Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Exhibition Review: Vauxhall Fashion Scout

Bolshie-A-W-2010-Amelias-Magazine-Antonia-Parker-A
Bolshie AKA Baby-Leg Girl, seek abortion by Antonia Parker.

Over at Fashion Scout there is yet another array of amazing new designers to trawl through. As I entered the upstairs room at the Freemasons’ Hall I was greeted by a girl with plastic roast chickens attached to her breasts and fanny. Perfect for Lady Gaga.

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Bolshie
Those chickens, approved that spike-encrusted big-shouldered body suit, the top knot, the headless doll on a chain: something was ringing a very big bell. And it wasn’t the giant gold glittery Big Ben headpiece in the corner. I turned around and went “oh, it’s you!”

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory

For it was none other than Baby-Leg Girl. Bolshie is 18 year old Rhiannon Jones, thrown out of her East Yorkshire school at the tender age of 15 years old and now residing in fashion centrale, Shoreditch.

Bolshie-S-S-2011-Antonia-Parker-Amelias-Magazine-A
Bolshie by Antonia Parker.

We noticed her everywhere last season, usually to be found obscuring our view with giant shoulders and hair – little did we realise that this daring and very ambitious fashionista has got her very own label a spot at Fashion Scout. She’s even made it onto the local BBC news. Now there’s two fingers up at her old school eh?

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory

The collection is a massive mashup of contemporary culture, full of passionate bravado. Think Mickey Mouse ears on a police helmet, guns, watch-encrusted glittery jackets, a print that appears to feature Coca-Cola baby bottles and of course the odd Baby-Leg adornment. I wonder if she ever reads Super Super? You can see her entire collection here. Keep a beady eye on this one. She’s still only a teenager for gawd’s sake.

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory
Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory
Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory

James Hock
This is the third season for the ex-accountant from Australia. But that’s about all I know about James Hock, since his website is ridiculously economical with any biographical information. The Unloved is a bold and playful collection of entirely black and red garments, based on an emotional journey. “It is sadness with a flickering of hope but ultimately, it is about the acceptance of fate.” So says the press release. Sheer fabrics are adorned with Swarovski crystals and juxtaposed against huge asymmetrical harlequin shapes cut across pantaloons, mini crinolines, sharp-shouldered capes and hybrid trouser-shorts. Audacious and definitely not for the faint hearted, he is currently stocked in uber trendy shop Machine-A.

James-Hock-by-Lisa-Stannard
James-Hock-by-Lisa-Stannard
James-Hock-by-Lisa-Stannard
James Hock by Lisa Stannard.

Kirsty Ward
Kirsty Ward graduated from Central Saint Martins MA in 2008 since when she has been working with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. S/S 2011 saw the launch of her own label at Fashion Scout but I remember well how astonished I was by her jewellery for David Longshaw last season. Her own collection features amazing sculptural creations that echo the lines of the body in sheer pastel panels shaped with exaggerated wire and piping. Many pieces have integral jewellery or are meant to be worn with her huge wire and crystal bead necklaces in shades of pale peach and mint green.

Fashion Scout Kirsty Ward photo by Amelia Gregory
Fashion Scout Kirsty Ward photo by Amelia Gregory

She was wearing an earring necklace when I met her: dangling earrings that connect under the chin. I’d personally be incredibly worried about pulling my earlobes off if I wore this creation, but she rocked the look with admirable confidence. I think a bit of upcycling could definitely fit into her aesthetic and I did nonchalantly suggest that she could use some old wire coat hangers… Definitely a new designer to keep a firm eye on.

felice perkins kirsty ward
felice perkins kirsty ward
felice perkins kirsty ward
Kirsty Ward by Felice Perkins.

Yong
Special mention goes to Yong, who studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Design before passing through the hallowed years of an MA at Central Saint Martins. He makes clever and elegant dresses, advised by my old friend Jason Leung.

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011- Jason Leung photo By Amelia Gregory
Jason Leung.

I particularly liked the royal blue dress with amazing white ruffled embroidery, but I think I need to see more of these dresses worn to really appreciate them. In fact I’d like to see all of these designers on the catwalk. Here’s hoping…

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011- Jason Leung photo By Amelia Gregory

Categories ,Alberta Ferretti, ,Antonia Parker, ,Baby-leg girl, ,Bolshie, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Fashion Scout, ,Felice Perkins, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,James Hock, ,Jason Leung, ,Kirsty Ward, ,Lady Gaga, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Machine-A, ,Rhiannon Jones, ,Super Super, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Yong

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Exhibition Review: Vauxhall Fashion Scout

Bolshie-A-W-2010-Amelias-Magazine-Antonia-Parker-A
Bolshie AKA Baby-Leg Girl, seek abortion by Antonia Parker.

Over at Fashion Scout there is yet another array of amazing new designers to trawl through. As I entered the upstairs room at the Freemasons’ Hall I was greeted by a girl with plastic roast chickens attached to her breasts and fanny. Perfect for Lady Gaga.

