This is the Coca Cola advert for the London 2012 Olympics by Mark Ronson and Katy B! They have used generated the sounds made by five hopeful contestants in the Olympics whilst performing their sports. This showcases such innovative pure, genuine musical talent from Ronson and Katy and the outcome is so great! How amazing does the live performance look??
I have just come across a fantastic artist called Christine Wu who is an illustrator from Los Angeles. Her work has a subtle sexuality feel to it and she captures the ‘vulnerability of self discovery’ using multi-layers of media. Her work has a slightly creepy feel to it but the pieces are still so beautiful and I would love to have one in my house one day.
Her next upcoming exhibition is called ‘Shhh…’ and will be at ‘La Luz De Jesus’. Click on the photo to go though to her website to see more of her beautiful work!
This is one of many fantastic pieces by Jennifer Louise Martin! Her work is inspired by the allure of fashion photography and notions of physical ideology, she is interested in the female psyche’s desire for unattainable beauty and focuses on society’s preoccupation with perfection.
Her paintings have such variety of mixed media which are used to create bold statements about the pursuit of perfection. She has had exhibitions in London, Berlin and Los Angeles and her work has appeared on saatchionline.com!
Her paintings can be seen as quite striking but it is easy to see her ideas on beauty and the statement she is trying to make. She creates a ‘liberating journey away from the illusion of perfection.
Click on the photo above to go to her website and check out more of her work!
One of my good friends James Deacon has an amazing blog called iCanLookFly.
It has a really cool lay out and there is such a variety of music, fashion and interviews. I am constantly checking it for new, exciting things!
I caught up with James to talk about how its all going!
When did you start your blog and what made you want to do it?
I started my blog initially for fun as as way of writing more regularly on things I am interested in (sport, music, fashion) and then began to realise the following was growing. I then began to focus on it more and dedicate more time and effort organising interviews and reviewing fashion brands. I also began searching for music and trying to keep my finger on the pulse of the music world.
How many people have you interviewed and who have been the most exciting?
I would say I have interviewed roughly 50 people and the most exciting ones were Labrinth’s stylist Ayishat and Louize and Bluey Robinson. There are countless other though and it is hard to pick favourites!
Have you been offered any jobs from the success of your blog?
I have not been offered any jobs no but I have been fortunate enough to blog for Vice and SBTV off the back of my work on iCanLookFly.
Where do you see your blog in a years time?
In a years time I hope to be able to continue regularly updating my blog and perhaps turn it in to a small online magazine.
Click on the photo to go through to James’s blog and check out all the awesome stuff he has on there. Thanks so much Deacs and good luck with the blog!!
My crazy little friend Catherine Hammick has just started up her own T shirt company with her friend and fashion photographer Stefano Venturi called Hold.Fast!
Their T shirts are black and white with dark and edgy prints and they currently have two collections - Plain White T’s and Desperate Housewives.
I caught up with Catherine for a quick interview to find out some more about these must have T’s!
Ok, so how long have you known Stefano and how did you meet?
I met Stefano about six months ago when I moved to Shoreditch. He works at the coffee shop next to my house although we officially met over a game of pingpong at the book club.
What was your inspiration to start the clothing line?
Its really all down to Stefano’s photography and me being unemployed. He’s an amazing photographer and it all just fell into place. I guess he’s the creative one and I’m the one that pushes it further, but at the end of the day we have fun!
Where do you see the company in a years time?
Ideally we would like the be supplying local boutiques with our range and perhaps some online stores as well.
What new things have you got coming up for Hold.Fast?
We are now working on our next collection called ‘Skinny Fast Food Bitches’ based on my disgusting easting habits, haha. Super slim bitches getting grimy with their food.
Haha I can confirm your eating habits are awful! So what is your opinion on super skinny models? Yay or Nay?
They are definitely a yay for me. If they’re happy with the way they look then fair play, we should let them be like that. I do think they must have a little bit of a booty though! That’s important.
Do you have an ideal boutique you would like to be stocked in?
No, I would like the photography to maybe expand to be exhibited though, whether that means we look into expanding from fashion.
Ok, and finally, who won the pingpong game??
Using some sly tactics I’m pretty sure I won. I think he would argue otherwise though!
Thanks so much for the interview Cath and good luck to you and Stefano and the future of Hold.Fast!!
Click the photo above to go through to the Hold.Fast website and get yourself one of their amazing T shirts!
Alexander McQueen’s Romantic Naturalism
This is taken from a really interesting web page about the work of Alexander McQueen. His death was such a tragedy and a huge loss to the fashion industry. The exhibition was at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art last year but this web page has so much information about the range of different inspirations he had and the beautiful ways he used those inspirations for his work.
