Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Michael Van Der Ham

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, medicine but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, capsule leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show was so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing red-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who will he call on to do the familial duties next season?!

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left with a cocky smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family

I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood, Paul himself resplendent in a pair of sparkling white pumps.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, medicine but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, shop leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, view my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show was so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing red-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who will he call on to do the familial duties next season?!

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left with a cocky smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family

I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood, Paul himself resplendent in a pair of sparkling white pumps.
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

You can see more of Antonia Parker and Jenny Robins’ illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, thumb but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, no rx leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, rx my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show was so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing red-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who will he call on to do the familial duties next season?!

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left with a cocky smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family

I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood, Paul himself resplendent in a pair of sparkling white pumps.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Read Matt Bramford’s review of the show here, and Jemma Crow’s review here. You can see more of Antonia Parker and Jenny Robins’ illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, thumb but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, sales leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, thumb my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show seemed so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing red-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who will he call on to do the familial duties next season?!

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left with a cocky smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family

I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood, Paul himself resplendent in a pair of sparkling white pumps.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Read Matt Bramford’s review of the show here, and Jemma Crow’s review here. You can see more of Antonia Parker and Jenny Robins’ illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, viagra dosage but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, find leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show seemed so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing red-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who will he call on to do the familial duties next season?!

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left with a cocky smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family

I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood, Paul himself resplendent in a pair of sparkling white pumps.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Read Matt Bramford’s review of the show here, and Jemma Crow’s review here. You can see more of Antonia Parker and Jenny Robins’ illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, order leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show seemed so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing flame-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who the hell will do the familial duty next season?

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left centre stage with a cocky little smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family
I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood, Paul himself resplendent in a pair of sparkling white pumps.

Read Matt Bramford’s review of the show here, and Jemma Crow’s review here. You can see more of Antonia Parker and Jenny Robins’ illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Ellie Sutton.

Those in the business know that I took quite a few years off from attending the shows, prostate but I’ve been gradually creeping back into LFW and this season Amelia’s Magazine really has been out in force. I’ve attended a record number of catwalk shows and presentations, tadalafil leaving me very little time to actually write or edit photos and commission illustrations. Meanwhile, recipe my wonderful team of contributors have been working their collective butt off. With the result that this is our third blog post about Paul Costelloe… and only my first. And it’s a WEEK since the shows started. Tut tut.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker
Antonia-Parker-A-W-2011-Paul-Costelloe-A
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Antonia Parker.

Last season Paul really cemented his comeback with a well received opener to S/S LFW – which would explain why this show seemed so much better attended than the last… good words can spread like wildfire in fashion land. This season he did it again, despite rumours swirling around on the day that the label went into receivership recently – a quick google search revealing that a new backer in the form of Calvelex was unveiled on the same day of his A/W show. This time it was not his sons but his towering opera singing flame-haired daughter that Paul sent down the catwalk. Does he have anymore offspring squirrelled around somewhere? If not, who the hell will do the familial duty next season?

Paul Costelloe A-W 2011-daughter Jessica
Paul’s daughter Jessica opened the show. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Once Amazonian daughter Jessica had left centre stage with a cocky little smile it was down to business as four pink pyramid-haired ladies strode onto the catwalk en masse, resplendent in emerald and fern green boucle tweed and textured metallic silks swinging coat dresses.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by jenny robins
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Jenny Robins.

The collection swiftly moved through a spectrum of mustards, oranges and red checks on big collared dresses, boxy crop jackets and mini skater skirts, interspersed by the odd splash of luxurious menswear – my favourite being a sumptuous deep red velvet jacket. Swing shapes, splashy flower prints, cowl necks and big collars were the order of the day. Extremely delish, and very more-ish.

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory
Paul Costelloe A/W 2011 by Amelia Gregory

Paul Costelloe A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.LFW A-W 2011-Paul Costelloe family
I managed to sneak a quick photo of Paul Costelloe as he was leaving Somerset House with his massive brood; Paul resplendent in a pair of sparkling new white pumps.

Read Matt Bramford’s review of the show here, and Jemma Crow’s review here. You can see more of Antonia Parker and Jenny Robins’ illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

I spent London Fashion Week staying at my parent’s house. My childhood home with a new kitchen, buy information pills dog ‘brother’, central heating that works and a bath. I’m not going to lie, I enjoyed having my porridge made in the morning. Maple syrup on the side, and a herbal tea, packed lunch filled with snacks. That’s right, I lapped it up. Although Charlie is an excellent boy/man, there is nothing quite like the mother. However they live a few miles outside of Brighton, in a village. Thus the trek to London, the long days and write ups – intense. All because I LOVE it. I deliberated with coming to London for ONE show. But I have in my mind, ‘NO HELS! SAY NOT TO NOTHING!’ at all times. I’m following my writing dream after all. This causes me great pleasures and enormous pains. So, of course, one show or not, I was on that train to London Victoria. And am I glad I made the effort for Fashion Mode?

YES.

Three shows; three excellent shows. I’m going to split Fashion Mode into three posts, because each designer deserves the love. So we will start with Floriet Jayet. Initially I was slightly terrified and in awe of the models coming out. Nothing different to every show you might say. But, this was different, because the models had metal contraptions of their heads that made them look like a cross between special aliens and orthodontic patients. Four strips of silver metal came over their heads from the back, to touch their faces, with an enormous roller at the back. After my initial fear, I decided that they looked cool, as inevitably happens at LFW. See: ‘Urg… ahhh.. yah, I totally get that now. I want one.’ Although I’m not sure I would wear one of these creations, I would certainly consider wearing the dresses, which the metal complimented perfectly. Wiggle space lady, that’s what you are. With lasers from your eyes and hips.

Florian Jayet is a graduate in Biology which explains his science appreciative designs. The dresses featured strong shoulders, midi length skirts and padded fabrics. The shape of the woman is celebrated and appreciated as if it is meant to be seen and not covered – raw biology. The models remind me of those in Huxley’s; Brave New World. Perfect, angular and although feminine, are minus the romanticism and emotional sentimentality, that are sometimes conjured by designers. In a sense Jayet’s pieces are actually a mix of old and our vision of future ideologies. The restricted, but beautiful shapes of the 40s have been fused with modern and excessive details; i.e. the shoulders. The contemporary complimenting the past, and particularly French houses; Chanel and Dior. This makes for a very sophisticated and composed look. It made me want to look closer, at every detail, and know more. As opposed to held within the ruffles, the corset and the red heels, everything seemed so wrapped up, with the story inside. It was whimsical in its own way, but also impenetrable. These outfits are those that I would hope to find in the corner of a cafe in Paris, smoking, mysterious, alone – with a steely, but far away look.

I adored the padding details and the shrug wraps. The space lady, dressed for dinner. The long dresses had a Japanese feel to them, geisha like and graceful. Florian Jayet said that the focus is to create; ‘a fetish wardrobe, pieces that a woman can keep forever, bringing them out on special occasions when she needs to be propelled into confidence and strength.’ It’s fair to say that you would feel empowered wearing Jayet’s pieces. The creams and blacks, shoulders, padding and midi length skirts would have me stomping and demanding like a glossy magazine Editor with somewhere to be. However at the moment it’s more probable I would be in the cafe, with a cigarette and eyes reliving or hoping for something. With an unreadable face, it’s unclear as to whether that may or may not, or will ever happen.


Illustration by Artist Andrea

Well well well Michael Van Der Ham, online what a stunningly beautiful show you have. Velvet and sumptuous jewel colours are fast becoming the only thing to be seen in for A/W 2011 and Van Der Ham was no exception. Being his third season, approved the Dutch designer is known for his collaging of fabrics and this show, in the arched Topshop venue in Old Billingsgate, didn’t disappoint. And it was a first for the designer to show outerwear at one of his shows. Exciting times to come.

So the show opener was a vivid red velvet dress; think asymmetric to the extreme. With one sleeve cut long and one bare shoulder, the image was mirrored in the hemline with (you guessed it) one side short and one side longer. The cut detailing of the pieces was really well thought out and only showed how prolific a designer Van Der Ham will become.


Illustration by Artist Andrea

Although this was a collection mostly about the dresses (isn’t it always), there was a distinct presence of trousers. Now this season does seem to be all about the lady but there’s a small section of wider leg trousers coming through in sensual evening fabrics. Van Der Ham showed his in silky ochres and burnt oranges but the more stand out pieces were the fringed ballet pink trousers; delicious and the mad piece of the collection.

I just want to talk about the shoes for a second too. Not that they’re actually part of the designer’s collection but they complimented the pieces so well they’re already on my wish list. And they’re simply a pair of black suede wedge shoe boots but they made the legs look super long (not that they needed to) so a great choice to team with the dresses.

Showing a slightly more muted side the second half of the collection was a montage of (again) ballet pink chiffon skirts, black boiled wool jackets and silky blouses. The outerwear and the knits were the new foray for Van Der Ham which suited him well, definitely something to continue for the seasons to come.

