Amelia’s Magazine | ELCAF 2014 review

ELCAF 2014-oval space

A few weeks I popped along to the third ELCAF held at the Oval Space, which is a trendy new venue in a semi derelict part of Bethnal Green between Hackney Road and the canal. There were abundant creative types enjoying the late afternoon sunshine on the long balcony which overlooks one of the rusting gas towers, and inside a chaotic and slightly bawdy atmosphere reigned. Here’s what I saw:

ELCAF 2014-studio hato
Studio Hato invited attendees to play comic strip consequences in the entrance hallway.

ELCAF 2014-magic capes
Lesley Barnes fashion illustration
Thereza Rowe Hearts ELCAF
Near the entrance I discovered two old Amelia’s Magazine friends sharing a table and a publishing imprint, Magic Capes. I love Lesley Barnes’ new range of fashion illustrations for the V&A, and am looking forward to reading Thereza Rowe’s Hearts book with Snarfle soon.

ELCAF 2014-isabel greenberg
Corn Dollies by Isabel Greenberg featured on a print and these cute badges.

ELCAF 2014
I was drawn like a magnet to Madalena Matoso’s amazing swimming pool print on the Planeta Tangerina stand.

ELCAF 2014-mythical creatures
There are some fantastic contributors to this Mythical Creatures zine, including Bonbi Forest’s Lee May Foster-Wilson.

ELCAF Katherina Manolessou
I love Katherina Manolessou’s reworking of the toddler’s favourite tune Zoom Zoom Zoom, featuring a fluffy red monkey and other lovely creatures.

ELCAF 2014-Otto Graphic
I was really taken by work from Otto Graphic, an illustrator and screen printer who is influenced by the Constructivists and Polish poster art.

ELCAF 2014-Inuit
Inuit is an Italian bookshop and printworks, selling knitted lungs and cacti alongside beautiful risoprints.

ELCAF 2014-el famoso
El Famoso
It was great to meet the El Famoso brothers Rich and Chris Fairhead, who work together on their illustrations – read about their recent exhibition here.

ELCAF 2014-Day Job
Day Job activity book
Next door it was a pleasure to meet the Day Job girls, who very kindly gifted me their Activity Book (above) to share with Snarfle.

Benjamin Wright badges
Benjamin Wright’s wonderful laser cut badges featured Darth Vadar and a Ninja Turtle.

ELCAF 2014-Sam Taylor
ELCAF 2014-ELCAF 2014-Sam Taylor and co
Sam Taylor and co were particularly boisterous when I stopped by, perhaps a given when you take a closer look at the styles on their stand.

ELCAF 2014-Brolly Lolly
The Brolly Lolly collective is comprised of MA graduates from the Cambridge School of Art, presumably not including the small and very industrious helper on hand – I loved these strange plant prints on a zine by Melissa Castrillon.

ELCAF 2014-matthew horse
Wonderful fruit and vegetable prints are by the inimitable Matthew the Horse.

ELCAF 2014-Babak Ganjei
And finally, but by no means least, it was ace to catch up with Babak Ganjei, who continues to turn his talents to eccentric comic strips (you may remember I featured one of his early stories in the print version of Amelia’s Magazine way back). Roll on ELCAF 2015!

Categories ,2013, ,Activity Book, ,Babak Ganjei, ,Benjamin Wright, ,Bonbi Forest, ,Brolly Lolly, ,Cambridge School of Art, ,Darth Vadar, ,Day Job, ,East London Comic Arts Festival, ,El Famoso, ,ELCAF, ,hearts, ,Inuit, ,Isabel Greenberg, ,Katherina Manolessou, ,Lee May Foster-Wilson, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Madalena Matoso, ,Magic Capes, ,Matthew the Horse, ,Melissa Castrillon, ,Mythical Creatures, ,Ninja Turtle, ,Otto Graphic, ,Oval Space, ,Planeta Tangerina, ,review, ,Rich and Chris Fairhead, ,Sam Taylor, ,Snarfle, ,Studio Hato, ,Thereza Rowe, ,Zoom Zoom Zoom

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Amelia’s Magazine | Exhibition Review: Ghosts of Gone Birds

Margaret Atwood by Faye West
Margaret Atwood by Faye West.

Ghosts of Gone Birds. Have you been yet? This fabulous exhibition can be seen at the Rochelle School, Shoreditch up until the 23rd November. From there it goes on tour, so with any luck you will be able to catch it soon at a venue near you.

Gone Birds -albatross
Ghosts of Gone Birds is the brainwave of film maker Ceri Levy, who chanced upon the idea whilst making a documentary called The Bird Effect, which examines the effect of avian life on human life.

margaret-atwood-by marta-spendowska
Margaret Atwood by Marta Spendowska.

At the start of November I attended a special introduction to the exhibition given by the renowned writer Margaret Atwood, who just so happens be a massive fan of birds. She had just returned from a conservation trip to Madagascar, and on her way home she was enchanted to discover that the man at customs was a fan of vultures, of all things… it seems you just have to start the conversation and you will discover a fan of birds.

Gone Birds t-shirt design by Daria Hlazatova
Gone Birds t-shirt design by Daria Hlazatova.

Her contribution to Ghosts of Gone Birds is a knitted Great Auk, which was made at a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch group in Canada using local wool. It’s eye is formed from a local Inuit bead and the Auk is a resident of the Canadian Arctic… so the use of materials and subject work in perfect unity.

Margaret Atwood emphasised the importance of the exhibition as a means to spread the message about the plight of birds beyond the usual enthusiasts. In the unfolding biodiversity disaster that we humans are currently inflicting on the planet birds have become one of the biggest sufferers. According to figures released by BirdLife International birds are now going extinct at a thousand times the natural background rate: that’s a pretty major disaster.

There are loads of great artworks in the exhibition, too many to show, so here are just a few of my favourites:

Angie Lewin - Double-Banded Argus
Double Banded Argus by Angie Lewin.

Ben Newman - Bishop's 'O'O
Bishop’s O by Ben Newman.

Reunion Owl by Billy Childish
Reunion Owl by Billy Childish.

Gone Birds -Red Moustached Fruit Dove by Emily Sutton
Red Moustached Fruit Dove by Emily Sutton.

Jack Teagle - Black Mamo
Black Mamo by Jack Teagle.

Gone Birds -The Unsung Soldier by David Taborn
Detail from The Unsung Soldier by David Taborn.

Gone Birds -The Sound of Extinction by Philip Hardaker
The Sound of Extinction by Philip Hardaker.

Gone Birds -Empty Nest by Jackie Hodgson
Detail from Empty Nest by Jackie Hodgson.

Gone Birds -St Helena Hoopooe by Felt Mistress
St Helena Hoopooe by Felt Mistress.

Le Gun - The Tragic Demise of the White Gallinule
The Tragic Demise of the White Gallinule by Le Gun.

Full listing information can be found here.

Categories ,Angie Lewin, ,Ben Newman, ,Billy Childish, ,BirdLife International, ,Ceri Levy, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,Emily Sutton, ,Faye West, ,Felt Mistress, ,Ghosts of Gone Birds, ,Great Auk, ,Inuit, ,Jack Teagle, ,Jackie Hodgson, ,Le Gun, ,Margaret Artwood, ,Marta Spendowska, ,Philip Hardaker, ,review, ,Rochelle School, ,Stitch N Bitch

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