hackney

Amelia’s Magazine | Royal College of Art Show One 2010: Photography and Printmaking

by

aniela-murphy_yeslab
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

The Yes Men began when founders Mike and Andy received an invitation intended for the director-general of the World Trade Organisation – via their fake WTO website – to attend a gala event. They emailed Michael Moore to take the invite up, unhealthy approved but when a reply was not forthcoming went themselves, and thus their legendary actions began. Now they’re looking to spread the joy of their ‘Yes-tivism’ with the creation of the Yes Lab project to train others in their headline-provoking methods. Though they deplore the media, drowning us in “fake information, spun by those who follow the profit motive in order to sell us on crazy ideas that we all sort of believe even though we know better,” they believe that HEADLINES MATTER when they’re used to tell the truth. Well. Not the truth. The version of reality so completely opposite to the truth that the truth is forced to come out of hiding and wave its pale head above the parapet. Ironically, they’ve recently been accused of “devaluing information, making it hard to tell what is real from what is fake.” Because the mainstream media is the bastion of truth and objective reporting. Yeah, right.

The Yes Men defend their devious behaviour by saying that it’s needed to achieve “a condition of honesty”. When they interrupt meetings and conferences to highlight the failed logic of the free market they push their actions to the most “sinister, corrupt and disgusting” lengths to force people to confront their own twisted morals. To then have audiences simply agree has taught them just how much needs to be done. So, after twelve years of faux-press releases, bumbling around in Survivaballs and campaigning continuously against Dow on behalf of Bhopal, the Yes Men want to get the rest of the population involved and for this they’ve instead created the Yes Lab to help activists all over the world bring our most crazed creations to life.

aniela-murphy-yesmen
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

The Yes Lab runs in part like the current Fix the World Challenge website, where most of Andy and Mikes’ tips and tricks are given away and you can find like-minded individuals around the world to work with, but this time the Yes Men plan to work directly with the groups and organizations who come to them, providing guidance and training, linking them up with other useful people and checking in with projects until they succeed. The aim is to provide resistance so that when Obama or Cleggeron find themselves cornered by industrial lobbyists they will be able to point out of the window, where we’ll all be camped, naturally, and say “Sorry, I can’t do what you’re asking me to do – those people won’t let me.” It’s no secret after all, that if we all get it together and push in the same direction, even under different names, the government has to listen, and change does get made. The main focus of the Yes Lab, and the Yes Men, is to pressure elected officials, companies and corporations until they make the changes we want to see happen.

With the $50,000 they hope to raise through generous donations the Yes Lab could run for an initial period of six months, with actual staff doing the leg work involved in organising the facilitation of these projects. The Yes Men aren’t just begging for money though, oh no. If you’re not already motivated to give a little after reading about the dangers of the “policies that place the rights of capital before the needs of people and the environment” and the Yes Men’s plans to “kill capitalism before it kills us… before the next generations inherit a world where hunger and violence are the norm in a rapidly fraying civilization” then perhaps a few Yes Men goodies might perk your interest. For a mere $10 you can have a sincere, if mother-scaring, thank you. $25-$100 helps clear out their office, if you fancy a heap of junk alongside copies of The Yes Men Save The World (read our review here) and the Good News edition of The New York Times. $400 is a date with Survivaball model Rocco Ferrer. $1000 for a brainstorming session. $5,000 gets you a Survivaball. $30,000, really, turns into a 2-3 day retreat in the secret catacombs of Paris, checking out underground murals, chilling out with heaps of bones if you’re into that sort of thing. (Guess I’d better start saving.)

If you can’t quite jingle that out of your sofa, then even if you only have a few minutes per day the Yes Men suggest you can make a difference. Taking the time to write to elected officials, joining protests, giving money to great organisations (ahem, cough, etc) and joining social networks to spread the word of these great organisations (cough, cough, ahem, etc) all help, so head over to the Yes Lab, sign up for the newsletter and start telling all your friends to turn over their couch cushions and drop some pennies into the Yes Men’s piggy bank. You never know, you might win a Survivaball. Then who’ll be laughing when England floods, huh? Oh wait. Yeah. No-one.

Amelia met the Yes Men last year when they came to London town. You can read all about it here. And remember to check in with the Yes Lab.

You can also follow the Yes Men on twitter. Of course.

aniela-murphy_yeslab
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

The Yes Men began when founders Mike and Andy received an invitation intended for the director-general of the World Trade Organisation – via their fake WTO website – to attend a gala event. They emailed Michael Moore to take the invite up, viagra but when a reply was not forthcoming went themselves, and thus their legendary actions began. Now they’re looking to spread the joy of their ‘Yes-tivism’ with the creation of the Yes Lab project to train others in their headline-provoking methods. Though they deplore the media, drowning us in “fake information, spun by those who follow the profit motive in order to sell us on crazy ideas that we all sort of believe even though we know better,” they believe that HEADLINES MATTER when they’re used to tell the truth. Well. Not the truth. The version of reality so completely opposite to the truth that the truth is forced to come out of hiding and wave its pale head above the parapet. Ironically, they’ve recently been accused of “devaluing information, making it hard to tell what is real from what is fake.” Because the mainstream media is the bastion of truth and objective reporting. Yeah, right.

The Yes Men defend their devious behaviour by saying that it’s needed to achieve “a condition of honesty”. When they interrupt meetings and conferences to highlight the failed logic of the free market they push their actions to the most “sinister, corrupt and disgusting” lengths to force people to confront their own twisted morals. To then have audiences simply agree has taught them just how much needs to be done. So, after twelve years of faux-press releases, bumbling around in Survivaballs and campaigning continuously against Dow on behalf of Bhopal, the Yes Men want to get the rest of the population involved and for this they’ve created the Yes Lab to help activists all over the world bring our most crazed creations to life.

aniela-murphy-yesmen
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

The Yes Lab runs in part like the current Fix the World Challenge website, where most of Andy and Mikes’ tips and tricks are given away and you can find like-minded individuals around the world to work with, but this time the Yes Men plan to work directly with the groups and organizations who come to them, providing guidance and training, linking them up with other useful people and checking in with projects until they succeed. The aim is to provide resistance so that when Obama or Cleggeron find themselves cornered by industrial lobbyists they will be able to point out of the window, where we’ll all be camped, naturally, and say “Sorry, I can’t do what you’re asking me to do – those people won’t let me.” It’s no secret after all, that if we all get it together and push in the same direction, even under different names, the government has to listen, and change does get made. The main focus of the Yes Lab, and the Yes Men, is to pressure elected officials, companies and corporations until they make the changes we want to see happen.

With the $50,000 they hope to raise through generous donations the Yes Lab could run for an initial period of six months, with actual staff doing the leg work involved in organising the facilitation of these projects. The Yes Men aren’t just begging for money though, oh no. If you’re not already motivated to give a little after reading about the dangers of the “policies that place the rights of capital before the needs of people and the environment” and the Yes Men’s plans to “kill capitalism before it kills us… before the next generations inherit a world where hunger and violence are the norm in a rapidly fraying civilization” then perhaps a few Yes Men goodies might perk your interest. For a mere $10 you can have a sincere, if mother-scaring, thank you. $25-$100 helps clear out their office, if you fancy a heap of junk alongside copies of The Yes Men Save The World (read our review here) and the Good News edition of The New York Times. $400 is a date with Survivaball model Rocco Ferrer. $1000 for a brainstorming session. $5,000 gets you a Survivaball. $30,000, really, turns into a 2-3 day retreat in the secret catacombs of Paris, checking out underground murals, chilling out with heaps of bones if you’re into that sort of thing. (Guess I’d better start saving.)

If you can’t quite jingle that out of your sofa, then even if you only have a few minutes per day the Yes Men suggest you can make a difference. Taking the time to write to elected officials, joining protests, giving money to great organisations (ahem, cough, etc) and joining social networks to spread the word of these great organisations (cough, cough, ahem, etc) all help, so head over to the Yes Lab, sign up for the newsletter and start telling all your friends to turn over their couch cushions and drop some pennies into the Yes Men’s piggy bank. You never know, you might win a Survivaball. Then who’ll be laughing when England floods, huh? Oh wait. Yeah. No-one.

Amelia met the Yes Men last year when they came to London town. You can read all about it here. And remember to check in with the Yes Lab.

You can also follow the Yes Men on twitter. Of course.

aniela-murphy_yeslab
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

The Yes Men began when founders Mike and Andy received an invitation intended for the director-general of the World Trade Organisation – via their fake WTO website – to attend a gala event. They emailed Michael Moore to take the invite up, there but when a reply was not forthcoming went themselves, healing and thus their legendary actions began. Now they’re looking to spread the joy of their ‘Yes-tivism’ with the creation of the Yes Lab project to train others in their headline-provoking methods. Though they deplore the media, drowning us in “fake information, spun by those who follow the profit motive in order to sell us on crazy ideas that we all sort of believe even though we know better,” they believe that HEADLINES MATTER when they’re used to tell the truth. Well. Not the truth. The version of reality so completely opposite to the truth that the truth is forced to come out of hiding and wave its pale head above the parapet. Ironically, they’ve recently been accused of “devaluing information, making it hard to tell what is real from what is fake.” Because the mainstream media is the bastion of truth and objective reporting. Yeah, right.

