Amelia’s Magazine | The Makery – Bath gets Crafty

Very occasionally and normally with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek irony and predatorial bad-taste, illness is an older woman considered as an object of sexual-desire. In the Coen brothers’ latest, this site ‘A Serious Man’, click the ‘sexy-neighbour’ is a scary super-woman with too much make-up and too little decorum. The older woman and sex is a topic of taboo and avoidance. As Charlie Brooker recently pointed out, Susan Boyle is an average looking woman but in comparison to today’s airbrushed army, she is more than the wrong side of beautiful.

When Louise Bourgeois grins widely wearing a coat of monkey fur with a two foot-long latex phallus wielded under her right arm she is disarming and confrontational. Old women aren’t meant to make sexual jokes, are they? This is 1982 and the artist is in her early seventies. The photograph, taken by Robert Mapplethorpe the same year as her retrospective at MoMA, is subsequently cropped so all we see is the image of her wrinkled, smiling face. The erotic humour is therefore stripped from the image leaving the question; can erotic art and old age go hand-in-hand?

‘The glint in the eye refers to the thing I’m carrying. But they cut it. They cut it because the museum was so prudish’. Bourgeois suggests that the image is a joke on MoMA itself; having famously excluded females largely in it’s history of twentieth-century art, Bourgeois proudly grappling a crumbling, latex phallus pokes fun at this.

Hauser and Wirths’ latest all-female line-up of Bourgeois, Lynda Benglis and Alina Szapocznikows’ brought together three artists who address the taboo of eroticism and late-style or even death. Is this show an indication that the contemporary art world has come a long way since the Guerrilla Girls’ protests of the eighties?

Lynda Benglis’ most enduring image is of her posturing, greased, powerful and amazon-like with a giant dildo held between her legs. She is sexy yet terrifying with a perfectly formed body and ‘dyke-cut’. Originally created for Artforum in 1974, this work has had the most enduring impact and potentially effects the way we view everything she has created since. In the show her works are sensual, erotic and mirror the female/male emphasis of Bourgeois’ works. Similarly, Szapocznikow casts the female body and presents us with breasts, phalli-type objects and the idea of the female-body traumatised by the holocaust, dying early as a results of breast-cancer. Although Szapocznikow does not specifically address the idea of sexuality, she makes the viewer confront a body which is not aesthetically beautiful, desirable or even fully-finished.

These artists demonstrate a way in which the ageing female artist depicts eroticism or the female body without really depicting it. By making parts of the body, cast, crumbling or partially-shown, they create ‘acceptable’ versions of their own sexuality, while also subtly disrupting the idea of the complete, ‘perfect’ form in modernist sculpture. It is only when we are confronted with the photo, the ‘reality’ of late-eroticism in the form of Louise Bourgeois and her crumbling phallus that this question is truly addressed. You can be old and erotic, you can even be old, ugly and erotic so long as you don’t take a photo of it.
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It’s a buoyant sign of the times when a child chooses to celebrate their birthday not with fat-fuelled tour around the local burger chain kitchens and a game of musical chairs led by a man in a grubby, information pills sinister clown suit but by brushing up on their sewing skills. AS the make-do-and-mend approach to life seeps back into the mainstream public consciousness, ampoule the enthusiasm to reskill and bask in the glow of DIY pride is being felt by a new generation very aware of its ecologic and economic environment – and determined to enjoy itself without trampling all over its ethics.

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The Makery, price a new creative community workshop-cum-DIY help centre in the bustling ‘Artisan Quarter’ of the historic city of Bath, is on hand to help out with this. Husband-and-wife team Kate and Nigel opened The Makery just a few weeks ago – collecting the keys just days after the birth of their first child – and are on a mission to steer Bathonians away from the shopping centres and towards their sewing machines.

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“We’ve made things forever,” says Kate who, along with husband Nigel, left television careers in London for the West Country good life a year ago. “We moved here and we thought, ‘Let’s do something we really enjoy.’ So we brainstormed ideas. There’s been so much press about make-do-and-mend, making things is so en vogue again, and people are proud to say they made things themselves. It’s a backlash against everyone spending loads of money. That’s exactly up our street – all our furniture at home is from Freecycle or auctions, and we make it look beautiful ourselves. Friends always comment on it, and say, ‘Ooh I wish I could do that,’ so we thought, ‘Right, well, we’ll teach people how to do that then.’”

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Location hunting, key-swapping, floor-board stripping and a birth ensued, with The Makery now running regular workshops in everything from crocheting your own snowmen to making natural soap. “My speciality is sewing, so we run workshops like ‘Get to know your sewing machine’, or making your own clothes and bags,” Kate continues. “But we’ve got loads of freelance tutors so its not just sewing; we teach ceramics, there’s an upholsterer who’s going to get upholstery workshops going, and we’ve been approached by a lady who makes natural toiletries. There will be bookmaking, printmaking – we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves.”

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Split over two floors, The Makery’s workshop space is a crafter’s pick-and-mix dream, lined with piles of recycled fabrics awaiting a new lease of life, rows of eager sewing machines and reclaimed furniture whose drawers spew colourful buttons, yarns and threads. And, of course, there are the parties

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“We’ve got a little girl’s birthday party here on Saturday, and where possible the materials will be re-used. That used to be a jumper!” says Kate, pointing to stocking hanging in the shop’s window. “Each child will bring in an old T-shirt and spend the first half of the workshop designing a monster, and giving it a name and a personality. In the second half of the workshop, they’ll make the monster – they draw the outline, I’ll sew around that and they can stuff it and put the eyes on.” It certainly beats an afternoon trying to build things out of grease-saturated Happy Meal boxes.

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In addition to the workshops and shindigs, it won’t be long before The Makery offers itself up as the go-to place for advice and resources for people’s own homemade projects. Pop in, pick a sewing machine and pull up a chair. “We are getting approached by lots of people with lots of different skills, so it’s really exciting,” Kate enthuses about The Makery’s potential directions. “Ultimately, we want to teach people to be a bit more resourceful and do things for themselves rather than having to go out and buy it.”

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Categories ,Artisan quarter, ,Bath, ,bookmaking, ,craft, ,creative community, ,diy, ,ecology, ,Freecycle, ,printmaking, ,recycle, ,recycling, ,sewing, ,The Makery, ,workshop

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Amelia’s Magazine | UEL: Digital Arts and Visual Communication Graduate Show 2011 Review

UEL graduate exhibition 2011 review Free Range
There was some very strong work from Digital Arts and Visual Communication at the UEL graduate exhibition. Naturally I was drawn to the photographers, viagra 40mg illustrators and print makers.

UEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Gosia KaczmarczykUEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Gosia KaczmarczykUEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Gosia Kaczmarczyk
Gosia Kaczmarczyk showed Calavera Lapidarium, this a series of four cast printed photo etchings. Her exhibition played on the idea of the Mexican relationship to death in a modern society obsessed with the impermanence of beauty and youth.

UEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Luke Gray
UEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Luke Gray
UEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Luke Gray
Luke Gray showed two very different bodies of work. His photographs explored the reality of cross dressing in a series of evocative images featuring different male ideals.

UEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Luke GrayUEL graduate exhibition 2011 review-Luke Gray
Details from Calamity.

Bold black and white print work for his upcoming graphic novel Calamity showed the trials and tribulations of a teenage couple who have survived the apocalypse with only each other for company.

Sarah-Jane Evans anatomy ear UEL graduate show
Sarah-Jane Evans anatomy kidney UEL graduate show
Sarah-Jane Evans anatomy Scream at top of lungs  UEL graduate show
Sarah-Jane Evans anatomy Sarah-Jane Evans anatomy  UEL graduate show
Sarah-Jane Evans is a printmaker and illustrator. Her Pretty Killers featured the deadliest of diseases under the microscope – rendered beautiful as photo etchings in ‘diamond dust’. Sarah-Jane Evans‘s beautiful Untitled series is described as ‘Gray’s Anatomy for Idiots’. Instead of being labelled with the correct medical terms intricately described body parts are layered with relevant puns and sayings. Deceptive and lovely.

Categories ,Calamity, ,Calavera Lapidarium, ,Digital Arts and Visual Communication, ,etching, ,Gosia Kaczmarczyk, ,illustration, ,Luke Gray, ,photography, ,Pretty Killers, ,printmaking, ,Sarah-Jane Evans, ,UEL, ,University of East London

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Amelia’s Magazine | Pecha Kucha: Death by Powerpoint?

HeroesAll Illustrations courtesy of Valerie Pezeron

Imagine never having done any presentation to more than 30 people in your lifetime – and that did not really matter because they were your schoolmates. If you were to fall flat on your face in front of them, ambulance you knew you were all in the same bath water (so to speak) assessed by Mean Lady Big Goggled Eye! But what happens when it is your own lifework compiled over many years of blood, sildenafil sweat and tears you are showing to complete strangers? And there happens to be upwards of 400 of them there! Am I being melodramatic? Maybe…

Pecha-Kucha-crewThe Pecha Kucha crew. All photographs courtesy of Valerie Pezeron except when stated otherwise

I’ve always been fascinated by Pecha Kucha. The first time I heard it mentioned was a few years ago when it sent shock waves throughout Europe as the latest craze among designer types. Pecha Kucha is a presentation format hailing from Japan. It’s usually pronounced in three syllables like “pe-chak cha” (???????), viagra order although most people don’t bother trying to be authentic with the original pronunciation and I admit I have been just as lazy! The name Pecha Kucha is a Japanese term that stands for the sound of conversation (“chit-chat”). More than 170 cities now host such events.

cityscape

Climate

Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Tokyo’s Klein-Dytham Architecture (KDa) are the instigators of this worldwide phenomenon; in 2003, Klein and Dytham sought to give young designers a venue to meet, network, and show their work and to attract people to their experimental event space in Roppongi. They devised a format that kept presentations very concise in order to encourage audience attention and increase the number of presenters within the course of one night.

