As if we needed any more proof that shoes are a form of art, online shoe connoisseurs, Javari held a dazzling exhibition over the weekend, showcasing highly desirable footwear designed by some of the world’s most prominent designers.
Nicholas Kirkwood Alice in Wonderland Heels by Eccabin.
From the practical to the not so practical, men and women alike have been fascinated with the enchanting allure of shoes ever since cavemen figured out that walking around barefoot wasn’t exactly ideal. As a day to day essential, our little tootsies would be truly lost without the good old shoe, but we all know that societies love for footwear goes a little deeper than a mere practicality designed to get you from A to B.
If there’s one thing that any self-respecting girl (or boy) knows, it’s the unstoppable power of well placed shoe. Clearly something the likes of Gareth Pugh, Christian Louboutin and Nina Ricciare all fully aware of. The exhibition was like a sweet shop for all fans of fancy footwear. Each shoe was presented within a structured cubic stand, mirroring the dramatic silhouettes of the shoes themselves, not to mention the mathematical genius surely required for creating such sky-scrapingly tall heels.
Gareth Pugh for Beyonce.
Katie Eary for Nike.
Nicholas Kirkwood for Alice in Wonderland.
The exhibition was truly a feast for the eyes drawing together three sections: Fashion’s Catwalk Spectacle, Couture Clientele and Innovative Design, all of which presented one-off pieces by the likes of Katie Eary for Nike, Nina Ricci for Daphne Guinness and Christian Louboutin for Rodarte.
Run the World (Girls)
The shoes and boots sparkled in all their glory, whilst Gareth Pugh’s giant gold stompers dominated the Couture Clientele section, just as Beyoncé did when she debuted them in her Run the World video. Catching my eye, along with countless others no doubt, was the enchanting Alice in Wonderland Heels by Nicholas Kirkwood; intricately designed teacups, keys and chequerboard print heels were just as captivating as Lewis Carroll’s novel itself, delivering attention to detail like I’ve never seen before.
Rupert Sanderson for Aida.
Niamh O’Conner & Emily Crane.
Sophie Grace Webster for Manolo Blahnik.
Shoes for Show did exactly what it says on the tin: these shoes are solely for show, not for touching and definitely not for trying on! It turns out many people at the exhibition didn’t quite grasp this concept, as a few sawdust-between-the-ears individuals asked if they could put their very own feet in these one-of-a-kind creations. I do sympathise with said individuals as I admit, it was a struggle keeping my hands off Meadham Kirchhoff’s green and pink glitter pom-pom wedges designed by Nicholas Kirkwood for S/S 2012.
Nicholas Kirkwood for Meadham Kirchhoff by Justyna Sowa.
Fashion over function was the resounding message at the exhibition as I witnessed first-hand some of the craziest, but utterly beautiful designs ever to grace the human foot. The tallest heel in the world came courtesy of Christian Louboutin’s freakishly high ballet pumps designed this year exclusively for the English National Ballet. We were also treated to a miniature version of Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo shoe: the extraordinary curve design footwear that you’ll all remember Lady Gaga teetering around in in last year’s Bad Romance video.
Bad Romance
Christian Louboutin for Royal Ballet.
Minature McQueen Armadillo.
Terry de Havilland for Ana Matronic.
Terry de Havilland for Agent Provocateur.
Fusing fashion and art, the exhibition presented a rare chance to see some of the most exclusive couture pieces of the last two centuries: pieces that have graced the feet of some of the most iconic stars of this generation. Though we all view and admire shoes for more than just their function, Shoes for Show took this admiration to a whole new level, appreciating footwear for its spectacle alone; a spectacle definitely not made for walking!
Written by Sarah Deane on Monday November 14th, 2011 10:14 am
Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conference on Climate Change from December 7 to 18, visit web involving 11, diagnosis 000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability. It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column.
Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmer says: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay, no matter what Obama says.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth. The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause.
Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conference on Climate Change from December 7 to 18, page involving 11,000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability.
It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column. Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmer says: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay, no matter what Obama says.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth.
The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause. Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conferenceon Climate Change from December 7 to 18, approved involving 11, salve 000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability.
It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column. Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmersays: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay, no matter what Obama says.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth.
The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause. Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conferenceon Climate Change from December 7 to 18, information pills involving 11, stuff 000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, click Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability.
It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column. Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmersays: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth.
The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause.
Last week was Community Week in Leeds, information pills meaning all week Leeds University Union hosted various events on their campus aimed at students and ways in which we can make a positive difference in our local community.
Kicking off rather appropriately with ‘Talking Rubbish’ on Monday, prescription wheelie bins were hot on the agenda due to the bin strike in Leeds which has amazingly reached its 12th week now because of rows over unfair pay. The vast amount of recyclable waste which had not been collected since the beginning of September when the strike began was finally shifted this week, unhealthy and residents can expect letters from Leeds City Council informing them of the changes to be made in their area.
On Wednesday it was ‘Safe in the knowledge’, a day aimed at teaching ways we can prevent burglary in the LS6 area. For example did you know that, according to the union’s ‘Knowledge’ campaign, in 2008 almost 52% of student homes burgled were due to open doors or windows? So first step: Shut your windows, lock your doors! It is pretty easy to pop out or even just upstairs and forget to lock the front door. Most of the burglary stories I’ve heard happened to people who were in the house at the time, for instance last year someone wandered into my friend’s house in the middle of the day, pinched their underwear and left a ‘surprise’ in the middle of the carpet. The Knowledge website offers practical advice on preventing burglary and making your student home a more secure place.
Images courtesy of Leeds University Union
Thursday was concerned with volunteering. The Union runs a great volunteering service which supports students who want to give a little back locally and abroad. For instance why not become a Carbon Ambassador? Sounds pretty impressive and you receive FREE training in energy efficiency practices, and what’s more you can then share your new skills by giving talks in your area and teach others ways they can cut carbon emissions.
Image courtesy of Leeds University Union
The week finished off on Friday with Representation, which gave you the chance to chat about anything community related that may be worrying you, such as poor street lighting, recycling, suspicious take-aways, anything. Community Week may be over but Leeds students can still get down to the Union at any time. Go meet the student representatives and find out how you can get involved in local campaigns and make your neighbourhood just a little bit lovelier.
Following their super successful appearance at Barfly last week I made my way to a west London location to meet the plastiscine girls. On the way I’m trying desperately to remember my French from school to impress them. On a trip to Paris with my friend Ruth, malady there was no way we would have got by without my “C” grade, I’m sure I can think of something amazingly French to say. I arrive and briefly they are all there, hugs and an ipod charger are exchanged and then drummer Ana and bass player Louise are whisked off back to Paris. I’m sure they are going to have to get used to this whisking about business. So, I was on a very bizarrely patterned couch (see photo above) with lead singer Katty and guitarist Marine. I thought I’d open with my French skills…
Bonjour
K: Bonjour
Cava?
K: Cava merci, Vous parlez francais?
Non, that’s my limit
K: That’s good enough!
(Really?! That’s all that I could have come up with?! I should have revised more.)
You guys played Barfly last night, how do you find London crowds?
K: We really enjoyed the crowd yesterday because it was very busy, so we were really happy! We had a lot of friends in the crowd so they were dancing and jumping! It’s always good to have people reacting when you say something. In Paris people are so quiet, just at the back with their arms crossed and watching. They are interested but they just don’t move. So it’s good to be here and have the crowd reacting.
There seemed to be a lot of French folks in the audience, That must have been nice?K:
K: Yeah, I was really surprised! When I asked, “Who is French tonight?” there were quite a lot of people shouting!
So, How did your story begin?
K: Marine and I met in high school when we were 15 or 16. We started the band because we watched lots of bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes. We loved them, they had so much energy onstage, they were young and we thought we want to do the same thing. So we started the band and a few months after we were already doing some gigs in bars in Paris. We actually learnt our instruments on stage because we just wanted to play! We didn’t care if we could play, all we wanted was to play and get on stage and get into it!
So, you began by doing covers?
K: When we started we did a few covers, but we were very interested in doing our own songs. We did some covers from The Strokes and other bands for a while then we started doing our own songs, thats what really interested us more rather than covers.
A lot of your influences are English so do you guys find it more natural to write in English?
Both: Defiantly
K: Because all the songs we listen to are in English it is very natural to write in English, but sometimes we do write in French. We get direction from people saying we should say things this way because it’s a better way to say it in English. But yes, its natural because the music we like is English and American, we were never really into French bands
I read that French radio stations have restrictions on what they play (a percentage of French radio has to be French songs)
K: Yeah, so its quite difficult for us to be on the radio in France because we may be French but we sing in English. We are not in the same category as big international bands like the Arctic Monkeys, But then we don’t sing in French so we don’t fit into that category either, so its quite difficult to be on the radio.
You worked on your album with top producer Butch Walker what was this like?
M: We went to Malibu to record the album and it was amazing, it was really beautiful and we were in the this big house all together and in the morning we would go to record together or go swimming. Everyday we got to work together! It was interesting because it was the first time we were working with someone American. When we are French we don’t know if we would get along or have the right words to express, so we had a really long talk with him and he said what he likes and we said what we like. Butch is really passionate about music.