The Yes Men defend their devious behaviour by saying that it’s needed to achieve “a condition of honesty”. When they interrupt meetings and conferences to highlight the failed logic of the free market they push their actions to the most “sinister, corrupt and disgusting” lengths to force people to confront their own twisted morals. To then have audiences simply agree has taught them just how much needs to be done. So, after twelve years of faux-press releases, bumbling around in Survivaballs and campaigning continuously against Dow on behalf of Bhopal, the Yes Men want to get the rest of the population involved and for this they’ve created the Yes Lab to help activists all over the world bring our most crazed creations to life.

aniela-murphy-yesmen
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

The Yes Lab runs in part like the current Fix the World Challenge website, where most of Andy and Mikes’ tips and tricks are given away and you can find like-minded individuals around the world to work with, but this time the Yes Men plan to work directly with the groups and organizations who come to them, providing guidance and training, linking them up with other useful people and checking in with projects until they succeed. The aim is to provide resistance so that when Obama or Cleggeron find themselves cornered by industrial lobbyists they will be able to point out of the window, where we’ll all be camped, naturally, and say “Sorry, I can’t do what you’re asking me to do – those people won’t let me.” It’s no secret after all, that if we all get in together and push in the same direction, governments will eventually have to listen, and changes will happen. The main focus of the Yes Lab, and the Yes Men, is to pressure elected officials, companies and corporations until they make the changes we want to see happen.

With the $50,000 they hope to raise through generous donations the Yes Lab could run for an initial period of six months, with actual staff doing the leg work involved in organising the facilitation of these projects. The Yes Men aren’t just begging for money though, oh no. If you’re not already motivated to give a little after reading about the dangers of the “policies that place the rights of capital before the needs of people and the environment” and the Yes Men’s plans to “kill capitalism before it kills us… before the next generations inherit a world where hunger and violence are the norm in a rapidly fraying civilization” then perhaps a few Yes Men goodies might perk your interest. For a mere $10 you can have a sincere, if mother-scaring, thank you. $25-$100 helps clear out their office, if you fancy a heap of junk alongside copies of The Yes Men Save The World (read our review here) and the Good News edition of The New York Times. $400 is a date with Survivaball model Rocco Ferrer. $1000 for a brainstorming session. $5,000 gets you a Survivaball. $30,000, really, turns into a 2-3 day retreat in the secret catacombs of Paris, checking out underground murals, chilling out with heaps of bones if you’re into that sort of thing. (Guess I’d better start saving.)

If you can’t quite jingle that out of your sofa, then even if you only have a few minutes per day the Yes Men suggest you can make a difference. Taking the time to write to elected officials, joining protests, giving money to great organisations (ahem, cough, etc) and joining social networks to spread the word of these great organisations (cough, cough, ahem, etc) all help, so head over to the Yes Lab, sign up for the newsletter and start telling all your friends to turn over their couch cushions and drop some pennies into the Yes Men’s piggy bank. You never know, you might win a Survivaball. Then who’ll be laughing when England floods, huh? Oh wait. Yeah. No-one.

Amelia met the Yes Men last year when they came to London town. You can read all about it here. And remember to check in with the Yes Lab.

You can also follow the Yes Men on twitter. Of course.

RCA show 2010 entrance
Wowser! the entrance to the 2010 RCA graduate show.

The Royal College of Art has really gone to town for the graduate shows this year: there’s a huge SHOW sculpture around the entrance to the college in the same neon orange as their invite that ensures you’re not gonna miss the location if you’ve never been before.

The MA graduation shows are always a very mixed bag – the RCA lays claim to the pick of the creative crop, symptoms but despite much lauded links with the creative industries I find that many of its students still very much have their head in the clouds when it comes to producing something that will appeal to more than a few people. This morning I only had time to get around the printmaking and photography exhibitions so will leave the rest to another time, if I find it. Within the photography section I was only really moved by the work of Noemie Goudal – who had pole position right next to the free teas for press in the entrance hall stage right. Her strongest piece is Les Amants (Cascade), which shows a waterfall in a woodland artfully recreated with some draped plastic. I won’t try to paraphrase the abysmal entry in the RCA catalogue describing her work but it’s obviously a commentary on the presence of humans in nature, and I always like that kind of thing.

Noemie Goudal Les Amants (Cascade)
Les Amants (Cascade) by Noemie Goudal.

In printmaking I walked straight past the work of Cordelia Cembrowicz, though I should have seen her giant Climate Rush inspired print straight away – it’s an event I remember well. The last big Climate Rush action to inspire the masses took place in June 2009 when we organised a huge bike rush which ended with a blockade of Westminster Bridge right outside Parliament (read about it here), and the print depicts Cordelia astride the famous statue of Boudicca. It makes me sad to see work inspired by Climate Rush and these artworks feel a bit like a memorial to a certain place and time that has now passed. Still, they serve as a reminder of how much we achieved before the group (as it was then) imploded under Tamsin Omond’s drive to reach her next goal – becoming MP for the constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn as head of her own political party, To The Commons. She failed, but I’m sure she has a new plan in the pipeline.

boudicca Cordelia Cembrowicz
Boudicca (Deeds Not Words) by Cordelia Cembrowicz.

Still, our clothes and actions were always going to be ripe for artistic plundering and Cordelia (who joined us for a couple of actions) has done an admirable job of producing some wonderful lithographs inspired by photographs of various associated members of Climate Rush. I particularly love the one of Tracey – who will be well known to those who have campaigned against Heathrow in Sipson – grasping at a clutch of planes.

tracey Cordelia Cembrowicz
Tracey by Cordelia Cembrowicz.

And the print showing a crouched Brenda, fist to the sky in front of a decorative Shell rondel, is simply stunning. Just look at the detail on Brenda’s proudly displayed armpit hairs! Around her dead yellow canaries are sploshed against some psychedelic swirls; presumably inspired by our No New Coal Awards back in February 2009, *sigh* those were the days. And there’s Cadi, smoke stacks billowing out of her multiple heads on a stained glass window designed for a new look Westminster.

brenda Cordelia Cembrowicz
Brenda by Cordelia Cembrowicz.

RCA show 2010 Cadi
Detail from a stained glass window showing Cadi’s mulitple heads, by Cordelia Cembrowicz.

What a shame it all went tits up.
Moving swiftly on….

I was most intrigued by a group of tables set up with various kitchen implements and paint, but had to have the concept explained to me. In a flight of fancy the like of which you can get away with at the RCA, Helen Murgatroyd has set up her own homespun cottage printing industry utilising kitchen implements and other familiar domestic objects to create a traditional looking screenprint of a plate on a checked table cloth, rendered special by the process that produced it. She must be doing something right because she has just had her entire graduate collection bought up by Terence Conran.

RCA show 2010 Helen Murgatroyd
Part of the installation by Helen Murgatroyd.

Another printmaking graduate that caught my eye was David Orme, whose work so reminded me of Luke Best that I asked if he’d had him as a tutor. He hasn’t, but has heard the comparison before. I particularly liked his decorative use of metallic foils in a group of voyeuristic illustrations inspired by tourism, but was unable to take a decent photo. The work on his site showcases an altogether different style.

RCA show 2010 David Orme
Detail of a work by David Orme.

Next to him Olenna Mokliak showed large lithographs etchings and aquatints of weird monsters with extendable fingernails and ballet shoes. Very weird, I like a lot, but she has made the unforgivable error of not creating a website before her graduate show. Who tutors these people?! Fail!

I AM AFRAID I’VE HAD TO REMOVE THIS WORK – SEE COMMENT BELOW.
Detail of a work by RCA show 2010 Olenna Mokliak.

Downstairs my trip was curtailed still further when I bumped into a friend that I haven’t seen in over a decade. I studied fashion textiles with Philippa Wagner at the University of Brighton and she is now a top trends forecaster, living with her young family in sunny London Fields. She too was enjoying the Hackney Parks for Life festival with her kids last Saturday when a gang shot a passer by who was innocently enjoying a picnic just like us. More like Parks for Death me thinks. It was nice to catch up, albeit briefly, and I just had time to take in the work of Sun Ju Lee – stunning shadow-like prints made with great delicacy on fishing wire, almost lenticular in appearance. Unfortunately not translated well into 2D.

Sun Ju Lee RCA
A Practiced Place by Sun Ju Lee.

Part one of the RCA show continues until 6th June 2010. It’s open from 11-8 daily at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU. Admission is free.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday May 27th, 2010 5:54 pm

Categories ,Bike Rush, ,Climate Rush, ,Cordelia Cembrowicz, ,hackney, ,heathrow, ,Lithograph, ,London Fields, ,MA Graduate Show, ,Noemie Goudal, ,Olenna Mokliak, ,Parks for Life, ,Philippa Wagner, ,photography, ,printmaking, ,Royal College of Art, ,screenprint, ,Show One, ,sipson, ,Sun Ju Lee, ,Tamsin Omond, ,Trends forecasting, ,University of Brighton, ,Westminster Bridge

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Amelia’s Magazine | Sirens: an interview with artist Rosie Emerson

by

Rosie Emerson Capella edition 1 of 5 by Rosie Emerson, Cyanotype, 42 x 61 cm

Capella edition 1 of 5, Cyanotype, 42 x 61 cm

Rosie Emerson explores the ancient form of Cyanotype printing in her new ‘Sirens’ show at the Hang Up Gallery, with a series of 18 works ranging in size from 12cm up to 6ft. Here she explains more about the extraordinary techniques employed in her beautiful artworks and what she looks for in the models she works with. She also shares some sage advice for all aspiring artists.

Portrait of Rosie Emerson

How do you chance upon the many techniques that you employ in your art pieces?
Oooh, interesting question, I guess initially that was from my fine art education at Kingston University, back in 2004. We were encouraged to try new media, and so I worked with screen-printing, etching and film there. Even then I was mixing up different media; creating solvent transfer prints on canvas and then embroidering over the top and painting onto screen-prints. I’m still mixing things up now, and am always interested in both creating new techniques and discovering old ones.

Recently I have been screen-printing using natural materials, like ash, sawdust and charcoal powder. I wanted to create prints which were imperfect and softer, and I looked into the technology used in flocking and adapted it. Charcoal is one of the most exciting and volatile of materials to use, I like not knowing how a print is going to turn out. My dad is also a cabinetmaker so he has been saving me different types of saw dust from his workshop.