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Did I know what I was getting myself into? A little bit. I was told I needed to show 20 images for 20 seconds a piece, for a total time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Apparently, the secret of a good presentation is thorough preparation, so I selected my 20 slides and stood in front of my computer with a fake mike all week-end, well…faking. Why put myself through it? I wanted to shine a spotlight on my upcoming graphic novel, a collection of illustrations and extracts from the bible titled “Written by Men, Blame it on God” that I am currently developing. The publisher is selected (New Humanist and the Rationalist Association) and all that is left to do is finish the book in the upcoming months. I intend to exhibit the original artwork along with the launch of the book later this year.

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At the helm of this new brand of Pecha Kucha are Sian-Kate and Paul . Sian’s passion for Pecha Kucha Redux is infectious; she tells me the format previously lost its way in the UK when it ended up being open exclusively to high-profile and well established figures from the design, architecture, photography, art and creative fields – Joanna Lumley for instance. They wanted to go back to its roots as a platform for up and coming professionals and I was in good company on the night. Among the diverse and distinct line-up were a conceptual artist exploring desire and the female gaze (Nerys Mathias), a kick-ass rockstar who tore down the house (Bruno Wizard), a printmaker and sculptor and mountaineer (Martin Barrett) and the aptly named Minxy McNaughty!

Pecha-Kucha-ladyPhotograph courtesy of Pecha Kucha

Bruno-and-I Bruno Wizard of The Homosexuals band with artist friend and I.

I was terrified when I took to the stage. But the reception was overwhelmingly positive and the interaction with the public was very intoxicating; I heard laughter, cheers and received positive feedback from many women who encouraged me to complete the book! Afterward, I slumped over the bar; good thing the event was held at The Arches as it made for a pretty chilled-out atmosphere! “Alcohol free January? Pas pour moi!”All in all it was a great night and I now can say: “I fell into the deep end and I survived Pecha” Kucha!”

Video Courtesy of Pecha Kucha

Categories ,Alternative rock music, ,architecture, ,Astrid Klein, ,bar, ,Bruno Wizard, ,creative community, ,design, ,illustration, ,illustrator, ,Klein-Dytham Architecture, ,Live DJ Music, ,london, ,magazine, ,Mark Dytham, ,Martin Barrett, ,musician, ,New Humanist, ,Pecha Kucha, ,photography, ,Powerpoint Presentation, ,Presentations, ,printmakers, ,printmaking, ,Sian-Kate Mooney, ,The Arches, ,The Homosexuals, ,The Rationalist Association, ,Trashed Magazine, ,Valerie Pezeron, ,Valochedesigns

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

aniela-murphy_yeslab
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

aniela-murphy_yeslab
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

aniela-murphy_yeslab
Illustration by Aniela Murphy/NeltonMandelton.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

tracey Cordelia Cembrowicz
Tracey by Cordelia Cembrowicz.

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

brenda Cordelia Cembrowicz
Brenda by Cordelia Cembrowicz.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Word Festival

2009 Fashion Futures 1 - Project with teenagers in Newham_012009 Fashion Futures 1 – Project with teenagers in Newham

“FAD” is shorthand for ‘Fashion Awareness Direct, drugs ambulance ’ a registered charity since 2005; although it was successfully managed as a company from 1997. Its ethos focuses on making ‘the person central to design, promoting respect to the wearer and integrating art and culture into fashion’. I think this is a fabulous way of amalgamating fashion and oneself – allowing inner confidence as you wear the outfit, with the pieces representing you as an individual. To produce these designs FAD run a variety of professional fashion workshops, for ages 13 – 25, as well as inspirational industry days and even high profile catwalk events.  These are split into five main schemes: the Fairtrade Fashion Club, Fashion Futures 1, Fashion Futures 2, FAD Competition and FAD volunteering.

2009 FAD Competition - Winner Ana Belen Merono, Nottingham Trent2009 FAD Competition – Winner Ana Belen Merono of Nottingham Trent University

2009 FAD Competition - Winning outfit2009 FAD Competition – Winning outfit

 Every year FAD put on a competition, with the winner getting to show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of London Fashion Week – an amazing achievement! 2009’s winner was Ana Belen Merono, a fashion student from Nottingham Trent University. The brief for the year was ‘Urban Holographic,’ with a suggestion of working on ideas around ‘Retrofuturism’ and ‘space tourism’. Candidates were invited to create ‘fashionable uniforms for galactic hosts/hostesses,’ a very original project I think. Ana’s designs were two outfits, as with all the finalists. One of which featured a structured jacket incorporating an ‘Op-Art’ design, and the other combining a ‘cosmic cloud’ dress with ‘armour’ style layers. Her creations earned her a unanimous vote, with the prize including £2,000 and a work placement with well-respected designer Paul Costelloe – who was also a judge on the panel. 

Fashion Futures 2_2009 FAD Junior Award Winner - Katerina Drury, 18, from New CrossFashion Futures 2_2009 FAD Junior Award Winner – Katerina Drury, 18, from New Cross

Runners up focused on shapes and patterns based on the solar system, as well as ‘space suit’ ideas. The FAD Frontline is the panel of judges that votes on the designs, and it always consists of leading industry personalities – last year it included the editor of Vogue.com, the Director of Vauxhall Fashion Scout, and designer William Tempest.  Throughout FAD students have gained experience in the industry, and have also had their work displayed in exhibitions and even on live catwalks – invaluable experience for those looking for a future in fashion!  Look out for the catwalk final of the 2010 competition on Monday 22nd February at Vauxhall Fashion Scout.

Fashion Futures 2 2009 - Finalist Joel Boyd, 18 from CatfordFashion Futures 2 2009 – Finalist Joel Boyd, 18 from Catford

FAD has its own volunteering scheme – whether you’re a business or individual, you can help out! If you’re an ‘industry volunteer’ perhaps you could donate some materials, or run a workshop. As a ‘young volunteer’ you can learn more about the fashion world whilst mentoring other FAD students in skills you’re well practiced in.  FAD’s records demonstrate that they have worked with as many as 4,000 young people from secondary schools through to university students. These projects are considered a strong link into the industry, even gaining the Chairman’s Award at the London Educational Partnership Awards, so it’s a great chance to get involved with something worthwhile. FAD looks for volunteers in all areas, such as Industry Experiences, Placements, Teaching, Sponsorship and the Media.

Fashion Futures 2 2009 - Finalist Kesoon Chance, 17, from HackneyFashion Futures 2 2009 – Finalist Kesoon Chance, 17, from Hackney

Finally a quote from Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue.com, on the benefits of working with FAD:
“I think in these awful times of economic drama, there’s a tendency to think there’s no room for new talent.” She hopes that projects like these will help “weed out the mediocre” and find those “truly talented newcomers”. You can volunteer and sign up to FAD through their website: www.fad.org.uk.
2009 Fashion Futures 1 - Project with teenagers in Newham_012009 Fashion Futures 1 – Project with teenagers in Newham

“FAD” is shorthand for ‘Fashion Awareness Direct, visit this site ’ a registered charity since 2005; although it was successfully managed as a company from 1997. Its ethos focuses on making ‘the person central to design, seek promoting respect to the wearer and integrating art and culture into fashion’. I think this is a fabulous way of amalgamating fashion and oneself – allowing inner confidence as you wear the outfit, this web with the pieces representing you as an individual. To produce these designs FAD run a variety of professional fashion workshops, for ages 13 – 25, as well as inspirational industry days and even high profile catwalk events.  These are split into five main schemes: the Fairtrade Fashion Club, Fashion Futures 1, Fashion Futures 2, FAD Competition and FAD volunteering.

2009 FAD Competition - Winner Ana Belen Merono, Nottingham Trent2009 FAD Competition – Winner Ana Belen Merono of Nottingham Trent University

2009 FAD Competition - Winning outfit2009 FAD Competition – Winning outfit

 Every year FAD put on a competition, with the winner getting to show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout as part of London Fashion Week – an amazing achievement! 2009’s winner was Ana Belen Merono, a fashion student from Nottingham Trent University. The brief for the year was ‘Urban Holographic,’ with a suggestion of working on ideas around ‘Retrofuturism’ and ‘space tourism’. Candidates were invited to create ‘fashionable uniforms for galactic hosts/hostesses,’ a very original project I think. Ana’s designs were two outfits, as with all the finalists. One of which featured a structured jacket incorporating an ‘Op-Art’ design, and the other combining a ‘cosmic cloud’ dress with ‘armour’ style layers. Her creations earned her a unanimous vote, with the prize including £2,000 and a work placement with well-respected designer Paul Costelloe – who was also a judge on the panel. 

Fashion Futures 2_2009 FAD Junior Award Winner - Katerina Drury, 18, from New CrossFashion Futures 2_2009 FAD Junior Award Winner – Katerina Drury, 18, from New Cross

Runners up focused on shapes and patterns based on the solar system, as well as ‘space suit’ ideas. The FAD Frontline is the panel of judges that votes on the designs, and it always consists of leading industry personalities – last year it included the editor of Vogue.com, the Director of Vauxhall Fashion Scout, and designer William Tempest.  Throughout FAD students have gained experience in the industry, and have also had their work displayed in exhibitions and even on live catwalks – invaluable experience for those looking for a future in fashion!  Look out for the catwalk final of the 2010 competition on Monday 22nd February at Vauxhall Fashion Scout.

Fashion Futures 2 2009 - Finalist Joel Boyd, 18 from CatfordFashion Futures 2 2009 – Finalist Joel Boyd, 18 from Catford

FAD has its own volunteering scheme – whether you’re a business or individual, you can help out! If you’re an ‘industry volunteer’ perhaps you could donate some materials, or run a workshop. As a ‘young volunteer’ you can learn more about the fashion world whilst mentoring other FAD students in skills you’re well practiced in.  FAD’s records demonstrate that they have worked with as many as 4,000 young people from secondary schools through to university students. These projects are considered a strong link into the industry, even gaining the Chairman’s Award at the London Educational Partnership Awards, so it’s a great chance to get involved with something worthwhile. FAD looks for volunteers in all areas, such as Industry Experiences, Placements, Teaching, Sponsorship and the Media.

