Category Archives: Visual Arts

2017: A year of firsts

30 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by in Arts, Fitness, Food, Reflections, Visual Arts, Wellbeing, Yoga

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It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect on the past 12 months and make resolutions for the New Year. My year has been a whirlwind of new stuff: I’ve entered unknown territories, tried things for the first time, and discovered new exhibitions and conventions in London.

If there’s anything I’ve learnt from all this, it’s that trying new things opens your mind to other cultures, different ways of thinking, and can be a great source of inspiration. Doing new things that scare you, in particular, can challenge you to confront your fears. Often our fears are based on the unknown or misconceptions, but it can actually turn out to be really exciting if you just take the leap.

Here are some of my highlights…

New experiences

Learnt to swing on a flying trapeze

I never dreamed I’d be flying around on a trapeze this year. But one of my friends had tried it before and took me with her…so I just went for it. Here’s the post I wrote about the whole terrifying (yet amazing) ordeal at Gorilla Circus.

Face your fears with flying trapeze

Learnt to ride a horse

Here’s another thing I’d always been too scared to do. But on a trip to Loch Ness with my friends who’d ridden before, I thought I’d give it a go. I was in safe hands riding ‘Bilbo’ – one of Highland Riding Centre‘s most docile horses. After a quick lesson, we were off on a trek! And once I’d got the hang of it, it was actually quite relaxing riding around in the beautiful Scottish highlands.

Tried mermaid pose

I’ve reached the stage where I don’t need to master every pose to enjoy my yoga practice. Just the simple fact that I’m breathing in the moment, thinking of nothing else, is enough for me. Trying a new asana is just a by-product of turning up to the yoga studio. That’s how mermaid pose happened…

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Tried bubble waffles

Also known as egg waffles, this Hong Kong delicacy became one of the top food trends of 2017, with stores popping up all over London. I went for Hatch Waffles in Soho and had them with matcha ice cream, red beans and mochi – very filling but absolutely delicious.

Tried making sushi

I was lucky enough to win an Instagram giveaway for this Clearspring Luxury Japanese Sushi Kit, so I made sure it was put to good use…

New holidays

Liverpool

This was an eventful one. Our journey there was almost thwarted by Storm Doris – instead of a three-hour train journey, it took us an entire day. But that didn’t stop us from packing in The Beatles Story, Albert Dock, The Cavern Club and creative hub the Bluecoat. We even found matcha lattes at Leaf, snuggled up with cocktails in Cosy Club and danced the night away in Alma De Cuba – a Brazilian club inside an 18th-century church!

Budapest

A raving recommendation from a friend lead us to splash out on the world-famous Hotel Gellért with its Art Nouveaux style and extravagant spa. Think ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. We spent a fair amount of time bathing in its delicious thermal pools, before soaking in the Széchenyi Baths across town. Out of the water, we also explored the Jewish Quarter, the ‘ruin bar’ Szimpla Kert, and took a boat up the Danube to the picturesque Margaret Island.

Scotland

Starting in Edinburgh, we ticked off tourist spots like the castle and Diagon House (Harry Potter shop), spent a day enjoying free comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe, and scaled Arthur’s Seat. A few of us then went on a road trip up to Loch Ness; we arrived at nightfall and woke up to a spectacular view of the loch itself. Here we went waterfall chasing, horse riding (see above) and Nessie spotting on the lake. On the last night we even made a camp fire, and I may have taken a dip in the water…

Ibiza

My friend and I popped our Ibiza cherries with a relaxing break in Cala Llonga. The average guest age at our hotel was about 40, but we thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet. The Palladium Hotel Cala Llonga is built into the cove itself, so has a stunning view of the sea at all times. But it wouldn’t be Ibiza without partying, so of course we went to see Kygo play at Ushuaia.

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Florida

Okay I may have been to Orlando a few times before, but this was the first time with my boyfriend. And so much has changed, it was almost a different place. What with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (truly magical!); the recently built water park, Volcano Bay (awesome); and the new Pandora area in Animal Kingdom (absolutely amazing). Another scary first was driving a hire car – an automatic – on the other side of the road. So weird.

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New conventions

Fare Healthy

The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane played host to this festival of all things food, fitness and wellbeing. I enjoyed a hilariously fun class from the Boys of Yoga, heard some inspiring talks from the pros and picked up plenty of healthy freebies and matcha goodies.

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First ever Comic Con

When I found out that my idol, director and podcaster Kevin Smith, was coming to the UK, I had to get tickets to the London Film and Comic Con. Not only did we get to see him do a live podcast with Scott Mosier, we actually got to meet him!