Rosie Emerson Rhoda edition 1 of 2

Rhoda edition 1 of 2.

What has been your favorite discovery so far, and why is it so fun to play with?
At the moment it is an old process called Cyanotype printing. I only started using it to create work this year, and this work is forming my Solo show ‘Sirens’ which opens next week at Hang Up Gallery in Stoke Newington, London. It’s a brilliantly playful process; I’m combining real size negatives with objects – everything from shells to branches to salt – to create two tone, one off or small editions of prints. The process responds to UV light, so I even made some using the sun.

Rosie Emerson Selene

Selene.

What do you look for in a model for your artwork?
My work to date has involved solitary figures, they are mostly friends or friends of friends, although I have worked with some wonderful professional models such as Daisy Lowe and Amber Le Bon to name drop a few. It is not so important for me if they are known figures or not, It’s about an interesting face – I am always drawn to strong looking women, although recently I have made softer, more introspective pieces. I have just started taking my own pictures rather than working collaboratively with photographers, which means directing models is something I am improving at. I’ve worked with some great photographers namely Becky Palmer and Mark Bayley and I can now say ‘press you lips together’, rather than can you ‘shut your mouth’ for example. It is very important for me that things are unrushed and everyone is enjoying the shoot, that’s when the unexpected and the creative are allowed to happen.

Rosie Emerson Marlene Dietrich #6

Marlene Dietrich #6.

You also dabble in film, what can the viewer expect from this experience?
Yes, alongside my Cyanotypes in the ‘Sirens’ show I am showing a short Super 8 film. It’s not too far removed from the photographic works upstairs, but film is a fantastic and I think provocative medium, which in the case of ‘White Knight’ raises ideas about looking at people looking at art, so the relationship between the audience and model is subtly flipped, and the viewer becomes the subject.

siren #2 by Rosie Emerson, Cyanotype, 74 cm dimensions round

Siren #2, Cyanotype, 74 cm x 74cm.

How did a degree in fine art set you up for the real world?
Hmm, it didn’t really, we had a great lecture from an outside guest, who offered up some pearls of wisdom, namely about your most useful network being your peers sitting next to you. The course was mostly practical and conceptually led. We had a tiny module called professional practice.

Isis by Rosie Emerson, Cyanotype, 112cm x 76 cm

Isis, Cyanotype, 112cm x 76 cm.

You have exhibited in numerous places around the world, what has been the most memorable occasion or event and why?
Yes, one of the first international projects I did was in Tel Aviv and it was really exciting to see pictures of my work up there. Sadly I am stuck in the studio in London for many of the international shows and art fairs that I do, but I am planning a trip to the West coast of America later this year. I’d love to show some work there, and perhaps make some more work whilst I’m there too.

Rosie Emerson Shrine # 1

Shrine #1.

What advice would you give an up and coming artist when it comes to finding your feet in the ‘real world’?
I say, go for it, then if you’re finding it hard, think long and hard about whether this is something you want to do… really want to do, and if you can’t imagine doing anything else, think about it a bit harder. Think about whether you have the self motivation and are happy to live life with a insecure income, whether you are prepared to put yourself out there to potentially fail and then have to pick yourself up again. And then, if you still really want to be an artist, find a way to make it work. Very few artists live solely off their income as an artist, so think about something else you can do alongside making art. Get a studio, be strict with yourself about making work, apply for everything and anything that takes your fancy, and don’t worry about the rejections. Organize things yourself and don’t wait for things to happen. I quote artist Byron Pritchard, when he says ‘the world doesn’t owe you a job’.

Sirens opens soon at the Hang Up Gallery – read my full listing here. See more work by Rosie Emerson here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday April 25th, 2014 9:28 am

Categories ,Amber Le Bon, ,Becky Palmer, ,Byron Pritchard, ,Cyanotype printing, ,daisy lowe, ,exhibition, ,hackney, ,Hang Up Gallery, ,interview, ,Kingston University, ,Mark Bayley, ,Rosie Emerson, ,Sirens, ,Tel Aviv, ,White Knight

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Amelia’s Magazine | Moving Textiles: Digital Encounters, an interview with Louize Harries

by

Louize Harries Digital Encounters
Louize Harries, Digital Encounters.

The University for the Creative Arts currently hosts Digital Encounters, the final exhibition in the Crysalis Project Moving Textiles series, curated by Jenna Rossi‐Camus. In this exciting exhibition the works of over forty emerging and established textile designers, artists and craftspeople explore the place of digital technology in contemporary textile practice. I spoke with exhibitor Louize Harries, formerly of Prick Your Finger and now engaged in her own fine art textiles practice.

Digital Encounters-Louise Harries robotcontactsheet
Louise Harries, Robot contact sheet.

How did you tackle the brief: Digital Encounters?
The question the curator set us was ‘How do you see the future of textiles and it’s relationship to digital media?’ Coming up with ideas for anything is the easy part for me; it’s the editing of them that is the harder bit! But, as the question was wide it was a good chance to tie up and bring together lots of ideas I had floating around and form them into something new. The development came with doing lots of research, starting with the stuff I am already into, which at the moment is sci-fi and robotploitation films (Cherry 2000, Sex Kittens Go To College, Metropolis) so it was like a giant join up the dots. I had also just finished reading Homer’s Iliad and I realised that Hephaestus (who makes Achilles’ armour) had golden mechanical handmaidens to assist him… so there it all was… the first mention of robots, and female ones… and the idea which every crafts person struggles with, which is the labour involved in making. Even Hephaestus struggled and he was the Greek god of craft. ‘Future’ in today’s discourse is often about progress and speed, but making handwoven tapestries must be one of the slowest techniques known to humans since the process hasn’t essentially changed since the 3rd century. So the only time it will speed up is if a weave bot is invented: I thought I’d become my own Hephaestus golden handmaid and using the technology I had available my on my iphone 4 I filmed and edited myself weaving a series of robot-selfies! I don’t tend to focus or attach myself too heavily to outcomes, so I see them almost as a side effect of the process and research and explorations. I welcome developments along the way and trust in any last minute swerves and detours!

Charley Mortley - Digital Depth of Fold
Charlie Mortley, Digital Depth of Fold.

What was the process of creation?
It was long! I can and do work to tight deadlines, so before each project I make a timetable so I know roughly how long I can spend doing R&R vs making… but this project had a long lead time so I enjoyed myself!

Digital Encounters-JamesFox_NotNow_2014
James Fox, Not Now.

Did you learn anything new from taking part in this exhibition?
YES! I learnt how to edit and do special effects on my phone and that I need to practice my public speaking cos I ALWAYS do a bit of a freezer during any presentations and symposiums and find myself thinking of odd stuff just when I’m supposed to be answering questions!

Digital Encounters-Faye Tinmouth_IT_PhotoChristopherTurner_2014
Faye Tinmouth

What else have you been working on this summer?
This summer I’ve also been working as part of an amazing collective set up by Lyall Hakaraia from Vogue Fabrics in Dalston. It’s called Vogue goes Rogue and we have done a series of creative journeys or ritualistic corporate journeys which have involved making totems and much magic and fun; for instance I made a 5×4 meter totem called THE COLLECTOR which we took to Glastonbury, paraded through Hackney and used in a performace at the Ram Place pop up fashion market/space set up by the Barbican as part of curation for the John Paul Gaultier exhibition.

Digital Encounters-Carol Quarini_unheededwarning_2014
Carol Quarini, Unheeded Warning.

What is your favourite method of textile construction at the moment and why?
My favorite method of textile construction is a hard one as I have a big love for all forms of constructed textiles… but having said that I do love weaving! I love that most methods are simple to grasp but take a life time to master, so you can always improve and you learn constantly. And it can all be done with really simple equipment: the fact that you only need two sticks or one hook or a basic frame to make the most amazing stuff still excites me!!

The Digital Encounters exhibition takes place at the Herbert Read Gallery on the UCA Canterbury campus and finishes on the 26th July so you have just a few days left to take a look at all the work on show for yourself.

@UCA_Crysalis
www.twitter.com/UCA_Crysalis
#digitalencounters

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday July 23rd, 2014 3:50 pm

Categories ,Canterbury, ,Carol Quarini, ,Charlie Mortley, ,Cherry 2000, ,Crysalis Project, ,Digital Encounters, ,Faye Tinmouth, ,hackney, ,Handwoven, ,Hephaestus, ,Herbert Read Gallery, ,Iliad, ,interview, ,iphone 4, ,James Fox, ,Jenna Rossi‐Camus, ,Louise Harries, ,Louize Harries, ,Lyall Hakaraia, ,Metropolis, ,Moving Textiles, ,Prick your Finger, ,Ram Place, ,robot-selfies, ,Robotploitation, ,Sci-Fi, ,Sex Kittens Go To College, ,Tapestry, ,THE COLLECTOR, ,UCA Canterbury, ,University for the Creative Arts, ,Vogue Fabrics, ,Vogue goes Rogue

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Amelia’s Magazine | How to Attract the Opposite Sex: an art seminar/dating opportunity from Details on Request

by

vampireweekend by Patty Bowman
nila raja explaining by kellie black
Nila Raja by Kellie Black.

Last Thursday I was in Broadway Market to review one of a series of intriguing talks organized by Details on Request, information pills a group of curatorial East London artists, ambulance for Amelia’s Magazine. The talk I’d been asked to cover was about How to Attract the Opposite Sex. Not having had much luck myself recently with attracting and retaining boyfriends, I was eager to find out if there was anything new I could learn.