Fashion Futures 2 2009 - Finalist Kesoon Chance, 17, from HackneyFashion Futures 2 2009 – Finalist Kesoon Chance, 17, from Hackney

Finally a quote from Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue.com, on the benefits of working with FAD:
“I think in these awful times of economic drama, there’s a tendency to think there’s no room for new talent.” She hopes that projects like these will help “weed out the mediocre” and find those “truly talented newcomers”. You can volunteer and sign up to FAD through their website: www.fad.org.uk.
Is it just me, buy or did anyone else find the mainstream media coverage of Haiti’s earthquake confusing, viagra buy misleading, inconclusive and, quite frankly, infuriating?  OK, so that’s what I should expect from mainstream media sources, I hear you cry.  But when all the countries now so involved in aid have been so recently implicated in the de-stabilisation of Haiti’s government and economy, not talking about it in over two weeks of constant prime time broadcasts constitutes pure misinformation. 
darkergreen
Illustrations by Anieszka Banks

There was perhaps a fraction of an abstract half-mention about previous US intervention somewhere…but basically nothing.  Instead, we heard vague statements about Haiti’s ‘history of violence’ and ‘bloody revolutions’ rolled out like a broken record as if this was actually meant to tell us something.  It could easily lead us to conclude that Haitians’ poverty was down to themselves, their culture and their inability to sort their country out.  Haitians are being represented as savage looters to justify the need for foreign military presence.

So how about the country that was the first ever to revolt against slavery and emancipate itself from centuries of barbaric colonial rule?  And how about the socially, politically, environmentally and economically destructive role of France, the US and other Western nations in Haiti?  I resolved to get back to BA French books, essays and notes for some intense history revision.  This week I looked at Haiti’s colonial history and debt.

Haiti, now 98% deforested, was a rich and beautiful island before colonisation and debt.  Haiti’s name comes from the native language, which described the island as ‘Ayti’ (mountainous), until the Spanish changed it to ‘Hispaniola’ (little Spain), which the French later changed to Saint Dominique.   Columbus found it in 1492, tried to form a settlement, found the natives hostile to his ideas, and returned in 1493.  Hispaniola was the first European settlement in the ‘New World’.
Anieszka_illus1blue

The Spanish colonisers gradually eradicated the native population with diseases and inhumane treatment, so hundreds of thousands of Africans were enslaved and transported to Haiti to meet the rising need for labour.  The French started getting interested in the booming economy, and gradually gained possession of the island by 1659.  By 1750 Haiti was Europe’s most important exporter of sugar, making it the main source of economic growth for the French government.

By 1791 the slaves had started organising themselves in revolt and what followed was a long battle for emancipation.  Led by figures like Toussaint L’Ouverture , they freed themselves from their European masters and gained independence in 1804, the first colonised country ever to do so.  They had managed to defeat the last-ditch attempts of the huge armies of three empires to recapture Haiti:  Britain, who sent 50 000 troops in 1796, France in 1803 (the Haitians defeated 35 000 troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte), and numerous Spanish armies between 1791 and 1804.   The US, another nation dependant on slavery, only recognised Haiti’s independence almost 60 years later, in 1862. 

But by 1825, Haiti was again trapped by extreme debt.  The French government, defeated and humiliated by the loss of its most prized colony, ordered Haiti to pay the ex-colonisers compensation for the property they had lost, and the estimated economic loss to the French government.  This totalled $150 million: $150 million that ex-slaves had to pay back to their ex-masters.  France and other Western powers, fearing that their other colonies would also start revolting, threatened Haiti with an economic embargo if they refused to pay the compensation, so Haitians had no choice.  It was a sum that left the island crippled with debt to French, US and German banks, and one that it was only able to finish repaying about $90 million of in 1947.  So until so recently, Haitians were still repaying this sum to the wealthy French government, preventing them from investing it in their own economic development.

Haiti also still owes the International Monetary Fund $165 million.  IMF and World Bank loans came with strict conditions called Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs).  SAPs aim to reorganise a country’s government and economy so it can repay debt as rapidly as possible.  Requirements include cuts in public spending, making more money available for debt repayment but meaning health care and education become inaccessible for the majority of the population.  Cheap, intensive, trade-union-free labour needs to be made readily available for easy foreign investment.  The economy needs to become export-led. Imported products become cheaper than domestic goods.  Farmers and manufacturers within the country can no longer compete and lose their livelihoods meaning domestic agriculture industry and trade are stifled.  The best land is used for intensive, large-scale, export-bound production, leading to soil erosion and deforestation. 

Deforestation in Haiti
deforestation

Food production was so badly managed as a result of the structural adjustment free-market policies, that Haiti, once a huge exporter of rice, became a net importer of it.  Growing starvation in the once self-sufficient rural regions meant that people had to migrate en masse to cities, forming slums on its outskirts.  This is also why the devastation in Port au Prince was particularly severe.  

Haiti continues to owe about $891million to international banks and governments and NGOs worldwide are calling for people to sign petitions for it to be dropped.  So next time you see appeals for aid, remember how much of it Haiti will have to send back in debt repayment.  

“It is one of the poorest countries in the world and yet the International Monetary Fund (IMF) response to the earthquake was to offer a $100 million loan. This loan would increase Haiti’s debt burden at this time of crisis. If  Haiti’s debts aren’t cancelled, the country will be sending tens of millions to the IMF and other international bodies even as it struggles to rescue and rebuild” say Oxfam

There are various petitions you can sign to pressure the IMF to drop Haiti’s debt, whether they help or not is another question.  Haiti should, in fact be repaid every last penny of what it paid in compensation to ex-colonisers.  But what certainly is needed is a rapid growth of consciousness about how sustainable development and democracy continue to be stifled by the economic policies of our governments and financial institutions.

For two petitions calling Haiti’s debt to be canceled see:
Oxfam International
Christian Aid

Next week I’ll be looking at a Haiti’s more recent history, as well as the very creative ways in which people are raising awareness and money.
Is it just me, dosage or did anyone else find the mainstream media coverage of Haiti’s earthquake confusing, page misleading, inconclusive and, quite frankly, infuriating?  OK, so that’s what I should expect from mainstream media sources, I hear you cry.  But when all the countries now so involved in aid have been so recently implicated in the de-stabilisation of Haiti’s government and economy, not talking about it in over two weeks of constant prime time broadcasts constitutes pure misinformation. 
darkergreen
Illustrations by Anieszka Banks

There was perhaps a fraction of an abstract half-mention about previous US intervention somewhere…but basically nothing.  Instead, we heard vague statements about Haiti’s ‘history of violence’ and ‘bloody revolutions’ rolled out like a broken record as if this was actually meant to tell us something.  It could easily lead us to conclude that Haitians’ poverty was down to themselves, their culture and their inability to sort their country out.  Haitians are being represented as savage looters to justify the need for foreign military presence.

So how about the country that was the first ever to revolt against slavery and emancipate itself from centuries of barbaric colonial rule?  And how about the socially, politically, environmentally and economically destructive role of France, the US and other Western nations in Haiti?  I resolved to get back to BA French books, essays and notes for some intense history revision.  This week I looked at Haiti’s colonial history and debt.

Haiti, now 98% deforested, was a rich and beautiful island before colonisation and debt.  Haiti’s name comes from the native language, which described the island as ‘Ayti’ (mountainous), until the Spanish changed it to ‘Hispaniola’ (little Spain), which the French later changed to Saint Dominique.   Columbus found it in 1492, tried to form a settlement, found the natives hostile to his ideas, and returned in 1493.  Hispaniola was the first European settlement in the ‘New World’.
Anieszka_illus1blue

The Spanish colonisers gradually eradicated the native population with diseases and inhumane treatment, so hundreds of thousands of Africans were enslaved and transported to Haiti to meet the rising need for labour.  The French started getting interested in the booming economy, and gradually gained possession of the island by 1659.  By 1750 Haiti was Europe’s most important exporter of sugar, making it the main source of economic growth for the French government.

By 1791 the slaves had started organising themselves in revolt and what followed was a long battle for emancipation.  Led by figures like Toussaint L’Ouverture , they freed themselves from their European masters and gained independence in 1804, the first colonised country ever to do so.  They had managed to defeat the last-ditch attempts of the huge armies of three empires to recapture Haiti:  Britain, who sent 50 000 troops in 1796, France in 1803 (the Haitians defeated 35 000 troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte), and numerous Spanish armies between 1791 and 1804.   The US, another nation dependant on slavery, only recognised Haiti’s independence almost 60 years later, in 1862. 

But by 1825, Haiti was again trapped by extreme debt.  The French government, defeated and humiliated by the loss of its most prized colony, ordered Haiti to pay the ex-colonisers compensation for the property they had lost, and the estimated economic loss to the French government.  This totalled $150 million: $150 million that ex-slaves had to pay back to their ex-masters.  France and other Western powers, fearing that their other colonies would also start revolting, threatened Haiti with an economic embargo if they refused to pay the compensation, so Haitians had no choice.  It was a sum that left the island crippled with debt to French, US and German banks, and one that it was only able to finish repaying about $90 million of in 1947.  So until so recently, Haitians were still repaying this sum to the wealthy French government, preventing them from investing it in their own economic development.

Haiti also still owes the International Monetary Fund $165 million.  IMF and World Bank loans came with strict conditions called Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs).  SAPs aim to reorganise a country’s government and economy so it can repay debt as rapidly as possible.  Requirements include cuts in public spending, making more money available for debt repayment but meaning health care and education become inaccessible for the majority of the population.  Cheap, intensive, trade-union-free labour needs to be made readily available for easy foreign investment.  The economy needs to become export-led. Imported products become cheaper than domestic goods.  Farmers and manufacturers within the country can no longer compete and lose their livelihoods meaning domestic agriculture industry and trade are stifled.  The best land is used for intensive, large-scale, export-bound production, leading to soil erosion and deforestation. 

Deforestation in Haiti
deforestation

Food production was so badly managed as a result of the structural adjustment free-market policies, that Haiti, once a huge exporter of rice, became a net importer of it.  Growing starvation in the once self-sufficient rural regions meant that people had to migrate en masse to cities, forming slums on its outskirts.  This is also why the devastation in Port au Prince was particularly severe.  

Haiti continues to owe about $891million to international banks and governments and NGOs worldwide are calling for people to sign petitions for it to be dropped.  So next time you see appeals for aid, remember how much of it Haiti will have to send back in debt repayment.  