He’s worked with a wide range of people from Katy Perry to Weezer and now you guys
K: Yeah, he has done a lot of very big pop stars and he also works with acts because he really likes them, he’s done a lot of indie bands like Hot Hot Heat.
M: He was very honest, he said I do some stuff for money I do some stuff for passion and you are a passion for me.
K: He told us that from the first time he saw us playing on stage at Coachella he fell in love with us.
So what acts are you into right now?
M: Lots of stuff, lots of English acts, I love the Jamie T album, I think it’s amazing. I like Metronomy, Katty loves Florence and the Machine. Also I love Eagles of Death Metal, we went to see them in Paris. We like lots of old and new stuff.
“Bitch” was on “Gossip Girl”, this must have been a massive deal for you?
K: I think we didn’t really realize when we did it! It was such a big thing to do! When we saw it on the internet were like “that’s weird!”. We watch the programme, we know the characters and the story so when we arrived we wanted to know what was happening! We were playing on stage at a ball so we couldn’t hear what the actors were saying! It was nice because all the actors came to us to say “hello” and Leighton Meester who plays Blake came up with our album and she wanted us to sign it!
How did this come about because it’s as if the song was written for “Gossip Girl”?
M: No, its on the album so they heard it on the album it was picked out because it worked really well. We recorded it back in February.
You have a great relationship with Nylon can you tell us a little more about this?
K: Marvin Scott Jarrett ,the editor in chief at Nylon, he is so passionate about music and he always puts a lot of bands in the magazine. I think he wanted to launch a label and so he did it with Nylon, Nylon records. We are the first band signed because he really liked us and I think he thought we were a good image for the magazine. He knew of us because in Paris fashion week we were on the cover of a magazine, from this he got in touch with our label, at the time which was Virgin, us we came to NYC to play at a party for the magazine. Then when we came back again he had the idea for the label and wanted to sign us.
So you spend a lot of time here and in NYC, would you ever relocate?
K: We would love to live in New York! We all love it there! I think people are amazing with us there! Sometimes here when people see four girls on stage in a rock band it is weird for them, like there is something fake, something wrong with it, but in NYC they are just like “That’s cool, its just four girls rocking” and they don’t care.
M: Also, I think that in NYC everybody is doing something interesting. We were only there for a few months we already made such good friends and there’s so much going on and so much different music. I think it would be good for the band living in NYC for a bit for inspiration.
K: You walk in the street and you just feel good there, I don’t know what it is. Its such a big city but you still feel safe.
I follow u guys on twitter and I noticed you had a meeting with Topshop today, You guys are obviously into your fashion, Who are your style icons?
K: Yeah we got it all myspace/facebook/twitter there a blog that marines writes on.
M: Yeah we like fashion because we are girls. I love david bowie from the ziggy stardust period
K: I love Debbie Harry, she’s got it all the music the style, she’s amazing
The same thing could be said about these girls, they have the style, they have the music, they also seem to have it all. I glance and notice the smudge of a stamp on my hand from the entry last night, this reminds me that I have not even bothered to wash for our meeting today never mind attempting to dress nicely. I don’t think there is much point in trying around these girls though. They are naturally chic (I think it’s a French thing) with a playful grunge twist. I’m in love with them for the fact that they just decided to pick up interments to be onstage; from viewing them at The Barfly they all seem to be perfectly at home this platform. These beauties armed with the energy and attitude they bring to their performances, their catchy rock/pop tracks and their effortless style is a winning combination for these pop/grunge goddesses to begin a French revolution.
Image courtesy of Environmental Justice Foundation.
ENVIRONMNENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION POP-UP STORE
13-27 NOVEMBER (MON-SAT: 10-7PM, sick SUN: 12-6PM)
WHITE GOLD, recipe 1ST FLOOR, dosageKINGLY COURT, W1
FREE ENTRY
Over the coming fortnight the Environmental Justice Foundation charity will be setting up shop in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street to help raise awareness of forced child labour and environmental abuses in cotton production. The EJF pop-up store will be selling a limited edition range of T-shirts designed in collaboration with fashion heavyweights such as Luella, Giles Deacon, Betty Jackson, Christian Lacroix, Alice Temperley, Richard Nicoll and Ciel. EJF will also be stocking 100 shopper bags designed by Eley Kishimoto which will retail at the bargain price of £10 or come free when you spend over £50 in store. As they sold out like hot potatoes at LFW last month make sure you get there while stock lasts.
Image courtesy of Rokit Vintage Clothing.
ROKIT ROCKING CHRISTMAS
26 NOVEMBER (6-9PM)
ROKIT, 42 SHELTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN, WC2
FREE ENTRY
If you’re looking to get into the festive spirit this week then head down to Covent Garden for this glamorous in-store event where in-house stylists will be on hand to help you choose something unique and original for all those impending Christmas parties! With drinks, cakes and live rockabilly rock’n’roll with Ronnie King and the Hustlers what more could you ask for? With an added incentive of 15% discount on offer you’d be made not to pop in for a mince pie.
Image courtesy of the Old Truman Brewery.
ALL I WANT FOR XMAS
26 NOVEMBER – 20 DECEMBER (THURS: 5-9PM, FRI: 12-6PM, SAT/SUN: 10-6PM)
T1 SPACE, F BLOCK, OLD TRUMAN BREWERY, 15 HANBURY STREET, E1
FREE ENTRY
Launching this Thursday the Old Truman Brewery has come up with the perfect antidote to pre-Christmas blues with a one-stop shopping event that aims to inject the fun back into the much dreaded Christmas shop. Featuring a wide variety of exclusive goods on sale from independent retailers in the form of gift markets, exhibitions, designer sales, independent shops and even a pop-up emporium you’re sure to find something for everyone. With the brightest creative talent from the worlds of design, art, fashion and home ware it’s time to start checking off your Christmas list and see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice!
Image courtesy of Ada Zandinton.
ADA ZANDITON SAMPLE SALE
26-27 NOVEMBER (THURS: 6:30-9:30PM, FRI: 11-7PM) DIGITARIA, 60 BERWICK STREET, SOHO, W1
FREE ENTRY
A firm favourite among the British ethical designers, Ada Zanditon is to host her first sample sale later this week. Hosted by Ada herself in conjunction with Notion magazine there will be exclusive music videos from Bishi and a fashion supplement giveaway. If you’d like to get your hands on pieces from Ada’s AW09 range at heavily discounted prices (up to 70%) make sure you put this date in your diary, just don’t forget to RSVP.
Image courtesy of Fashion & Textile Museum.
TWIST BABY TWIST
27-28 NOVEMBER (7:30-10:30PM) FASHION & TEXTILE MUSEUM, 83 BERMONDSEY STREET, SE1
£15 (INCLUDING FOALE & TUFFIN EXHIBITION ENTRY AND SHOW)
This weekend the Fashion & Textile Museum will be hosting two evenings of swinging sixties entertainment to celebrate their current exhibition Foale and Tuffin: Made in England. Celebrating everything great about this iconic decade in British culture there will be a host of live music and dancing from the likes of Remi Nicole, Theoretical Girl, The Equations and BeBe & Paulo on Friday and Eliza Doolittle, The Bang Bang Club and Henry Johnson on Saturday. If that wasn’t enough you’ll also find film displays, fashion shows, 1960s themed make-overs, DJs, a mysterious David Bailey photo booth plus many more activities to keep you entertained.
Image courtesy of Oxfam.
OXFAM MAKE DO AND MEND FASHION SHOW
28 NOVEMBER (FROM 2PM WITH CATWALK SHOW AT 6:30PM)
ST. MARY’S CHURCH, WYNDHAM PLACE, MARYLEBONE, W1
£5 ENTRY
This one-off “Make Do and Mend” event takes its name from the WW2 propaganda campaigns when clothing rationing was introduced. In current times where every penny counts Oxfam are encouraging consumers to step away from the “throwaway” fashion and embrace the quality and individual style their stores have to offer. To bring home this message Oxfam are hosting a very special event which will see a host of market stalls sell everything from accessories to wedding dresses, as well as an exhibition on the history of 2nd hand fashion, a swap shop and a special customisation corner. If all of this wasn’t enough to whet your appetite there will also be food and drink on offer, live music and DJs and the piece de resistance; a special Oxfam fashion show.
Written by Rachael Oku on Monday November 23rd, 2009 10:16 am
EDE was founded in 2009 by Ellie Jauncey. Having studied Textiles at Manchester Metropolitan University and specialising in Knitwear she moved to London and spent a good few years working in soul-less fashion roles. Two redundancies in a year later and the penny finally dropped, why work for other people when you can work for yourself? Paying homage to her mother’s maiden name she started EDE, which is a knitwear label specialising in simple, modern clothing, inspired by traditional shapes and designs – and all made in England. She quickly formed a team of knitters, all living in and around Herefordshire (where she grew up) and using their incredible skills, produced the first collection.
How did you find your knitters?
I advertised in the local paper and put notices up in post offices and corner shops.
They are all over 60 – do you think that despite the current renaissance in knitting most knitting is still an “old” pastime? Are we losing skills?
