tour by Mina Bach.

A couple of months ago I was invited to visit the Science Museum to dress up as a Cockroach. How on earth could I resist such an invitation? So it was that with trepidation myself and boyfriend strolled up Exhibition Road on a Saturday afternoon. Who would be our fellow Cockroaches? Children? Families? Other slightly bewildered online journos and bloggers?

Cockroach-couple-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach couple by Sarah Matthews

We arrived at the tail end of nibbles in the lecture theatre, viagra order and were hastily whisked off to the Cockroach dressing room – right at the front of the museum so that interested passers by (and slightly petrified children) could watch as we donned our Cockroach regalia.

Cockroach Amelia Gregory
That’s me, more about dressed as a cockroach. Photo by Tim Adey.

Cockroach by Jessica Holt
Cockroach by Jessica Holt.

The purpose of all this Cockroach fun? Well you might ask… the Science Museum has just opened a swanky new Climate Change Science gallery, case all swelling colours and interactive screens that change the digital atmosphere. (Immediate thought: what the hell is powering all this technical gadgetry? I was assured it was green energy).

cockroach tour maria papadimitriou
Cockroach tour by Maria Papadimitriou.

The Cockroach Tour is an art installation commissioned from Danish art collective Superflex – wherein my definition of art is VERY stretched – and takes groups of Cockroaches on a tour of the museum that ends up in the high reaches of the Climate Change Science gallery. The aim being to introduce people to the concept of human idiocy, as viewed through the eyes of a Cockroach, one of the oldest and most resilient life forms on the planet.

Cockroach-boy-by-Sarah-Matthews
Cockroach boy by Sarah Matthews.

For this tour we were led by a rapidly overheating actor. Ah yes, the Cockroach costumes. These are made of fibre glass and that rubbery stuff that you find in lots of kid’s toys these days. Hardly sustainably sound in itself, but very fun, even if my shell did bang rather hard against the back of my knees as I scuttled around the exhibits.

Cockroach tour car
Cockroach tour leader

Sample Cockroach talk: “Why do humans eat pizza when the box is so much more preferable?” I must confess that I really wasn’t listening very hard: it was just too damn distracting to gaze upon Cockroach Boyfriend, knowing that I looked equally ridiculous. The tour was indeed funny, but our leader could have been talking total mumbo jumbo and I would still have been chuckling like a mad woman at the looks on people’s faces. Oh how I love to dress up – we spent most of our time trying to out silly each other’s photos. Did we feel like overgrown children? Hell yes, but that’s no bad thing every once in awhile. After a few wrong turnings we arrived at our final destination, with all it’s interactive Climate Change wizardry, where we finally de-Cockroached.

Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews
Cockroach man by Sarah Matthews.

I’d like to turn a totally blind eye to the principal sponsor of this gallery (Shell, cough, greenwash, cough) but there has clearly been a large amount of money thrown at what has now been renamed the Climate Science Gallery in the wake of the Climate Scepticism controversy last year (boo, hiss) – so why not get along and enjoy it? Hell, why not enjoy it dressed as a Cockroach?

Amelia Cockroach from behind
That’s me showing off my shiny cockroach ass in the Climate Science Gallery.

I personally feel I know enough Climate Change Science to last a lifetime, but for somebody who hasn’t got a wide knowledge this would be a really fun way to engage any kids you might have in tow. What’s more, even just this brief visit reminded me just how much there is to see in the Science Museum, which I haven’t really visited since I was a child. And if you need any more reason to get down with the Cockroaches why not check out this very fancy Cockroach Tour video:

YouTube Preview Image

Cockroach tours are being held every weekend until December 2011, and you can find out more about them and book online here. To celebrate the launch of the tours the Science Museum is offering one lucky winner four places on a tour of the weekend 12-13 February – they will be given a hand held camera and their video will be slicky edited into a film for the winner to keep. Oo-er. More information on this link.

I’m quite tempted to go back and visit their Trash Fashion exhibition myself.

CUCARACHA  COSMOPOLITA by Geiko Louve
CUCARACHA COSMOPOLITA by Karla Pérez Manrique.

EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique
EL BAILE DE LA CUCARACHA by Karla Pérez Manrique.


Illustration by Stephanie Thieullent

‘I’m unhappy about my Wellingtons, rxEmma Forrest says as she makes her way through the packed bookshop. ‘I thought it was going to rain and then it didn’t, diagnosis and now I’m a little embarrassed.’ She takes her seat next to David Baddiel, the novelist and comedian who will interview her later. I have to admit I tend to frown upon wellie-wearing not merited by the weather too, but I was going to let that go for Emma the wordsmith. But now it seems not only does she write lovely books full of excellent literary quirks, she has sound wellie-sense too.

Considering she’s here to read from a memoir of manic depression and bereavement, Emma is funny. While unafraid to dig into the heart of the subject matter, ‘Your voice in my head’ is at times a book that makes you laugh out loud. ‘It’s important to include humour, no matter how dark the material is,’ says Emma.


Illustration by Alexandra Rolfe

Clerkenwell Tales, the little independent bookshop on Exmouth Market, was packed to the brim with people wanting to hear Emma read. But if you Google Emma Forrest you will see what she is most famous for, and it has nothing to do with writing. She used to date a certain Hollywood actor, whose name remains hidden behind a pseudonym both in the book and during the reading. But what prompted her to write this book is that just as this all-consuming love affair ended, Emma’s beloved therapist died and left her alone to pick up the pieces. The title of the book is a reflection of her reverence for him, and the book is also a celebration of the good doctor and all the people he helped.


Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

I first discovered Emma Forrest as she published her previous novel, ‘Cherries in the snow’. I loved the book – partially for it being an unusual take on the girl-in-the-city genre (I refuse to call it chick-lit), but also because it is beautifully written with clever turns of phrases and unique metaphors. Waiting for Emma’s next book took five years, before ‘Your voice in my head’ was published a few weeks ago. Born in the UK, Emma now lives in Los Angeles where she’s a screenwriter; ‘There is so much open sky in LA. You really get a sense that your problems aren’t any bigger than anyone else’s, and that things can be dealt with.’


Illustration by Kiran Patel at Illustrating Rain

As the Q&A session wanders from the funny towards the dark, some of the questions, both from Baddiel and the audience, turn incredibly personal. The room grows completely silent as Emma describes the mania. ‘Madness felt like trying to write about music, which is so difficult to describe. Madness and music are a similar place to be.’ And later: ‘It takes a while to be able to choose to leave mania, to choose to get better. But eventually you reach a place where you need to leave it behind, to be part of the world.’ The girl sitting in front of me nods her head gently as Emma speaks, it seems she knows it’s true.

I buy the book and Emma signs it for me; she’s tiny even in her wellie heels. I read it on the train home and miss my stop.


Illustration by Sarah Alfarhan

‘Your voice in my head’ is out now. Read Emma’s blog here.

Categories ,Alexandra Rolfe, ,Bloomsbury, ,book launch, ,Clerkenwell Tales, ,David Baddiel, ,Emma Forrest, ,Exmouth Market, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Illustrating Rain, ,london, ,manic depression, ,memoir, ,mental illness, ,Sarah Alfarhan, ,Stéphanie Thieullent, ,Your voice in my head

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with artist Katherine Tulloh

All Images: Katherine Tulloh, nurse website courtesy of the artist and Transition Gallery

For a new exhibition of film and drawings at East London’s Transition Gallery, sales Katherine Tulloh explores the possibility of a hidden system of codes within Alchemist drawings and the dream diaries created by Swedish Natural Scientist, Swedenborg. In the aftermath of a crisis of spirituality, Swedenborg began researching -with academic rigour- the possibility of an “‘ultra-terrestrial’ London, a secondary city in which spirits inhabited their past lives.

Amelia’s Magazine spoke to Katherine about her interest in writers who utilise London as a character within their own stories and her visualisation of writing through the moving and static image.

Your exhibition at Transition Gallery explores the dream diaries of the Swedish Naturalist Swedenborg. How did you discover the dream journals?

I went into the Swedenborg Society bookshop out of curiosity, I like that part of town (Bloomsbury). It is also near to where Poe lived in London and The Conway Hall. I loved the imagery in the dream diary and the struggle between reason and imagination.

Previously your illustrations and films have explored the literary landscapes of Poe and Baudelaire – what drew you towards visualising their writings?

They are both writers who utilise the city as a character within their own mythology. They blur the line between the now and another world. There is an atmosphere of insubstantial things, essences and emanations, of beauty as a manifestation of a perpetual beyond. Of smoke, fogs, shimmering obfuscations and of a moon setting sail over the city. Through their absent, distant world, I can better see my own city, with its scuffed, graffiti-layered surfaces—another forest of symbols, veilings and half-read signs, a world of unstable meanings, porous images which flow into each other.

Your exhibitions contain both the static and moving image, how would you describe your relationship to these methods of representation?

The drawn images both in the show and the film are an attempt to crystallise a particular idea or thought. The moving three dimensional fimed sections are more about conjuring up a state of mind or world

What possibilities of expression or narrative does film offer over the static image or vice versa?

I can be more open ended with film. When I’m making the images for my film, I create sets and project light and images into them and take hundreds of pictures, so I often end up with something very different from what I began with, film allows me to juxtapose and arrange images and have more than one thing going on at the same time by appealing to both the eyes and the ears. It also overlays images so someone’s impression of the film is a group of visual memories

The sets of the film resemble Victorian Children’s Theatre, possibly a stage for shadow puppets, is this a design inspired by research or relationship to the themes within the films?

I think my Poe film was more theatrical because his writing is very stagey and melodramatic

Where did you study?

Cambridge University and Chelsea College of Art and Design, I studied English BA and Fine Art Painting, which represents both sides of my work really, the literary ideas and the practical realisation.

Which illustrators, artists or filmakers inspire or are used as reference within your work?

The Quay Brothers, David Lynch, Kiki Smith, Paul Klee, Marcel Proust, Goya, Leonardo Da Vinci, Henry Darger

Have you seen Jan Svankmaker’s Alice? It has a similar enigmatic mood as created by your short films.

Yes, I have seen it and I very much like it so I’ll take that as a compliment.

What do you find interesting about Alchemic Drawings or the relationship between Science and Faith?

I like the use of Heiroglyphic language in Alchemy, the linking of the rational and the irrational and the idea that the smallest thing is linked to the greatest, the idea that the whole universe is a code where everything is both itself and something else.

Watercolours are frequently used within your drawings, what attracts you to the medium?

They’re very bright – I use radiant watercolour inks. also I like their irreversableness

Hermetickal is at Transition Gallery until 21st November.
Opening Times: Friday to Sunday 12-6pm.

Categories ,alchemy, ,angels, ,Bloomsbury, ,Cambridge, ,Cathy Lomax, ,chelsea, ,Conway Hall, ,East London, ,Emanuel Swedenborg, ,Faith, ,hieroglyphics, ,Katherine Tulloh, ,london, ,Poe, ,science, ,spirits, ,Transition Gallery, ,Victorian’s Children’s Theatre, ,watercolours

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