There was a pretty lively atmosphere in Broadway Market when I turned up for the open air talk, on the pavement outside Off Broadway, the popular and trendy bar hangout, frequented by the more fashionable London Fields locals. Despite the fact that the talk had been delayed from 8pm til 9pm for various reasons, the atmosphere in Broadway Market was perfectly suited to the subject matter, with everyone gathered in a frivolous and light-hearted summer evening mood, jostling outside the bar in anticipation of what promised to be an entertaining discussion. It was also First Thursday of the month which is open gallery night in Hackney, meaning that the crowds were drifting up from Vyner Street towards London Fields in search of alcohol and social interaction.

Nila Raja, who is the striking and exotically beautiful lead singer of Nila and the Rajas hosted our evening discussion. She began by saying to us that whether we attract the opposite sex or not depends so much on the alignment of ‘chance factors like the weather, the flowers, the trees, whether the sun is shining’…

Antonia-Parker-How-To-Attract-The-Opposite-Sex
Illustration by Antonia Parker.

She then selected one guy and one girl from the group to pose as models. Taking the girl she asked her to walk as she normally would in front of us. Nila then summoned her back and asked her to pin back her shoulders and stick out her chest before attempting the same entrance again. This time her posture was noticeably improved. “Look”, exclaimed Nila, “See what a difference something that simple can make to how you present yourself?”

Nila then took the bearded man in his khaki military jacket with shiny brass buttons, complimenting him on his bold fashion sense and explained how he could get a girl on her own at a party, by asking her if she wanted to come outside for a smoke with him. Some of us guffawed out loud at this suggestion, because the unhealthy stigma attached to smoking and the bad breath linked to it, is anathema to most people nowadays. But some of us conceded that smoking was still seen as sexy by some because of Bogart and Hollywood movies.

What Not To Say Kayleigh Bluck
What Not To Say by Kayleigh Bluck.

She asked the guy if he would recognise the tell tale signs indicating whether a girl fancied him or not? Nila said that one indication is when a girl flutters her eyelashes at you before gazing directly into your eyes. Another is when she directs her gaze briefly towards the man’s crotch and then back up to his face. There were lots of giggles at this point. Nila then posted a large sheet of white paper on the wall outside the bar and asking the assembled throng what, in their opinion, were the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of dating conversation – in particular, first dates.

Antonia-Parker-How-To-Attract-The-Opposite-Sex
Dos and Don’ts by Antonia Parker.

A nervous titter ran through the crowd and everyone looked at each other, as if to say, yeah, we’ve all been here before. Under Don’ts we soon had a list defining the more obvious off -limit topics of conversation: babies, marriage, PMT and periods, ex-boyfriends, talking about yourself too much, talking about work too much, family and DEATH (which for some reason was in capital letters). Under Do’s we had, ask them about: what he/she likes to do in their spare time, for fun; travelling; football, sport (if dating a bloke); topics he or she is knowledgeable about in order to make them feel attractive and the focus of your attention.

Most of the ideas on the list were fairly westernized, for example in terms of taboos around avoiding discussion of marriage and babies ahead of marriage and babies. As one woman confided to me, “This is not a problem in the arab world.” The subject matter was mostly familiar to all of us and not particularly original or ground-breaking, however the interactive nature of the talk acted as a catalyst that sparked off a peculiar chain of reactions in the assembled crowd, leading to some amusing consequences.

Holding Hands Kayleigh Bluck
Holding Hands by Kayleigh Bluck.

An Australian bloke who told us he was travelling the world, started to interrupt Nila in order to support her by giving the male point of view on dating. He jumped up and down in his surfing shorts and flip-flops with such enthusiasm, he might as well have been a ballerina on point, flailing his arms and speaking expressively to the crowd. “Yeah”, he exclaimed, “I’m a traveller and talking about travelling with blokes is good. I mean everyone’s travelled somewhere haven’t they? and you’re bound to get a response with that.” The next thing I heard he’d disappeared downstairs into the gents toilets for some action with a mystery blonde he’d met that evening. One of the friendly crowd I’d met on a bench outside the bar had stumbled in on the pair of them next to the fishtank in the gents loos.

A minute later a friendly-faced young man appeared at my shoulder with his bike, asking me what the talk was about. He said he’d been passing on his bike and seen the crowd and was curious to know what was going on. I filled him on on the details but he seemed much more interested in where I was from, what was I doing there and what did I get up to in my spare time? It suddenly occurred to me that I was being picked up by a stranger. Soon we were discussing my choir – The Hackney Secular Singers. He told me he was the lead singer in a band and would like to come along to our choir rehearsals to try out some time. Before I knew it we were exchanging details and I was the stunned possessor of his mobile phone number and email address. I returned to the very friendly and pleasant group of four strangers with whom I’d been chatting earlier who were sitting on a bench outside the bar. They bought me a beer and then, as we wended our way back towards Hackney Road, one of them insisted on getting me alone so that he could ask for my phone number, telling me he was a ‘free agent’.

amelia and the friendly man by kellie black
Amelia and the Friendly Man by Kellie Black. Just imagine this is Jemima folks. Because it was actually her… slight misunderstanding by Kellie. I was a bit confused about why the illustration looked so like me – turns out it is me!

I concluded that I may not have learnt a great deal from the talk in terms of technique or ideas about how to catch a man, but that its location, the timing, the open air setting and the boulevard style of delivery meant that it was more than likely you would achieve the endgame of attracting some one of the opposite sex, simply by being there – which is half the battle, after all. It had also been a really fun way to spend my evening.

Couple Kayleigh Bluck
Couple by Kayleigh Bluck.

For more information about Details on Request see their website: they’ve got lots more going on throughout August.

Written by Jemima Broadbridge on Friday August 13th, 2010 12:03 pm

Categories ,Antonia Parker, ,Broadway Market, ,Details on Request, ,First Thursdays, ,hackney, ,Hollywood, ,Kayleigh Bluck, ,Kellie Black, ,London Fields, ,Nila and the Rajas, ,Nila Raja, ,Off Broadway

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Amelia’s Magazine | Beautiful freaks: The Last Tuesday Society

by

topshop riot by kellie black
UKuncut Topshop-police amelia gregory
Topshop, this with your welcoming entrance you are spoiling us…

If you are on twitter you will probably have noticed the mutterings of the #UKuncut hashtag – from small beginnings it has grown to become the standard bearer of the cuts demonstrations. And to think it all started only a few weeks back, generic when I got a frantic phone call from one of my friends on the first UK Uncut Vodafone demo. “We’ve got a trending hashtag” he exclaimed somewhat maniacally. “but we’ve misspelled Vodaphone, viagra you’ve got to help us!!” I assured him that a quick glance at twitter confirmed that he didn’t need my twittering powers one iota. And frankly I think it’s Vodafone who’ve got their spelling wrong. Now, thousands of people follow the @UKuncut twitter feed and the #UKuncut hashtag stream is used to communicate between anti-cuts protests up and down the country. Makes you dead proud of your mates it does.

UKUncut by Avril Kelly
UKUncut by Avril Kelly.

I didn’t manage to get along to that first demo due to my head being buried in the creation of my new book, but I have been avidly following the progress of the cuts protests. And when I heard about the next major target for UK Uncut I was most excited: the Topshop flagship store in Oxford Circus. Regular readers of this blog will no doubt be able to guess that I am not exactly a big fan of Topshop – I know too many small designers who have been ripped off, they have an atrocious human rights record, and I find the association with Kate Moss frankly tedious. Suffice to say I won’t be covering any Topshop collections in Amelia’s Magazine in the near future.

UK uncut sinister pics
Photograph by Sinister Pictures.

Instead, I hope to be joining more protests. Why? Well, a while ago the papers exposed Sir Philip Green‘s cunning tax avoidance trick that enables him to siphon vast profits out of the country and safely into the hands of his Monaco dwelling wife. There was a surge of interest and then the news disappeared. But the cunning folks at UK Uncut have decided to resurrect the gripe. Why? For the simple reason that this country is in the grip of savage cuts to almost everything imaginable. And yet the very rich are able to take our money out of the country: it is the very reverse of the ethos behind the resurgence of local currencies triumphed by Transition Towns. If you use the Brixton Pound in Brixton it enables local money to stay in a local area, enriching the lives of everyone who partakes in the local economy. If you use your pounds in Topshop they leak straight out of the UK, benefiting none of us at all.

Pay your Taxes Ross McEwan
Illustration by Ross McEwan.

Why is it that the richer people get the more greedy they become? Surely once you’ve earnt your first billion there’s little reason to keep chasing more? But no, the super rich, chums of our millionaire Con-Dem cabinet (Philip Green has the audacity to advise on austerity measures) together avoid £25 billion in tax by removing it from the country. One argument says that if the UK was to make it less amenable for large businesses to run their services here they would simply take them elsewhere. I fail to see the logic in this: Philip Green runs a British company, Topshop. He isn’t about to pack up and ship it over to Dubai never to be seen again, is he?

So it was that on a cold Saturday morning I jumped out of bed and sped into the centre of town. I missed the first noisy influx into the store by a few minutes and the main entrance was already blocked by security. However, although I very rarely get sucked into Topshop these days, I know well that there are several entrances so I zipped straight in via the side door.

UK_UncutTopshop2_byAlisonDay
UK Uncut Topshop Protest by Alison Day.

Inside about thirty protestors were already staging a sit in, chanting as bemused shoppers gazed on, uncertain what to do. They were a mix bunch from different movements, including climate activists and peeved students. “Philip’s Green’s taxation could pay for our education” was but one of many clever chants I heard.

UKuncut Topshop-amelia gregory

Within moments I was hustled straight back out the main entrance due to my very large camera, but I just went right back around and came back in with my iphone camera instead. Eventually I heard these magical words over the tanoy system: There has been an incident: please exit the store immediately. And so it was that we were able to close down the main branch of Topshop for well over an hour on a busy Saturday in the run up to Christmas. The sour faces of thwarted shoppers peered down at us as the streets got busier, but most of them seemed fairly content to visit Urban Outfitters next door instead. A gaggle of protestors then spread up and down Oxford Street, shutting Dorothy Perkins and BHS (both also part of Philip Green’s Arcadia empire) and revisiting Vodafone. In fact, just the threat of our arrival was enough to close most stores before we even got to them.