I think knitters who are over 60 approach it in a different way, it’s much more a part of their lives than for my generation who see it more as an occasional hobby. All my knitters need to knit, they’ve done it all their lives, it a bit of an addiction. They also grew up in a time when you knitted to clothe your family, it was the norm. Unlike today where the majority of people pop down to Primark instead. Saying that lots of my friends knit and even more want to learn to knit. Re-learning skills is definitely on the up!
You’ve had some high profile press – for instance Little Mix looked super stylish in your jumpers for an editorial – did your previous jobs in fashion help to develop good contacts? How do you ensure good press?
Not really, I’ve worked really hard at getting press. If you have a product which you believe in and you’re proud of then it’s easy to approach the press with it and sell yourself. It also helps a lot having wonderful friends like Fred Butler who constantly put you forward for things!
What is special about your big scarf?
Well probably that it’s so big and soft oh and also the colour choices. I always wanted a plain, block colour scarf which was a bit like a blanket and couldn’t find one anywhere so thought i should make one.
How do you manage both businesses at the same time? What are your top tips for an easy life?
Managing both businesses is a bit of a juggling act at times, you have to be pretty organised, which i’m working on!! I couldn’t do it with out the support of my wonderful flower partner, Anna. My top tips for an easy life are to make sure you are happy in your working environment – moving studios has changed my life and made working so much more productive and enjoyable. My other top tip is to swim in a lido as often as you can, it makes you feel wonderful.
What inspires you when you are designing?
Colour and old things.
Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conference on Climate Change from December 7 to 18, visit web involving 11, diagnosis 000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability. It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column.
Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmer says: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay, no matter what Obama says.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth. The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause.
Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conference on Climate Change from December 7 to 18, page involving 11,000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability.
It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column. Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmer says: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay, no matter what Obama says.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth.
The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause. Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conferenceon Climate Change from December 7 to 18, approved involving 11, salve 000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability.
It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column. Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmersays: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay, no matter what Obama says.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth.
The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause. Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square is a well-timed art-installation taking place ahead of the UN conferenceon Climate Change from December 7 to 18, information pills involving 11, stuff 000 delegates from 192 countries. Ten tree stumps selected from seven indigenous species all with delightful exotic names are represented – Denya, click Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany, Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – and have been placed at the feet of the National gallery, right at the very centre of Western Industrialization. They are all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man; the Celtis Adolfi-Friderici is evergreen, but many of its leaves do fall during the dry season. It grows up to 100 feet tall and is of abundant forest availability.
It is hard not to be moved by the contrasting sight of those stumps laid to rest on white concrete blocks close to the 196 feet-tall Nelson’s Column. Londoners know Trafalgar Square as a rather uninspiring and barren site inhabited by a swarm of pigeons and tourists. The place is now invaded with what appears to be sculptures for posh interiors. Or is it a vast graveyard of searing beauty? The Celtis is used for interior joinery, plywood, and furniture components back in its country of origin, Ghana. In Europe, it is mostly used in the coffin industry. At Trafalgar Square, it all looks like an odd burial site. Now Ghana’s trees have the good fortune of benefiting from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement. Artist Angela Palmersays: “Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging.”
Celtis and its friends do not end their epic journey in London; having traveled all the way from the tropics, they will travel to Copenhagen to remind UN employees that the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation needs to be dealt with without delay.
Angela Palmer is an artist with convictions: “Many thinkers maintain that all art is political; politics touches all aspects of our lives. Life is about politics. And art is about communication, often transmitting unpalatable truths.” Breathing In, currently at the Welcome museum from the 20th of October to the 22nd of November 2009, is another one of Palmer’s projects currently in the capital. In April 2007 Palmer travelled to Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, home to the most polluted air on Earth, and then to Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania where there’s the purest air and water on Earth.
The exhibition is a straightforward display of the results of her journey to capture the physical properties of climate change. The evidence is undeniable- the previously white outfits worn for a day now blackened by the unhealthy Linfen air, the dark face cleanser pads and air pump filters…the facts are brutal. There is an uneasy juxtaposition between the pristine green luscious Tasmanian rainforest and the cloudy, polluted, dusty and overpopulated Chinese streets. Angela Palmer’s art is good medicine for anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about Climate Change. You leave the building wanting to help a worthy cause.
Last week was Community Week in Leeds, information pills meaning all week Leeds University Union hosted various events on their campus aimed at students and ways in which we can make a positive difference in our local community.
Kicking off rather appropriately with ‘Talking Rubbish’ on Monday, prescription wheelie bins were hot on the agenda due to the bin strike in Leeds which has amazingly reached its 12th week now because of rows over unfair pay. The vast amount of recyclable waste which had not been collected since the beginning of September when the strike began was finally shifted this week, unhealthy and residents can expect letters from Leeds City Council informing them of the changes to be made in their area.
On Wednesday it was ‘Safe in the knowledge’, a day aimed at teaching ways we can prevent burglary in the LS6 area. For example did you know that, according to the union’s ‘Knowledge’ campaign, in 2008 almost 52% of student homes burgled were due to open doors or windows? So first step: Shut your windows, lock your doors! It is pretty easy to pop out or even just upstairs and forget to lock the front door. Most of the burglary stories I’ve heard happened to people who were in the house at the time, for instance last year someone wandered into my friend’s house in the middle of the day, pinched their underwear and left a ‘surprise’ in the middle of the carpet. The Knowledge website offers practical advice on preventing burglary and making your student home a more secure place.
Images courtesy of Leeds University Union
Thursday was concerned with volunteering. The Union runs a great volunteering service which supports students who want to give a little back locally and abroad. For instance why not become a Carbon Ambassador? Sounds pretty impressive and you receive FREE training in energy efficiency practices, and what’s more you can then share your new skills by giving talks in your area and teach others ways they can cut carbon emissions.
Image courtesy of Leeds University Union
The week finished off on Friday with Representation, which gave you the chance to chat about anything community related that may be worrying you, such as poor street lighting, recycling, suspicious take-aways, anything. Community Week may be over but Leeds students can still get down to the Union at any time. Go meet the student representatives and find out how you can get involved in local campaigns and make your neighbourhood just a little bit lovelier.
Following their super successful appearance at Barfly last week I made my way to a west London location to meet the plastiscine girls. On the way I’m trying desperately to remember my French from school to impress them. On a trip to Paris with my friend Ruth, malady there was no way we would have got by without my “C” grade, I’m sure I can think of something amazingly French to say. I arrive and briefly they are all there, hugs and an ipod charger are exchanged and then drummer Ana and bass player Louise are whisked off back to Paris. I’m sure they are going to have to get used to this whisking about business. So, I was on a very bizarrely patterned couch (see photo above) with lead singer Katty and guitarist Marine. I thought I’d open with my French skills…
Bonjour
K: Bonjour
Cava?
K: Cava merci, Vous parlez francais?
Non, that’s my limit
K: That’s good enough!
(Really?! That’s all that I could have come up with?! I should have revised more.)
You guys played Barfly last night, how do you find London crowds?
K: We really enjoyed the crowd yesterday because it was very busy, so we were really happy! We had a lot of friends in the crowd so they were dancing and jumping! It’s always good to have people reacting when you say something. In Paris people are so quiet, just at the back with their arms crossed and watching. They are interested but they just don’t move. So it’s good to be here and have the crowd reacting.
There seemed to be a lot of French folks in the audience, That must have been nice?K:
K: Yeah, I was really surprised! When I asked, “Who is French tonight?” there were quite a lot of people shouting!
So, How did your story begin?
K: Marine and I met in high school when we were 15 or 16. We started the band because we watched lots of bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes. We loved them, they had so much energy onstage, they were young and we thought we want to do the same thing. So we started the band and a few months after we were already doing some gigs in bars in Paris. We actually learnt our instruments on stage because we just wanted to play! We didn’t care if we could play, all we wanted was to play and get on stage and get into it!
So, you began by doing covers?
K: When we started we did a few covers, but we were very interested in doing our own songs. We did some covers from The Strokes and other bands for a while then we started doing our own songs, thats what really interested us more rather than covers.
A lot of your influences are English so do you guys find it more natural to write in English?
Both: Defiantly
K: Because all the songs we listen to are in English it is very natural to write in English, but sometimes we do write in French. We get direction from people saying we should say things this way because it’s a better way to say it in English. But yes, its natural because the music we like is English and American, we were never really into French bands
I read that French radio stations have restrictions on what they play (a percentage of French radio has to be French songs)
K: Yeah, so its quite difficult for us to be on the radio in France because we may be French but we sing in English. We are not in the same category as big international bands like the Arctic Monkeys, But then we don’t sing in French so we don’t fit into that category either, so its quite difficult to be on the radio.
You worked on your album with top producer Butch Walker what was this like?
M: We went to Malibu to record the album and it was amazing, it was really beautiful and we were in the this big house all together and in the morning we would go to record together or go swimming. Everyday we got to work together! It was interesting because it was the first time we were working with someone American. When we are French we don’t know if we would get along or have the right words to express, so we had a really long talk with him and he said what he likes and we said what we like. Butch is really passionate about music.
He’s worked with a wide range of people from Katy Perry to Weezer and now you guys
K: Yeah, he has done a lot of very big pop stars and he also works with acts because he really likes them, he’s done a lot of indie bands like Hot Hot Heat.
M: He was very honest, he said I do some stuff for money I do some stuff for passion and you are a passion for me.