“It is one of the poorest countries in the world and yet the International Monetary Fund (IMF) response to the earthquake was to offer a $100 million loan. This loan would increase Haiti’s debt burden at this time of crisis. If  Haiti’s debts aren’t cancelled, the country will be sending tens of millions to the IMF and other international bodies even as it struggles to rescue and rebuild” say Oxfam

There are various petitions you can sign to pressure the IMF to drop Haiti’s debt, whether they help or not is another question.  Haiti should, in fact be repaid every last penny of what it paid in compensation to ex-colonisers.  But what certainly is needed is a rapid growth of consciousness about how sustainable development and democracy continue to be stifled by the economic policies of our governments and financial institutions.

For two petitions calling Haiti’s debt to be canceled see:
Oxfam International
Christian Aid

Next week I’ll be looking at a Haiti’s more recent history, as well as the very creative ways in which people are raising awareness and money.
Banks, look bonuses, pilule unethical investment…it’s all so sickening and frustrating!  But yesterday evening I went to a talk by a lending society with a difference.  While a lot of the focus of my research recently has been on community groups and organisations, cost it is also good to hear about initiatives working to change our current economic system from within.    The talk was at the Howies Carnaby Street shop, as part of their regular programme of their Wee-do talks on sustainability.
alice
(Alice Mwelu shows off a bag that the women at Bega Kwa Bega have weaved. Korogocho slum, Nairobi.  All photos courtesy of Shared Interest)

Shared Interest, Sally explained, work along strict ethical principles, lending money to community-based businesses that have attained fair trade certification, allowing them to purchase raw materials, tools, develop their businesses and work their way out of poverty.  The businesses they are approached by for finance range from design and printing companies to tea-growers and arts and craft cooperatives, like the Nairobi-based handicraft cooperative Bega Kwa Bega whose photos are included here.

sewing

Individuals, businesses or organisations (at the moment only from the UK) can invest money into Shared Interest.  They currently have 8,700 members who have invested more than £24million in total.  A member can withdraw his or her investment at any time, meaning it is almost like a bank account, but there is no interest paid on your investment.  “The huge returns on your investment are social, rather than financial”, Sally said, and this is what most drove her to work for the cooperative.  Sally explained that it is almost a no-brainer for companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, as all they have to do is invest money (that they are actually free to withdraw at any time if they wish).  Most investors at the moment are individuals however.  Even though the investing part is so easy, the effect it has is very direct.
women weaving

(Women weave baskets at Bega Kwa Bega in Korogocho slum, Nairobi)

Shared Interest works through fair trade offices around the world, allowing them to get more immediate contact with people who apply for a loan.  They also have their own offices in Kenya, Costa Rica and one recently opened in Lima, Peru.  They have found a huge rise in the number of people applying for loans since they opened their international offices.
 
sisal

(Women weave baskets while freshly dyed sisal dries in the sun (which will be weaved into baskets) at Bega Kwa Bega, in Korogocho slum, Nairobi.  Photo courtesy of Shared Interest)

I asked Sally what the criteria for receiving a loan were and she explained “Shared interest isn’t a microfinance company, so we do actually lend to business that have existed for three years and have gained the fair trade certification.  Once they have applied for a loan we work out a business plan with them.  Once this is done, we work out together what interest rate the business can afford in their repayments.”  Sally stressed that this part of Shared Interest is important to her personally.  They work in partnership with the people they lend money to.  If there is difficulty or delay with repayments, the people from Shared Interest will work with the business to see what they can do to help. 

material

(Lucy Nyambura measures out material with which to make a bag at Bega Kwa Bega, in Korogocho slum, Nairobi)

As for future plans, Sally hopes more people will find out about Shared Interest, and that they can build up more partnerships with schools, thus teaching children more about trade, economics and Fair Trade.  Some schools have already participated in Shared Interest by investing the profit they make from their Fair Trade tuck shops.
bags

(A display of the bags and dolls that are made by the women at Bega Kwa Bega)

The Shared Interest Foundation also funds training and education on Fair Trade and many community-led schemes.  I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about them this year….and also seeing Sally in her banana costume as she promotes Fair Trade throughout the UK…!
3238269817_3bc7024140

The M/V Steve Irwin looks for a way out of a dense field of icebergs (Photo: Eric Cheng / Sea Shepherd Conservation Society)

As a young kid, approved I was always fascinated by the idea that the Blue Whale, the biggest animal ever to have lived on this planet, was still out there roaming the oceans. I prized a giant mural of a whale above my bed and every couple of months I sent some of my pocket money off to organisations who worked to keep my whale friends safe. Although whales and the whaling issue were kept in the back of my mind, it wasn’t until I reached my mid-twenties that I started realizing that these wonderful creatures were still actively being hunted, despite all the protection they are supposed to enjoy under international treaties. The more I read up on it, the crazier the whole situation seemed. For example, Fin whales are listed as an endangered (and thus protected) species on the IUCN Red List since 1996. They are illegaly hunted down and killed every year in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, a protected area for whales put in place by the United Nations in the mid 90′s. A whaling fleet from Japan enters these Antarctic waters around mid December to kill nearly 1000 whales (Piked whales and Fin whales) for ‘scientific research’.

Minke whaleIllustrations by Kerry Lemon

One night, after reading some news articles about whaling, I just got so angry. Here are these beautiful creatures, hunted down and killed for a bit of quick money. Scientific research? Yeah, right! It makes me mad when I think about some ignorant businessmen down the line, filling their pockets with total disregard for the animals, the environment and the future generations that I hope will live to see these majestic creatures live freely like they deserve to, just as much as we humans do.

My anger quickly translated into action and within weeks I signed up to join the Sea Shepherd ship’s crew for their annual anti-whaling campaign in the Southern Ocean. Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson is known for his direct action tactics and the fact that he won’t back down from opposition or controversy and is more willing than anyone to put up a fight to defend ocean wildlife. Since 1979, Sea Shepherd has scuttled and sunk 10 illegal whaling ships at dockside, rammed and boarded ships at sea and confiscated many miles of illegal longline and driftnet. All this in the last 32 years in a war that has put the lives of whales, seals, dolphins, sharks, fish and sea birds first. Most importantly, a war in which Sea Shepherd has never sustained or caused injury to anyone as a result of its actions.

3239108510_1131036cd6

A whale surfaces at the edge of the sea ice in Antarctica. (Photo by Adam Lau/Sea Shepherd Conservation Society)

As a trained violin maker I had no ship skills whatsoever but the ship’s carpenter role was one I was able to fill. Sometimes people ask me what carpentry work there is to do on a ship. ‘Surely it’s all steel?’ Honestly, I have never made so many cabinets, bunks, cupboards, boxes, holders, storage racks, tables, benches, toilet roll holders and other wooden contraptions as in the last 18 months. The ship is always a hive of activity with deckhands, engineers, quartermasters, officers and cooks working hard to get the ship in top shape for the job at hand. Having been involved in activism for over 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever worked with such a dedicated, hard working and committed bunch of people.

Bryde's whale

With a samba band, Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin and many local people waving us off at dockside, we left Fremantle on 7th December with a course set for Antarctica. As soon as we left the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone we were trailed by a Japanese surveillance vessel, which has been following us ever since. We will reach the whaling grounds within the next few days and more that ever before we have the ability to shut them down. We have more resources at our disposal, more public support than ever before and the people of Japan are increasingly questioning the ongoing spending of millions of their tax payers money on this useless and cruel industry.
091214_Shonan_Maru_No_2_02_(BV1187)

Close up of the Japanese harpoon ship. (Photo: Barbara Veiga / Sea Shepherd)

As the world leaders gathered in Copenhagen last month, failing to come to an agreement on tackling climate change and make emission cuts mandatory by international law, we were forced to set sail for thousands of miles to uphold another bit of major legislation they had agreed upon, but which they chose to ignore to enforce. What was it again, this thing agreed upon in the 80′s and at the time hailed as a massive victory for conservation? Something to do with whales?

If the nations of the world can so blatantly ignore an international treaty that is supposed to protect an endangered species in an established whale sanctuary, than what hope is there for the international community to enforce any type of legislation that is to fight climate change? The ongoing illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean is a slap in the face to conservation efforts around the world. A set back for environmental activists the world over. A stab in the back to those people who worked so hard to get the legislation agreed upon in the first place. For the sake of the whales, the international community and future generations we will sail into the Antarctic, find the whalers and give them what they deserve.

For latest updates and news, please see the Sea Shepherd website: www.seashepherd.org
Matthew_robins_death_of_flyAll Photographs courtesy of the London Word festival


What does the term ‘literary event’ say to you? A raised eyebrow here, buy information pills a bashful shuffle there, treatment a stifling silence rarely fractured by the sparse chorus of self-congratulatory applause? Well praise be the London Word Festival, decease which promises to beat the priggishness out of literature’s dust jacket and send it back-flipping and high-kicking from behind the curtain of perceived inaccessibility.

LWF_2010_Logo_col_1024px

corita2Photograph of Sister Corita The Screen Printing Nun

corita

Not that the month-long festival is overtly conscious of swimming against cultural tides; as is the case with all truly brilliant things, it just does, thanks to the headstrong conviction of the brains behind it to have a damn good time – and inspire others while they’re at it. Now in its third year, the London Word Festival – which will be taking over café/stage/pew/departure lounge spaces across east London from 7th March to 1st April – will count shadow-puppetry, DIY print workshops and multimedia hymnals in its ranks, from big names, new names and, well, made-up names.

Henninghams_David

Henninghams_PingPhotographs above of Henningham Family Press

Dates to ear-mark include the Henningham Family Press kicking off proceedings with its ‘Chip Shop’ screen-printing workshop at Tonybee Studios on Sunday 7th March, and its return later in the month to head up the celebration of Great British printing eccentricities in ‘Keep Printing and Carry On’ at Stoke Newington International Airport – with Darren Hayman, Murray Macauley and ‘Sister Corita The Screen Printing Nun’ in tow. Comedian Josie Long will be putting her own stamp on an as-yet-unnamed east London location with her ‘One Hundred Days to Make Me a Better Person’ show on 10th March, and stand-up Terry Saunders will be joining animator-cum-harmonium-wizard Matthew Robins and others to wade into ‘The Art of Storytelling’ at St Leonard’s Church on 31st March.