UK Uncut sinister pictures
Outside BHS. Photograph by Sinister Pictures.

As I was twittering through the protest I received a reply from a small fashion brand that has a concession in Topshop – But what about the independent labels that are losing business? – she said. I do think that if you get into bed with a corporate brand you can expect to experience the pitfalls as well as the bonuses, but our quibbles are obviously not with the independent designers who stock Topshop (and at any rate in this case she definitely supported us) or the workers in the store, who may well have lost income if we had blocked the entrances more effectively and they had been told to go home.

Abi Daker - Topshop protest 2010
One Woman Topshop protest 2010 by Abigail Daker.

Of course it is very hard to protest without some unwanted fallout, which is why I so love this inspiring one woman protest: whilst we were causing mayhem at Oxford Circus Bryony went along to her local Wandsworth Topshop equipped only with flyers and chocolate, and on the purchase of a Breton top politely explained that she would not be able to pay the VAT because she didn’t trust Philip Green to give it the HMRC. She handed out information to the other customers and chocolates to the confused employees as they tried to accommodate her request by calling head office. What a clever way to raise awareness in a totally calm and collected manner, but the real success has been in the telling of the story – which has been bouncing around on the #UKuncut hashtag, attracting glowing comments from others who may well be inspired to do the same.

UKuncut Topshop-amelia gregory outside

For naturally this story is far from over: the students are still revolting on the streets and UK Uncut have announced yet another day of action: this time I urge you to join them and protest against the greedy fat cat billionaires who are currently free to move the money we spend on their products out of this country and away from where it might be put to good use. On Saturday 18th December Topshop and Vodafone will be targeted in high streets across the UK. Find out all the details here.

UKuncut Topshop-police amelia gregory
Topshop, order with your welcoming entrance you are spoiling us…

If you are on twitter you will probably have noticed the mutterings of the #UKuncut hashtag – from small beginnings it has grown to become the standard bearer of the cuts demonstrations. And to think it all started only a few weeks back, when I got a frantic phone call from one of my friends on the first UK Uncut Vodafone demo. “We’ve got a trending hashtag” he exclaimed somewhat maniacally. “but we’ve misspelled Vodaphone, you’ve got to help us!!” I assured him that a quick glance at twitter confirmed that he didn’t need my twittering powers one iota. And frankly I think it’s Vodafone who’ve got their spelling wrong. Now, thousands of people follow the @UKuncut twitter feed and the #UKuncut hashtag stream is used to communicate between anti-cuts protests up and down the country. Makes you dead proud of your mates it does.

UKUncut by Avril Kelly
UKUncut by Avril Kelly.

I didn’t manage to get along to that first demo due to my head being buried in the creation of my new book, but I have been avidly following the progress of the cuts protests. And when I heard about the next major target for UK Uncut I was most excited: the Topshop flagship store in Oxford Circus. Regular readers of this blog will no doubt be able to guess that I am not exactly a big fan of Topshop – I know too many small designers who have been ripped off, they have an atrocious human rights record, and I find the association with Kate Moss frankly tedious. Suffice to say I won’t be covering any Topshop collections in Amelia’s Magazine in the near future.

UK uncut sinister pics
Photograph by Sinister Pictures.

Instead, I hope to be joining more protests. Why? Well, a while ago the papers exposed Sir Philip Green‘s cunning tax avoidance trick that enables him to siphon vast profits out of the country and safely into the hands of his Monaco dwelling wife. There was a surge of interest and then the news disappeared. But the cunning folks at UK Uncut have decided to resurrect the gripe. Why? For the simple reason that this country is in the grip of savage cuts to almost everything imaginable. And yet the very rich are able to take our money out of the country: it is the very reverse of the ethos behind the resurgence of local currencies triumphed by Transition Towns. If you use the Brixton Pound in Brixton it enables local money to stay in a local area, enriching the lives of everyone who partakes in the local economy. If you use your pounds in Topshop they leak straight out of the UK, benefiting none of us at all.

Pay your Taxes Ross McEwan
Illustration by Ross McEwan.

Why is it that the richer people get the more greedy they become? Surely once you’ve earnt your first billion there’s little reason to keep chasing more? But no, the super rich, chums of our millionaire Con-Dem cabinet (Philip Green has the audacity to advise on austerity measures) together avoid £25 billion in tax by removing it from the country. One argument says that if the UK was to make it less amenable for large businesses to run their services here they would simply take them elsewhere. I fail to see the logic in this: Philip Green runs a British company, Topshop. He isn’t about to pack up and ship it over to Dubai never to be seen again, is he?

topshop riot by kellie black
Topshop protest by Kellie Black.

So it was that on a cold Saturday morning I jumped out of bed and sped into the centre of town. I missed the first noisy influx into the store by a few minutes and the main entrance was already blocked by security. However, although I very rarely get sucked into Topshop these days, I know well that there are several entrances so I zipped straight in via the side door.

UK_UncutTopshop2_byAlisonDay
UK Uncut Topshop Protest by Alison Day.

Inside about thirty protestors were already staging a sit in, chanting as bemused shoppers gazed on, uncertain what to do. They were a mix bunch from different movements, including climate activists and peeved students. “Philip’s Green’s taxation could pay for our education” was but one of many clever chants I heard.

UKuncut Topshop-amelia gregory

Within moments I was hustled straight back out the main entrance due to my very large camera, but I just went right back around and came back in with my iphone camera instead. Eventually I heard these magical words over the tanoy system: There has been an incident: please exit the store immediately. And so it was that we were able to close down the main branch of Topshop for well over an hour on a busy Saturday in the run up to Christmas. The sour faces of thwarted shoppers peered down at us as the streets got busier, but most of them seemed fairly content to visit Urban Outfitters next door instead. A gaggle of protestors then spread up and down Oxford Street, shutting Dorothy Perkins and BHS (both also part of Philip Green’s Arcadia empire) and revisiting Vodafone. In fact, just the threat of our arrival was enough to close most stores before we even got to them.

UK Uncut sinister pictures
Outside BHS. Photograph by Sinister Pictures.

As I was twittering through the protest I received a reply from a small fashion brand that has a concession in Topshop – But what about the independent labels that are losing business? – she said. I do think that if you get into bed with a corporate brand you can expect to experience the pitfalls as well as the bonuses, but our quibbles are obviously not with the independent designers who stock Topshop (and at any rate in this case she definitely supported us) or the workers in the store, who may well have lost income if we had blocked the entrances more effectively and they had been told to go home.

Abi Daker - Topshop protest 2010
One Woman Topshop protest 2010 by Abigail Daker.

Of course it is very hard to protest without some unwanted fallout, which is why I so love this inspiring one woman protest: whilst we were causing mayhem at Oxford Circus Bryony went along to her local Wandsworth Topshop equipped only with flyers and chocolate, and on the purchase of a Breton top politely explained that she would not be able to pay the VAT because she didn’t trust Philip Green to give it the HMRC. She handed out information to the other customers and chocolates to the confused employees as they tried to accommodate her request by calling head office. What a clever way to raise awareness in a totally calm and collected manner, but the real success has been in the telling of the story – which has been bouncing around on the #UKuncut hashtag, attracting glowing comments from others who may well be inspired to do the same.

UKuncut Topshop-amelia gregory outside

For naturally this story is far from over: the students are still revolting on the streets and UK Uncut have announced yet another day of action: this time I urge you to join them and protest against the greedy fat cat billionaires who are currently free to move the money we spend on their products out of this country and away from where it might be put to good use. On Saturday 18th December Topshop and Vodafone will be targeted in high streets across the UK. Find out all the details here.


Royal Birds by Lynn Hatzius. All images courtesy of Viktor Wynd Fine Art Inc.

There is no way to really describe what goes on at The Last Tuesday Society, help it simply has to be seen. In a word: it is spectacular. It beggars belief. You end up just LOOKING, overwhelmed by all this weird and wonderful stuff, no idea why you like it – only that you do.

I actually went to The Last Tuesday Society to see ‘Beasts Royal’, the art exhibition running until 8th January at the adjacent Victor Wynd Fine Art gallery – and I’ll get to that in a minute. But this place … ! When later that night I told a friend how amazing it was, she just looked horrified – because there’s a lot of taxidermy. Dead, stuffed animals feature heavily. But this is why this place needs to be seen, because there is something incredible and spell-binding about it. I don’t know, maybe I’m the odd one for not finding the silent, staring animals horrifying. After all, I was raised by people who thought nothing of letting their five-year-old help scraping meat off the elk bones after the annual hunt. (‘That’s right darling, toss it in the mince bucket.’)


Bowerbird by Natasha Chambers

So what IS all this wonderful stuff then? Well, there are butterflies. And lots of prints and pictures. Animal skeletons, and some old human skulls which look real. It’s a little bit like the Sir John Soane’s museum in Holborn, but it’s more random than that. There is a pack of playing cards with naked transsexuals, a golliwog orchestra, rusty keys, seashells, toys and two-headed cuddly bears. There are books too: ‘Dial “O” for Orgy’, ‘The Virgin Soldiers’ and something called ‘The Cunt Colouring Book’. I reached out for the latter to see if it’s what it sounded like … oh my. Ladies, you might need a hand mirror to get the shading right.