K: He told us that from the first time he saw us playing on stage at Coachella he fell in love with us.
So what acts are you into right now?
M: Lots of stuff, lots of English acts, I love the Jamie T album, I think it’s amazing. I like Metronomy, Katty loves Florence and the Machine. Also I love Eagles of Death Metal, we went to see them in Paris. We like lots of old and new stuff.
“Bitch” was on “Gossip Girl”, this must have been a massive deal for you?
K: I think we didn’t really realize when we did it! It was such a big thing to do! When we saw it on the internet were like “that’s weird!”. We watch the programme, we know the characters and the story so when we arrived we wanted to know what was happening! We were playing on stage at a ball so we couldn’t hear what the actors were saying! It was nice because all the actors came to us to say “hello” and Leighton Meester who plays Blake came up with our album and she wanted us to sign it!
How did this come about because it’s as if the song was written for “Gossip Girl”?
M: No, its on the album so they heard it on the album it was picked out because it worked really well. We recorded it back in February.
You have a great relationship with Nylon can you tell us a little more about this?
K: Marvin Scott Jarrett ,the editor in chief at Nylon, he is so passionate about music and he always puts a lot of bands in the magazine. I think he wanted to launch a label and so he did it with Nylon, Nylon records. We are the first band signed because he really liked us and I think he thought we were a good image for the magazine. He knew of us because in Paris fashion week we were on the cover of a magazine, from this he got in touch with our label, at the time which was Virgin, us we came to NYC to play at a party for the magazine. Then when we came back again he had the idea for the label and wanted to sign us.
So you spend a lot of time here and in NYC, would you ever relocate?
K: We would love to live in New York! We all love it there! I think people are amazing with us there! Sometimes here when people see four girls on stage in a rock band it is weird for them, like there is something fake, something wrong with it, but in NYC they are just like “That’s cool, its just four girls rocking” and they don’t care.
M: Also, I think that in NYC everybody is doing something interesting. We were only there for a few months we already made such good friends and there’s so much going on and so much different music. I think it would be good for the band living in NYC for a bit for inspiration.
K: You walk in the street and you just feel good there, I don’t know what it is. Its such a big city but you still feel safe.
I follow u guys on twitter and I noticed you had a meeting with Topshop today, You guys are obviously into your fashion, Who are your style icons?
K: Yeah we got it all myspace/facebook/twitter there a blog that marines writes on.
M: Yeah we like fashion because we are girls. I love david bowie from the ziggy stardust period
K: I love Debbie Harry, she’s got it all the music the style, she’s amazing
The same thing could be said about these girls, they have the style, they have the music, they also seem to have it all. I glance and notice the smudge of a stamp on my hand from the entry last night, this reminds me that I have not even bothered to wash for our meeting today never mind attempting to dress nicely. I don’t think there is much point in trying around these girls though. They are naturally chic (I think it’s a French thing) with a playful grunge twist. I’m in love with them for the fact that they just decided to pick up interments to be onstage; from viewing them at The Barfly they all seem to be perfectly at home this platform. These beauties armed with the energy and attitude they bring to their performances, their catchy rock/pop tracks and their effortless style is a winning combination for these pop/grunge goddesses to begin a French revolution.
Image courtesy of Environmental Justice Foundation.
ENVIRONMNENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION POP-UP STORE
13-27 NOVEMBER (MON-SAT: 10-7PM, sick SUN: 12-6PM)
WHITE GOLD, recipe 1ST FLOOR, dosageKINGLY COURT, W1
FREE ENTRY
Over the coming fortnight the Environmental Justice Foundation charity will be setting up shop in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street to help raise awareness of forced child labour and environmental abuses in cotton production. The EJF pop-up store will be selling a limited edition range of T-shirts designed in collaboration with fashion heavyweights such as Luella, Giles Deacon, Betty Jackson, Christian Lacroix, Alice Temperley, Richard Nicoll and Ciel. EJF will also be stocking 100 shopper bags designed by Eley Kishimoto which will retail at the bargain price of £10 or come free when you spend over £50 in store. As they sold out like hot potatoes at LFW last month make sure you get there while stock lasts.
Image courtesy of Rokit Vintage Clothing.
ROKIT ROCKING CHRISTMAS
26 NOVEMBER (6-9PM)
ROKIT, 42 SHELTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN, WC2
FREE ENTRY
If you’re looking to get into the festive spirit this week then head down to Covent Garden for this glamorous in-store event where in-house stylists will be on hand to help you choose something unique and original for all those impending Christmas parties! With drinks, cakes and live rockabilly rock’n’roll with Ronnie King and the Hustlers what more could you ask for? With an added incentive of 15% discount on offer you’d be made not to pop in for a mince pie.
Image courtesy of the Old Truman Brewery.
ALL I WANT FOR XMAS
26 NOVEMBER – 20 DECEMBER (THURS: 5-9PM, FRI: 12-6PM, SAT/SUN: 10-6PM)
T1 SPACE, F BLOCK, OLD TRUMAN BREWERY, 15 HANBURY STREET, E1
FREE ENTRY
Launching this Thursday the Old Truman Brewery has come up with the perfect antidote to pre-Christmas blues with a one-stop shopping event that aims to inject the fun back into the much dreaded Christmas shop. Featuring a wide variety of exclusive goods on sale from independent retailers in the form of gift markets, exhibitions, designer sales, independent shops and even a pop-up emporium you’re sure to find something for everyone. With the brightest creative talent from the worlds of design, art, fashion and home ware it’s time to start checking off your Christmas list and see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice!
Image courtesy of Ada Zandinton.
ADA ZANDITON SAMPLE SALE
26-27 NOVEMBER (THURS: 6:30-9:30PM, FRI: 11-7PM) DIGITARIA, 60 BERWICK STREET, SOHO, W1
FREE ENTRY
A firm favourite among the British ethical designers, Ada Zanditon is to host her first sample sale later this week. Hosted by Ada herself in conjunction with Notion magazine there will be exclusive music videos from Bishi and a fashion supplement giveaway. If you’d like to get your hands on pieces from Ada’s AW09 range at heavily discounted prices (up to 70%) make sure you put this date in your diary, just don’t forget to RSVP.
Image courtesy of Fashion & Textile Museum.
TWIST BABY TWIST
27-28 NOVEMBER (7:30-10:30PM) FASHION & TEXTILE MUSEUM, 83 BERMONDSEY STREET, SE1
£15 (INCLUDING FOALE & TUFFIN EXHIBITION ENTRY AND SHOW)
This weekend the Fashion & Textile Museum will be hosting two evenings of swinging sixties entertainment to celebrate their current exhibition Foale and Tuffin: Made in England. Celebrating everything great about this iconic decade in British culture there will be a host of live music and dancing from the likes of Remi Nicole, Theoretical Girl, The Equations and BeBe & Paulo on Friday and Eliza Doolittle, The Bang Bang Club and Henry Johnson on Saturday. If that wasn’t enough you’ll also find film displays, fashion shows, 1960s themed make-overs, DJs, a mysterious David Bailey photo booth plus many more activities to keep you entertained.
Image courtesy of Oxfam.
OXFAM MAKE DO AND MEND FASHION SHOW
28 NOVEMBER (FROM 2PM WITH CATWALK SHOW AT 6:30PM)
ST. MARY’S CHURCH, WYNDHAM PLACE, MARYLEBONE, W1
£5 ENTRY
This one-off “Make Do and Mend” event takes its name from the WW2 propaganda campaigns when clothing rationing was introduced. In current times where every penny counts Oxfam are encouraging consumers to step away from the “throwaway” fashion and embrace the quality and individual style their stores have to offer. To bring home this message Oxfam are hosting a very special event which will see a host of market stalls sell everything from accessories to wedding dresses, as well as an exhibition on the history of 2nd hand fashion, a swap shop and a special customisation corner. If all of this wasn’t enough to whet your appetite there will also be food and drink on offer, live music and DJs and the piece de resistance; a special Oxfam fashion show.
Written by Rachael Oku on Monday November 23rd, 2009 10:16 am
Hello, treattreat Katie!! featured in our latest issue, prescription as part of the New Brasil section. It’s the vision of Hisato, who Amelia described as ‘a small portly man with the slightly pallid demeanour of someone who lives for the night”. He’s a very well respected DJ, and I think this says a lot about the key idea behind his latest EP, ‘Girls’.
Opener ‘Don’t Panic (That’s The Way It Is)’ is drenched in the atmosphere of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ – famously the highest selling 7″ of all time, purely because of it’s popularity with DJs. Vocals come in the form of some super cool sounding girl, who I imagine to look exactly like the type you see standing in front of DJ booths in the hope of grabbing attention. It’s a song that I guess comes from Hisato’s time spent hanging around the super cool, Djing fashion shows and stuff like that. Considering the band is named in honour of Kate Moss herself, this is perhaps something to be expected.
My favourite track is ‘Female Moustache’. It has the feel of a soundtrack from a high octane action movie, building and plateauing, only to return to its peak moments of drama once again. You can imagine some bald guy with stubble diving between trains to it, or something like that anyway.
It finishes with ‘Today’s Tomorrow’s Breath’, something of a respite compared to the rest of the album. The vocals sound almost scary, sung by Hisato himself in what sounds like a cave.