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First cosplay at Comic Con

Having enjoyed the first one so much, we returned dressed in cosplay. I was such a geek about it I planned my costume months in advance…and spent a pretty penny on all the paraphernalia. My favourite part of the day was all the kids waving at me – and the little girl who wanted to take a selfie with me made my day. Thanks again to the guy who turned my cosplay photo into fan art…

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New exhibitions

Orchid Festival

On my first ever visit to Kew Gardens, I went for the annual Orchid Festival. This year’s display took inspiration from India, with flowers arranged in the shape of peacocks, elephants and tigers. Oh my!

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Art of the Brick – DC Superheroes

Who knew you could make such beautiful comic book art out of Lego? From Aquaman in the bath (or you could say ‘in his element’) to Superman in flight, the exhibits were absolutely bricktacular.

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The Fan Museum

This Greenwich attraction was the venue for my friend’s birthday – and what a hidden gem it is. After admiring a range of ornate and imaginative fans, we had a spot of afternoon tea in the Orangery, with its beautifully painted murals.

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Adventures in Moominland

This experiential exhibition at Southbank Centre was made even more special by the fact that photography was prohibited. It now exists only in my mind. After literally stepping inside a Moomin story book, our enthusiastic and knowledgable guide took us on an immersive journey through Moominland, punctuated along the way with various original sketches and artefacts.

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Japanese House

As a lover of all things Japanese, I jumped at the chance to learn more about the culture at this Barbican exhibition. It was a satisfying combination of perfect diaramas, both miniature and life size. And, as someone who’s in the process of decluttering, I was totally inspired by the minimalism – a carefully placed plant or trinket can be all you need to decorate a space.

New Year’s Resolutions: blog more often and write shorter posts…

Namaste!

Yoga Panther x

Stanley Donwood exhibition: ‘Occupational Hazard’

18 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by in Arts, Brighton Journalist Works, Visual Arts

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Exhibition poster (ink-d.co.uk)

Intriguingly sinister yet irresistibly stunning are words that come to mind as you experience the Stanley Donwood exhibition at Ink_d Gallery, Brighton.

The enigmatic artist, well known for creating Radiohead’s album and poster art, won a Grammy for ‘Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package’ for his direction on Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ album.

Thousands of people have already seen the exhibition since it opened on November 2 and curator of the gallery, Dan Hipkin said: “Characters like Stanley will always attract people to the space. He is an example of where two intense worlds collide – art and music.”

The much anticipated display of Donwood’s work follows from a successful exhibition of rare prints back in 2009. This time, his exhibition, named ‘Occupational Hazard’, features currently available work alongside rare and sold out editions such as ‘Twisted Woods’.

‘Hungry Bear’ (nme.com)

As you walk into ‘Occupational Hazard’, the meaning of this title begins to sink in. You are faced with a glass panel in the floor revealing an underground studio and wedged precariously underneath the glass are the exhibition posters.

At £10 it is the cheapest item on sale, and a piece of art in its own right. Combining elements of Donwood’s signature works it features the insane ‘Hungry Bear’ symbol used in various Radiohead albums, in front of the trees from his ‘Twisted Woods’ series.

‘Terrordome’ (thomthomthom.com)

These tree silhouettes, combined with the merging rainbow colours, a significant theme in Donwood’s work, are reminiscent of ink blot tests, while the overall layout is based on Stanley’s latest Radiohead tour poster ‘Terrordome’.

At the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive piece is a £10,000 painting of a simple blue inhaler in front of a contrastive orange background. Superimposed are the words ‘Everybody’s happy nowadays.’

Dan said, “There is a dark, airy feel to it – a reflection of a sinister undercurrent.”

Donwood used the words ‘mild peril’ to describe the exhibition’s contents. This seemed to be in the form of a demonic goat’s head mounted on the wall with multi-coloured paints dripping down its face.

Dan said of the mounted head: “It’s a buddy of Stanley’s – it usually hangs in his own studio, so he was reluctant to give it to us.”

A very striking piece is ‘Occupied Fortune’ which included an elaborately decorated background and in a circular cut-out were the words: “If a man has an apartment stacked to the ceiling with newspapers we call him crazy. If a woman has a trailer house full of cats we call her nuts.

“But when people pathologically hoard so much cash that they impoverish the entire nation, we put them on the cover of Fortune magazine and pretend they are role models.”

This clearly reflects Donwood’s desire to fuse personal and political emotions with modesty and humour.

To see a £355 Glastonbury poster and an exclusive new series of signed giclée prints of album artwork which have never been printed, visit ‘Occupational Hazard’ at Ink_d, Brighton, which runs until December 2.

Riot in a Jam Jar

26 Sunday Feb 2012

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There’s a new Banksy in town…but this guy works in jam jars. Former KLF rocker turned artist James Cauty is up to his old, extreme tricks. ‘Riot in a Jam Jar’, his exhibition shown at Ink_D gallery, Brighton, reaches new levels of controversy, with graphic and disturbing scenes involving protesters, well-known figures and the authorities placed inside mere jam jars.