The Fool by EC Woodard

Back upstairs in the gallery, the taxidermy theme runs strongly through the ‘Beasts Royal’ exhibition too. This isn’t usually the case, says ‘majordomo’ Patrick Knill, as the show changes several times a year. The art, mostly one-off pieces curated by Alice Herrick, is themed around animals and nature. The works are shown in the midst of a jungle of animals – there’s a parrot, a fox, some sort of small camel, a lion, a spotted creature I think may be a hyena, and a full-sized polar bear raised on two legs. There are some amazing little cabinets on display too, including a dressed-up frog reading Dickens, and a priceless setting of eight squirrels playing cards.


Fox Doorknocker by Jen Franklin

‘What you see in the gallery, we exhibit the things we do because we like it,’ says Knill. ‘We’re not a gallery for hire. We will put on artists that we like.’ While it’s not the case at the moment, the idea is for the gallery to look different from the rest of the space. This would have been the case with previous exhibitions, such as the one with photographer Lina Scheynius.

So what do people say when they come into the shop, I ask. ‘Well, sometimes people stay for 15 seconds and then they leave again,’ laughs Patrick. ‘Some people have a fear of certain animals, so if you are scared of butterflies you won’t last long.’ He points out that most of the taxidermy is antique, and in cases where it isn’t, the animals were culled for reasons such as pest-control.


By Andy Harper

The shop and gallery on Mare Street, randomly located between a closed-down pub and a loan shop in spitting distance of the strip joints on Hackney Road, are actually the latest additions to the many activities of The Last Tuesday Society. The group is probably better known for its club nights and hosted lectures, but by this point I’m too overwhelmed to remember to ask Patrick about this. Instead I crouch down to look at all the strange and wonderful things for sale in this ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. An exorcism doll believed to contain souls from previous sessions, mechanical wind-up toys, an elegant box of yes, you read right, these are ‘chocolate anuses modelled from life’. There’s lots of jewellery – ice cream cones, claws, spiders, and … are those teeth?! I lean further into the cabinet, digging for treasure. All the while I’m being watched by a giant bat, a dog with wings, and all the great beasts of the savanna.


By Lynn Hatzius

Visit The Last Tuesday Society and the Victor Wynd Fine Art gallery on 11 Mare Street, London E8. See the website for opening hours. ‘Beasts Royal’ runs until 28th January.

Written by Jessica Furseth on Thursday December 9th, 2010 5:11 pm

Categories ,Andy Harper, ,EC Woodard, ,hackney, ,Jen Franklin, ,Lina Scheynius, ,london, ,Lynn Hatzius, ,Natasha Chambers, ,Patrick Knill, ,Sir John Soane’s museum, ,Taxidermy, ,The Last Tuesday Society, ,Victor Wynd Fine Art Inc

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Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2012: 12 Top Kitchenware Designs

by

productofyourenvironment jammie dodger plate
I’ve brought you the best cushions, the best mugs and the best tea towels, and now here is the best of the rest of the homewares I found whilst scouring craft fairs and the web for interesting and unique gifts.

If you love slightly kitsch tableware you’ll love these Jammie Dodger biscuit serving plates, created by product designer Rebecca Chitty of productofyourenvironment.

lucentia plastic bowls
I am a little bit in love with these unusual marble effect bowls made out of recycled material originally used for sunglasses frames: created by Lucentia using an innovative in-house process. These awesome bowls are sent out within a week so get ordering.

Jim Bob art Mr Fox coffee cups
Jim Bob Art is still hard at work creating his amazing animal plates, but he is also now hand painting these brilliant sets of coffee cups: which work to perfection when stacked. He is currently holding court in his own shop on Columbia Road, so why not visit in the run up to Christmas?

Lush designs vegetable oven gloves
I’ve already mentioned Lush Designs once but I’m going to mention them again because their quirky print designs are right up my street. I love these vegetable oven gloves – sprouts, carrots and beetroot make such a great seasonal colour combo.

mini modem plates
You can always count on Mini Moderns for a slice of great design: check out these marvellous backgammon tea plates.

Silicone-Trivets-Royal VKB Haus London
Recently discovered: I love Smak, Grum, Blub and Slisss silicone animal shaped trivets by Ontwerperk at Haus London – based on pre-historic rock art. One to please the men too I think.

Grande Dame Madam & Eve Limited Edition Porcelain Dinner Plate
For beautiful decorative porcelain plates I always come back to the inimitable designs of Burnt Offerings by Grande Dame: Tiff McGinnis is an American expat and in honour of New York recognising same sex marriage she has created this wonderful range of plates. Choose from Madam and Eve or Adam and Steve. Get 30% off using the code SANTASALE before Dec 20th!

london plane chopping boards by Hampson Woods
Also in stock at Haus London are these beautiful wooden chopping boards created in a Hackney workshop by Hampson Woods from fallen London Plane trees. Gloriously smooth and sexy to the touch (I’m not making it up, I’ve touched one). Each board comes with a tag explaining the provenance of the tree it came from.

rob-ryan-set-of-4-this-was-our-place-china-plates
Rob Ryan of course deserves a mention, now that he designs such a wide range of ceramic wares. I particularly like this set of four plates titled ‘This Was Our Place‘, available at Soma Gallery.

marcus walters tray howkapow
And to round off my tips for fabulous kitchenware purchases: three beautiful laminated wooden trays, all made from sustainably sourced Scandinavian birch wood. The biggest tray is a retro design by Marcus Walters for Howkapow.

mouse tray by darling clementine soma gallery
Or try this sweet mouse tray by Darling Clementine at Soma Gallery.

Jonna Saarinen Wooden Breakfast and Picnic Trays
And to round off my selection: pick one of these fabulous abstract neon splatter designs by Swedish RCA graduate Jonna Saarinen.

Stay tuned: more to come soon!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday December 10th, 2012 6:15 pm

Categories ,Adam and Steve, ,Blub, ,Burnt Offerings, ,ceramics, ,Chopping board, ,Christmas, ,Columbia Road, ,Craft Fair, ,Darling Clementine, ,gifts, ,Grande Dame, ,Grum, ,hackney, ,Hampson Woods, ,Haus London, ,Homeware, ,Howkapow, ,Jammie Dodger, ,Jim Bob Art, ,Jonna Saarinen, ,Kitchen, ,Kitchenware, ,London Plane, ,Lucentia, ,Lush Designs, ,Madam and Eve, ,Marcus Walters, ,Mini Moderns, ,Ontwerperk, ,Plates, ,productofyourenvironment, ,rca, ,Rebecca Chitty, ,recycled, ,rob ryan, ,Silicone trivet, ,Slisss, ,Smak, ,Soma Gallery, ,Sunglasses, ,sustainable, ,This Was Our Place, ,Tiff McGinnis, ,Wooden tray

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Amelia’s Magazine | Alfred & Wilde: an interview with designer Simon Mitchell

by

Heart London lifestyle -Alfred&Wilde
I have had my eye on the Alfred & Wilde brand since I first discovered the bold graphic designs of founder Simon Mitchell at the 2014 Tent London exhibition in September last year, and I then convinced him to contribute a special piece about the Platonic Solids for That Which We Do Not Understand, my 10th anniversary book. I caught up with Simon again at the recent Top Drawer at Olympia, and marvelled at the latest additions to his collection: bespoke jewellery created in collaboration with the Wolf & Moon jewellery brand. Here’s the low down on his wonderful style.

Simon Mitchell - Alfred & Wilde
What inspired you to turn from fine art to graphic design?
My fine art practice at university tended to use a lot of graphic design – I created advertising-style posters and lightboxes for my degree show – but the art world never appealed long-term. However, after a few years with an office job I realised I needed a creative outlet, and figured that designing cards and prints might provide this, while also potentially providing a more steady income than being an artist.

Yeshen Venema Photography
How long have you lived in Hackney and how does the area affect your work ethos and design?
I have lived in the area for nearly 7 years now, having lived in North London for four years before that. Both areas – like most of London – have a brilliant mix of people from all over the world, with all the variation in food, music and culture that goes with that. But you really can’t beat Hackney for arts and culture. Hackney Wick is home to the largest community of artists in Europe and Clapton and London Fields are full of the world’s fashion crowd. The city provides constant mental and creative stimulation and is always pushing you to up your game and be better than your peers. I’m not sure how I’d manage if I moved somewhere quieter!

Plywood (black and white) print-Alfred&Wilde
Yeshen Venema Photography Icosahedron-tea-towel-AlfredWilde
Why are you so enamoured of the Platonic Solids?
I’ve always been a bit of a science geek – I studied natural sciences before fine art – so was keen to reference this in my designs. I was drawn to the Platonic Solids because they have a historical and mathematical significance that is intricately linked to what they look like. The geometric shapes were studied by the ancient Greeks but still manage to look like contemporary graphic designs when printed today.

Platonic-Solid-mugs-AlfredWildePlatonic-Solid-mugs-AlfredWilde
What is the process of creating your designs?
I’ve got a box full of cuttings and postcards and bit and pieces, plus Pinterest boards, that I use for ideas. But most of my designs are sketched out on my Mac using an open source version of Illustrator called Inkscape. The software can be a bit limiting which has probably helped shape the style Alfred & Wilde style – less is more!

Cube Brooch-Alfred Wilde
How did the collaboration with Wolf and Moon come about?
I thought the Platonic Solids designs would be perfect for jewellery so was on the look out for someone to collaborate with. Luckily a friend of a friend put me in touch with Hannah from Wolf & Moon who loved the idea. It has been great to team up with a fellow Hackney brand with such a strong focus on geometric shapes. They’ve been amazing to work with.

London notebook-Alfred&Wilde
What was the highlight of your recent Top Drawer outing? Any exciting new retail outlets you can share?
Top Drawer was a great platform for Alfred & Wilde and I had interest from some really well respected retailers. I’m particularly pleased about getting new stockists outside of London in places like Brighton. And I’ll soon be stocked in the Southbank Centre shop in London – that’s pretty exciting!