The EP comes across like a party in your ears. It has all the aspects of really fun party music that has put Brazil on the musical map in recent years.
Having interviewed the girls who will be featuring in issue 10 of Amelia’s mag (keep an eye out for them), click I was keen to make a pit stop to their preview of their exhibition, look‘in bed with the girls’.
The first thing that hits you as you enter the bubblegum pink Beverly Knowles Gallery in Notting hill is the burst of colour within all the photos. Cramming 12 years worth of staged portrait photography, capsule self portraiture and performance pieces in one smallish room gives their work an intensity. A few faves are the performance piece where a naked lady is adorned with various sweet treats such as: swiss rolls, tarts, custard creams. The performance piece reminded me of the oldsy english countryside picnics that now looks like a novel practice. With a priest sat next to her this set to unnerve the viewer.
Most of their work is playful, set with lavish sets, however I also like some of their black and white shots particularly Dungeness which are actually tiny.
With so many different sets designs and images, these reflect two varied, bubbly personalities. They reference pop culture, the idea of Englishness, gender roles, nostalgia and desire in a fun yet also subtly dark way. So there really is something for everyone.
Perhaps you’d like a pair of wizard boots? A caterpillar? some skeleton string? or a monster forest? Inventory of Parlour, ed an Australian designed jewellery label, more about offers treats for the imagination! A range of delectable pieces with intricate and distinctive designs that originate from another realm.
Katia, who studied textile design at RMIT University in Melbourne, was introduced to the wonderful world of jewellery when she spent some time living in London interning with the infamously unique Tatty Devine. The influence is clear – treating jewelry as a piece of art, creating something personal to illustrate the wearer. Katia’s own inspirations draw from the Parlour rooms of the 1800′s and the curious happenings within them. The pieces themselves are made mostly out of collages using text and vintage imagery from periodicals, catalogues and encyclopedias.
“A world of alakazams and abracadabras.. demented delights and a menagerie of oddities..”
Intrigued? Want to see more? Unlock the cabinet of goodies on the their blog and get a new lace for that neck!
Photo: Dan Spinney
Despite my obsession with These New Puritans (we’ve all read the inspiring reviews from music boffs across the globe so its not necessary for me to rationalise this passion), medical neither time nor cash had granted me with a chance to witness them live, prescription until their set at the Amersham Arms. Perhaps it was dangerous levels of excitement which left me doubtful (or the fact that Derv from Amelia’s team wouldn’t stop chatting in my ear), but I couldn’t help but feel that I was left half empty.
There’s something about the intensity of delivery by lead vocalist Jack Barnett which just didn’t hit me as hard as my 5 year old Woolworth’s headphones. Its not that I’m not accusing them of being poor live performers, ‘Colours’, ‘Infinity ytinifnl’ and ‘Swords of truth’ resembled the album versions to a T, but all that intellectual equation and science stuff just seemed that little bit more magical without the hustle and bustle of a pub. Naturally These New Puritans took the opportunity to drop a few new tracks, which if this occasion is anything to go by, prove to be bordering on bland or atmospheric depending on your perspective or the volume of your glass.
Micachu and The Shape’s set wasn’t as enthralling as it should have been, mainly due to the venues poor sound. Teamed with a crowd that seemed preoccupied with having a chin wag, their music almost seemed to take a back seat. When I’ve seen them before, crowds are usually silenced by their magnificent performances, but I think most people were too preoccupied with drinking at that stage of the night. ‘Golden Phone’ did seem to divert people’s attention, and it’s definately still her standout track. She’s an artist destined for much bigger events this time next year.
Next we headed over to The Tavern to finish our night with sets from Loefah and Benga, and were subjected to some very garage heavy selections, which delighted some, but for me it just wasn’t too exciting. Soon after they had taken to the decks though, the speakers blew. It was announced that the line-up would be moved to the nearby Goldsmith’s Student Union Bar.
Photo: Louis Hartnoll
We followed the crowds round the corner to where there was already a sizeable queue forming. I hate situations like this, when a mass of people is trying to get into a venue and the venue’s security sees it as an excuse to exercise their power by just being weird and annoying. Eventually they decided everybody had waited long enough an allowed us in. The choice of venue was strange, and didn’t really suit the music. Nevertheless, everyone was there to have a good time, and it’s difficult not to enjoy yourself in that type of environment.
So this morning I received an email shouting about NOISE, erectile an online arts showcase funded by the Arts Council & NWDA. The idea is to showcase art, ask music and fashion all conjured up by creative beings under 25. The curators include acclaimed industry professionals such as Badly Drawn Boy for music and Norman Rosenthal for fine arts. This month NOISE festival will cherry pick the crème de la crème for your viewing pleasure. Here’s a few things I spotted:
The talented miss amy brown, prescription who designed the cover of amelia’s mag issue 8 has her portfolio on here. She says that an average day consists of replying to e-mails, tea drinking, drawing, and wiping paint off my kitten Millie-Rad. She also comments that she has always loved drawing and just hope that people get as much enjoyment from looking at [her] work as [she]does making it! Have a peek at her work.
patrick gildersleeves, aka wowow is inspired by the people of the world, patterns, paper, animals and plants. He likes to work with a pencil, felt tips and paint. His biggest influences are Inuit art, Ancient South American culture and drawings from the Far East.
heres a cool image of promo shots for the electric circus band by ‘paul’
6 by rae:
clockface by chimere:
brunch from brunch series by shauba:
So if you want to inject a little brightness to your day or are seeking some inspiration go and check it out.
It’s been a busy few days – I’ve been up early again with the Suffragettes to try and persuade city commuters that they should join the Climate Rush on Monday.
getting ready in the station
Tamsin sandwiched by commuters
I’ve learnt that the amount of technical devices attached to your body is a direct indicator of whether you are likely to engage with a piece of paper coming your way. Commuters plugged into ipods are in their own little world and noone is going to disrupt that other place… and if you also have a mobile in your other hand you are doubly likely to ignore anyone else. Interesting, this site how we disassociate from the real world around us. Also a trend I have noticed that disheartens me – people with bikes are also more likely to ignore people who are flyering. Very saddening that – all the more I think because as a fellow bike rider I always expect people who ride to be on our side.
flyering aplenty
That said, remedy many flyers were given out and since then the Suffragettes have been out every day all over town to try and raise awareness. I will be joining them on Friday afternoon in Soho (5.30pm in Soho Square if you fancy coming along) The more the merrier – we’re quite an arresting sight amongst all that grey.
On Saturday we’re going to be making more sashes at my house – if you fancy joining in email us. I am in east London and we plan to go out on the town afterwards dressed as Suffragettes, so come meet us and join in the fun!
shaking a fist for the cameras
Then yesterday I hotfooted it over to Newham town hall in East London (well, more like District line slowfooted it. How slow is that tube line?!) to meet up with the Flashmob, there to oppose plans to expand City Airport.
I love this golden light…
The council was meeting to make the final decision on whether expansion goes ahead and local group Fight the Flights directed a flashmob of about 30 people in a chant for the ITV cameras. Everyone was wearing distinctive STOP AIRPORT EXPANSION t-shirts. It was all over very quickly and I then had to slowfoot it back into town to do my jewelery class for the evening.
flashmobbers still need lipstick
Unfortunately I have since found out that the council has given the go ahead to the expansion, but the evening was not without its drama. I’ve just spoken with Leo from Plane Stupid, who was one of some 25 people to present objections during the meeting, and it sounds like the locals put up a great fight. There were about 75 objectors in the audience who were “kicking off left, right and centre,” so that by the time the meeting drew to a close some hours later a lot of people had been removed for causing a ruckus. Leo was eventually removed for throwing paper airplanes.
looks like Ken, of Barbie and Ken fame. is actually a highly groomed ITV reporter.
Apparently the local group will be taking the council to court on the grounds that there was no proper consultation – even though up to 13,000 people will be affected by increased noise pollution there have been no new measurements of noise since the year 2000, and only 10,000 letters have been sent out as part of a mandatory consultation.
A local teacher explained that his students had been processing field data which showed that the noise levels are frequently reaching 85-95 decibels, and not the declared 57 decibels, over which the government considers noise to be a nuisance. Funny then, that the airport owners have forgotten to take new measurements in the past 8 years.
Leo described the yellow tie wearing owner as being totally complacent, safe in the knowledge that his plans would get the go ahead. In fact he was looking so smug that the locals even had a pop at him about it. I wasn’t there, but I can picture him in my mind’s eye. I bet he would have wound me up too.
The airport expansion may be mooted to go ahead, but don’t expect it to happen without a fight…
sporting an E.On F.Off badge in a hairband. Lovin the look
We think we may just have sparked a bit of a trend with the USB we gave away free with our last issue. Mr. Scruff has made a pretty tasty looking; tuna shaped stick that has his new album ‘Ninja Tuna’ on it – and it’s the first thing we’ve seen similar to what we did in the UK.
Now you may think that such fancy packaging may be compensating for something, look but I assure you that the album is equally as good. It has all the jazzy hip hop stylings you expect from Mr. Scruff, but with a few forward thinking surprises thrown in for good measure.
