Thursday 31 March 2011

Fresh From The Production Line: Louis Vuitton, Double Exposure

Having long been a fan of the enigmatic and inspirational Sam Taylor-Wood, I was thrilled to learn about a month ago that she is the first in an exciting series of artists to team up with Louis Vuitton, collaborating on the high fashion label’s latest film and photography project entitled, Double Exposure. Aiming to juxtapose old-fashioned photography and the fast-paced world of social communication, also working on Double Exposure were esteemed stylist and contributing editor to Vogue UK; Bay Garnett, and revered fashion photographer Tom Craig.
In the film just over five minutes long, Taylor-Wood creates somewhat of a video montage, splicing together footage of her discussing her favourite objects and memories, a micro film and ultimately posing for a unique series of photographs – captured using one of the oldest techniques in photography - mercurial collodion - whereby the sitter has to pose for 12 seconds while each photo is taken to produce a slightly blurred, silver tone effect.

Scrapbook: Cardboard Fruit

I stumbled across this last week on Melbourne's Flinders Lane, which is where I've been spending a lot of time of late due to the wealth of cool gallery spaces and art collectives. Not particularly crafty - although it was found in the window of Counter - the shop adjoined to and owned by Craft Victoria -  it certainly grabbed my attention.

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Art-iculate: Declassified at Rich Mix

Image courtesy of Rich Mix
Comprising the first UK showcase of the very finest in Lithuanian film (when the country was part of the SSSR), Declassified is a groundbreaking exhibition of original posters, telling the story of the ideological and socio-political system and the films it promoted. Providing a rare opportunity for the UK public to view the formerly heavily censored Black and White films, the Rich Mix are hosting a multifaceted program of classic/experimental film, real-time audiovisual performance, music and talks – affording visitors an exciting insight into a culture of contemporary and modern cinema.

Experience a host of cinematic firsts including Adam Wants to Be a Man; the first heavily censored authorial, Chronicle of the Day; a melancholy view of Lithuania and one of Lithuania’s most important films, Feelings; a lyrical poetic composition that won a Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival in 1975.
Declassified runs from on the 8-30th April 2011 at Rich Mix, 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA

Scrapbook: Forum, Melbourne

Tuesday 29 March 2011

A Point Of Design: Sarah Bonallo

Image courtesy of Sarah Bonallo
A few weeks ago I was delighted to discover the work of British furniture designer Sarah Bonallo, who has created a range of three summer chairs all with heaps of nautical appeal, breathing a new lease of life into vintage pieces. My favourite of the three is the Deauville; a delight of sky blue and white stripes juxtaposed with jolly polka-dots reminiscent of weekends at the seaside. Taking a dowdy beech framed Parker Knoll winged armchair, Bonallo has worked her magic using original cotton ticking picked up on her travels in Brittany and Normandy.

Embracing the importance of creating a piece of art in a time-honoured fashion, with the greatest respect for tradition, Bonallo’s work is an homage to the craftsmen and artisans of another time, paying her respects with original materials and traditional work practices. Eschewing modern methods and materials, each piece is created by hand, from the loving restoration work and the hand-stitched upholstery, to the springs and recycled animal haïr stuffing.
The Deauville chair is priced at £1,550.

Scrapbook: Old St. Kilda Tram

Monday 28 March 2011

Saturday 26 March 2011

Friday 25 March 2011

Garment Of The Week: Eley Kishimoto for Climate Week

In aid of this year’s Climate Week (21 - 27 March) super designer Eley Kishimoto has created an exclusively limited-edition t-shirt in aid of the Environmental Justice Foundation’s campaign (modelled by heavyweights Lily Cole, Gemma Arterton and Gillian Anderson to name but a few). The cute tree design t-shirts are organic, ethically produced and are manufactured exclusively using wind and solar power.
Of her design Kishimoto says: “Our t-shirt design incorporates the ‘tree of life’, a concept that exists in many cultures across the world. In itself this represents nature and reminds us to look towards a positive future. We worked with a play on an age-old patchwork motif, symbolising the care and attention our planet needs, translating the idea that all life on earth is connected, and we should work together to tender our environment.”
Available to purchase exclusively from Tesco - who are the headline partner for Climate Week - this great garment will only set you back £10 – so head down to Tesco before the end of the week!