I know I’ve said this before (only sparingly but still….) but this was one of my favourite collections by far this season. Everybody’s got to love a bit of velvet in fashion and when it’s dressed in the sumptuous colours that Michael Van Der Ham showed. And if its good enough for all of Team Guardian and Team Elle (who waltzed straight into the venue) then its good enough for me.

See more of Artist Andrea’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Artist Andrea, ,Catwalk review, ,Champagne, ,Elle, ,fashion, ,Fringing, ,Guardian, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Michael van der Ham, ,Old Billingsgate, ,Risotto, ,topshop

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Amelia’s Magazine | Gagging the Guardian – The truth is out, or is it?

Zanditon 2 red bl

Fashion Scout now in its 7th year, medical story has once again brought us a well balanced diet of young innovators and box-fresh talent.

Ones To Watch” provided a menu of gothic grandeur, tea stained Venuses, beaded suits and eco constructivism.

The designers culled for this presentation are Serbian Marko Mitanovski, celebrity autopsy inspired Hermione DePaula, CSM grad Dean Quinn and Ada Zanditon.

MMitanovski1

The ancient Serbian forests and dark folkoric characters provided a bottomless source of imagery for Marko Mitanovski’s black leather creations.

The slow pace of the models allowed for detailed gazing at the leather laces crowned with furry antlers. The designs were reminiscent of Ebony tree nymphs crossed with the witch whose poisoned apple sent Snow White to slumberland.

MMitanovski2

According to Mitanovski the outfits were the result of a 15 strong studio team who ruched, beaded and laced scaled-up versions of Elizabethan collars shaping them into skirts, capes and collars.

Vintage beauty stylists from Nina’s Hair Parlour wrapped the life-size foam antlers in hair, elevating the looks to showpiece status. Mitanovski kept the production of the designs local by sourcing materials from local manufacturers and having his accessories, shoes and bags produced in Belgrade.

The performance was set to the sounds of (his favorite) a Nirvana track, reworked by his friends’ quartet.

HDePaula3

HDePaula2

A sweet compliment to Mitanovski’s rich palette was Hermione DePaula’s hand painted chiffon washes in nude, caramel and ivories. The body was displayed through delicate shapes created by frayed and tightly clustered burgundy chiffon collars over bodysuits and billowing trousers.

HDePaula3

The pieces possessed a sensual magnetism that appears in accordance to the inspiration for the collection. DePaula started by looking atthe ultra realistic life-sized wax models used in the teaching of medicine. These dolls were often made with real hair and wore ornamental jewellery, DePaula was inspired by these wax “Venus’ multi-colored interior with removable parts that reveal the mystery of the inner workings of the female body.” The idea was taken a step further by dubbing the collection “Las Venus” in a nod to tabloid fascination with celebrity.

Quinn1

Dean Quinn, whom we spotted at CSM’s BA show this spring brought his graduate collection of Blade Runner inspired beaded suits ( i implore you to fight the urge to think of Elvis onesies right now) in film noir blacks and whites.

Sharp satin suits with the occasional exaggerated shoulder were detailed with domino tracks of beads. The porcupine beads were, as much great art is, an accident of miscalculation. When threaded too tight the little beads are forced to stand on end. A delicate thing to control but a great effect.

Quinn2

Wildcard designer Ada Zanditon produced haexagons in a geometric bleu blanc rouge of cocoon coats, high waisted trousers and cropped tops. Her beehive inspired collection carried the theme through heavy cottons, silks and folded organza petals.

zanditon 1

The conceptual designs are not surprising, considering that Ada Zanditon has previously worked for Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh. However Zanditon remains steadfast in the eco couture ring (see Amelia’s Magazine coverage of The Ethical Fashion Fair in Paris for details on Zanditon’s commitment to sustainable fashion).

zanditon 2 bl

Check out Amelia’s Magazine April 09 interview with Ada
Today’s published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week in Parliament. However the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, online who specialise in suing the media for clients, viagra sale have attelpted to put a gagging order on the Guardian, this web preventing them from reporting on the debate. It is one of the most shocking media related story and the first of it’s kind to be seen in Britain for some time. However the tweeting nation and networking outlets have taken on the gauntlet. In a single day the story had been uncovered and spread around the world and became an instant twitter ‘trendsetter.’ The solicitors Carter-Ruck have just backed down from this gagging and means a great victory for twitter and freedom of speech.

twit3

The concerned question relates to the Trafigura Corporation who have been revealed to be dumping toxic waste into the sea near the Ivory Coast. An action that has caused death and illness in the surrounding areas as well as an undisclosed amount of environmental pollution.

There is no such thing as bad publicity; if the gagging order hadn’t been put on the Guardian newspaper the story would have been swepped under the carpet like the numerous articles each day relating to atrocities around the world. As it happens the Trafigura story was largely ignored by the mainstream when it was reported in the media a few weeks ago. People would see the article in the newspaper or online, skim over it and move on to the latest shocking Jordan revelation.

Instead, because of an attempt to hide the story, it’s hit the big time and has aforementioned become an instant trendsetter on Twitter and other social networking sites. When the freedom of the media is threatened it seems everyone jumps on the bandwagon.

What it yet to be seen is if the bloggosphere will get onto the streets and do something other than sitting at their computers trying to get a few more hits. With the recent Speech DeBelle fiasco, where the huge following on the internet failed to reciprocate to the live gigs as well as twitter celebrities realizing they are just that. It makes me a little concerned with this growing trend of online activism, is it the modern day equivalent of the armchair complaint? Will the real action that we need to see become something of the past?

twit2

The flashmob planned for this Thursday at 1pm out side the offices of Carter-Ruck will be an interesting event to watch, will it be comprised of the usual suspects; the people protesting tirelessly each week against the global crisis that threatens us from corporations just like Trafigura? People labeled by the blogosphere as the ‘liberal types and unwashed hippy do-gooders’ or will we see this unseen population, the thousands if not millions who seem concerned with this issue? Smittenkitten for example tweets – ‘RT @stephenfry Public disgust at barbaric assault on free speech is being collected under #trafigura who are accused of dumping toxic waste,’ check her previous tweets and they are about what she has been watching on TV every night this week or how much she loves her new tabby kitten. Will we see you on the streets smittenkitten? I think not.

twit1

Saying this, I can see there is some integrity in social networks sites creating change and hopefully this backlash against the gagging order will uncover some truths. I appreciate there are many who are clearly concerned with the issue, and are helping to make get the truth out, like the intrepid new-gatherers who hunted down the Order Book for Parliament which meant that anyone could see what the story was really about. The solicitors Carter-Ruck have backed down from this gagging order but the real Trafigura problem is still there and lets hope the blogging world does not forget that.

Lets just hope people see it as a chance to become involved with real action on the streets, that we need to see to achieve change, something I hope to see as a mainstream ‘trend’ in the not so distant future.

Categories ,blog, ,Carter-Ruck, ,flashmob, ,Guardian, ,Guardian gagging, ,protest, ,streets, ,Trafigura, ,trends, ,trensetting, ,twitter

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Amelia’s Magazine | Ken dumps Barbie: Greenpeace’s Indonesia Deforestation Campaign

Barbie and Ken by Claire Byrne
Barbie and Ken by Claire Byrne

Ken dumped Barbie. Over trees and endangered tigers. Seriously. You probably already know this, web since the Greenpeace campaign that first revealed this earth-shattering piece of news has been all over the Internet in the last two weeks.

Barbie Crying by Claire Kearns
Barbie Crying by Claire Kearns.

But it’s time to wipe those tears off your keyboard. Not only has this traumatic event turned Ken into quite the eco-warrior and provided some great moments of Twitter comedy, seek but Amelia’s Magazine illustrators have responded, buy information pills providing the greatest collection of illustrations of a chainsaw-wielding Barbie you might ever see in one place.

Barbie with chainsaw by Claire Byrne
Barbie with chainsaw by Claire Byrne

Barbie was dumped by Ken after Greenpeace discovered that her maker, Mattel (and other toy companies like Disney), use packaging produced by a company called Asia Pulp and Paper, part of a huge conglomerate called Sinar Mas, accused of major deforestation in Indonesia. This deforestation is pushing critically endangered species like the Sumatran tiger ever further towards extinction.

Barbie Deforrestation by Anna Blachut
Barbie Deforrestation by Anna Blachut.

This particular Barbie campaign actually only scratches the surface of an investigation into how global toy manufacturers are complicit in Indonesia’s deforestation problem. Watch this brilliant graphicy animation video for an explanation of Greenpeace’s findings:

Toying With Deforestation
YouTube Preview Image

It was a wise move to link the broad issue of deforestation in toy packaging and manufacture to the most famous toy (read ‘most mass produced gender-conditioning piece of plastic’) in the world. It even topped Creative Review’s ‘Nice Work’ list for advertising on the 10th of June. It’s a shame Ken hasn’t embraced his inner rebel enough to more openly blame Mattel rather than his ex over this, but I suppose that’s the job of Greenpeace. Ken is still finding his voice, as his heart wrenching twitter updates show, and I have a feeling he’s gradually unleashing the hitherto dormant revolutionary within. Equally shameful is the fact that the feminist within me finds images of Barbie wielding a tool instead of a handbag strangely satisfying. Let’s just hope that Barbie sees the light, joins Ken and decides to become an eco feminist or something asap.

barbie by karla-perez
Barbie by Karla Perez.