Gold-Power-Station-lifestyle-AlfredWilde
How hard is it to run a business alongside another job, and do you have any tips for other designers in a similar situation?
I never seem to have enough time for Alfred & Wilde which is difficult, and my to-do list seems endless. But keeping my job on a part-time basis has given me an invaluable financial safety net and I couldn’t have started Alfred & Wilde without it. I think its important to have a job that can be really flexible. I’ve been really lucky that if I have an important event or need to wait in for a delivery I can change my days I’m in the office.

Home-Is-Where-The-Heart-Is-lifestyle-AlfredWilde
What do you hope for the future of Alfred & Wilde?
Whenever I am asked this question I always give the same answer: my dream is to have an Alfred & Wilde HQ in a canalside warehouse in Hackney Wick, with studio space, print facilities, and a cafe, bar and gallery. From there I can run the global design empire!

I wish Simon the best of luck with his plans for the future: let’s hope they happen!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday January 28th, 2015 10:40 am

Categories ,2014, ,Alfred & Wilde, ,hackney, ,Hackney Wick, ,Inkscape, ,Pinterest, ,Platonic Solids, ,Simon Mitchell, ,Southbank centre, ,Tent London, ,That Which We Do Not Understand, ,Top Drawer, ,Wolf & Moon

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Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration Launch Party: The Movie

by

Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani.

Last season I was incredibly gutted to miss the Cooperative Designs presentation – such were the glowing reports on our website. But in my enthusiasm I actually turned up too early this time, viagra buy got turned away, buy ate a Pret sandwich… and then missed most of what turned out to actually be a catwalk show on repeat.


Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Descending some stairs we were asked to sit in a darkened vault but my photographer’s sixth sense directed me instead to stand in a separate photographers box, where the models paused for a few seconds in somewhat brighter conditions.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young.

This was a collection inspired by 90s rave culture, Drum n Bass and the contemplative industrial photography of Thomas Struth, which meant that the oversized silhouette of Cooperative Designs came in industrial tones of grey and beige stripes combined with fluoro highlights in tie detailing, visors and threaded hair accessories.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

There was lots of asymmetrical patterning, floppy hooded jumpers, boxy baggy tops and knit dresses tiered with baggy pouches. Lacy see through knitwear recalled the combat trouser shapes so beloved of 90s dancers. Hats by Noel Stewart were tall and floppy like a gnome’s or featured ear flaps and visors – questionable styles that were somehow rendered infinitely desirable. A wide knitted skirt was particularly cute, and were the little boots by Flip Flop, customised by Cooperative Designs with extravagant orange soles.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of any designers that I love I can actually imagine myself wearing Cooperative Designs. Their clever knitwear by it’s very nature being supremely flattering to the shape of a real women. Thankfully, they make a point of picking their models to reflect their customer.

On my way out I was given a brilliant press release: informative, well written and protected in a cardboard envelope that even I would struggle to lose. Best of all, it came with my very own piece of painted plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson, as featured in the collection. More designers could learn from such professionalism on the press release frontier.

You can read Naomi Law’s excellent review here.

I totally missed out the East 17 reference…
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani.

Last season I was incredibly gutted to miss the Cooperative Designs presentation – such were the glowing reports on our website. But in my enthusiasm I actually turned up too early this time, mind got turned away, ate a Pret sandwich… and then missed most of what turned out to actually be a catwalk show on repeat.


Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Descending some stairs we were asked to sit in a darkened vault but my photographer’s sixth sense directed me instead to stand in a separate photographers box, where the models paused for a few seconds in somewhat brighter conditions.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young.

This was a collection inspired by 90s rave culture, Drum n Bass and the contemplative industrial photography of Thomas Struth, which meant that the oversized silhouette of Cooperative Designs came in industrial tones of grey and beige stripes combined with fluoro highlights in tie detailing, visors and threaded hair accessories.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

There was lots of asymmetrical patterning, floppy hooded jumpers, boxy baggy tops and knit dresses tiered with baggy pouches. Lacy see through knitwear recalled the combat trouser shapes so beloved of 90s dancers. Hats by Noel Stewart were tall and floppy like a gnome’s or featured ear flaps and visors – questionable styles that were somehow rendered infinitely desirable. A wide knitted skirt was particularly cute, and were the little boots by Flip Flop, customised by Cooperative Designs with extravagant orange soles.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of any designers that I love I can actually imagine myself wearing Cooperative Designs. Their clever knitwear by it’s very nature being supremely flattering to the shape of a real women. Thankfully, they make a point of picking their models to reflect their customer.

Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson for Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

On my way out I was given a brilliant press release: informative, well written and protected in a cardboard envelope that even I would struggle to lose. Best of all, it came with my very own piece of painted plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson, as featured in the collection. More designers could learn from such professionalism on the press release frontier.

You can read Naomi Law’s excellent review here. You can see more of Natsuki Otani’s work in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani.

Last season I was incredibly gutted to miss the Cooperative Designs presentation – such were the glowing reports on our website. But in my enthusiasm I actually turned up too early this time, drug got turned away, order ate a Pret sandwich… and then missed most of what turned out to actually be a catwalk show on repeat.


Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Descending some stairs we were asked to sit in a darkened vault but my photographer’s sixth sense directed me instead to stand in a separate photographers box, where the models paused for a few seconds in somewhat brighter conditions.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young.

This was a collection inspired by 90s rave culture, Drum n Bass and the contemplative industrial photography of Thomas Struth, which meant that the oversized silhouette of Cooperative Designs came in industrial tones of grey and beige stripes combined with fluoro highlights in tie detailing, visors and threaded hair accessories.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

There was lots of asymmetrical patterning, floppy hooded jumpers, boxy baggy tops and knit dresses tiered with baggy pouches. Lacy see through knitwear recalled the combat trouser shapes so beloved of 90s dancers. Hats by Noel Stewart were tall and floppy like a gnome’s or featured ear flaps and visors – questionable styles that were somehow rendered infinitely desirable. A wide knitted skirt was particularly cute, and were the little boots by Flip Flop, customised by Cooperative Designs with extravagant orange soles.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of any designers that I love I can actually imagine myself wearing Cooperative Designs. Their clever knitwear by it’s very nature being supremely flattering to the shape of a real women. Thankfully, they make a point of picking their models to reflect their customer.

Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson for Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

On my way out I was given a brilliant press release: informative, well written and protected in a cardboard envelope that even I would struggle to lose. Best of all, it came with my very own piece of painted plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson, as featured in the collection. More designers could learn from such professionalism on the press release frontier.

You can read Naomi Law’s excellent review here. You can see more of Natsuki Otani’s work in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Natsuki Otani.

Last season I was incredibly gutted to miss the Cooperative Designs presentation – such were the glowing reports on our website. But in my enthusiasm I actually turned up too early this time, ailment got turned away, ate a Pret sandwich… and then missed most of what turned out to actually be a catwalk show on repeat.


Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Descending some stairs we were asked to sit in a darkened vault but my photographer’s sixth sense directed me instead to stand in a separate photographers box, where the models paused for a few seconds in somewhat brighter conditions.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011 by Jane Young.

This was a collection inspired by 90s rave culture, Drum n Bass and the contemplative industrial photography of Thomas Struth, which meant that the oversized silhouette of Cooperative Designs came in industrial tones of grey and beige stripes combined with fluoro highlights in tie detailing, visors and threaded hair accessories.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Tim Adey.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

There was lots of asymmetrical patterning, floppy hooded jumpers, boxy baggy tops and knit dresses tiered with baggy pouches. Lacy see through knitwear recalled the combat trouser shapes so beloved of 90s dancers. Hats by Noel Stewart were tall and floppy like a gnome’s or featured ear flaps and visors – questionable styles that were somehow rendered infinitely desirable. A wide knitted skirt was particularly cute, as were the little boots by Flip Flop, customised by Cooperative Designs with extravagant orange soles.

Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia GregoryCooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Cooperative Designs A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of any designers that I love I can actually imagine myself wearing Cooperative Designs. Their clever knitwear is by it’s very nature supremely flattering to the shape of a real women. Thankfully, they make a point of picking their models to reflect their customer.

Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson for Cooperative Designs 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

On my way out I was given a brilliant press release: informative, well written and protected in a cardboard envelope that even I would struggle to lose. Best of all, it came with my very own piece of painted plywood jewellery by Corrie Williamson, as featured in the collection. More designers could learn from such professionalism on the press release frontier.

You can read Naomi Law’s excellent review here and you can see more of Natsuki Otani’s work in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.
Sally Mumby-Croft at the ACOFI launch with Jonno and Matt. Illustration by Naomi Law
Sally Mumby-Croft at the ACOFI launch with Jonno and Matt. Illustration by Naomi Law.

Former Amelia’s Magazine art editor Sally Mumby-Croft put together this stunning movie reminder of the launch party for ACOFI with a little help from 6 Day Riot. I hope you enjoy a tour of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, rx as seen at the Bunker Cafe and Scout Hut at 123 Bethnal Green Road on Friday 28th January 2011. It features Susie Bubble, troche cakes by Lily Vanilli, sneak peaks inside the book and lots of sketching by the illustrators who helped out on the day.

YouTube Preview Image

I asked Sally a few questions about how she put the movie together:

What where you looking for when you filmed this?
When filming I’m often looking for the quiet moments in between moments of action, whether this be an illustrator lost in concentration, the movement of a pen, the simple action of making tea or a DJ pressing play. I wanted to capture the moments which were unique to an Amelia’s Magazine book launch.

What was your favourite moment of the party?
Apart from assisting Amelia and Matt Bramford with the set up in the morning and watching 123 heave under the number of guests who turned up for the book launch, my favourite moment of the party was when Amelia and Harriet (of Tatty Devine) cut the fantastic cake made by Lily Vanilli and we had a chance to taste the prettiest cake I’ve ever seen!