Scrapbook: Street Project, War graffiti

Thursday 24 March 2011

Fresh From The Production Line: Oliver Goldsmith

P. Oliver Goldsmith (pictured centre)
“I don’t believe in those theories about certain styles suiting certain shaped faces. Life is too short. If you find a shape you like, have it and never mind what anyone else thinks.”Oliver Goldsmith, 1965.
Clippings of iconic coverage
A few weeks ago I was invited to the launch of the brand new sunglasses collection by Claire Goldsmith. Not knowing too much about the brand beforehand I was blown away by the West London store and showroom, charting the eponymous brand’s heritage and great legacy in high fashion. Worn by all of the supers, actresses and most popular rock stars alike, Goldsmith designs often graced the pages of Vogue making him synonymous with the world of celebrity and an arbiter of style.
Some of my favourite heritage styles (above and below)
Founded in 1926, P. Oliver Goldsmith was the first designer to view sunglasses as accessories in addition to being a tool to protect eyes from the sun – creating a series of innovative styles in the late ‘50s which were to make a bold fashion statement. Worn by the royalty and celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn (think big white oval frames), Michael Caine, Grace Kelly and Peter Sellers, Goldsmith pioneered an altogether new concept in eyewear being the first to create a range of winter sunglasses, and spearheading collaborations with high fashion houses such as Givenchy and Dior.
The polaroid wall of celebrities
Looking through the back catalogue of samples and trying on all of the iconic styles was a somewhat special experience, especially when I could see Polaroids of present day celebrities snapped in their favourite styles – making the whole shopping experience a glamorous affair for customers.
Some examples of classic styles (above)
Examples of the production process and a choice of acetates for custom-made pairs
What I love most about the brand is that it is - to this day - a family business with grand-daughter Claire at the helm since 2005, when she reintroduced some of Goldsmith’s most iconic frames taken from the private family archive. Since 2010, Claire has put her own stamp on the brand, creating seasonal capsule collections that play on the brand’s unique heritage, whilst establishing a fresh design aesthetic targeted towards a new generation.
Claire Goldsmith's newest collection
Of her collections Claire says: “I decided it was time to put my own mark on eyewear designs to see if I had what it took to create timeless, classic eyewear too... I hope CG (Claire Goldsmith) will be the vintage of the future.”

Scrapbook: Gollywog overload

In a florist’s window in the outskirts of Melbourne (Williamstown to be exact), myself and my friend were slightly disturbed to see it filled with Gollywogs instead of flowers. After pausing to take the photograph I realised that whilst the florist was clearly selling them  so much so that they’d invaded their prime window display. On the plus side (if you can find one) they had at least kindly put up a plague chronicling the history of the Gollywog which read as thus:

The origins of the Gollywog began with the British soldiers who occupied Egypt towards the end of the nineteenth century. The Egyptian labourers working for the British wore the letters W.O.G.S on their armbands, indicating that they were Working On Government Service. These labourers were spoken of a Ghuls - the Arabic word for desert ghosts - by the British troops. The children of the Egyptians played with black stuffed material dolls. These dolls in turn were given as gifts, purchased by the soldiers returning home to England. These dolls became known as Ghuliwogs, a name which would eventually become the Golliwog we know today.

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Art-iculate: Rich Simmons gets the royal treatment

Images © Rich Simmons
A brilliant artist I wrote about previously in November, Rich Simmons is once again making waves in the art community with his inspired Royal Collection, to commemorate the forth-coming and annoyingly over-hyped royal wedding.
A self-taught artist Rich continues to be a personal inspiration and I absolutely love his stencils of HM the Queen out and about, but most of all I think his commemorative punk-inspired stencil of Wills and Kate should be adopted by the royal household as the official print for the royal wedding china.

Scrapbook: ACDC Lane

When walking around all of the laneways searching for graffiti in Melbourne's city centre (specifically off Flinder's Lane) I spotted ACDC Lane, which I figured could only be named after the band. After a little research I discovered the street was originally called Corporation Lane and was renamed in October 2004 as a tribute to the Australian rock group. This is what I love about Melbourne  you never know what  you're going to find around the next corner!