The fact that we live on a planet where rainforest destruction and species extinction is contributed to in even the smallest way by the packaging for a plastic toy is, quite frankly, weird. How did it come to this? Despite a huge movement to increase our awareness of the environmental impact of fashion and food, toys haven’t been touched upon with the same momentum. And yet toys are associated with our most formative years, so an awareness of what goes into their production is essential.

Barbie by Liz Rowland
Barbie by Liz Rowland.

One of my all-time favourite books is Mythologies by Roland Barthes. It was included in the Guardian’s recent 100 Greatest Non Fiction Books list last week, one of only three chosen for the culture category. It investigates the hidden political, economic and cultural ideologies behind everyday aspects of mass culture – from washing powder, to the burlesque dancer, to cars, wine, cheese and plastic.

Barbie logging truck by Claire Byrne
Barbie logging truck by Claire Byrne.

My favourite essay is the one on Toys, where Barthes explores our increasing obsession with plastic toys, as opposed to simple constructions and tools made of natural materials.

Barbie by Novemto Komo
Barbie by Novemto Komo.

The way I understand it, right from childhood we are taken further and further away from the process of making and creating. From day one we’re encouraged to be mindless consumers of complex finished products, emotionally and physically removed from how they were made, who made them and where the materials came from.

Barbie by Zofia Walczak
Barbie by Zofia Walczak.

This is something we could easily continue into adulthood, through the dreamy lifestyle mythologies in fashion and technology advertising. To me this Barbie campaign is an attention-grabbing antidote to this broader cultural issue, as well as a solid evidence-based environmental campaign.

You can check the Greenpeace UK blog for various ways to get involved, the latest of which involves rating and reviewing Barbie’s ‘dirty deforestation habits’ on Amazon (brilliant, do it!).

Categories ,Anna Blachut, ,Asia Pulp and Paper, ,Barbie, ,Claire Byrne, ,Claire Kearns, ,Creative Review, ,deforestation, ,Disney, ,Greenpeace, ,Guardian, ,Illegal, ,Indonesia, ,Karla Perez, ,Ken, ,Liz Rowland, ,Mattel, ,Mythologies, ,Novemto Komo, ,Plastic, ,rainforest, ,Roland Barthes, ,SInar Mas, ,Sumatran Tiger, ,Toys

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Amelia’s Magazine | Climate Camp 2010 at the RBS HQ in Edinburgh: a Break the Banks action round up.

Climate Camp 2010-nature doesnt
All photography by Amelia Gregory unless otherwise stated.

Over the past few years I have become increasingly embedded in the process of Climate Camp, see so I am well aware that the run up to this year’s Climate Camp has been more fraught with difficulties than ever – but as a spectacularly open grassroots non-heirarchical direct action organisation we would be the first to acknowledge this fact. We argued long and hard about whether RBS was an appropriate target for this year’s activities, physician and we picked our spot without really checking in with Scottish activists who were not present at the meeting, information pills thereby alienating some of our allies… so it’s a testament to the movement we’ve created that I left the Edinburgh camp feeling that Climate Camp, whatever nebulous thing that might be, is stronger than ever. We may not have grown in numbers but there has been a definite increase in the quality of active participation and we are slowly becoming more diverse too – there was a notable improvement in our age, class and racial make up this year, though we still have a long way to go.

Climate Camp 2010-camp life
Climate Camp 2010-scene

And we were successful – we didn’t for one moment imagine that we would make the same kind of splash in the national media as we have in other more southern based years (journalists are notoriously bad at travelling for any kind of story: witness the lack of press surrounding our extremely successful Ratcliffe on Soar action in October 2009) but we certainly made big news in the Scottish press, we did loads of outreach and best of all WE GOT IN THE WAY. We shut shit down and generally made a nuisance of ourselves that served to highlight climate and community wrecking investments in tar sands, open cast coal and biofuels. We’ve cost RBS and the companies it funds a certain amount of money and reputation, and we’ve got people talking.

Climate Camp 2010-welcome
Climate Camp 2010-setting up site
Setting up site.

So, back to the beginning. I was part of the initial Land Grab on Wednesday evening…. which meant taking two days to get up to Scotland and not at any point giving away our whereabouts. On arrival at our destination we scrambled through fields in search of the huge seven tonne truck that transports our big marquee poles, already parked in the middle of the manicured lands that belong to the RBS HQ. From there I walked into the adjoining field and marvelled at our audacity, for we’ve never been this close to our target before. There it was, the HQ lit up like a giant christmas tree well into the night, rumoured to be so large that it supports its very own supermarket. It seemed almost impossible that with only a hundred people we might take this second field too, but take it we did because soon people were trundling around with wheelbarrows full of tat (an all encompassing word to describe all the stuff we need to run a camp). From the top of the man made mound we could see right into the glass walled HQ, where bored workers were no doubt entertained by us for a few days before RBS decreed they should work from home.

YouTube Preview Image

By the time I got up the next morning the site was already humming with activity and new campers who had joined us over the course of the night when they heard about our location via text and twitter. This year’s site, as well as being the cheekiest we have ever taken was also the most beautiful, and abundant with wildlife: mice, frogs and lots and lots of slugs. It’s long layout did however put paid to the permaculture plans we have adhered to in previous years, and necessitated a long walk from one end to the other.

Climate Camp 2010-set up

My role at Climate Camp has settled into a bit of a routine – taking photos, video and twittering. It leaves precious little time for physical work around site and I’m usually to be found in the media tent or rushing around on an action. We had incredibly bad reception on this site, and I soon became friendly with the Comms tent which was sited on the top of the hill and had a better 3G signal. For those of you who don’t know what I’m wittering on about, Comms refers to our defence and communications system which works by collating information from people on all the gates around site. It’s a 24 hour a day job and this year it was skill shared in a most impressive way for the first time.

Climate Camp 2010-media team
Some of the media team.

I think we’d all been fearful that this camp would be much less well attended than previous ones, but by Friday I estimate that there were almost 1000 people on site, and it felt as though they were all there for a purpose. At Blackheath last year we really focused on outreach and both that and our location ensured rather a lot of sightseeing which unfortunately meant that direct action took a major back seat to workshops. This time the workshops timetable was slimmer, and from early on there was a notable amount of small affinity groups planning direct action in the tall grass. This I think is a good development. And take direct action we did – every day. Here are some of the best actions I took part in:

Climate Camp 2010-refugee camp

1. Taking the land, obviously.
The biggest direct action of them all – it’s hard not to be nervous with an action like this on which the rest of Climate Camp depends. We stopped in at some charity shops for entertaining cut price CDs on our way northwards, and as we drove towards our swooping point we played the Star Wars theme tune at top volume. Despite our huge truck and noisy scrambling it took the police at least half an hour to arrive, by which time we were able to hold the space and had started erecting tents by torchlight. It did, however, mean that the advertised swoop the next day was a bit of a damp squib, and some of the participants must have felt a bit left out of all the excitement.

Climate Camp 2010-site take
Erecting the first marquees on site by torchlight.

2. Raising a Ruckus
On Friday we held a merry little dance parade around the RBS offices, culminating in an incursion into a conveniently open entrance where we jumped up and down in the doorway whilst security looked bemused and staff gazed down from the floors above. At the same time, unbeknownst to us, a lone activist had infiltrated the offices as a banker and stuck herself to a reception desk, where she berated RBS for agreeing to fund Vedanta’s mining activities on the sacred lands of the Dongria Kondh tribe in India. We later learnt that she had changed her name to Dongria Kondh by deed poll the week before, declaring that she would only change it back if RBS retracted funding. Fortunately it was announced this week that India has blocked the mining operation. Though I quite like Dongria Kondh as a name….

Climate Camp rouser
Climate Camp rouser door
YouTube Preview Image

3. A Lady Gaga tribute: the Dirty Oil dance action
Conscious of Climate Camp’s decision to descend on Scotland without much forethought about how we could support local struggles I volunteered to attend the solidarity demo against a new coal mine at Cousland, but then I was reminded that I had also promised to document my Green Kite Midnight friends’ musical action. Lady Gaga won out in the end. Standing inside a small candy striped marquee we learnt new lyrics to Poker Face, featuring the immortal lines:

It’s getting hot, the planet’s nearly shot
We’ll make them stop, we’re putting up a block

Tar sands is dirty oil
Can’t use my, can’t use my taxes no
To invest in dirty oil

Climate Camp 2010-gaga rehearsal
Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil
Rehearsing dance moves and getting ready to leave.