FoundInTranslation2

DarrenHayman_med

The festival closes on 1st April with a face-off between John Hegley’s brand of post-modern perplexed poetry and the Found in Translation poets’ exercise in satire-tipped multimedia performance lecture. So, though literature wasn’t for you? There’s never been a better excuse to eat your words.

danweir_100days

JOSIE-LONGPhotograph of Josie Long

Categories ,comedy, ,craft, ,Darren Hayman, ,Josie Long, ,literature, ,Murray Macauley, ,Printing, ,printmaking, ,shadow puppetry, ,Stand up comedy, ,Tonybee Studios

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Amelia’s Magazine | Duke Press Launch – One of a Kind

press shot new Drums 1

They’ve already been creating quite a bit of buzz over here but it looks like 2010 could be the year of The Drums. Their EP Summertime is already available to buy and they’re working on their debut album. This summer will see them touring with Florence and the Machine. We managed to speak with singer Jonathan Pierce about the band.

Andy Devine. How did you all meet?

Jonathan Pierce. Jacob and I met each other when we were very young. I think I was 13 and he was 11? I grew up in the same small town as Adam and I met him through just hanging out and being bored. We all met Connor last June. We feel very lucky to have met each other. We all share a lot of the same interests while at the same time we all bring a little something different to the creative table.

AD. You’ve been tipped by NME as a band to watch this year. Does that put alot of pressure on you to deliver?

J.P. We really have not felt any pressure at all, treat and if we do feel pressure it has not been enough for us to notice it. We just keep doing what we have been doing from the beginning and that is to write sincere pop music. Everything we do, information pills we want it to come from a place of purity and also a place of selfishness. If we do not believe in what we are doing, price then how can anyone else really? This band started as a selfish endeavour and it will end that way. Only that way can you become vulnerable.

A.D Quite a few of your upcoming gigs are Sold Out, how does that feel?

J.P. It’s really wild for us to hear that all these shows are sold out. We would have never thought that a year after we wrote our first song in our tiny bedroom off the highway in Florida that we would be traveling across the UK and other parts of Europe in a tour bus playing sold out shows. It’s very strange.

A.D. Do you enjoy playing gigs over here, how do you find the audiences are?

So far it has been a cool experience for the most part. Everyone seems to be excited. We love playing shows over here. I remember the first show we ever played in London. It was a few months back at The Flowerpot. It was packed and sweaty and wild and we could not believe that it was happening. We could not believe that people cared this much.

A.D. Have there been any notable highlights?

J. P. Playing Barfly was pretty surreal. There was so much hype and people outside trying to get in. It seemed like a movie, but it was really happening. It’s those moments that you have to just ask yourself “is this real”?

A.D. What do you do when you’re not playing in the band?

J.P. Well, since we stared the band, every minute of the day revolves around it usually. If we aren’t playing shows, then we are rehearsing, and if we arent rehearsing, then we are writing songs and if we arent writing songs then we are working on the album artwork or website. It’s very constant because we are such control freaks.

A.D. Finally, what are you most looking forward to doing this year?

J.P. Playing shows, putting out our album, and writing pure pop songs.

The Drums are part of the NME Shockwaves Tour which begins on Thursday. They will also be back in the UK in May supporting Florence and the Machine in March.
press shot new Drums 1

They’ve already been creating quite a bit of buzz over here but it looks like 2010 could be the year of The Drums. Their EP Summertime is already available to buy and they’re working on their debut album. This summer will see them touring with Florence and the Machine. We managed to speak with singer Jonathan Pierce about the band.

Andy Devine. How did you all meet?

Jonathan Pierce. Jacob and I met each other when we were very young. I think I was 13 and he was 11? I grew up in the same small town as Adam and I met him through just hanging out and being bored. We all met Connor last June. We feel very lucky to have met each other. We all share a lot of the same interests while at the same time we all bring a little something different to the creative table.

AD. You’ve been tipped by NME as a band to watch this year. Does that put alot of pressure on you to deliver?

J.P. We really have not felt any pressure at all, seek and if we do feel pressure it has not been enough for us to notice it. We just keep doing what we have been doing from the beginning and that is to write sincere pop music. Everything we do, decease we want it to come from a place of purity and also a place of selfishness. If we do not believe in what we are doing, then how can anyone else really? This band started as a selfish endeavour and it will end that way. Only that way can you become vulnerable.

A.D Quite a few of your upcoming gigs are Sold Out, how does that feel?

J.P. It’s really wild for us to hear that all these shows are sold out. We would have never thought that a year after we wrote our first song in our tiny bedroom off the highway in Florida that we would be traveling across the UK and other parts of Europe in a tour bus playing sold out shows. It’s very strange.

A.D. Do you enjoy playing gigs over here, how do you find the audiences are?

So far it has been a cool experience for the most part. Everyone seems to be excited. We love playing shows over here. I remember the first show we ever played in London. It was a few months back at The Flowerpot. It was packed and sweaty and wild and we could not believe that it was happening. We could not believe that people cared this much.

The drums-1

A.D. Have there been any notable highlights?

J. P. Playing The Barfly was pretty surreal. There was so much hype and people outside trying to get in. It seemed like a movie, but it was really happening. It’s those moments that you have to just ask yourself “is this real”?

A.D. What do you do when you’re not playing in the band?

J.P. Well, since we stared the band, every minute of the day revolves around it usually. If we aren’t playing shows, then we are rehearsing, and if we arent rehearsing, then we are writing songs and if we arent writing songs then we are working on the album artwork or website. It’s very constant because we are such control freaks.

A.D. Finally, what are you most looking forward to doing this year?

J.P. Playing shows, putting out our album, and writing pure pop songs.

The Drums are part of the NME Shockwaves Tour which begins on Thursday. They will also be back in the UK in May supporting Florence and the Machine in March.

Intro-Collection_28Unfinished Town courtesy of Jess Wilson

Ever thought about starting your own publishing house? Talk about pipe dreams…Well look and learn from the boys and girls at Duke Press. It can be done and the launch night last Thursday showcased some the most exciting illustration talent around. In the suitably stark surroundings of Dalston’s Oto Cafe, order beautiful hand bound books were strewn across shelves and confirmed that independent publishing is alive and well. This pretty unique outfit provides opportunities for really exciting emerging talents.

Intro-Collection_12Yo!Ville courtesy of Yo! Fest

Duke Press is an independent publishing collective based in London that was founded by Jess Wilson and Ryan Todd as a platform for creative publishing, illness with the aim to distribute small, medications hand-made and numbered editions. As well as providing a showcase for their own work, it’s given them a vehicle with which to invite fellow artists from around the world they admire and want to collaborate with. When Jess and Ryan were asked what Duke Press is about, they said simply “eclecticism” and it is apparent in the individuality of their output.

Intro-Collection_08Dust and Shadow courtesy of Charlie Duck

Intro-Collection_03Another Way courtesy of Ryan Todd

The books were unique in every aspect, not just in the illustrator’s personal style, but also down to the printing methods, and even the paper. The inside cover is marked by hand, telling me I’m looking at number 24 of 60; these are one of a kind little beauties! In the hand stitched YO! Ville – YO! Fest, individual sheets of coloured textured paper are inserted amongst the pages, and a miniature comic sits in the centre fold as an unexpected gift for the reader. Small touches, but ones that could never be replicated in a mass produced book.

Intro-Collection_25Yo You Youth courtesy of Andreas Samuelsson

Talking to the artists, it is clear that they relished their time working with Duke; they were given complete freedom to explore their ideas. Freelance illustrator Anthony Sheret tells me “The whole experience was so creative. So much of the work I do is commercial, producing stuff for other artists, but with this I was the artist. It was a complete labour of love.”

Intro-Collection_16Risograph courtesy of New Found Original

Standards are exceptionally high which explains why production takes so long. In Anthony’s case I find out it took over a year between being approached by Duke Press to finding the right inspiration to make his book. The Idea for Kyoto Parade came to him while traveling round Japan. When in Kyoto, he happened upon an old Japanese Stationers and was struck by ‘the ephemeral, delicate quality’ of the supplies. It is a quality that he has managed to transfer to the book itself.

Intro-Collection_22Rainy Day by Hannah Waldron

There appears to be very little hidden agenda behind Duke Press, as Jess confirms. “It’s just about promoting people we like and sharing ideas. That’s it…sharing!” Ryan adds “We certainly aren’t making a profit from it. Any money goes straight back in. It’s a platform for whatever we want to do, at the moment it’s books, but we would be really interested in doing publishing projects, like taking over a magazine, there’s no limitations”. With the corporate publishers on their financial knees at the moment, it’s going to be up to the Duke Presses of this world to keep our love of books alive and well. And if their eight pearls of published works are anything to go by, that won’t be difficult…

Intro-Collection_02

Categories ,Andreas Samuelsson, ,Anthony Sheret, ,art, ,bookmaking, ,books, ,design, ,Duke Press, ,handmade, ,Hannah Waldron, ,illustration, ,illustrator, ,photography, ,Printing, ,printmaking, ,Ryan Todd, ,typography

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Amelia’s Magazine | Hullabaloo: Southampton Solent School of Art and Design Illustration Degree Show Review 2014

bethany coleman - hullabaloo - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Hullabaloo by Bethany Coleman

In 2007 I graduated from the Illustration degree at Southampton Solent University, formerly The Southampton Institute, and now finally returned to a more proper title of Southampton Solent School of Art and Design, based in a shiny and exciting new building in the centre of town opened by Sir Peter Blake in 2012. Last week I was able to visit this year’s satellite degree show at the Coningsby Gallery, organised and fundraised for entirely by the students themselves, the theme was Hullabaloo. Amelia previously spotted some great work from these grads at the D&AD Show, this time the work was labelled, although the people weren’t, so I got to practice my networking (randomly introducing myself to people) skills.

I only ever seem to come to the Coningsby on ridiculously hot days, so thank goodness there are usually free drinks. This was no exception on both counts, but in spite of the usual outspill of private view attendees onto the Fitzrovian pavement, the artwork on display inside was more than interesting enough to get good and sweaty looking at it.

southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014 - book table
The book work table – lots of goodies to pick up and peruse.