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Bolshie
Those chickens, approved that spike-encrusted big-shouldered body suit, the top knot, the headless doll on a chain: something was ringing a very big bell. And it wasn’t the giant gold glittery Big Ben headpiece in the corner. I turned around and went “oh, it’s you!”

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory

For it was none other than Baby-Leg Girl. Bolshie is 18 year old Rhiannon Jones, thrown out of her East Yorkshire school at the tender age of 15 years old and now residing in fashion centrale, Shoreditch.

Bolshie-S-S-2011-Antonia-Parker-Amelias-Magazine-A
Bolshie by Antonia Parker.

We noticed her everywhere last season, usually to be found obscuring our view with giant shoulders and hair – little did we realise that this daring and very ambitious fashionista has got her very own label a spot at Fashion Scout. She’s even made it onto the local BBC news. Now there’s two fingers up at her old school eh?

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory

The collection is a massive mashup of contemporary culture, full of passionate bravado. Think Mickey Mouse ears on a police helmet, guns, watch-encrusted glittery jackets, a print that appears to feature Coca-Cola baby bottles and of course the odd Baby-Leg adornment. I wonder if she ever reads Super Super? You can see her entire collection here. Keep a beady eye on this one. She’s still only a teenager for gawd’s sake.

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory
Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory
Fashion Scout LFW SS2011-Bolshie photo By Amelia Gregory

James Hock
This is the third season for the ex-accountant from Australia. But that’s about all I know about James Hock, since his website is ridiculously economical with any biographical information. The Unloved is a bold and playful collection of entirely black and red garments, based on an emotional journey. “It is sadness with a flickering of hope but ultimately, it is about the acceptance of fate.” So says the press release. Sheer fabrics are adorned with Swarovski crystals and juxtaposed against huge asymmetrical harlequin shapes cut across pantaloons, mini crinolines, sharp-shouldered capes and hybrid trouser-shorts. Audacious and definitely not for the faint hearted, he is currently stocked in uber trendy shop Machine-A.

James-Hock-by-Lisa-Stannard
James-Hock-by-Lisa-Stannard
James-Hock-by-Lisa-Stannard
James Hock by Lisa Stannard.

Kirsty Ward
Kirsty Ward graduated from Central Saint Martins MA in 2008 since when she has been working with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. S/S 2011 saw the launch of her own label at Fashion Scout but I remember well how astonished I was by her jewellery for David Longshaw last season. Her own collection features amazing sculptural creations that echo the lines of the body in sheer pastel panels shaped with exaggerated wire and piping. Many pieces have integral jewellery or are meant to be worn with her huge wire and crystal bead necklaces in shades of pale peach and mint green.

Fashion Scout Kirsty Ward photo by Amelia Gregory
Fashion Scout Kirsty Ward photo by Amelia Gregory

She was wearing an earring necklace when I met her: dangling earrings that connect under the chin. I’d personally be incredibly worried about pulling my earlobes off if I wore this creation, but she rocked the look with admirable confidence. I think a bit of upcycling could definitely fit into her aesthetic and I did nonchalantly suggest that she could use some old wire coat hangers… Definitely a new designer to keep a firm eye on.

felice perkins kirsty ward
felice perkins kirsty ward
felice perkins kirsty ward
Kirsty Ward by Felice Perkins.

Yong
Special mention goes to Yong, who studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Design before passing through the hallowed years of an MA at Central Saint Martins. He makes clever and elegant dresses, advised by my old friend Jason Leung.

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011- Jason Leung photo By Amelia Gregory
Jason Leung.

I particularly liked the royal blue dress with amazing white ruffled embroidery, but I think I need to see more of these dresses worn to really appreciate them. In fact I’d like to see all of these designers on the catwalk. Here’s hoping…

Fashion Scout LFW SS2011- Jason Leung photo By Amelia Gregory

Categories ,Alberta Ferretti, ,Antonia Parker, ,Baby-leg girl, ,Bolshie, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Fashion Scout, ,Felice Perkins, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,James Hock, ,Jason Leung, ,Kirsty Ward, ,Lady Gaga, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Machine-A, ,Rhiannon Jones, ,Super Super, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Yong

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Amelia’s Magazine | Ninja Turtle Sex Museum by James Unsworth: A Review

James Unsworth penis hole

I first came across James Unsworth on the walls of the Royal College of Art. His MA final show stood out like, web well, an erect penis. His work is known for erect penises, and poo, and sexual depravity in many different guises. A true modern day harbinger of the grotesque, James draws on the most bestial parts of human nature to create awesome works of art.

Last month I unexpectedly came across his work on the walls of uber trendy fashion shop Machine-A, and then by chance I stumbled across the closing throes of his first solo exhibition at the Five Hundred Dollars gallery in Vyner Street. It featured the finely detailed line drawings he is so well known for, and so much more….

Machine-A James Unsworth wallpaper
James Unsworth wallpaper in Machine-A.