By midday we were ready to take our act to the streets of Edinburgh. With black bin bag bows in hair and fluorescent waistcoats we marched with resolve towards the biggest branch of RBS on St Andrews Square…. to find it already closed. Closed by the threat of song and dance. Score! We then set off on a tour through the town centre, jumping an RBS fringe stage for a special ten minute non-sponsored rendition. You can watch this here. We taught some onlookers the dance moves, bumped into the Greenwash Guerillas en route and handed out loads of leaflets.

Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil Gaga
Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil Gaga-on steps
Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil Gaga-fringe stage
Crowds watch us at the Fringe
Climate Camp 2010-fringe audience
and the Greenwash Guerillas…
Climate Camp 2010-Greenwash Guerillas

4. Sunday site incursion
I knew there were plans afoot but I wasn’t quite prepared for the huge mass of people dancing towards me in white paper boiler suits. And then they carried on dancing their way over the bridge to RBS, pushing the police back with ease and racing around the corner towards an unguarded part of the RBS HQ. When I got there it became apparent that they had completely taken the police by surprise and several windows had been smashed as the morass propelled forward. For a short moment chaos reigned as the police tried and failed to contain the seething crowd (who needs Black Bloc when you’ve got White Bloc, as one twitterer noted) and they were successfully able to de-arrest several people.

RBS site incursion march
RBS site incursion
RBS site invasion tussle
RBS Sunday invasion

Unfortunately this short point of panic enabled the police to gain the upper hand, and if the intention had been to get in and hold the building we had lost the head start. After two arrests there was a brief stand off with police at the bridge and the action petered out, the white garbed frontline on the bridge replaced by a large white fluffy bunny. I kid thee not.

Climate Camp 2010-white bunny

At our evening plenary a dampener was put on the situation almost immediately. Unfortunately the action had been badly timed to coincide with a speech from our visiting tar sands activists, who had felt seriously disrespected by the disruption to their workshop. They were also uncomfortable with the apparent violence of smashing windows, as were a few others. Through skilful facilitation we were able to talk through these issues, with many good points being made that Climate Camp comprises a diverse range of people who use different tactics, and whilst we would never ever condone physical violence against people, corporate property is another matter altogether. All successful direct action campaigns have attacked physical infrastructure, from the Suffragettes to the 1990s road protest movement. Causing infrastructure damage hits a company where it hurts: their pockets.

Climate Camp 2010-meeting
An early site-wide meeting.

We’ve always been very careful with our language, although the media often insists on referring to us as “peaceful” or NVDA (Non Violent Direct Action). In another twist seasoned activists have levelled many criticisms at us over the past few years with regards to us being too media friendly. For many this action proved that we really are capable of doing more than the media stunts and banner drops of recent times. It was also acknowledged that whilst we could sympathise with the feelings of First Nations activists it could not dictate the way that Climate Camp works, and indeed whilst we should work hard at international bonds we should not deify indigenous peoples above our local communities. We finished the meeting with a euphoric group hug that seemed to express: Yes! We are powerful together! We can break through police lines and inflict serious physical damage to a building! With a bit more intent we could have got into the HQ and dug in for the duration: of that I have no doubt.

Climate Camp 2010-serving dinner
Serving dinner at the South Coast neighbourhood.

5. The RBS Trojan Pig leaking molasses outside Cairn Energy offices
At just past 9am I dropped my half drunk tea and ran full tilt out of the cafe where I had been sitting on Lothian Road. Ahead of me a group of people in black ceremoniously carried a large pink pig – eyes painted with the RBS logo – up the impressive granite steps of the offices for Cairn Energy, who received £117 million in loans from RBS last year, some of which helped them to start drilling for oil off the coast of Greenland. Two activists sprayed molasses against the side of the building in decorative swirls as more molasses seeped out of the pig and down the steps. A security guard briefly looked on, but never moved the large pink carcass which was reported later that day as forlornly pushed aside on the steps. Ironically it is only because of climate change and melting ice that Cairn Energy are able to drill in the polar regions as new oil reserves are revealed. By coincidence a Greenpeace ship reached the drill rig on our day of action, where it was met by a Danish warship. It is hoped that lots of activists will join Crude Awakening, a day of mass action against oil supported by Climate Camp on Saturday October 16th in London.

Cairn Trojan Pig parade
Cairn Trojan Pig molasses
YouTube Preview Image

6. Shutting down Nicolson Street branch of RBS
The weather was not kind to us on our main day of action, and getting lost en route to my next destination didn’t help. By just after 10am I was soaked through to the skin. Across the entrance to Nicolson Street RBS three of my friends glued themselves together with green posters pinned to their fronts that said “Ask me why I won’t bank with RBS“. As customers arrived they engaged them in conversation and then let them duck under their arms. With musicians and a small gaggle of Lady Gaga impersonators I went inside to be greeted by an old man grumbling bad-temperedly at the counter. He then proceeded to watch several reprises of the Dirty Oil song and dance routine, by now familiar to all. Next up was a reinvigorated version of the Gloria Gaynor classic I Will Survive, and as we moved outside the police finally arrived. I went to upload some tweets and when I returned journalists and photographers were out in force and the branch had been closed. Later that day another bunch of activists dressed in bin bags and dripping in molasses closed down the same branch.

Climate Camp 2010-Nicholson-RBS
Climate Camp 2010-Nicholson-RBS 2

7. We’ve built a Rhino Siege Tower!
Yes really. At the top of the hill above RBS what looked like a watch tower had risen during the course of the camp, gaining painted corrugated metal sides and a roof. And perhaps best of all a huge paper mache Rhino head attached to it’s derriere. I got back from the mornings actions to find a huge gaggle of people surrounding the tower, all dressed in wonderful outfits, inspired by medieval battle, clowns, animals and pagan dress. And then we waited…. and waited… and joked about slow action being the new slow food movement. Finally, we were ready to roll. The siege tower was on wheels. And with people guiding it via a series of ropes and pulleys it began to inch it’s way around the wind break and down the hill as we all held our breath and prayed that it didn’t topple into the bank of photographers waiting below. This process took about four hours, by which time I’d long since stopped worrying that I would miss anything crucial every time I went to recharge my damn iphone again. Over at the bridge a series of mollassapaults were fired onto the HQ by black clad activists. And then as we finally crawled towards the gate the rain really set in. Dancing animals met lines of riot police and squirted silly string over their heads as the Siege Tower finally cleared a low hanging branch and the rhino headbutted a police van.

Climate Camp Rhino Seige Tower
Climate Camp 2010-scary clown
Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino-hits van

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a line of riot cops so bemused. What the hell were we doing? On the side of the tower There Is No Planet B had been painted over at some point during the long journey to say There Is No Plan. My camera decided to complain about the incessant rain. It packed up. I decided to call it a day, and soon so did many soggy others. The Guardian’s live blog had long since stopped reporting on our actions of the day since most of them were done in the morning – including a very brilliant banner drop off the roof of Forth Energy in Leith in protest of a new and huge biomass scheme that would require the mass importation of vast quantities of wood chip.

Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino-frontline
Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino-sillystring
mollassapault tim morozzo
The mollassapault. Photography by Tim Morozzo.

And so, we didn’t give the mainstream media the huge action they might have liked. Instead we gave them lots of small and effective affinity group actions across Edinburgh and beyond, as planned. Topped off with the most surreal action of them all – a Rhino Siege Tower that effectively closed down the RBS HQ merely through creative farce and the power of suggestion. Sometimes my heart is so full of love for the thing that is Climate Camp that it feels fit to burst.

Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino

Other highlights of this years’ camp included a storming ceilidh (apologies to the Scottish for making this word our own) with my band Green Kite Midnight, spoken word from Harry Giles, visits from Fringe comedians Albie Philbin Bowman and Josie Long, and dancing long into the night after our day of action. Despite all the trials and tribulations of being so involved with Climate Camp I can’t wait to see what we come up with next. Even if we didn’t Break the Banks you’ve got to admit it was a damn good slogan, and we’ve successfully managed to highlight the investment of our money in fossil fuels to a far wider public. Now we just need to change the system that encourages wanton consumption of fossil fuels to the wide scale detriment of the only planet we have to live on. Who’s up for helping out?

You can watch lots more of the videos that I took on my Qik channel here.

Climate Camp 2010-Albie Philbin Bowman
Albie Philbin Bowman performs for us.
See some of Josie Long’s performance on this link.

Many other inspiring actions happened across the course of the camp, but these did not include the supposed oil spill on the A8 on Monday morning, as press released by the police. Our targets have always been corporations and the government not innocent people, but isn’t it somehow predictable that the press picked up on the “oil spill” so relentlessly – happy to reel it off as fact without adequate research or proof. More on how the press have related to this year’s Climate Camp in my next blog post here.