The high point of the album for me has to be Roots Manuva’s cameo on ‘Nice Up The Function’. It’s a far cry from their previous collaboration ‘Jus Jus’ on Scruff’s second album ‘Keep It Unreal’ – something of a standard Roots Manuva tune (if that’s possible).
Scruff has a philosophy behind his music, in which ‘drinking tea holds mythological status and where it’s always music that gets you high’ – which lead me to believe that perhaps he’s just a little bit too much free time lately to be thinking about these things. It did mean however that a tin of organic tea bags was also sent to us. I’ve now listened to the album when drinking tea, and when I have not been drinking tea. My verdict is that the tea makes no difference to your listening pleasure, but is quite nice.
Every year at two different creative cities in Europe, buy more aboutIllustrative International Art Forum displays the best in graphics and illustrative arts. This year is happening at Zurich and displays over 400 works from more than 60 artists. This two week long festival aims to exchange ideas, treatment promote emerging new talent as well as rediscovering current trends. With conferences, film programs, book art, illustration and concept art added to the mix, the festival promises to titillate the creative senses. At the end of the festival a Young Illustrators award will be presented to the best young talent. Why not have a peek at the talented bunch’s work. You might even pick up some inspiration. Here’s a few bits of art that tickled my fancy:
I walked along to this gig not expecting anything particularly unusual, viagra little was I to know that I would walk away from it wondering whether it may have actually been the best thing I had seen all year.
It was the last night of the tour, which always kind of suggests that you’re in for something special. Jape take to the stage and announce that they’re most excited about the fact that they’ll soon be able to go home and wash their clothes. Their set however suggests they’re a bit more excited than they let on. The singer is literally leaping as he thrashes his drum machine.
As a support band they more than fit the bill. They’re a band not a lot of the people in the room would have known of before the gig, but they manage to get a pretty good reaction. I can’t help but think that their songs don’t seem to have quite enough body to them though. They make Tom Vek styled electronica that could be brought to life by laying off with the use of backing tracks and adding a couple of band members. In my opinion you just can’t beat doing things live. Obviously some bands are great using purely electronics and sampler, but I think Jape’s style of music just doesn’t quite suit it.
Friendly Fires have been a real favourite of mine for quite some time. They have the same chic, funk sound LCD Soundsystem mastered, but with a little more swagger and panache. Lead singer Ed Macfarlane demonstrates some of this panache by strutting and wriggling around the stage like a man possessed.
They open with ‘Photobooth’; one of their songs that I think is slightly overlooked. Out of all their songs I think it has to be the best demonstation of their songwriting skills. But then it was the song that first got me interested in them. So perhaps I’m a little biased.
I expected the crowd to be standing through their album tracks, waiting for them to play the hits. I was sorely mistaken though. Not that they have any bad album tracks, I just thought they would be hard to make enjoyable live. I was sorely, sorely mistaken. ‘White Diamonds’ and ‘Strobe’ were perhaps some of the highlights from their set. The band took them to whole new levels, and the light shows that went along with it more nothing short of dazzling.
Understandably ‘Paris’ and ‘On Board’ seem to kick the crowd into a frenzy, and it’s at this point that they let off confetti launchers. Usually I’d say this was pretty gimmicky, but I’ll let it pass, it was the last night of their tour.
They finish their set with recent single ‘Jump In The Pool’, and about half way through some Brazilian drummers and carnival dancers appear on stage. From then on the song just builds and builds until everyone in the crowd’s faces are awestruck. Ending your tour with a miniature carnival works, and as the stampeed of everybody trying to leave the building began, the only words on people’s lips were “Wow!”
We flyered the Friday night drinkers in Soho Square, buy information pills culminating in some chalking outside the Private Eye offices and the offer of a free haircut for Alice from The Soho Salon. I managed to wangle myself a complimentary up-do for my appearance as emcee at the Climate Rush, and a quick look at their website also tells me that they specialise in ‘boyzillians’ – that’s male waxing to you and me! Boyzillions are described as a “must for every discerning man” – so now you know! (or maybe not… what are they talking about?) Anyway, I anticipate a suitably Edwardian pin-tucked hairstyle to go with my not very suitable cobbled together probably a bit too plunging neckline and ruffled petticoat Suffragette get-up.
now who would like a free haircut?!
what kind of haircut would madam require?!
foxy Alice modelling her new do from the Soho Salon (done in remarkably quick time)
On Saturday I frantically tidied up my house in anticipation of a Suffragette beer-swilling bake-off.
Anna mixing up vegan glories
It was a roaring success – we knocked out dozens of colourful fairy cakes, coconut yoghurt cake and vegan banana bread. Expect these lovingly baked delights to be handed out at the rally with a nice cup of tea. With ten suffragettes in the house we also made light work of pinning all the sashes, which are going to look absolutely magical.
messy red food colouring…
Tamsin and I double icing
ooh, look at them colours!
Aside from the odd paranoia dream where hardly anyone turns up to the Climate Rush – and those who do have forgotten to wear period dress – I’m now really looking forward to tomorrow.
pinning sashes
I hope it will be the start of a new era of direct action, so please do come along to Parliament Square from 5.30pm and remember, Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History
Monday 13th:
Tate Modern, ‘Cildo Meireles‘: Until Jan 09
Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Cildo Meireles creates mysterious and atmostpheric installations which invite the audience. A new version of Fontes that includes 6,000 carpenter’s rulers hanging from the ceiling, a thousand clocks and thousands of vinyl numbers is included.
Tuesday 14th: YFBS gallery, Pivot Points: Turkey England Turkey, New Photography by Helen Sheehan: 15th-18th October 08
207 Whitecross St, London, EC1 8QP: 15-18 October, 930-5pm
In ‘Pivot Points’ Sheehan showacases narrative photomontage work which focuses on two individuals James and Zehra. James comes from a well-off background yet his value systems ensure he is involved in campaigning on oil and social justice. Sehra’s family have been persecuted for political reasons in Turkey. Sheehan explores the intensely delicate territory of integration, loyalty, longing, alienations and belonging across two landscapes that shape her subject’s realities.
Wednesday 15th: Bournemouth, ‘Postcards’: ‘Ishihara’: Emily Draper, Charlie Gates, Rebecca Johnson etc: All day-12pm
An all day exhibition of instillations, video, interactive and
wall-based artwork, accompanied with live elctronica and djs in the evening.
Ishihara is here to feed your eyes, ears and dancing feet with the talent of
current students and recent graduates, as well as music from Bournemouth’s
best kept secrets. Ishihara doesn’t end when the bar closes, with
afterparties and opportunities for all of you to get involved and exhibit in
future Ishihara shows.
The old brewery, ‘NEW SENSATIONS’:
The old Truman brewery, T2 Space, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL: 15th-19th October:11am-6pm
Taking part in the Frieze Week in October are 20 shortlisted artists as well as four finalists chosen by judges in this exhibition showcasing new exciting talent. The four finalists of the competition will be given £1000 bursury to make new work. There will be 2 winners of the new sensations 08 competition- one will be decided by the public and one by the panel of judges. So if you want to check out the latest and newest ‘sensation’ then stroll along for this free show.
Thursday 16th: Regents Park, ‘FRIEZE ART FAIR’: 16th-19th Octobe
Frieze Art Fair focuses on contemporary living artists with a line up that is packed with talks, artists’ commissions and film projects, many of which are intereactive or performative and encourage visitors to engage with art and artists directly. 11 commisions curated by Neville Wakefield, a New York based curator, critic and editor. With talks including ‘passages of light’ by yoko ono, and ‘the aesthetic responsibility’ by Boris Groys, this is one to write in your diary. Tickets from £21.75
Brown mountain Festival of Performing Arts at Slade Research Centre, ‘Brown Mountain Festival’: the dolly mixtures, goodipal, grand theft impro, emma hart and others: 16th-18th October
Slade Research Centre, Woburn Square, London WC1
Why not indulge in your drama queen tendencies for a bit of performance art action. With collaborations between artists, producers the range of pieces promises satire, wit and optical ingenuity.
Friday 17th: The Hayward, Robin Rhode: Until 7th December
Southbank Centre, London SE1 8EZ
South African artist Robin Rhode presents inventive performances, photographs and drawings. Charcoal drawings and witty performances as well asanimations makes him a jack of all trades. Animations include two-dimensional representations of everyday objects; he draws a candle and tries to blow it out. His work comments on urban poverty, the politics of leisure and the commodification of youth culture.
Saturday 18th: V&A,’Cold War Modern’: Until Jan 11
Cromwell Rd, London, SW7 2RL
The Cold War is the cite for inspiration for an exhibition which shows over 300 objects that reflect both the fears of nuclear devestation and the fantasies of space flight (an Apollo Mision suit). All this characterises an anxious era, from brutalist architecture of the Eastern bloc to the futuristic designs of Dierter Rams.
Self confessed image junkie and international artist Mark Pawson‘s exhibition ‘Signs and Maps‘ will be arriving at the ‘Here and Now‘ gallery in Falmouth, visit this sitedoctor Cornwall with the private view this Friday 6th November and running till 5th December. His work will be showcased including limited edition perspex signs, salve self published books, hand printed cards and other jewellery. I caught up with Mark for a quick chat.
Tell me about the venue for your exhibition?