The focus on tactile, print, collage and book making skills as well as a strong emphasis on drawing that I remember from my years at Solent are still very much in evidence and I was pleased that these disciplines have a prized place in the new studios. In fact I’m jealous as I learned that since my time they’ve also acquired a laser cutter and letterpress facilities.

southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014 - book table 2 - Luke Baker
Bookwork by Luke Baker, and cameo by my beer.

Course leader and hipster favourite master of naïve hand drawn typographic print illustration Jonny Hannah told me that this year in particular has been an exceptional group, with a record number of firsts awarded. His influence is visible in the students’ approaches both in their use of text and print techniques, and the easy, practical, immediate no nonsense visual communication and embracing of traditional kitsch British imagery (a number of circus fonts and Punch and Judy type images were in evidence.) This year group, Jonny told me, really understood what illustration is.

emma chu - have a nice day  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Illustration by Emma Chu

I’m inclined to both agree and disagree. The work here pays testament to the heart and soul of traditional illustration, rooted in things you can touch and experience, books and prints and paper cuts. The table on which book works were displayed was the most exciting part of the show, and it’s clear that these graduates have a real understanding of how to create work that begs to be picked up and touched, to be read and experienced. There were a lot of yummy textures and colours and boundaries played with. And that’s beautiful and good and it’s true, but it’s not all of what illustration is today, in an industry that’s increasingly focused on the digital. Some of these students have clearly bridged this divide and have a foot in the each pond, especially seen in the art of Emma Chu and Bethany Coleman.

southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014 - business cards
Clever coded business card display.

A recurring theme in discussion with the students of a course with such a strong print focus, was access to print facilities post degree. While it’s obvious that such a focus leads to exciting work and keeping important techniques and technologies alive, the question of how to produce a portfolio when the working methods you’ve specialised in are not easily or affordably available can be a stumbling block for graduates, and one I hope these inspired young creatives don’t allow to trip them up.

Here are some of my favourite graduating illustrators and their work.

The Misfortunes of Timothy Evans - Solent Illustration - lino print - Alix De Courcy
This beautiful oversized book of linocuts combining some lovely use of typography and close up imagery with skilful balancing of positive and negative space very much caught my eye. It’s by Alix De Courcy who I unfortunately did not meet at the exhibition, a perfect example of printmaking as a design feature.

grace williams  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Grace Williams’ macabre intricate linework – she also makes a mean mandala.

kirby pyle  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Kirby Pyle uses lovely deep ink textures with smudged out monoprint designs, and also as materials to create relief collages. I spoke to her about her texture fetish and her beautiful monoprinted zine of John Masefield’s poem ‘Sea Fever’ – expect to see her on the small press scene in short order.

greta staron  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Greta Staron presented only original or half original work – in her limited edition art books she saves some elements to be hand added so each is unique. She hates to work slowly and likes to expose the soul of her working process, so this suits her style actually.

emily wilks - circus  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Emily Wilks similarly works with lots of printed textures, but cute them up to make children’s collages. Her final major project involved picking key imagery from 10 classic childrens novels, and then combining them together into densely spaced designs that would make great wrapping or end papers. I like that they are a sort of condensement of the iconography of childhood, but I’m sure this style would work equally well in a simple narrative.

Emma Chu - The King of Limbs - Southampton Solent School of Art - Hullaballoo graduate show 2014
Emma Chu was my favourite artist in the show, and as I said above she combines the physical organic qualities of print and collage digitally to look rich and strange and really fascinating. She’s currently looking for a graphics or illustration internship so if you have one open I suggest you snap her up.

laura hunt  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Laura Hunt was another favourite, and I enjoyed chatting with her about her progression on the course. Interestingly she used to only do really neat geometric pencil work, and for her this hand lettered design is really loose – it looks pretty tight to me! Her combination of found materials and colourful text design has already got her a mural commission and I think this style could take her a long way.

ellie aaen - welcome to england -  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Ellie Aaen’s clean autobiographical work is charming and a marked contrast to many of her texture rich coursemates.

dessy baeva - allen ginsberg - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Dessy Baeva’s work has a joyful freedom about it which suits her subject matter of beat generation journeys. She likes combining neat and messy text together and is experimenting with limited palette work.

jo porter  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Jo Porter has achieved a lot of beautiful lino cuts of animals for a children’s activity book with minimal injuries.

bethany coleman - new york  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Bethany Coleman designed the poster for the show, and it’s easy to see why she’s poster girl for the group, her work obviously owes a debt to Jonny Hannah in the use of text and colour, but also has a real vintage travel book feel which suits her obsession with documenting the idiosyncrasies of her travels near and far – turning coffee shop sketches into reportage posters. She’s working on some design work for Southampton Council but also has exciting plans for graphic novels, and a wealth of visual material from her recent trip to Mexico to turn into more colourful, immediate pieces.

luke baker  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Luke Baker also has a very immediate live drawn feel to his work – very evocative book designs, I wish I’d had the chance to ask him about this work.

jack snelgar  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Jack Snelgar I also did not meet, but look at that juicy linework and limited colour!

rebecca deans  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Rebecca Deans I did get to talk to and we chatted about movement and life in drawing – obviously evident in her quirky animal characters! We also talked about the importance of always making fresh work – a theme which came up with a few different people and which is so good to see in graduates – they’ll need that enthusiasm and determination, long may it last.

Jess Coxall  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Jessica Coxall doesn’t seem to have a website, but I had to include this lovely screen print from hand painted sketches of the French Riviera. Lovely linework and text design.

fenrisulfur  - southampton solent school of art - hullabaloo degree show 2014
Mist Sveinbjornsson I spoke to just before leaving and was interested to learn that this was another type of printing all together (so many techniques on show here!), her work is based on the charity Skateistan who fund skate boarding schools for girls in countries where they are banned from many other sports. The pictures are made from soft ply wood and use reduction printing – a risky process since once you have begun carving the second or third colour from your block, you can no longer begin a new print if you mess up. Amazingly she made only 3 copies of each print! Perhaps this is meant to reflect the risky status of skating girls in Muslim states – she didn’t say so but if not I think she should start saying it is, you can never have too much justification for your artwork after all.

Categories ,Alix De Courcy, ,All Watched Over by Machines of Infinite Loving Grace, ,Ba illustration, ,Bethany Coleman, ,Circus, ,Coningsby Gallery, ,Dessy Baeva, ,Ellie Aaen, ,Emily Wilks, ,Emma Chu, ,Greta Staron, ,Grizzly Gent, ,Hullabaloo, ,illustration, ,Jack Snelgar, ,Jenny Robins, ,Jessica Coxall, ,Jo Porter, ,John Masefield, ,Jonny Hannah, ,Kirby Pyle, ,Laura Hunt, ,lino, ,Luke Baker, ,Mist Sveinbjornsson, ,print, ,printmaking, ,Punch and Judy, ,Rebecca Deans, ,reportage, ,screenprinting, ,Skateistan, ,Southampton Council, ,Southampton Solent School of Art and Design, ,Southampton Solent University, ,The Southampton Institute

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Amelia’s Magazine | Boxbird’ s Chirp to all Illustrators and Printmakers!

Teague2

Image courtesy of Zara Wood

Boxbird Gallery is on the search for the hottest Illustration & printmaking talent to join in with their May 2010 show ‘A to B: An exhibition of contemporary printmaking inspired by travel’. All the work in the show will be based on the experience of travel, viagra buy countries, seek foreign landscapes and transport making it a very open and exciting brief to work to! The gallery will be accepting 10 new artists to the exhibit alongside existing Boxbird artists including Jon Burgerman, generic Fiona Hewitt and Zara Wood, all the entries will be judged by Gallery Owners Alice Teague & Graham Carter. The exhibition will be open from Friday 7th May – Sunday 30th May 2010. All work will be on show in the gallery throughout the fringe & sold online at boxbird.co.uk. Alice Teague is inviting you to be part of the A to B Exhibition and in this interview tells us how to get your submissions in now!

Teague8Images courtesy of Sally Elford
Valerie Pezeron: What kind of work is Boxbird looking for?
Boxbird Gallery: Please take a good look around the website, this will give a good idea of what Boxbird organisers are looking for in terms of style and influence. For this exhibition all the work must be hand made, ie. originals, screenprinted, mono prints, gocco, lino cut etc etc. Any digital or giclee printswill not be accepted. You may not have produced prints before in which case Boxbird can advise you how to go about it should you be accepted!

Teague3Image courtesy of Graham Carter
VP: Who can apply?
BG: Anyone can apply from any country and creative background though please note that we specialise in contemporary printmaking & illustration. We invite applications from graduate & student artists up to established names.

Teague4Image courtesy of Lee Baker
VP: How do Amelia’s readers apply?
BG: All applications must be accompanied by an application form which can be obtained by emailing hello@boxbird.co.uk. Entries without the correct paper work will not be accepted. You will need to send with your completed application form no more than 3 examples of your work. Please ensure these examples are in the style of which you would produce the final work for the show should you be accepted. Important information! DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL WORK – IT WILL NOT BE RETURNED. A digital print-out is fine. Your examples do not have to be to the brief, existing pieces from your portfolio will be suitable at this stage.

Teague5Image courtesy of Cheryl Taylor
VP: When do we all need to get our applications in?
BG: All applications must be delivered by post no later than 30th JANUARY 2010. Email applications will not be accepted & any applications arriving past that date also wont.

Teague6Image courtesy of Mibo
VP: What will happen after that?
BG: All the applications will be judged by the gallery owners Alice Teague & Graham Carter. Once we have made our final 10 choices the successful applicants will be contacted by phone. Unsuccessful applicants will be contacted by post.

Teague7Image courtesy of Ellen Giggenbach

VP: So ok, let’s say “Yay! I have been accepted!” What happens next?

BG: If you are accepted you will receive the full brief, deadlines and show details by email.Please note that being accepted into this exhibition does not guarantee continued representation by the gallery. Pass it on!If you know someone who might like to apply to be part of this exhibition please forward this article and tell them to get in touch! Thank you for taking the time to apply, and we wish you the best of luck!