Climate Camp 2010-compost loos
A beautiful painted compost loo.
Climate Camp 2010-anarchist baby
Climate Camp 2010-RBS bridge
Climate Camp 2010-bunny

Categories ,Albie Philbin Bowman, ,Cairn Energy, ,Climate Camp, ,coal, ,comedy, ,Cousland, ,Crude Awakening, ,Direct Action, ,dirty oil, ,Dongria Kondh, ,edinburgh, ,Edinburgh Fringe, ,First Nations, ,Gloria Gaynor, ,Green Kite Midnight, ,Greenland, ,Greenpeace, ,Greenwash Guerillas, ,Guardian, ,Harry Giles, ,Josie Long, ,Lady Gaga, ,Nicolson Street, ,NVDA, ,Oily Gaga, ,police, ,Raising a Ruckus, ,Ratcliffe On Soar, ,RBS, ,RBS HQ, ,RBS Trojan Pig, ,Rhino Seige Tower, ,Riot police, ,Royal Bank of Scotland, ,Suffragettes, ,Tar Sands, ,Tim Morozzo, ,twitter, ,Vedanta

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Amelia’s Magazine | Climate Camp 2010 at the RBS HQ in Edinburgh: a Break the Banks action round up.

Climate Camp 2010-nature doesnt
All photography by Amelia Gregory unless otherwise stated.

Over the past few years I have become increasingly embedded in the process of Climate Camp, see so I am well aware that the run up to this year’s Climate Camp has been more fraught with difficulties than ever – but as a spectacularly open grassroots non-heirarchical direct action organisation we would be the first to acknowledge this fact. We argued long and hard about whether RBS was an appropriate target for this year’s activities, physician and we picked our spot without really checking in with Scottish activists who were not present at the meeting, information pills thereby alienating some of our allies… so it’s a testament to the movement we’ve created that I left the Edinburgh camp feeling that Climate Camp, whatever nebulous thing that might be, is stronger than ever. We may not have grown in numbers but there has been a definite increase in the quality of active participation and we are slowly becoming more diverse too – there was a notable improvement in our age, class and racial make up this year, though we still have a long way to go.

Climate Camp 2010-camp life
Climate Camp 2010-scene

And we were successful – we didn’t for one moment imagine that we would make the same kind of splash in the national media as we have in other more southern based years (journalists are notoriously bad at travelling for any kind of story: witness the lack of press surrounding our extremely successful Ratcliffe on Soar action in October 2009) but we certainly made big news in the Scottish press, we did loads of outreach and best of all WE GOT IN THE WAY. We shut shit down and generally made a nuisance of ourselves that served to highlight climate and community wrecking investments in tar sands, open cast coal and biofuels. We’ve cost RBS and the companies it funds a certain amount of money and reputation, and we’ve got people talking.

Climate Camp 2010-welcome
Climate Camp 2010-setting up site
Setting up site.

So, back to the beginning. I was part of the initial Land Grab on Wednesday evening…. which meant taking two days to get up to Scotland and not at any point giving away our whereabouts. On arrival at our destination we scrambled through fields in search of the huge seven tonne truck that transports our big marquee poles, already parked in the middle of the manicured lands that belong to the RBS HQ. From there I walked into the adjoining field and marvelled at our audacity, for we’ve never been this close to our target before. There it was, the HQ lit up like a giant christmas tree well into the night, rumoured to be so large that it supports its very own supermarket. It seemed almost impossible that with only a hundred people we might take this second field too, but take it we did because soon people were trundling around with wheelbarrows full of tat (an all encompassing word to describe all the stuff we need to run a camp). From the top of the man made mound we could see right into the glass walled HQ, where bored workers were no doubt entertained by us for a few days before RBS decreed they should work from home.

YouTube Preview Image

By the time I got up the next morning the site was already humming with activity and new campers who had joined us over the course of the night when they heard about our location via text and twitter. This year’s site, as well as being the cheekiest we have ever taken was also the most beautiful, and abundant with wildlife: mice, frogs and lots and lots of slugs. It’s long layout did however put paid to the permaculture plans we have adhered to in previous years, and necessitated a long walk from one end to the other.

Climate Camp 2010-set up

My role at Climate Camp has settled into a bit of a routine – taking photos, video and twittering. It leaves precious little time for physical work around site and I’m usually to be found in the media tent or rushing around on an action. We had incredibly bad reception on this site, and I soon became friendly with the Comms tent which was sited on the top of the hill and had a better 3G signal. For those of you who don’t know what I’m wittering on about, Comms refers to our defence and communications system which works by collating information from people on all the gates around site. It’s a 24 hour a day job and this year it was skill shared in a most impressive way for the first time.

Climate Camp 2010-media team
Some of the media team.

I think we’d all been fearful that this camp would be much less well attended than previous ones, but by Friday I estimate that there were almost 1000 people on site, and it felt as though they were all there for a purpose. At Blackheath last year we really focused on outreach and both that and our location ensured rather a lot of sightseeing which unfortunately meant that direct action took a major back seat to workshops. This time the workshops timetable was slimmer, and from early on there was a notable amount of small affinity groups planning direct action in the tall grass. This I think is a good development. And take direct action we did – every day. Here are some of the best actions I took part in:

Climate Camp 2010-refugee camp

1. Taking the land, obviously.
The biggest direct action of them all – it’s hard not to be nervous with an action like this on which the rest of Climate Camp depends. We stopped in at some charity shops for entertaining cut price CDs on our way northwards, and as we drove towards our swooping point we played the Star Wars theme tune at top volume. Despite our huge truck and noisy scrambling it took the police at least half an hour to arrive, by which time we were able to hold the space and had started erecting tents by torchlight. It did, however, mean that the advertised swoop the next day was a bit of a damp squib, and some of the participants must have felt a bit left out of all the excitement.

Climate Camp 2010-site take
Erecting the first marquees on site by torchlight.

2. Raising a Ruckus
On Friday we held a merry little dance parade around the RBS offices, culminating in an incursion into a conveniently open entrance where we jumped up and down in the doorway whilst security looked bemused and staff gazed down from the floors above. At the same time, unbeknownst to us, a lone activist had infiltrated the offices as a banker and stuck herself to a reception desk, where she berated RBS for agreeing to fund Vedanta’s mining activities on the sacred lands of the Dongria Kondh tribe in India. We later learnt that she had changed her name to Dongria Kondh by deed poll the week before, declaring that she would only change it back if RBS retracted funding. Fortunately it was announced this week that India has blocked the mining operation. Though I quite like Dongria Kondh as a name….

Climate Camp rouser
Climate Camp rouser door
YouTube Preview Image

3. A Lady Gaga tribute: the Dirty Oil dance action
Conscious of Climate Camp’s decision to descend on Scotland without much forethought about how we could support local struggles I volunteered to attend the solidarity demo against a new coal mine at Cousland, but then I was reminded that I had also promised to document my Green Kite Midnight friends’ musical action. Lady Gaga won out in the end. Standing inside a small candy striped marquee we learnt new lyrics to Poker Face, featuring the immortal lines:

It’s getting hot, the planet’s nearly shot
We’ll make them stop, we’re putting up a block

Tar sands is dirty oil
Can’t use my, can’t use my taxes no
To invest in dirty oil

Climate Camp 2010-gaga rehearsal
Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil
Rehearsing dance moves and getting ready to leave.

By midday we were ready to take our act to the streets of Edinburgh. With black bin bag bows in hair and fluorescent waistcoats we marched with resolve towards the biggest branch of RBS on St Andrews Square…. to find it already closed. Closed by the threat of song and dance. Score! We then set off on a tour through the town centre, jumping an RBS fringe stage for a special ten minute non-sponsored rendition. You can watch this here. We taught some onlookers the dance moves, bumped into the Greenwash Guerillas en route and handed out loads of leaflets.

Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil Gaga
Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil Gaga-on steps
Climate Camp 2010-Dirty Oil Gaga-fringe stage
Crowds watch us at the Fringe
Climate Camp 2010-fringe audience
and the Greenwash Guerillas…
Climate Camp 2010-Greenwash Guerillas

4. Sunday site incursion
I knew there were plans afoot but I wasn’t quite prepared for the huge mass of people dancing towards me in white paper boiler suits. And then they carried on dancing their way over the bridge to RBS, pushing the police back with ease and racing around the corner towards an unguarded part of the RBS HQ. When I got there it became apparent that they had completely taken the police by surprise and several windows had been smashed as the morass propelled forward. For a short moment chaos reigned as the police tried and failed to contain the seething crowd (who needs Black Bloc when you’ve got White Bloc, as one twitterer noted) and they were successfully able to de-arrest several people.

RBS site incursion march
RBS site incursion
RBS site invasion tussle
RBS Sunday invasion

Unfortunately this short point of panic enabled the police to gain the upper hand, and if the intention had been to get in and hold the building we had lost the head start. After two arrests there was a brief stand off with police at the bridge and the action petered out, the white garbed frontline on the bridge replaced by a large white fluffy bunny. I kid thee not.

Climate Camp 2010-white bunny

At our evening plenary a dampener was put on the situation almost immediately. Unfortunately the action had been badly timed to coincide with a speech from our visiting tar sands activists, who had felt seriously disrespected by the disruption to their workshop. They were also uncomfortable with the apparent violence of smashing windows, as were a few others. Through skilful facilitation we were able to talk through these issues, with many good points being made that Climate Camp comprises a diverse range of people who use different tactics, and whilst we would never ever condone physical violence against people, corporate property is another matter altogether. All successful direct action campaigns have attacked physical infrastructure, from the Suffragettes to the 1990s road protest movement. Causing infrastructure damage hits a company where it hurts: their pockets.