I would recommend to anyone interested in fashion to have a look at this as there are some amazing comments from McQueen himself and some great footage of his spectacular, beyond innovative shows!
Click the photo to go through to the website!
Introducing Jack Murray who is one of the most prominent street artists of London. He began his career, under the name Panik, as the founder of the “Ahead of the Game” crew with four of his friends in 2002 who dominated the London scene re-introducing classic approaches to painting and techniques.
He has now begun taking his work from the street in to his studio in East London to create pieces usually using mixed media that reflect his past experiences and his state of mind.
Check out his page on the A.T.G website to see more of his work by clicking the photo above!
BIGkids are a brand new collaboration involving Rosie Oddie and Ben Hudson, previously known as Mr Hudson. They share the vocals on their tracks, and the instruments start simple and build up. There is so much energy in their first track ‘Drum In Your Chest’ and the video is so simple and brilliant. Ben has said he wanted to create music completely different from his previous American sounds and make something very ‘London’ which I think he and Rosie have done pretty well!
What do you think of their music? You can also check out their tumblr at bigkidsmusic.tumblr.com
I’ve just picked up the first issue of Dash Magazine which is a London based high fashion magazine show casing editorials, illustration and art. They work with new talents in fashion, photography, illustration, beauty and art and their magazines are stocked internationally.
This magazine is not your average newsagents fashion magazine. It is easy to see the care and thought put into each issue and the innovative fashion photography and outstanding artwork within makes each one so special. There is so much variety which appeals to both male and female readers and the feel and smell of the paper pages make you feel like you’re holding a fashion novel!
One of my favourite articles from issue 01 is about Jennifer Louise Martin which talks about her lifestyle, how she gets inspiration for her incredible paintings and her workspace in Berlin. Watch this space for a piece on Jennifer and possibly an interview! And see for yourself at jenniferlouisemartin.com
At £6.00 per issue the magazine is a bit on the pricey side but considering how much interesting and must-read content there is I would really recommend picking up an issue!
Click the photo above to go to the Dash website to find out more about them and get your first issue!
One exhibition I really want to see is the Kingston University graduate Sarah Maple’s exhibition at the Aubin Gallery in Shoreditch. Sarah won the Channel 4 New Sensations award which is run by Charles Saatchi for emerging artists and has exhibited in Europe, Israel, New York and Canada.
Her work explores what it is like to be a Muslim woman in the 21st century and urges the viewer to take a second look at traditional conceptions of gender, religion, culture and identity. Her first exhibition involved pieces showcasing a woman wearing a burkha with a badge saying ‘i love orgasms’, one woman holding a piglet and another with one breast out - quite controversial wouldn’t you say? This exhibition caused her to receive death threats, the gallery windows to be smashed and even her own parents not speaking to her for a few days.
But Sarah has come back with a new collection, still with her feminist approach, but a less directive approach. The new pieces include Sarah looking very girly, dressed in pink and white, but with one arm lifted to reveal a very hairy armpit and another shows a woman with a vajazzle (the new craze of a bedazzled vagina) saying ‘Votes for Women’.
Although I wouldn’t call myself a feminist I do appreciate Sarah’s new work. As a muslim herself she has said it was difficult growing up in a white community with no one her age to relate to and I find it interesting how she is investigating through art how it affected her.
I may have the opportunity to work at the Aubin Gallery where she is exhibiting at the time when her work is being taken down so watch this space for an interview!
Click the photo to go to her feature on the Aubin Gallery Website
Chihuly at the Halcyon Gallery, 5 December 2011 to 31 March 2012
A few days ago I went to the new Halcyon Gallery on New Bond Street in London to see the Chihuly exhibition. Dale Chihuly is the creator of the amazing chandelier in the V&A Museum and the collection at the Halcyon is really breath taking.
The glass sculptures have an aquatic feel to them as they resemble shells and sea life creatures and the colours are so vibrant, you can find yourself staring at them for ages. The fact that they are created from glass blowing makes them seem so delicate yet they are all so large as they are life size.
The enormous chandeliers are made up of individual small glass sculptures which are assembled by Chihuly’s team therefore each time they are created they never look the same twice. I love how, for me, this ties in with the relation to sea creatures such as sea anemones and the way they are constantly moving under water.
Chihuly’s sculptures have also been seen in Venice and in 1999 his largest production was in the old city of Jerusalem. His latest exhibition, the Halcyon’s first major one, is made up of chandeliers, framed paintings, large and small sculptural pieces.
Dale Chihuly’s glass blowing is on another level to the rest of the ceramics market and is definitely worth seeing!