His radical and darkly comical art works, which he calls “small world re-enactments”, show imagined riots, including Take That being beaten up by riot police. He also depicts snap shots from genuine public clashes such as the student riots and the recent looting affair. His fresh, witty take on the news is reminiscent of programmes such as Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats.

The 1:87 scale jam jar models are all exquisitely constructed and hand painted. His work is physically accurate down to the smallest protest poster trodden into the ground, even the lights in the police vehicles flash. It is the implicational accuracy in some of his pieces which is lacking, for example ‘The ritual hanging of Nick Clegg’. Here we see the Deputy Prime Minister being executed by an angry mob who were furious at the Lib Dem leader’s U-turn on tuition fees.

His jam jars can show twists on actual events, for example, ‘Of wiv their ‘eds’ involves The Prince of Wales about to be beheaded by a mob during the student fees protests as the Duchess of Cornwall watches from their royal car. This shrewdly blends fact and fiction as Charles and Camilla were caught up in student protests last year as they travelled to the Royal Variety Performance. Charles actually had his car pelted during the protests, but Cauty has taken the incident and given it a far more distressing outcome.

In the tiny Take That display, the tables are turned on the group after they used riot police in their Brit Awards performance in February. The group were joined by dancers dressed in riot gear with batons and shields when they performed ‘Kidz’ at the O2 Arena. In Cauty’s artwork however, Robbie Williams is depicted lying on the ground bleeding, while other members of the group look on as an officer hits Mark Owen. The artist said: “In the small world re-enactment, the police see it as trivialisation of their work and retaliate by giving the band a well deserved kicking.”

 

‘Jimmy’ Cauty first found fame as one half of KLF, before going on to form ‘The Orb’. Cauty has since gained notoriety for stunts. He himself was involved in a famous incident at the 1992 Brit Awards when he opened fire on the audience with a fake machine gun. Later, he dumped a dead sheep at the after show party. He also burnt £1million on a remote Scottish island.

Cauty said: “The jam jar represents containment. Violent disturbances served up in manageable doses like news bulletins – complex situations reduced to mantelpiece ornaments and souvenirs. The works in A Riot in a Jam Jar focus on, and amp up, situations for instant consumption.  These tiny acts of violence serve as snap shots of a greater and vastly more complex reality.”

“In real-life riot situations, the media focus is always on the sensation, violence on the TV screen; tag lines and one-liners are the currency. The works in A Riot In A Jam Jar mimic this TV news approach. They focus on, and amp up, situations for instant consumption. These tiny acts of violence serve as snap shots of a greater and vastly more complex reality.”

That’s one way to contain a riot: anarchic artwork in a jam jar.

‘Retro’ Photos

25 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in 'The Badger' articles, Arts, Photography, Visual Arts

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As with fashion, we are always looking back for inspiration. This year has been no different, with the arrival of retro-esque photographs. They are instantly recognisable around Facebook by their faded, cross-processed look (remember your parents’ old photos from the 60, 70s and 80s?!) and their square shape with a vintage frame. Digital photography never looked so analogue.

This retro trend in photography has seen a rise in the popularity of cheap and technically obsolete analogue cameras (Lomography and Polaroid instant cameras), as well as Smartphone software that emulate such cameras, to create different effects. It seems we are in a mobile photography movement where applications are making it quicker and easier for us to create artistic photographs, without having to spend a fortune on editing programmes.

One app called ‘Instagram’, a free photo sharing application for iPhone, allows users to create retro-style photos by applying different effects or filters. In homage to both the Kodak Instamatic and the good old Polaroid, it reformats photos into a square shape. They are then able to share their photos through the Instagram app or through social networking sites. The concept of sharing their creations has clearly sped up the trend and enabled it to be as popular as it is. They now have worldwide ‘InstaMeets’ where app users can gather to exchange tips.

The Vaccines are even asking people to tweet their Instagram festival pictures so they can use them in their music video for ‘Wetsuit’. This app’s success has been huge. As of September 2011 it had acquired almost ten million users with a team of just six employees.

Another iPhone app called ‘Hipstamatic’ recreates the experience of using the original Hipstamatic 100 camera, for a small price. Using the iPhone’s camera to shoot square photographs, it applies a number of filters to make the images look as though they were taken with an antique film camera. The user can choose among a number of effects which are presented in the application as lenses, films and flashes.

The Hipstamatic brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras of the past. It keeps the quirks of shooting old school but gives you the ability to swap lenses, film, and flash settings all with the swipe of a finger.

The founders of the original of the camera would be very proud to know that they have influenced a new generation of people that love to capture moments in time and pay tribute to what they wanted to do 25 years ago. It seems the days of buying expensive photo editing programmes and not knowing how to use them are over.