Climate Camp 2010-meeting
An early site-wide meeting.

We’ve always been very careful with our language, although the media often insists on referring to us as “peaceful” or NVDA (Non Violent Direct Action). In another twist seasoned activists have levelled many criticisms at us over the past few years with regards to us being too media friendly. For many this action proved that we really are capable of doing more than the media stunts and banner drops of recent times. It was also acknowledged that whilst we could sympathise with the feelings of First Nations activists it could not dictate the way that Climate Camp works, and indeed whilst we should work hard at international bonds we should not deify indigenous peoples above our local communities. We finished the meeting with a euphoric group hug that seemed to express: Yes! We are powerful together! We can break through police lines and inflict serious physical damage to a building! With a bit more intent we could have got into the HQ and dug in for the duration: of that I have no doubt.

Climate Camp 2010-serving dinner
Serving dinner at the South Coast neighbourhood.

5. The RBS Trojan Pig leaking molasses outside Cairn Energy offices
At just past 9am I dropped my half drunk tea and ran full tilt out of the cafe where I had been sitting on Lothian Road. Ahead of me a group of people in black ceremoniously carried a large pink pig – eyes painted with the RBS logo – up the impressive granite steps of the offices for Cairn Energy, who received £117 million in loans from RBS last year, some of which helped them to start drilling for oil off the coast of Greenland. Two activists sprayed molasses against the side of the building in decorative swirls as more molasses seeped out of the pig and down the steps. A security guard briefly looked on, but never moved the large pink carcass which was reported later that day as forlornly pushed aside on the steps. Ironically it is only because of climate change and melting ice that Cairn Energy are able to drill in the polar regions as new oil reserves are revealed. By coincidence a Greenpeace ship reached the drill rig on our day of action, where it was met by a Danish warship. It is hoped that lots of activists will join Crude Awakening, a day of mass action against oil supported by Climate Camp on Saturday October 16th in London.

Cairn Trojan Pig parade
Cairn Trojan Pig molasses
YouTube Preview Image

6. Shutting down Nicolson Street branch of RBS
The weather was not kind to us on our main day of action, and getting lost en route to my next destination didn’t help. By just after 10am I was soaked through to the skin. Across the entrance to Nicolson Street RBS three of my friends glued themselves together with green posters pinned to their fronts that said “Ask me why I won’t bank with RBS“. As customers arrived they engaged them in conversation and then let them duck under their arms. With musicians and a small gaggle of Lady Gaga impersonators I went inside to be greeted by an old man grumbling bad-temperedly at the counter. He then proceeded to watch several reprises of the Dirty Oil song and dance routine, by now familiar to all. Next up was a reinvigorated version of the Gloria Gaynor classic I Will Survive, and as we moved outside the police finally arrived. I went to upload some tweets and when I returned journalists and photographers were out in force and the branch had been closed. Later that day another bunch of activists dressed in bin bags and dripping in molasses closed down the same branch.

Climate Camp 2010-Nicholson-RBS
Climate Camp 2010-Nicholson-RBS 2

7. We’ve built a Rhino Siege Tower!
Yes really. At the top of the hill above RBS what looked like a watch tower had risen during the course of the camp, gaining painted corrugated metal sides and a roof. And perhaps best of all a huge paper mache Rhino head attached to it’s derriere. I got back from the mornings actions to find a huge gaggle of people surrounding the tower, all dressed in wonderful outfits, inspired by medieval battle, clowns, animals and pagan dress. And then we waited…. and waited… and joked about slow action being the new slow food movement. Finally, we were ready to roll. The siege tower was on wheels. And with people guiding it via a series of ropes and pulleys it began to inch it’s way around the wind break and down the hill as we all held our breath and prayed that it didn’t topple into the bank of photographers waiting below. This process took about four hours, by which time I’d long since stopped worrying that I would miss anything crucial every time I went to recharge my damn iphone again. Over at the bridge a series of mollassapaults were fired onto the HQ by black clad activists. And then as we finally crawled towards the gate the rain really set in. Dancing animals met lines of riot police and squirted silly string over their heads as the Siege Tower finally cleared a low hanging branch and the rhino headbutted a police van.

Climate Camp Rhino Seige Tower
Climate Camp 2010-scary clown
Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino-hits van

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a line of riot cops so bemused. What the hell were we doing? On the side of the tower There Is No Planet B had been painted over at some point during the long journey to say There Is No Plan. My camera decided to complain about the incessant rain. It packed up. I decided to call it a day, and soon so did many soggy others. The Guardian’s live blog had long since stopped reporting on our actions of the day since most of them were done in the morning – including a very brilliant banner drop off the roof of Forth Energy in Leith in protest of a new and huge biomass scheme that would require the mass importation of vast quantities of wood chip.

Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino-frontline
Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino-sillystring
mollassapault tim morozzo
The mollassapault. Photography by Tim Morozzo.

And so, we didn’t give the mainstream media the huge action they might have liked. Instead we gave them lots of small and effective affinity group actions across Edinburgh and beyond, as planned. Topped off with the most surreal action of them all – a Rhino Siege Tower that effectively closed down the RBS HQ merely through creative farce and the power of suggestion. Sometimes my heart is so full of love for the thing that is Climate Camp that it feels fit to burst.

Climate Camp 2010-Seige Rhino

Other highlights of this years’ camp included a storming ceilidh (apologies to the Scottish for making this word our own) with my band Green Kite Midnight, spoken word from Harry Giles, visits from Fringe comedians Albie Philbin Bowman and Josie Long, and dancing long into the night after our day of action. Despite all the trials and tribulations of being so involved with Climate Camp I can’t wait to see what we come up with next. Even if we didn’t Break the Banks you’ve got to admit it was a damn good slogan, and we’ve successfully managed to highlight the investment of our money in fossil fuels to a far wider public. Now we just need to change the system that encourages wanton consumption of fossil fuels to the wide scale detriment of the only planet we have to live on. Who’s up for helping out?

You can watch lots more of the videos that I took on my Qik channel here.

Climate Camp 2010-Albie Philbin Bowman
Albie Philbin Bowman performs for us.
See some of Josie Long’s performance on this link.

Many other inspiring actions happened across the course of the camp, but these did not include the supposed oil spill on the A8 on Monday morning, as press released by the police. Our targets have always been corporations and the government not innocent people, but isn’t it somehow predictable that the press picked up on the “oil spill” so relentlessly – happy to reel it off as fact without adequate research or proof. More on how the press have related to this year’s Climate Camp in my next blog post here.

Climate Camp 2010-compost loos
A beautiful painted compost loo.
Climate Camp 2010-anarchist baby
Climate Camp 2010-RBS bridge
Climate Camp 2010-bunny

Categories ,Albie Philbin Bowman, ,Cairn Energy, ,Climate Camp, ,coal, ,comedy, ,Cousland, ,Crude Awakening, ,Direct Action, ,dirty oil, ,Dongria Kondh, ,edinburgh, ,Edinburgh Fringe, ,First Nations, ,Gloria Gaynor, ,Green Kite Midnight, ,Greenland, ,Greenpeace, ,Greenwash Guerillas, ,Guardian, ,Harry Giles, ,Josie Long, ,Lady Gaga, ,Nicolson Street, ,NVDA, ,Oily Gaga, ,police, ,Raising a Ruckus, ,Ratcliffe On Soar, ,RBS, ,RBS HQ, ,RBS Trojan Pig, ,Rhino Seige Tower, ,Riot police, ,Royal Bank of Scotland, ,Suffragettes, ,Tar Sands, ,Tim Morozzo, ,twitter, ,Vedanta

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Amelia’s Magazine | Climate Gate at The Royal Institution: Has Global Warming Increased the Toll of Disasters?

Royal Institution lecture hall
Royal Institution lecture hall by Abi Daker

So, approved we all know there’s been a bit of a hoo-hah following the disclosure of some important emails that reveal that the data featured as key facts in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change may not be 100% correct. You do know about this, cure right? It’s been front page of the Guardian for a while… and perhaps more importantly it’s given all those climate change deniers out there a huge amount of grist for their petty little mill. And that really is bad news.

I haven’t been following the ins and outs of this fandango in massive detail but when my parents invited me along to this hastily convened Royal Institution lecture I leapt at the chance to perch on their infamous red velvet tiered seating amongst the great and the good (read: a mix of moneyed old fogeys with too much time on their hands and geeky young science types who would rather engage in debate than go to the pub on a Friday night).