Call Alice Teague, the gallery owner on 01273 734295 or email her at  hello@boxbird.co.uk, and let’s get the ball rolling! I will definitely apply. What about you?

Categories ,A to B Exhibition, ,Alice Teague, ,art, ,Boxbird Gallery, ,competition, ,contemporary, ,Fiona Hewitt, ,Graham Carter, ,illustration, ,illustrator, ,illustrators, ,Johan Burgerman, ,mono prints, ,printmakers, ,printmaking, ,prints, ,Zara Wood

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Amelia’s Magazine | Boxbird’ s Chirp to all Illustrators and Printmakers!

Teague2

Image courtesy of Zara Wood

Boxbird Gallery is on the search for the hottest Illustration & printmaking talent to join in with their May 2010 show ‘A to B: An exhibition of contemporary printmaking inspired by travel’. All the work in the show will be based on the experience of travel, viagra buy countries, seek foreign landscapes and transport making it a very open and exciting brief to work to! The gallery will be accepting 10 new artists to the exhibit alongside existing Boxbird artists including Jon Burgerman, generic Fiona Hewitt and Zara Wood, all the entries will be judged by Gallery Owners Alice Teague & Graham Carter. The exhibition will be open from Friday 7th May – Sunday 30th May 2010. All work will be on show in the gallery throughout the fringe & sold online at boxbird.co.uk. Alice Teague is inviting you to be part of the A to B Exhibition and in this interview tells us how to get your submissions in now!

Teague8Images courtesy of Sally Elford
Valerie Pezeron: What kind of work is Boxbird looking for?
Boxbird Gallery: Please take a good look around the website, this will give a good idea of what Boxbird organisers are looking for in terms of style and influence. For this exhibition all the work must be hand made, ie. originals, screenprinted, mono prints, gocco, lino cut etc etc. Any digital or giclee printswill not be accepted. You may not have produced prints before in which case Boxbird can advise you how to go about it should you be accepted!

Teague3Image courtesy of Graham Carter
VP: Who can apply?
BG: Anyone can apply from any country and creative background though please note that we specialise in contemporary printmaking & illustration. We invite applications from graduate & student artists up to established names.

Teague4Image courtesy of Lee Baker
VP: How do Amelia’s readers apply?
BG: All applications must be accompanied by an application form which can be obtained by emailing hello@boxbird.co.uk. Entries without the correct paper work will not be accepted. You will need to send with your completed application form no more than 3 examples of your work. Please ensure these examples are in the style of which you would produce the final work for the show should you be accepted. Important information! DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL WORK – IT WILL NOT BE RETURNED. A digital print-out is fine. Your examples do not have to be to the brief, existing pieces from your portfolio will be suitable at this stage.

Teague5Image courtesy of Cheryl Taylor
VP: When do we all need to get our applications in?
BG: All applications must be delivered by post no later than 30th JANUARY 2010. Email applications will not be accepted & any applications arriving past that date also wont.

Teague6Image courtesy of Mibo
VP: What will happen after that?
BG: All the applications will be judged by the gallery owners Alice Teague & Graham Carter. Once we have made our final 10 choices the successful applicants will be contacted by phone. Unsuccessful applicants will be contacted by post.

Teague7Image courtesy of Ellen Giggenbach

VP: So ok, let’s say “Yay! I have been accepted!” What happens next?

BG: If you are accepted you will receive the full brief, deadlines and show details by email.Please note that being accepted into this exhibition does not guarantee continued representation by the gallery. Pass it on!If you know someone who might like to apply to be part of this exhibition please forward this article and tell them to get in touch! Thank you for taking the time to apply, and we wish you the best of luck!

Call Alice Teague, the gallery owner on 01273 734295 or email her at  hello@boxbird.co.uk, and let’s get the ball rolling! I will definitely apply. What about you?

Categories ,A to B Exhibition, ,Alice Teague, ,art, ,Boxbird Gallery, ,competition, ,contemporary, ,Fiona Hewitt, ,Graham Carter, ,illustration, ,illustrator, ,illustrators, ,Johan Burgerman, ,mono prints, ,printmakers, ,printmaking, ,prints, ,Zara Wood

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Amelia’s Magazine | Art of discovery: An interview with illustrator Lynn Hatzius

Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore
Wagner by Karina Yarv
Wagner by Karina Yarv.

Another year, visit another X Factor out of the way. I went through a period of not watching any telly at all, and oh how I used to poo poo this show, but somehow, in 2009 I got sucked in. It was the only break I used to allow myself as I was creating my first book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration – a bit of enjoyably vacuous pop culture on a plate. And it was then that I discovered the joy of X Factor watched with my twitter stream open. Trying to think of the bitchiest tweets as fast as possible has now become a bit of a national sport, and I thoroughly recommend you do both at the same time once the whole bloody thing rolls around again next year.

X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J'Aton Couture by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J’Aton Couture by Krister Selin

As for the final outcome? I couldn’t stand Cher Lloyd’s sneery face but thought her final effort was at least IN TUNE, whilst even on the same note the One Direction cuties struggled (harmonies, what are they?) I loved Rebecca Ferguson’s voice until it started to grate on my nerves, as did the fact that she could not move, even singing the danciest of songs. I quite enjoyed some of Matt Cardle’s songs, but he was clearly not on form during the last few weeks. All in all, though, I’ve heard better singers at small indie gigs.

Abi Daker Cher Lloyd
‘The Lovechild of Jordan, Minnie Mouse and Jimmy Saville’ Illustration by Abigail Daker.

What really grabs the audience is of course the whole spectacle – the cliched dramatisations of the contestant’s back stories, the ridiculously over the top stage effects and the outrageously expensive outfits and stupendous styling choices of the judges and contestants. Here, then, is a chance to revel in the sheer glory of the X Factor experience, as seen through illustrators’ eyes.

Gareth A Hopkins Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd by Gareth A Hopkins.

jenny robins - amelias magazine -  x factor
Illustration by Jenny Robins.
Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv
Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv
GarethAHopkins Wagbo
Wagbo (a character from Harry Hill’s TV Burp that was supposedly the love child of Wagner and Tesco Mary) by Gareth A Hopkins
X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin

Wagner by Karina Yarv
Wagner by Karina Yarv.

Another year, capsule another X Factor out of the way. I went through a period of not watching any telly at all, ambulance and oh how I used to poo poo this show, seek but somehow, in 2009 I got sucked in. It was the only break I used to allow myself as I was creating my first book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration – a bit of enjoyably vacuous pop culture on a plate. And it was then that I discovered the joy of X Factor watched with my twitter stream open. Trying to think of the bitchiest tweets as fast as possible has now become a bit of a national sport, and I thoroughly recommend you do both at the same time once the whole bloody thing rolls around again next year.

X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J'Aton Couture by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J’Aton Couture by Krister Selin

As for the final outcome? I couldn’t stand Cher Lloyd’s sneery face but thought her final effort was at least IN TUNE, whilst even on the same note the One Direction cuties struggled (harmonies, what are they?) I loved Rebecca Ferguson’s voice until it started to grate on my nerves, as did the fact that she could not move, even singing the danciest of songs. I quite enjoyed some of Matt Cardle’s songs, but he was clearly not on form during the last few weeks. All in all, though, I’ve heard better singers at small indie gigs.

Abi Daker Cher Lloyd
The Lovechild of Jordan, Minnie Mouse and Jimmy Saville. Illustration by Abigail Daker.

What really grabs the audience is of course the whole spectacle – the cliched dramatisations of the contestant’s back stories, the ridiculously over the top stage effects and the outrageously expensive outfits and stupendous styling choices of the judges and contestants. Here, then, is a chance to revel in the sheer glory of the X Factor experience, as seen through illustrators’ eyes.

Gareth A Hopkins Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd by Gareth A Hopkins.

jenny robins - amelias magazine -  x factor
Illustration by Jenny Robins.

Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv
Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv

Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore
Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore

GarethAHopkins Wagbo
Wagbo (a character from Harry Hill’s TV Burp that was supposedly the love child of Wagner and Tesco Mary) by Gareth A Hopkins

X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin

xfactor wagner by elliott quince
Wagner by Elliott Quince.

Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore
Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore.
Wagner by Karina Yarv
Wagner by Karina Yarv.

Another year, buy information pills another X Factor out of the way. I went through a period of not watching any telly at all, pilule and oh how I used to poo poo this show, site but somehow, in 2009 I got sucked in. It was the only break I used to allow myself as I was creating my first book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration – a bit of enjoyably vacuous pop culture on a plate. And it was then that I discovered the joy of X Factor watched with my twitter stream open. Trying to think of the bitchiest tweets as fast as possible has now become a bit of a national sport, and I thoroughly recommend you do both at the same time once the whole bloody thing rolls around again next year.

X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J'Aton Couture by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J’Aton Couture by Krister Selin

As for the final outcome? I couldn’t stand Cher Lloyd’s sneery face but thought her final effort was at least IN TUNE, whilst even on the same note the One Direction cuties struggled (harmonies, what are they?) I loved Rebecca Ferguson’s voice until it started to grate on my nerves, as did the fact that she could not move, even singing the danciest of songs. I quite enjoyed some of Matt Cardle’s songs, but he was clearly not on form during the last few weeks. All in all, though, I’ve heard better singers at small indie gigs.

My fave live performance by Matt:
YouTube Preview Image

What really grabs the audience is of course the whole spectacle – the cliched dramatisations of the contestant’s back stories, the ridiculously over the top stage effects and the outrageously expensive outfits and stupendous styling choices of the judges and contestants. Here, then, is a chance to revel in the sheer glory of the X Factor experience, as seen through illustrators’ eyes.

Abi Daker Cher Lloyd
The Lovechild of Jordan, Minnie Mouse and Jimmy Saville. Illustration by Abigail Daker.

Gareth A Hopkins Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd by Gareth A Hopkins.

jenny robins - amelias magazine -  x factor
Illustration by Jenny Robins.

Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv
Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv

Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore
Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore

GarethAHopkins Wagbo
Wagbo (a character from Harry Hill’s TV Burp that was supposedly the love child of Wagner and Tesco Mary) by Gareth A Hopkins

X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin

xfactor wagner by elliott quince
Wagner by Elliott Quince.

Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore
Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore.
Wagner by Karina Yarv
Wagner by Karina Yarv.

Another year, generic another X Factor out of the way. I went through a period of not watching any telly at all, viagra approved and oh how I used to poo poo this show, viagra approved but somehow, in 2009 I got sucked in. It was the only break I used to allow myself as I was creating my first book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration – a bit of enjoyably vacuous pop culture on a plate. And it was then that I discovered the joy of X Factor watched with my twitter stream open. Trying to think of the bitchiest tweets as fast as possible has now become a bit of a national sport, and I thoroughly recommend you do both at the same time once the whole bloody thing rolls around again next year.

X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J'Aton Couture by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J’Aton Couture by Krister Selin

As for the final outcome? I couldn’t stand Cher Lloyd’s sneery face but thought her final effort was at least IN TUNE, whilst even on the same note the One Direction cuties struggled (harmonies, what are they?) I loved Rebecca Ferguson’s voice until it started to grate on my nerves, as did the fact that she could not move, even singing the danciest of songs. I quite enjoyed some of Matt Cardle’s songs, but he was clearly not on form during the last few weeks. All in all, though, I’ve heard better singers at small indie gigs.

My fave live performance by Matt:
YouTube Preview Image

What really grabs the audience is of course the whole spectacle – the cliched dramatisations of the contestant’s back stories, the ridiculously over the top stage effects and the outrageously expensive outfits and stupendous styling choices of the judges and contestants. Here, then, is a chance to revel in the sheer glory of the X Factor experience, as seen through illustrators’ eyes.

Abi Daker Cher Lloyd
The Lovechild of Jordan, Minnie Mouse and Jimmy Saville. Illustration by Abigail Daker.

Gareth A Hopkins Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd by Gareth A Hopkins.

jenny robins - amelias magazine -  x factor
Illustration by Jenny Robins.

Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv
Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv

Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore
Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore

GarethAHopkins Wagbo
Wagbo (a character from Harry Hill’s TV Burp that was supposedly the love child of Wagner and Tesco Mary) by Gareth A Hopkins

X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin

xfactor wagner by elliott quince
Wagner by Elliott Quince.

Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore
Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore.
Wagner by Karina Yarv
Wagner by Karina Yarv.

Another year, viagra dosage another X Factor out of the way. I went through a period of not watching any telly at all, and oh how I used to poo poo this show, but then, in 2009 I got sucked in. It was the only break I used to allow myself as I was creating my first book Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration – a bit of enjoyably vacuous pop culture on a plate. And it was then that I discovered the joy of X Factor watched with my twitter stream open. Trying to think of the bitchiest tweets as fast as possible has now become a something of a national sport, and I thoroughly recommend you do both at the same time once the whole bloody thing rolls around again next year.

X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J'Aton Couture by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Dannii Minogue wearing J’Aton Couture by Krister Selin

As for the final outcome? I couldn’t stand Cher Lloyd’s sneery face but thought her final effort was at least IN TUNE, whilst even on the same note the One Direction cuties struggled (harmonies, what are they?) I loved Rebecca Ferguson’s voice until it started to grate on my nerves, as did the fact that she could not move, even singing the danciest of songs. I quite enjoyed some of Matt Cardle’s songs, but he was clearly not on form during the last few weeks. All in all, as could be predicted, I’ve heard better singers at small indie gigs.

My fave live performance by Matt:
YouTube Preview Image

What really grabs the audience is of course the whole spectacle – the cliched dramatisations of the contestant’s back stories, the ridiculously over the top stage effects and the outrageously expensive outfits and stupendous styling choices of the judges and contestants. Here, then, is a chance to revel in the sheer glory of the X Factor experience, as seen through illustrators’ eyes.

Abi Daker Cher Lloyd
The Lovechild of Jordan, Minnie Mouse and Jimmy Saville. Illustration by Abigail Daker.

Gareth A Hopkins Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd by Gareth A Hopkins.

jenny robins - amelias magazine -  x factor
Illustration by Jenny Robins.

Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv
Katie Waissel by Karina Yarv

Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore
Cher Lloyd by Antaya Lendore

GarethAHopkins Wagbo
Wagbo (a character from Harry Hill’s TV Burp that was supposedly the love child of Wagner and Tesco Mary) by Gareth A Hopkins

X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin
X-Factor_Rebecca Ferguson wearing Lisa Marie Fernandez by Krister Selin

xfactor wagner by elliott quince
Wagner by Elliott Quince.

Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore
Cheryl Cole by Antaya Lendore.

High-Vis

An octopus with a cake hat, capsule holding a cigar, viagra 40mg a clarinet, rx a bicycle and a picnic basket while looking at you with a ‘so what’ expression. Next image – two birds with boys’ heads flying with an umbrella amongst the clouds. Then – a sailor with jumping jack doll-joints, holding hands with a mermaid. You get the picture? Welcome to the world of Lynn Hatzius.

With degrees in illustration and printmaking under her belt, London-based Lynn works as a freelance artist for publishers, record labels, magazines and newspapers. I first stumbled upon Lynn’s fascinating human-slash-animal figures at The Last Tuesday Society, where she is taking part in the ‘Beasts Royal’ art exhibition until 28th January (read our review of this wonderful place here). Later, looking through the gallery on Lynn’s website, I quickly found myself having one ‘wow’ experience after another. The work is quirky without being cutesy, and beautiful with a dark undercurrent. Looking at Lynn’s work means making a string of discoveries, with the seemingly neverending flow of the most randomly put-together imagery. Someone get this lady a solo show, please?


Royal Lady

You frequently mix human and animal forms in your work. Where does this come from?
With my collages, the significance lies with the process of discovery. It is almost as if these creatures pre-exist, simply waiting to come alive through my act of selecting, shifting and finally fixing a composition down. In extracting elements from different sources that catch my attention, humans take on new and surprising characters and animals are given human traits and expressions, sometimes humorous, other times maybe a little disturbing.

Could you tell us a little about your work process – how do you build up an illustration?
Working with illustration is quite different to working on my personal collage pieces. An illustration brief will give me a conceptual framework, meaning the piece is not left to chance. This is why I usually use the digital medium when working on a commissioned illustration, as this makes changes much easier. I will scan in material from my vast collection of printed papers, books, maps, magazines and old photographs, or search the internet for related imagery. I cut and paste elements in a similar way to working with a scalpel or scissors, but with the advantage of being able to reverse an action and alter an illustration to fit certain requirements.


Adem

Your portfolio has illustrations, collages and prints – which is your preferred medium?
Collage and printmaking both open up the possibility of chance encounters and the happy accidents I so enjoy. I am fascinated by the thought of taking a given structure, shaking it up and letting the pieces take on a new life and reveal hidden meaning. The recycling and mixing of materials in the collage process is similar to the way I work in print. I will mix different print processes, use found scraps to print from and let the magic moment of the ink transferring to paper surprise me with an often unexpected result. Printmaking lets me reuse elements and produce multiples, whereas a collage will always be an original, which I can often be rather precious about.


Self-portrait

Your work is full of clever little details. Where do you draw inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from the material I use – books, manuals, magazines and found printed papers. The juxtaposition of disparate elements, and the joining of entirely different subject matters, seems to hold the key to a neverending number of new images. I work in a very playful and spontaneous way on my collages, it is like solving a puzzle. The separate pieces get shifted until a certain combination startles me, and a new figure is revealed.

Sometimes your work feels a bit sinister (in a good way) – casually so with the bolted-together body parts, but with the monster pieces it looks more deliberate. Is it?
I guess I am attracted to the unusual, the uncanny, to combinations that might seem strange at first. This wanting to be surprised or startled is part of my working process. With projects such as the ‘Monsters’ playing cards it is quite different. The work needs to follow certain guidelines and a preconceived idea, which narrows down the possible scope of an image. While this way of working sometimes feels a bit contrived, I enjoy having to limit myself to certain restrictions and channel an image towards a purpose. If it is a commissioned piece, working with a good art director can push my work towards new approaches I wouldn’t naturally choose.


Monsters playing cards

Why did you become an artist? What do you wish someone had told you when you were just starting out?
I don’t think being creative is a choice. I always felt it chose me and I did my best to make it happen. I would say you need to be honest and true to yourself and don’t ask too many questions, just do, make, create and if you’re focused and want it badly, I believe things work out.

Your work has been in The Guardian, and you have several well-known magazines and publishing houses on your client list. How did you build up this network?
Having studied illustration, rather than fine art, meant my mind was set on finding a way of applying my work to a commercial use. After I left the course I eagerly visited some publishers to present my portfolio. My focus on book cover design has taken several years to establish. While it is important to send regular mail-outs to remind clients of your work, building a network through friends has helped me significantly along the way. Over the years I found that allowing time for my personal work alongside illustration projects has given me a good balance, mainly in that I panic less about not finding jobs all the time. My work as a collage artist has grown more important to me since doing an MA in printmaking. I view this side of my career separately to the illustration work in the sense that it is less pressurised through deadlines and restrictions.


Book cover: Shalimar the Clown (Salman Rushdie, Vintage Books). All images courtesy of Lynn Hatzius.

You are part of the Monsters illustration collective. Tell us a little about this please.
I joined the Monsters shortly after finishing my studies. We try to work a little like an agency. We send mail-outs together, keep a joint website and a group portfolio. The idea is that we represent each other and share costs of promotion material. We try to meet once a month and keep each other up to date on our personal progress. The advantage of being part of a collective is that you share a network of contacts and feed off each others’ experiences.

What do you do when you are not making art?
I rummage through charity shops and enjoy going to flee markets, always on the hunt for used cheap books and other ephemera, old frames and unusual bits and pieces. I love the outdoors and coming home to cook some delicious food. Taking care of the plants on my tiny balcony or checking on my fish gives me regular welcoming breaks when I work from my studio at home. And of course travelling, which I can fit nicely around work as a freelancer.

See more of Lynn Hatzius’ work on her website, or look at her ‘Oh so special’ invites venture here. You can also follow her on her blog.

Categories ,Beasts Royal, ,collages, ,illustration, ,Lynn Hatzius, ,Monsters Illustration, ,printmaking, ,The Guardian, ,The Last Tuesday Society

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