There’s a shop/gallery in Bristol called ‘Here‘ and this place, ‘Here and Now‘ in Falmouth is the sister shop but it actually is run by Ben’s (who runs the Bristol branch) sister.
So you’ll be selling your products in the shop?
They’ve got a back room which is the gallery room and then there’s quite a bit of window space onto the street and, well I’ll see when I get there, but some things will be in the bag and then some pieces of work will be in the shop window. Then within the shop there’ll also be a section where Kate says she’s got lots of different display areas and shelving so she’ll dedicate one of those to my merchandise.
How come you have decided to do an exhibition now?
For a long time I just focused more on making things, making books, badges – I kind of avoided doing gallery shows, but I got on with getting back into it a bit more about two or three years ago. I think I was a little hung up on the idea that to do a gallery show you need a new body of work, a new series or a new style or idea – and I don’t really work in that way. I work in a way where I do lots of different things all the time, at the same time and that is, I guess, how I express myself as an artist, it’s how I represent myself. I’m not going to a big new series. So I realised then, that I could eventually do an exhibition, a show and put this work in.
I see that you like to work in quite a lo-fi way, what is it about this way of working that attracts you?
‘Lo-fi’ is a nice word but not really the best way to describe it. In terms of making things like books and I guess badges aswell, I like to make things a bit well, most of my work is hands on. So things like the books and bookworks I’ve done, usually I’ve done all the work. Collecting source material, doing the layouts, graphic design, doing the photography, printing the books and binding them. Usually I do everything or at least have a hand in everything. I like doing work that’s intelligable and that people can see there’s a hands-on approach. You know, people can look and think ‘I could do that if I wanted to’, it’s more accessible. It’s just the way that I’ve always done things and especially always having worked from a zero budget.
Where would you say your style comes from?
It’s a real jumble of lots of different things. I’m an image junkie and I really like graphic images and packaging and I’m still quite fascinated by pieces of ephemera, paper and I also like playing and experimenting with printing methods. So yeah, some kind of jumble of all those things together. When I started I off, I was using the photocopier as my main tool, which is a great device for creating artwork, layouts, fiddling around and doing experimental stuff. Also then, you can publish and print books. So that’s alot of how I learnt, playing around with photocopiers.
Do you prefer to work on the computer when an idea first comes or by hand?
I do but it’s just the hand – the hand makes things and I use the tools that I have available. Sometimes I like to get two computers and two printers next door. I like tools and techniques which i can use here, I do everything here in my flat. Again, it’s just something that I’ve always done and always managed to do.
How did your collaboration with Tatty Devine come about?
They’ve been good friends from probably when they opened the first shop in Brick Lane and they stocked my badges and cards. The first thing we did together was the ‘open and close‘ necklace and I sold it through their first shop but we’d never done a proper collaboration before and then one day I was just sketching out some ideas and I just decided to do an ‘open and close‘ necklace based on a very simple old fashioned open and close sign. They were doing alot of things with perspex at the time. I felt a bit weird about it because these were people that I knew very well but I was making quite a business approach and a proposition to them which was quite curious. They were working on a new collection at the time and they just covered the whole of their work table with paper and were just scribbling and sketching and I showed them the sketches I had and they looked at each other and they said “Yes! We like that Mark, can we have the finished artwork in two days time”. Which was, you know, all very nice and very easy. So I’ve done a couple of things with them.
Do you like to use social networking sites, is this important to you?
Nope, not really. I’ve got a website which everything is on. It’s a very distinctive, quite old style website. Most of my work is illustrated on there with a good picture, good description and a Paypal button. At the moments thats how it works. It’s making the information available. In earlier days I used to do mail order catalogues on the same basis which had a factual description and bit more of a blurb. When I was doing the mail order catalogues I used to do something interesting or quirky with them so they were a little bit more of an object that people would hang onto. One of the catalogues that I did, it was printed all black and white and it was a little bit like a stamp album so some of the pictures, like the book covers, I did separate strip colour prints which could be cut out and stuck into the stamp album. So I have currently have a website and that’s enough for the moment. Sometimes I just have to turn my computer off.
The exhibition will be on from 8th November – 6th December 2009 at Here and Now Gallery 41a Killigrew Street, Falmouth Cornwall.
Self confessed image junkie and international artist Mark Pawson‘s exhibition ‘Signs and Maps‘ will be arriving at the ‘Here and Now‘ gallery in Falmouth, check Cornwall with the private view this Friday 6th November and running till 5th December. His work will be showcased including limited edition perspex signs, viagra dosage self published books, viagra 40mg hand printed cards and other jewellery. I caught up with Mark for a quick chat.
Tell me about the venue for your exhibition?
There’s a shop/gallery in Bristol called ‘Here‘ and this place, ‘Here and Now‘ in Falmouth is the sister shop but it actually is run by Ben’s (who runs the Bristol branch) sister.
So you’ll be selling your products in the shop?
They’ve got a back room which is the gallery room and then there’s quite a bit of window space onto the street and, well I’ll see when I get there, but some things will be in the bag and then some pieces of work will be in the shop window. Then within the shop there’ll also be a section where Kate says she’s got lots of different display areas and shelving so she’ll dedicate one of those to my merchandise.
How come you have decided to do an exhibition now?
For a long time I just focused more on making things, making books, badges – I kind of avoided doing gallery shows, but I got on with getting back into it a bit more about two or three years ago. I think I was a little hung up on the idea that to do a gallery show you need a new body of work, a new series or a new style or idea – and I don’t really work in that way. I work in a way where I do lots of different things all the time, at the same time and that is, I guess, how I express myself as an artist, it’s how I represent myself. I’m not going to a big new series. So I realised then, that I could eventually do an exhibition, a show and put this work in.
I see that you like to work in quite a lo-fi way, what is it about this way of working that attracts you?
‘Lo-fi’ is a nice word but not really the best way to describe it. In terms of making things like books and I guess badges aswell, I like to make things a bit well, most of my work is hands on. So things like the books and bookworks I’ve done, usually I’ve done all the work. Collecting source material, doing the layouts, graphic design, doing the photography, printing the books and binding them. Usually I do everything or at least have a hand in everything. I like doing work that’s intelligable and that people can see there’s a hands-on approach. You know, people can look and think ‘I could do that if I wanted to’, it’s more accessible. It’s just the way that I’ve always done things and especially always having worked from a zero budget.
Where would you say your style comes from?
It’s a real jumble of lots of different things. I’m an image junkie and I really like graphic images and packaging and I’m still quite fascinated by pieces of ephemera, paper and I also like playing and experimenting with printing methods. So yeah, some kind of jumble of all those things together. When I started I off, I was using the photocopier as my main tool, which is a great device for creating artwork, layouts, fiddling around and doing experimental stuff. Also then, you can publish and print books. So that’s alot of how I learnt, playing around with photocopiers.
Do you prefer to work on the computer when an idea first comes or by hand?
I do but it’s just the hand – the hand makes things and I use the tools that I have available. Sometimes I like to get two computers and two printers next door. I like tools and techniques which i can use here, I do everything here in my flat. Again, it’s just something that I’ve always done and always managed to do.
How did your collaboration with Tatty Devine come about?
They’ve been good friends from probably when they opened the first shop in Brick Lane and they stocked my badges and cards. The first thing we did together was the ‘open and close‘ necklace and I sold it through their first shop but we’d never done a proper collaboration before and then one day I was just sketching out some ideas and I just decided to do an ‘open and close‘ necklace based on a very simple old fashioned open and close sign. They were doing alot of things with perspex at the time. I felt a bit weird about it because these were people that I knew very well but I was making quite a business approach and a proposition to them which was quite curious. They were working on a new collection at the time and they just covered the whole of their work table with paper and were just scribbling and sketching and I showed them the sketches I had and they looked at each other and they said “Yes! We like that Mark, can we have the finished artwork in two days time”. Which was, you know, all very nice and very easy. So I’ve done a couple of things with them.
Do you like to use social networking sites, is this important to you?
Nope, not really. I’ve got a website which everything is on. It’s a very distinctive, quite old style website. Most of my work is illustrated on there with a good picture, good description and a Paypal button. At the moments thats how it works. It’s making the information available. In earlier days I used to do mail order catalogues on the same basis which had a factual description and bit more of a blurb. When I was doing the mail order catalogues I used to do something interesting or quirky with them so they were a little bit more of an object that people would hang onto. One of the catalogues that I did, it was printed all black and white and it was a little bit like a stamp album so some of the pictures, like the book covers, I did separate strip colour prints which could be cut out and stuck into the stamp album. So I have currently have a website and that’s enough for the moment. Sometimes I just have to turn my computer off.
The exhibition will be on from 8th November – 6th December 2009 at Here and Now Gallery 41a Killigrew Street, Falmouth Cornwall. medical Helvetica, ask sans-serif;">physician Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently Holly Russell graduated from Manchester University with a First class degree, and in the few months since has caught the eye of Nicola Formichetti (Stylist to Lady GaGa and Dazed and Confused regular) and has been shot on Alice Dellal in the Evening Standard, and featured on Vogue online. I conducted a brief interview to find out more about her:
What first attracted you to fashion design? I can’t identify one moment where I made a decision to follow this path. I am a very ambitious person and have always had a strong interest in design and all things artistic.