James Randerson
Portraits by Amelia Gregory

We were introduced to the panel by James Randerson, environment editor at the Guardian and wearer of silly striped tie. You’ve gotta love that look. It was mere moments, I tell you, before the heckling started… James put the slightly ambiguous question “Has global warming increased the toll of natural disasters?” to the panelists, which immediately prompted yelps for clarification from indignant men all around me. “Over what period of time, and what kind of cost?” asked one. (Certain men seem to get very difficult the older they get, have you noticed?) James looked sufficiently rattled – “Can we at least agree that there is man made global warming?” he asked, pleaded. “NO!” came the emphatic answer from a man with wild hair and an even wilder look in his eye, sitting just to my right. Uh oh, I was in the close company of a denialist – this should be fun! “Gosh, I didn’t think this would be so hard!” chuckled James nervously.

Robert Muir-Wood

And then we were racing straight into the presentations, starting with leading climate scientist Robert Muir-Wood, who talked two to the dozen as he raced through slides. Since 2001 there has been huge hype over “disaster costs” with the media being “whipped into a frenzy”, and predictions of up to 500% more floods, mudslides, hailstorms, droughts, ice storms and wildfires being reported as possibilities of the near future. It’s worth noting that Muir-Wood has close links with the insurance industry, who would clearly benefit from increased premiums if the cost of disasters were expected to increase. In 2003 the French experienced “la canicule” – a summer of such intense heat (the hottest in 500 years) that thousands died. But then there was a “death deficit” in the following year. Was this because the vulnerable were looked after better or they’d all died already? Muir-Wood used this as an example of how hard it is to read and understand data without looking at the bigger picture. Another example he used is the major investments made in infrastructures over recent years; for instance Japan has thrown “huge amounts of concrete at flood defences” since 1959, when Typhoon Vera, the strongest Japanese storm in recorded history, hit its shores. Consequently the storm would have had a dramatically lower cost if it had happened today. These outlying factors make it very hard to accurately predict or assess statistics. He concluded that there is only a trend for elevated costs (of disasters) if you look at graphs since the 1970s.

Bob Ward

Bob Ward, who works for LSE, then took centre stage to defend the IPCC. “As always there is a caveat,” he explained; “is any one event an effect of climate change? It’s so hard to match the attribution, which makes it difficult to map trends.” Behind him a slide detailed how climate change might decrease the chance of frost at night, which prompted some loud chuckles from the denialists in the audience, who as ever, seem confused by the difference between climate and weather. Bob clarified that we must look at the numbers of people affected and we can clearly see that insurance losses have risen since the 1950s which means many more people have been displaced or injured by natural events. A funny little graph proved the point that floods, droughts, storms and earthquakes have become the biggies in terms of human cost. However, there is as yet, insufficient evidence of a firm link with climate change. Naturally, the biggest losses have happened where the greatest number of people and properties have been involved.

A version of the "funny little graph" A.K.A. Extreme Weather Events & Natural Disasters, by Abi Daker (disclaimer: this may not be accurate)
A version of the “funny little graph” A.K.A. Extreme Weather Events & Natural Disasters, by Abi Daker (disclaimer: this may not be accurate)

Roger Pielke

And then it was time for the spanner in the works to take to the stand. Roger Pielke is a specialist in analysing how science intersects with decision making from the University of Colorado. “Uncertainty. Get used to it,” he announced. His conclusions came first and seemed to echo those of Ward’s. “Societal factors alone are responsible for increased losses,” he postulated, but emphasised that he advocates decarbonising the economy anyway because 1.5 billion people don’t have access to fossil fuels and need to find alternative energy supplies. “This could also deal with the thorny, messy climate change problem.” He then talked us clearly through his immaculate presentation, showing us that according to Excel there is no upward trend for disaster losses between 1900-2001. Yup, his graph appeared to be flatlining alright. And then we came to it: Pielke’s unequivocal evidence that despite the views of experts the IPCC saw fit to publish misleading data in its 2007 report, even alluding to his own agreement to use a problematic graph, which had not been given. “If the data doesn’t support the claim, don’t publish it!” This evinced yet more excited snorts from the denialist next to me, and when I glanced over at Bob Ward he was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Oooooh, the graphs had been drawn and it was time for blood – sorry I mean questions – from the audience.

A lump appeared, bumping along the velvet curtains behind the stage, beating a hasty but unsubtle retreat out of the auditorium and momentarily distracting Randerson. “Are we in disagreement over the vulnerability of planet, or the process of science?” asked someone. Because actually the reason everyone had come to this lecture was to find out how the process of the IPCC could have fallen apart so dramatically. Apart from the denialists of course, and one in particular. “I am from Weather Action,” said the loudly snorting man next to me. “We are long range forecasters, and our evidence shows that CO2 does not drive climate, which has all been made up by carbon traders and fraudulent people.” In fact, according to Piers Corbyn, all extreme events are caused by the sun. All of them folks. Nothing to do with us spunking vast quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. You know, I just don’t get how some humans can be so entirely arrogant, to think that our activities will never affect our fragile planet. I wonder how history will look back on people like Corbyn, who wanted to know if the IPCC could now be scrapped so we can “prepare for ‘real’ disasters?” Pielke categorically declined to engage in a debate “that can be held elsewhere” – i.e. whether climate change is happening (yawn). Muir-Wood reminded Piers that he prophezised chaotic wind storms four years ago. “We’re 85% right!” heckled Corbyn. Ward went further still. “There’s no end to my disagreement with Piers,” he said. “I don’t know where to start.” I got the impression that he’s met Corbyn before. After the debate I took a rubbishy designed printout from Corbyn (Why are spurious campaigning bodies so good at bad graphic design? It’s endemic. Please debate.) My favourite box out reads: CRUSADE AGAINST THE SCIENCE DENIERS! Print out this newssheet and show it to a Global Warmer you know and ask them: “Is all this from solar flares, to the ionosphere, the stratosphere, Scotland, China & the Timor Sea caused by driving cars?” Yup, you’re winning me over with that argument alright. (If you know what he’s on about can you let me know please? Ta.)

Earthquake-Abi Daker
A disaster by Abi Daker. Which may or may not be attributable to climate change.

Muir-Wood then made a most pertinent point for a social media addict like myself, which was that the data for climate change is not static, and this is the major stumbling block of a one-off report such as that produced in 2007 by the IPCC. New data is being discovered or disproved all the time and the way in which such information is shared on a global level must become more fluid otherwise reports too quickly become outdated. Of course the internet provides the perfect forum for such an idea, and the organisation of a scientific advisory body such as the IPCC must reflect this.

Someone then raised a query about the amount of money the IPCC receives to do its work, which led to the clarification that the IPCC is run along similar lines to any academic body, with scientists contributing their time and knowledge because they think it’s worthwhile and not for financial gain. And herein lies one of the biggest problems. Whilst folks like IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri must find work elsewhere (for Indian mining conglomerate TATA, which stands to make large sums from “climate doom scenarios”) there will by necessity be a conflict of interests. Our worthy panelists appeared to be in universal agreement that the IPCC needs to be reformed. “But it needs to cost more to do a good job,” said Muir-Wood. “The problem is that everything is done on the cheap,” agreed Pielke. Perhaps if some proper cash was spent on collecting and refining climate change data there would be less need to use “grey data” and there would be fewer mishaps of the kind that is now rocking the scientific community. It seems obvious that a lack of resources has led to corner cutting, and as Pielke pointed out there needs to be clear boundaries between producing data and giving political advice. If more money is spent on the IPCC then there will automatically be more accountability, and more trust.

By the end of this whirlwind journey into the minds of climate scientists Ward, Pielke and Muir-Wood, the protagonists seemed to be in agreement that since the 1970s there have definitely been increases in the cost of natural disasters. But a final show of hands from the audience showed that not many people (far less than at the start of the lecture) believed that global warming has increased the toll of natural disasters. I myself was part of the “don’t knows” because although I suspect it to be so, the correlation has clearly never been shown. This final moment highlighted just how much damage the revelations of the past few months have incurred; wherein people have looked at the brouhaha in the media and concluded that all scientists are liars who will happily bend the truth to suit their own means. And yes, it seems some have indeed cobbled together dodgy information, and in doing so have massively set back the most important movement of our lifetimes – 25% of the population now believes that climate change is not a serious issue, which is devastating news when we have so much work to do. If data cannot be proved then it clearly shouldn’t be used. What were those scientists thinking?

But, remember this – as Bob Ward surmised (and I’m paraphrasing here, obviously he didn’t say the t-word and all other poor language is entirely my own). “Are you willing to take the risk that climate change is all a load of old twaddle? No, we don’t know how much it will affect us or when, but affect us it will. If we do nothing we risk suffering the most serious consequences, and they ain’t pretty my friends.” Yes, human beings (even scientists) are fallible. The IPCC has made mistakes. Hopefully some important lessons have been learnt about how data is collected and presented, and what it might cost to do a good job. But we mustn’t let a tiny set-back stop us from striving for a different world, one where the battle against climate change encompasses so much more than just the environment. It’s about making the world a better place for all, and that means massive changes in how humans live.