If you don’t have any of these iPhone apps but do have a photo editing program, follow this link to my step by step guide: http://www.wikinut.com/how-to-create-retro-photos/3q._vob_/1ubsu9z_/

Modern Cloth

25 Saturday Feb 2012

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From the guys who brought us the TV show ‘Modern Toss’, an exhibition is currently being held at Ink_d Gallery in Brighton, cleverly labelled, ‘Modern Cloth’. As part of the Brighton Fringe Festival, and due to popular demand, Modern Toss is returning for a groundbreaking new show of innovative ‘clothworks’, promising some challenging tea towel designs and a selection of limited edition prints.

Never before has a garment been graced with the popular activity of swearing, until now. The ‘Modern Toss’ artists have collaborated with contemporary designer-tailor, Gresham Blake, to produce the bespoke ‘Swearing Jacket’. It features precision-selected abuse based on their sell-out print of the ‘Periodic Table of Swearing’.

‘Modern Cloth’ opened to coincide with the Royal Wedding, and to mark the occasion they are launching an obligatory collection of Royal nick-nacks, comprising celebratory stamps, a whimsical take on the memorial mug, and a commemorative royal tea towel – so you can forever treasure the memory of the young Windsor’s wedding through the medium of cloth.

The scandalous cult comic, Modern Toss, is the work of Jon Link and Mick Bunnage. The early editions are now very collectible, especially the second issue which had what was alleged to be ‘free royal hair’ stuck on the cover. The writers, cartoonists and animators have taken Modern Toss in many different directions, including a brazen late night television show, which was a mix of blunt-talking, animated characters with bizarre and surreal live action. They have had two previous exhibitions at the Ink_d Gallery, and last summer presented a musical evening of their animation to celebrate Brighton Arts festival. A trimmed down version was taken to the Latitude festival. A celebration of their artwork took place in London’s Maverick Gallery in June 2010, where their startlingly innovative ‘Periodic Table of Swearing’ print became an international phenomenon and was tweeted globally.

Modern Toss’ cartoons are small and simple, making them ideal for weekly appearances in the Guardian and on greetings cards. As the name suggests, cloth is the means of choice this time, an interesting change from the prints, cards and booklets for which they are known. Bad language is the staple of Modern Toss, and expect no less at their latest exhibit of all things witty and British. The exhibition runs until the 29th May, and is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 6pm. Sundays 12 pm – 4pm.

Turner Prize 2011

25 Saturday Feb 2012

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Article from 16/05/11

ImageAnother Turner Prize, another host of spectacularly bizarre creations. Year after year, this prestigious award in the intriguing world of modern art has baffled the general public. This time is no different, with the bookies’ favourite being a suspended ball of plastic. Pushing the boundaries is what these artists do best, but their work may leave visitors wondering where the art actually is.

Among the shortlisted are: painters Karla Black and George Shaw, sculptor Martin Boyce and video artist Hilary Lloyd. Prize juror Katrina Brown, said the list was not representative of “one school, or cluster, or movement – there is every medium in the mix and it has a diversity and maturity about it”. Although there are two painters this year, don’t get your hopes up for anything traditional. Karla Black counts lipstick, bath bombs and nail varnish among her unorthodox materials, whilst George Shaw paints landscapes in the kind of enamel paint used for decorating model aeroplanes.

38-year-old Black’s assortment of cosmetic products deployed in large installations looks more sculptural than painterly. Her piece ‘What To Ask For Others’ may appear to be just a large pink plastic bag hanging from the ceiling, but is a strong contender for the prize. Shaw, 44, with his personal juxtaposition of subject matter and material, lies on the edge of tradition. He used Humbrol enamel paint to depict the landscape of his childhood, a housing estate in Coventry. He admits of the medium: “It was quite perverse as I was making the paint do something it wasn’t designed to do.”

Boyce, 43, creates sculptural installations which evoke urban landscapes and often reference the modernist design of the early 20th century. His creation ‘A library of leaves’ looks more like a torture chamber bedstead. Lloyd, 46, uses multiple projectors and video screens to show scenes of construction sites, as well as close-ups of the naked male form, which in their entirety become a kind of sculptural installation.

The prize is intended to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art, and comments have already been pouring out. Modern art seems to have the marmite effect on people’s views, with those who adore it and those who point-blank reject it as they don’t comprehend how it is ‘art’. At least all the works are in the physical realms; last year’s winner was an eight-minute recording of a folk song played to an empty room.

The whole prize is turning its back on London for the first time in its 27-year history. The work will be displayed at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, from Friday 21 October 2011. Channel 4 is sponsoring the prize fund of £40,000 and a programme featuring the live announcement of the winner will be broadcast on 5 December 2011. If you’re eager for a justification of the bewilderingly eccentric works, watch out for a series of short films on the shortlisted artists on Channel 4 and More4.