What is your defining memory of fashion?I don’t think I can pin-point one particular moment in fashion and I don’t think I would want to. Everything I have seen over the years has helped inform my opinion of fashion and subconsciously influenced my design style.
Who or what inspires you? There’s not one thing in particular that inspires me. My ideas and inspiration usually develop from something completely unrelated to fashion. I don’t think I have ever once looked at a person for inspiration or a said period in fashion. I don’t find that exciting. I like to look at objects, unusual materials, art, sculpture, science…I love the initial stages of design, the research, concepts and finding fabrics and materials to work with. I find a lot of my best ideas come to me at strange times and places.
Who would you love to see wearing your designs? I would love to see Bjork in one of my pieces or perhaps Roisin Murphy. I have been approached by Florence and the Machine’s stylist and would love this to develop into something in the future. I think Florence Welsh would look incredible Machine’s in some of the pieces from my collection. She would bring out the more eerie and darker side to the clothes.
Do you wear your designs? No, I’ve never even tried anything on that I have made. I think it would ruin it for me. I suppose the clothes I create are something I aspire to.
The hair used on your garments, where did these ideas come from? These materials were used to mimic textures, colours and surfaces found within the natural world. I like to use materials that perhaps you wouldn’t expect to see on clothes, things that will create intrigue. The human hair was used to bring out the animalistic nature of the garments.
As a recent graduate, what are your plans for the forthcoming future? An MA? Perhaps your own label?Next year I am hoping to carry out an MA either at the Royal College of Art or Central St Martin’s. I am under no illusion that just because I have received press attention from this collection that I am now ready to start my own label. So many young designers do this and fail because they don’t understand how a business functions and I don’t want to do the same. In the future I would like to set up my own label but for now, I need industry experience to help me understand how these fashion houses work so that when the time comes, I know what I’m getting myself into.
Tove Jansson is most famous for her Moomin books, advice which are probably the best, stuff most sinister children’s books ever written, healing but she also wrote books for adults. The most recent to be translated into English is “The True Deceiver”, which is set in the usual Jansson-esque Finnish landscape but deals more transparently with sexuality. It’s had good reviews and you can hear Ali Smith read from the book at excellent niche bookshop Gay’s the Word this Thursday.
And here, even though it’s not totally relevant, is a picture of some Moomins:
Shake It: An Instant History of the Polaroid
The Polaroid: generations of fun to be had, with its pleasingly artistic quality and expensive film. Everyone’s a photographer with a Polaroid camera and I once reduced someone to tears by giving them one. You don’t get that effect with a digital camera from Dixons. Attend this exhibition at the Pumphouse Gallery to mourn for the days when you made instant photographs or, if you are a young’un, to find out what the phrase “shake it like a Polaroid picture” actually signifies.
Sophie Calle is one of those artists who really live their work. She has invited strangers off the street to share her bed, which is taking discomfort to a whole new level if the average streetwalker in her area is anything like in mine. On the topic of other people’s personal space, she asked homeless people to take her to their favourite places and photographed them. Her work is all not only observing others but getting right into people’s insides, and exposing her own in return.
The Truman Brewery hosts this smorgasbord of street art, influenced by thingies as varied as dubstep and the half-timbered Liberty building. in keeping with the “gritty” nature of the exhibit’s name, there is plenty of the visual vocab of modern life to be seen: skulls talk on phones, jolly multi-coloured blood spurts from wounds and stark prints of weaponry sit next to sweet cartoon saplings sprouting.
Written by Satu Fox on Monday November 9th, 2009 2:26 pm
I arrive by bike as usual to meet the three members of Peggy Sue at Spitalfields Market. Rosa got lost on hers and didn’t make their 6Music interview earlier in the day, more about which handily alerted me to the fact that it is Katy’s 24th birthday today, as well as the official launch of their new album Fossils and Other Phantoms. I wonder if their plan to go bowling in Brick Lane has come off, but it turns out the bowling alley was closed and they had to make do with chucking oranges at Lucozade bottles in the Old Truman Brewery instead. After their launch gig at Rough Trade East the band plan to head over to the Scala to enjoy the scuzzy sounds of Mount Eerie.
Even though Peggy Sue have been around for a few years they were only signed to Wichita at the end of 2009. Despite this, Katy, Rosa and Olly began recording their album over a three week period in New York last year. Producer Alex Newport – who has worked with the likes of Does it Offend You, Yeah? – first discovered the girls a couple of years ago at SXSW and he was joined by John Askew, better known as a producer of trance music, but who has also worked with The Dodos. They worked on the album in the studio at night and it was really intense. “But we wanted to do as much as possible,” says Rosa, “plus we like to work really hard.”
Many of the songs were written in New York, but they came back to the UK to overdub the tracks with friends. Peggy Sue seem quite amused that some of their session musicians belong to bands much more famous than theirs, with a horn section provided by members of Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio.
With the album finished a little over a year ago I wonder if they aren’t perhaps a bit frustrated with the long wait for it to come out officially? Katy: For a little while we were, but then you just realise that you have to work around other people’s schedules. We’ve only been playing a few new songs on tour so we’re not sick of them yet. We haven’t run out of emotion! Rosa: We purposefully held back some songs till the album came out. Olly: And we’ve written some new songs since the album was made. How pushy is your record company? Katy: No one tells us what to do. That I can well believe….
Quite a few reviewers seem to have identified a strong theme of heartbreak running through the album. How would you respond to this? Katy: Some songs are about breaking other people’s hearts Rosa: …or endings in general. They can be morose when taken as a whole body of work, but not when taken individually. Katy: Some people are just ignoring the other themes. We take it in turns to do lead vocals so it’s not like they’re all about just one break up. I don’t know if I want to be known as horribly bruised by love… Rosa: I don’t remember the last time I had my heart broken!
They used to be Peggy Sue and the Pirates. What happened to the Pirates? Katy: When Rosa and I started the band we were both studying at Sussex and it was just for fun. I was doing American Studies and Film. I’m still supposed to go to the US for a year as part of my course, but I keep deferring… Olly: I was studying Popular Music at Goldsmiths, but I didn’t finish either. I prefer to actually make music. Rosa: I was studying English Literature, but I’m the only one who finished my degree. We started getting serious two years ago when Olly joined. It made sense to drop the Pirates bit when we stopped being a duo and our music became less folky.
How did you girls hook up in the first place? Katy: I was offered a gig as a solo artist and I asked Rosa to help out. Rosa: I was so nervous I vomited into my mouth when I went on stage. Katy: It was really nice to do it together. It was how you should start a band – it didn’t work when I tried to find people I didn’t know; a band needs to be built on good relationships.
How did you guys find Olly? Olly: I went to Brighton and saw Peggy Sue playing as part of Brighton Festival – I fell in love with them immediately and became a bit of a groupie. I met them again at SXSW, and saw them play in my hometown of Margate. Rosa: You were one of our favourite fans; we used to give you CDs for free! Katy: We made him come and watch The Dodos so he could see what we wanted with the drum section and he liked it. Olly: To start with I didn’t think it was a good idea for the girls to get a drummer because I preferred them without… but then I kept sending lots of pestering emails… Eventually he organised his own audition in one of the practice rooms at his college, at which point Katy and Rosa realised he could be a great asset. Does he mind being the only man in a band with such strong women? Olly: Not really, I’m half a girl Rosa: …and I’m half a boy.
Olly learnt drums at secondary school, Rosa learnt piano and Katy learnt a bit of piano and some clarinet. But as a band they play whatever they can lay their hands on, with great aplomb. How do they pick up all these different instruments so easily? Katy: There’s something about teaching yourself that means you only play what you can but you play it really well. It’s nice to be self taught as it means there are no rules. Rosa: I understand enough about how to put music together but I can’t read music very well. It means you discover new things. Katy: I understand music in quite a mathematical way but I find it hard to translate that into playing a guitar. They are two separate things in my head Which are your favourite instruments? Katy: I like my electric guitar. Rosa: For me it always goes back to the guitar. But when I try a new instrument I end up writing new melodies as I learn how to play it, which means that every song turns out differently. Olly: I never imagined I would play the guitar but I ended up strumming a few notes on some of the songs, and now I’ve built a bucket base too… Rosa: …it sounded in tune until we started recording…
I loved the video for single Watchman. How did you get that made? Katy: We asked illustrator Betsy Dadd to make the video when she was going out with my best mate. I like the humping angels. What guidance did you give? Katy: I said she could tap into whatever themes she wanted. We don’t often make videos. Rosa: In a perfect world we’d have one for every song Some of the imagery would be great for putting onto merchandise. Katy: I’d like to put some of the stills onto a t-shirt. We’ve got only one design going at the moment. It features a wolf dancing with a skeleton.
At the time of interviewing the band Katy had just been offered a place at Berkeley in California, but fear not she won’t be going unless she can put her heart and soul into it. Which means we’ve lucked out instead. For now you can catch that great big heart and soul at a whole pile of festivals this summer. Including Dot to Dot and the Park Stage at Glastonbury on Saturday morning.
You can read my review of Fossils and Other Phantoms here.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday May 19th, 2010 5:20 pm
Run the World (Girls)
Bad Romance