Categories ,Abi Daker, ,Bob Ward, ,Climate Change, ,Climate Gate, ,Disaster, ,Guardian, ,ipcc, ,James Randerson, ,Lecture, ,Piers Corbyn, ,Robert Muir-Wood, ,Roger Pielke, ,The Royal Institution, ,Weather Action

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Amelia’s Magazine | Larmer Tree Festival 2011 Review, Friday: Bellowhead, Russell Kane, Yoga, Bane

russell-kane-by-finn-obrien
Russell Kane by Finn O’Brien.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review tom leadbetter
We woke up early on Friday at Larmer Tree Festival, order baked out of our tent by the brilliant sunshine… and turned up to witness the very end of the traditional morning yoga session on the main lawn… hundreds of people sat on mats in front of the Garden Stage in what has apparently become a Larmer Tree ritual. That was swiftly followed by Tai Chi… see if you can spot Tom Leadbetter. I’m gutted I didn’t get to sample these classes, viagra but rain was to blight Larmer for the rest of the weekend.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Polly and the Billets Doux, <a target=hospital ” title=”Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Polly and the Billets Doux,” width=”480″ height=”480″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-45956″ />Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Polly and the Billets Doux,
Polly and the Billets Doux by Claire Kearns
Polly and the Billets Doux by Claire Kearns.

First act of the day for me was Polly and the Billets Doux, first encountered at Wood Festival a few months back.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 reviewLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review
Their laid back bluesy folk was the perfect accompaniment to a lazy morning with the Guardian (rather amusingly the locally run general store had heaps and heaps of the Grauniad and, for variety’s sake, about three copies each of every other paper…they know their market alright).

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 reviewLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review colour garden
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review colour garden
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review colour garden
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review colour garden
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review crochet
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review crochet
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review dish
During our daily walk through the woods we discovered more interesting stuff… natural dye techniques from foraged plants with Francesca Owen, a bell tent devoted to knitting and crochet, a lovely little cake parlour called Dish.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review HEALING
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review HEALING
Of course I looked longingly inside all the healing tents…mmmm….massage. Didn’t have one though.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review cutashineLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review cutashine
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review cutashine
Cut A Shine Barndance by Hollie McManus
Cut A Shine Barndance by Hollie McManus.

Then we popped over to see my old band Cutashine teach barndancing in the Big Top.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review the spreeLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review the spree
Outside I was intrigued by indie anthems from Devon based The Spree. Searching for them online proved a major problem though!

YouTube Preview Image
Turns out Spree is a popular band name… when I did finally locate them I rather handily found this video of them playing the ARC, which I missed

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review arts tentLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review arts tentLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review arts tentLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review arts tent
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review arts tent
A quick scout around the arts tent revealed a wealth of grassroots creativity.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review circus
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review circus
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review circusLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review circus
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review circus
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review circus
The fine weather continued as children learnt circus skills alongside parents. But we had another destination: Bane, in the Daytime Club Larmer.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Bane Joe BoneLarmer Tree Festival 2011 review Bane Joe Bone
Performed as a one man show by Joe Bone (with a little atmospheric help from guitarist Ben Roe) this was an outstanding blend of fill noir, graphic novel, mime and comedy, as narrated by fictional hit man Bruce Bane. An absolute must see if you get the chance.


Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review The Joker & The Thief,
Back on the stage we listened to The Joker & The Thief, with some excellent sax driven blues tunes… but why the American accent? You’re from London! Someone has been listening to just a bit too much Kings of Leon

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Goodnight Lenin
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Goodnight Lenin
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Goodnight Lenin
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Goodnight Lenin
Goodnight Lenin by Sumi Senthi
Goodnight Lenin by Sumi Senthi.

Then to visit our friends Goodnight Lenin, with whom I’ve been conversing since I first heard them at Wood. They were as charming as ever ‘We never used to be a cabaret act but we’re branching out…‘ They gave away a signed Bookcrossing book… by Jeffrey Archer, and totally wowed the relatively laid back daytime audience: I had to part the crowds when I went to say hi to them in the Songlines signing tent afterwards.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Mama Rosin
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Mama Rosin
Mama Rosin must be one of those rare French speaking bands to appeal to Brit audiences. The Larmer Tree crowd thoroughly enjoyed the folky accordion driven tunes of this three piece.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Kidnap Alice
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Kidnap Alice
We missed My First Tooth for tea (there was a generally very high standard of food on offer at Larmer Tree) but I could hear some beautiful boisterous sounds wafting out of the ARC. Then it was time to see friends in Kidnap Alice, fronted by (unsurprisingly) a girl called Alice – whom I have known for sometime, but had absolutely no idea could sing so amazingly fiercely well. Also in the band are banjo player Joe Buirski, double bassist Felix and other assorted old time musicians who make up the current version of Cutashine. My friend Dan (also known as Danimal for reasons best not mentioned here) was present on accordion – which he seems to have taught himself in the blink of an eye. Well well impressed… particularly by their own Appalachian inspired foot stomping anthems. ‘How come no one’s dancing… are you dead?‘ importuned their dungaree clad mandolinist. I can see his point. Definitely worth checking out live.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Bellowhead
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Bellowhead
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Bellowhead
Bellowhead by Amy Rogers
Bellowhead by Amy Rogers.

Friday’s big band was Bellowhead… fronted by Jon Boden, with whom I used to attend folk singing Glee camps (well before the term Glee became fashionable) It’s funny because back then he was a right stickler for sticking to prescribed folk techniques, but Bellowhead takes trad folk and blows it right out of the water with a high octane jump up and dance hoedown of a show. I think that for many festival goers this was an absolute highlight of Larmer Tree this year – it was certainly one of mine. Bellowhead have gone out on a limb with something completely unique and different and it works amazingly well. I suppose I should have known where Jon would eventually go when he turned up on camp one year and played a superb fiddle version of Hit Me Baby (One More Time) by Britney Spears.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review Kidnap Alice
Kidnap Alice by Claire Kearns
Kidnap Alice by Claire Kearns.

There’s a certain beauty in the way that both Bellowhead and Kidnap Alice have grown in part out of a love of fireside singing on FSC camps – Joe and Dan of Kidnap Alice have taken traditional American tunes of the type we sing and turned them into something totally new, whilst Jon Boden has played around with traditional British songs for Bellowhead. And at Larmer Tree they were programmed up against each other…

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Ozomatli
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Ozomatli
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Ozomatli
Ozomatli were something of a let down straight after Bellowhead, but then I’m not the biggest world music fan.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -James Acaster
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Tom Wrigglesworth
Comedy was compered by a double hatted James AcasterTom Wrigglesworth was on first and I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember much of it… probably because I was sat squished into a small blob on the floor with no view of the stage: the tent was absolutely rammed.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Russell Kane
Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review -Russell Kane
Luckily I found a boyfriend’s lap in time for Russell Kane, who was my unreserved comedy highlight of the festival. He leapt on stage with a brand new look clearly prompted by a break up that formed the backbone of much of his material… a spinning whirlwind of peroxide blonde quiff and tight jeans. There were many ‘postmodern’ digressions into some hilarious anecdotal stories about the middle class Jemimas whom he had overheard at the festival and I’ve honestly not laughed so much in ages. His hyper energetic set was totally up my street, probably in part because it reminded me of my own manic presenting style (ask anyone who’s seen me talk or call a ceilidh) but also because I could relate so closely to his material… I’ve had my heart totally and utterly broken, and I recognise so many of his traits in other men who would never so honestly admit to their feelings. Want. To see. Again.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review
Overheard the next day: a group of posh Devonshire teenagers (pretending they knew how to hold a fag) discussing what Russell Kane meant by the word ‘totes’ peppered liberally through his set – they were convinced he meant Tilly or Antonia. ‘Definitely, yar.’ Hilar.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review poetry Polly Malone
Polly Malone performing in Lyrical Lostwood.

Larmer Tree Festival 2011 review tunnel vision
Before bed we took a last minute walk through a ghostly installation in the woods… bubbles of light floating past us as we negotiated the laurel tunnel to the sounds of Brian Eno. Tunnel Vision was put together by Ulf Mark Pedersen.

Categories ,Amy Rogers, ,Appalachian, ,ARC, ,Bane, ,Bellowhead, ,Ben Roe, ,Big Top, ,Bookcrossing, ,brian eno, ,Camps, ,Claire Kearns, ,Cutashine, ,Daytime Club Larmer, ,Dish, ,Finn O’Brien, ,folk, ,Francesca Owen, ,FSC, ,Garden Stage, ,Glee, ,Goodnight Lenin, ,Guardian, ,Healing, ,Hit Me Baby (One More Time), ,Hollie McManus, ,James Acaster, ,Jeffrey Archer, ,Joe Bone, ,Joe Buirski, ,Jon Boden, ,Kidnap Alice, ,Kings of Leon, ,Lyrical Lostwood, ,Mama Rosin, ,My First Tooth, ,Ozomatli, ,poetry, ,Polly Malone, ,Russell Kane, ,Songlines, ,Sumi Senthi, ,Tai Chi, ,The Joker & The Thief, ,The Spree, ,Tom Leadbetter, ,Tom Wrigglesworth, ,Tunnel Vision, ,woodland, ,World Music, ,Yoga

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