Sally Mumby-Croft. Photography by Liz Johnson-Artur.
Sally Mumby-Croft. Photography by Liz Johnson-Artur.

Who else have you made short videos for?
Recently I’ve been really lucky to work with the photographer and filmmaker Ben Toms, over the past three months I’ve worked on videos for JW Anderson, Edun and Craig Lawrence.



Outside of fashion film, I’ve worked with the fantastic team behind the upcoming documentary Just Do It: get off your arse and change the world and assisted on the editing of their Grow Heathrow short:

YouTube Preview Image

What else are you working on at the moment?
I’m thinking about the possibility of expanding upon Edgeland, a short documentary I made with Xavier Zapata in 2009. Edgeland consists of a series of interviews with Hackney residents who have been displaced by the Olympic development site in Stratford. Apart from that I have an idea for a new short film…

There’s a reason why I heart Sally big time. She’s incredibly talented, knowledgeable and she cares about the world around us. You can follow Sally on twitter here, and keep up with her on her Vimeo channel here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday March 11th, 2011 5:42 pm

Categories ,123 Bethnal Green Road, ,6 Day Riot, ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Ben Toms, ,Bunker Cafe, ,Craig Lawrence, ,Direct Action, ,Edgelands, ,Edun, ,goldsmiths, ,Grow Heathrow, ,hackney, ,Harriet Vine, ,Just Do It, ,JW Anderson, ,launch party, ,Lily Vanilli, ,Liz Johnson-Artur, ,Matt Bramford, ,Naomi Law, ,Olympics, ,Sally Mumby-Croft, ,Scout Hut, ,Stratford, ,Susie Bubble, ,Tatty Devine, ,Xavier Zapata

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Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration Launch Party: The Movie

by

Sally Mumby-Croft at the ACOFI launch with Jonno and Matt. Illustration by Naomi Law
Sally Mumby-Croft at the ACOFI launch with Jonno and Matt. Illustration by Naomi Law.

Former Amelia’s Magazine art editor Sally Mumby-Croft put together this stunning movie reminder of the launch party for ACOFI with a little help from 6 Day Riot. I hope you enjoy a tour of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, as seen at the Bunker Cafe and Scout Hut at 123 Bethnal Green Road on Friday 28th January 2011. It features Susie Bubble, cakes by Lily Vanilli, sneak peaks inside the book and lots of sketching by the illustrators who helped out on the day.

YouTube Preview Image

I asked Sally a few questions about how she put the movie together:

What where you looking for when you filmed this?
When filming I’m often looking for the quiet moments in between moments of action, whether this be an illustrator lost in concentration, the movement of a pen, the simple action of making tea or a DJ pressing play. I wanted to capture the moments which were unique to an Amelia’s Magazine book launch.

What was your favourite moment of the party?
Apart from assisting Amelia and Matt Bramford with the set up in the morning and watching 123 heave under the number of guests who turned up for the book launch, my favourite moment of the party was when Amelia and Harriet (of Tatty Devine) cut the fantastic cake made by Lily Vanilli and we had a chance to taste the prettiest cake I’ve ever seen!

Sally Mumby-Croft. Photography by Liz Johnson-Artur.
Sally Mumby-Croft. Photography by Liz Johnson-Artur.

Who else have you made short videos for?
Recently I’ve been really lucky to work with the photographer and filmmaker Ben Toms, over the past three months I’ve worked on videos for JW Anderson, Edun and Craig Lawrence.

http://www.vimeo.com/20191792
http://www.vimeo.com/20191533
http://www.vimeo.com/18878998

Outside of fashion film, I’ve worked with the fantastic team behind the upcoming documentary Just Do It: get off your arse and change the world and assisted on the editing of their Grow Heathrow short:

YouTube Preview Image

What else are you working on at the moment?
I’m thinking about the possibility of expanding upon Edgeland, a short documentary I made with Xavier Zapata in 2009. Edgeland consists of a series of interviews with Hackney residents who have been displaced by the Olympic development site in Stratford. Apart from that I have an idea for a new short film…

http://www.vimeo.com/5191789

There’s a reason why I heart Sally big time. She’s incredibly talented, knowledgeable and she cares about the world around us. You can follow Sally on twitter here, and keep up with her on her Vimeo channel here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday March 11th, 2011 5:42 pm

Categories ,123 Bethnal Green Road, ,6 Day Riot, ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Ben Toms, ,Bunker Cafe, ,Craig Lawrence, ,Direct Action, ,Edgelands, ,Edun, ,goldsmiths, ,Grow Heathrow, ,hackney, ,Harriet Vine, ,Just Do It, ,JW Anderson, ,launch party, ,Lily Vanilli, ,Liz Johnson-Artur, ,Matt Bramford, ,Naomi Law, ,Olympics, ,Sally Mumby-Croft, ,Scout Hut, ,Stratford, ,Susie Bubble, ,Tatty Devine, ,Xavier Zapata

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with CocknBullKid on the release of new album Adulthood

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Cocknbullkid by Laura Warecki
CocknBullKid by Laura Warecki.

When Amelia’s Magazine first met CocknBullkid she stood out as a unique singer, purchase flying far from any obvious pigeon hole. I was impressed. Now, case a couple of years later, ambulance Anita Blay is back with a much bigger anthemic sound on second album Adulthood, confidence emanating from every danceable tune. Anita may now be ready to embrace the life of a grown up, yet Adulthood still retains a good dose of the individualistic charm that appealed to me in the first place, all sung in the honeyed vocals that attracted industry attention when as a teenager she took part in Hackney youth music project Tribal Tree. I caught up with the inimitable East Londoner on the release of her album, which came out today.

cocknbullkid_cover

Firstly, hello, how are you, it’s been awhile! What have you been up to since you were last featured in Amelia’s Magazine.
Learning loads, writing loads and the obligatory bit of soul searching, of course.

Why the name change? I’m getting a wee bit confused…
I just wanted to make it more concise really. Nothing more elaborate than that. I didn’t even think anyone would notice!

cocknbullkid by daria hlazatova
CocknBullKid by Daria Hlazatova.

I love your voice, what was your training? Did you sing as a little girl, and do you think your voice has changed over the years and if so how?
Thank you. I think it takes most singers years to find their true voice. We are all influenced by our surroundings and what we hear so it’s easy to start singing in an affected voice. I hear so many singers do it and they don’t even realise. Part of my going away was to really scratch away at all the affectations. And hopefully I’ve done that. As for training – I haven’t had a singing lesson in a years. Which I’m not proud of. Even if you can sing you still need to learn how to improve and protect your voice.

YouTube Preview ImageHold on to your Misery.

How was Tribal Tree formative in your development as a musician and a person? What did being part of it give to you?
It was great in terms of learning how to use software and discipline yourself into writing all the time. We also used to do X Factor style showcases every month. We’d play to a bunch of A&Rs in a room the size of a shoe box and listen to their criticism of the performance. It helped in growing thick skin.

CocknBullKid Papercut by Lou Taylor
CocknBullKid Papercut by Lou Taylor.

You are influenced by The Knife and Morrissey. How would you say these most diverse of influences feeds into your current songwriting process?
Morrissey has influenced my lyrical approach massively. I’d always been into lyrics foremost but it wasn’t until I discovered him that I understood that I had the freedom I had to write about anything I wanted. Regardless of how dark it was. The Knife were quite an early influence for me in terms of their experimental style. When I first started trying to make music on my laptop I was fascinated with how they played with vocals and sonics. 

YouTube Preview ImageOne Eye Closed.

Your music is much bigger now, why did you feel it was important to get away from minimal home grown electro? How did you ensure you retained that personal charm?
I’ve always believed that I’m not an artist that will be a slave to a genre. Hopefully, my appeal comes from who I am and my lyrics. So even if I decided to make a country record ,as long as the lyrics were still ‘me’ then  people shouldn’t feel too alienated. Also, when you listen to a lot of the earlier stuff, you’re actually listening to me trying t figure out how to write a song. I had a lot of things I wanted to say but didn’t know how to get it out in the most coherent way. I hope I’ve achieved that on this album. I think that is what pop music is and does.

CocknBullKid-by-Victoria-Haynes
CocknBullKid by Victoria Haynes.

Asthma Attack is quite a party tune, who do you hope will listen to it, and in what situation?
Anyone. It’s for anyone in any situation.

Asthma Attack.

Why are you anti Diva?
Most of the time it’s unnecessary BUT there are times when you need to get a message across and if no one is listening to you you may have to make a noise. I wouldn’t say that’s being a diva though. If it was a man he would be called ‘assertive’. 

CocknBullKid by Alison Day
CocknBullKid by Alison Day.

Your live shows sound exciting, can you tell us a little bit about what we might expect from these?
I’ve been told by people that the live show is completely different to what you hear on the record and I think it is. It takes me a while to  really connect in a vocal booth. I’m a quite visual person so when I’m on stage it’s a completely different experience. It’s visual, it’s adrenaline fuelled. I come alive.

I did in fact see CocknBullKid live at the end of last week – read my review of her performance at Stag and Dagger, and listen to a special Soundcloud remix stream of CocknBullKid songs by Metronomy’s Olugbenga. Adulthood is out today on Moshi Moshi / Island Records.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday May 23rd, 2011 8:22 pm

Categories ,Adulthood, ,album, ,Alison Day, ,Anita Blay, ,Asthma Attack, ,CocknBullKid, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,hackney, ,Hold on to your Misery, ,Island Records, ,Laura Warecki, ,Lou Taylor, ,metronomy, ,morrissey, ,Moshi Moshi, ,Olugbenga, ,One Eye Closed, ,Stag and Dagger, ,The Knife, ,Tribal Tree, ,Victoria Haynes, ,X Factor

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