Vyner Street on First Thursday is a ridiculously busy hum of art scene activity which I tend to avoid, but last week I made it along to meet some friends. “Is there anything worth seeing before I have a pint?” I asked. “Well, there’s some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fucking,” was the reply. A gigantic bell rang in the recesses of my mind… as soon as I turned in the door I instantly recognised Unsworth.

James Unsworth ninja tshirt

It’s typical of James Unsworth to create an entire exhibition out of a 1980s cartoon for children: mutated and subverted and turned completely on it’s head. On one side of a small booth at the front of the first room a glass cabinet displayed mugs for each of the turtles… shitting in mid air. I have no idea what the names of the turtle characters are since their heyday was a bit late for my childhood, but I have no doubt that many visitors to the gallery recognised them. “I have a big problem with the elitist aspect of most art galleries,” James Unsworth told Jayne Helliwell in 2007 for issue 08 of Amelia’s Magazine. “I want my work to appeal to a wider audience outside the art elite.”

James Unsworth Ninja Turtle Sex Museum2
James Unsworth Ninja Turtle Sex Museum4
Scenes from Ninja Turtle Sex Museum, the book, available for £15.

And so it made perfect sense to sell gift mugs, t-shirts in pizza boxes, stickers and art books. Within the booth was James himself, watching over the room as hoards of people wandered around, some talking loudly about how repulsive and terrible his art was. None of it, of course, phased James in the least. In an interview with Don’t Panic he claimed that “I enjoy watching people looking at my work; it’s a voyeuristic pleasure.” The greatest offence would be to pass by his work unmoved. After all, he didn’t paint a two metre high Ninja Turtle defecating beneath an erect penis in order to avoid controversy.

James Unsworth talks to guests
James Unsworth talks to gallery-goers.

It’s testimony to James Unsworth’s singular vision that the room was full at all times, with queues of people waiting their turn to poke an eye to the head of said erect penis in order to view a movie of four men dressed up in green plastic to look like turtles squirting semen-like paint all over each other and into anus like crevices as they carved at each other with fake retractable knives covered in ketchup goo. Another turtle offered up his anus as an alternative viewing platform for the film, stumpy bleeding severed legs held aloft. We wondered at the fun James and his friends must have had in the creation of this video art.

turtle power james unsworth
A still from Ninja Turtle Sex Museum: the movie.

“The Ninja Turtles just got back from Bangladesh and are waiting for the pizza to arrive, one of them finds the deadly ecstasy next to their stinking mattress in their sewer lair. You thought drugs were fun, right? But who could have imagined the horror and panic that find would bring? When they decide to take them with their beer and pizza, it all begins well, they dance. But soon they turn to fighting each other, the fighting turns quickly to lustful and murderous activity… Previously they had all wanked on the pizza too.”

The last part of this statement says it all really – James just loves to reach the epitome of grotesque bad taste, and then pile yet more on top.

James Unsworth defecating turtle
James Unsworth ninja asshole
Peering through the holes.

One wall was lined with beautifully decorated ceramic plates, severed turtle heads surround by decorative patterns of flowers and bloody carving knives. Prints lined up on a wall showed men with putrefying eyeballs kissing laughing penises, turtles in masks rimming each other, and lots and lots of wanking.

James Unsworth turtle plate
A decorative plate.

Naked ladies touched themselves in what would be an erotic manner if it weren’t for their green wrapped turtle heads with bulging cartoon eyes peering through the instantly recognisable headband, an empty box of beer worn as triumphant headgear.

Naked girl turtle head James unsworth
Naked girl turtle head James unsworth-beer

And yet, I couldn’t find any of this repulsive or even offensive. Amusing, yes. A thought provoking commentary on our obsession with violence and sex? Certainly. Alongside a sheer amazement at his dedication towards such a whole-hearted re-imagining of pop culture characters that were such a big part of his generation’s childhood.

And I wasn’t alone, for amongst the feigning of disgust there was much hilarity in the Five Hundred Gallery, and an insatiable need to keep looking. James Unsworth forces us to confront the basest elements of humanity by transferring the unthinkable onto anodyne childrens’ cartoon characters. Then making a joyful song and dance about it.

James Unsworth Ninja Turtle Sex Museum
James Unsworth Ninja Turtle Sex Museum
Scenes from Ninja Turtle Sex Museum, the book.

“Our new exhibition is about Ninja Turtles with big cocks, sex and death and it’s all free! It will be absolutely the best exhibition you have ever seen. No mistake. It’s a violent, exhibition full of taboos. It’s up to you to see it or not. Are you ready?”

Unfortunately it’s all over now. But do go check out his website, where you can buy some suitably disgusting prints. No doubt there will be some pooing Ninja Turtle mugs for sale on there some time soon.

I Am Poor, I Am Boring by James Unsworth
I Am Poor, I Am Boring by James Unsworth.

Categories ,First Thursdays, ,Five Hundred Dollars, ,James Unsworth, ,Jayne Helliwell, ,Machine-A, ,Royal College of Art, ,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ,Vyner Street

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