Beee Italian....

NINE

On Wednesday I saw NINE, I'd seen the trailer and some of the adverts and I just had to go and see it. The film is just beautiful, the lighting, direction styling. Set it Italy is the glamorous golden era the story line begins with the glamour and the excitement of the celebrity life, the cars, the women, the power and as the film develops everything unravels through current events which flashback to Guido's (The main characters) early life. A mans journey to find his inspiration, through all the beautiful women in his life.
The musical turned movie starred an unbelievable cast, all who delivered strong performances and believable characters. At times it was very frustrating to see Guido dig his own grave. Toward the end Guido gave-up directing and left the film business entirely, mainly because his heart wasn't in it. However in true creative style he realised his gift (thanks to a little encouragement from our Judi) and returned to directing in the end to finish the film with a humbling and bittersweet ending.

For me Marion Cotillard outshone them all, perhaps because she played the part of the wife I really sympathized with her. She played the loyal wife who'd sacrificed everything for him, her acting was brilliant.


With a reminiscence of Chicago (both directed by rob marshall) the scenes are spectacular and dramatic, one of my favorites being the the performance by Fergie in which the dance was performed with sand.

I have nothing to say and I'm saying it - Alan Fletcher preview

The Alan Fletcher exhibition preview was opened by his friend Peter Saville last Thursday, It was my first time at The Cube Gallery and I thought it was a really good exhibition space, the exhibition was nicely curated and the work was arranged well. Some of my favorite pieces I snapped below. There was such a variety of work on show and all of it was equally impressive from his letterhead and identity designs (of which Fire&Burn stood out.) to his posters and his books. I really like the V&A logo design which was developed by Fletcher.









Maria and I managed to have a little chat with Mr. Saville, it was strange that we couldn't really think of much we just wanted to see what he was like. We chatted about his work and how he moved from Music to Fashion, and how he feels really relaxed coming up to Manchester. I guess like Johhny Hardstaff he's never really had to 'apply for any jobs or prove himself, so when asking him if he had any advice for current design students he basically replied - find what you love and do it.... damm if only life was that simple.

Silence Part II

For Silence Part II I made a short film (under 5 mins) which explores the effect the loss of a family pet can have on children and families, my aim was for it to encourage the viewer to think of their own memories and experiences and what other emotions we build with our pets. The doc/film also follows my own journey discovering and interviewing the professional and some relatives about their experiences. Below is a storyboard of stills from the film.



Here is a link to the actual film,

http://www.vimeo.com/8936167

HG Wells Book covers

I wanted to produce a clean and simple solution to this brief and this was done with condensing each books main theme into a basic visual metaphor. I feel the most successful design is that of Kipps, as it not only explains the book's main running concept but also how the character deals with this sudden change of social situation, his displaced name indicates he is feeling unstable and uncomfortable in high society. I'm also quite happy with the History of Mr. Polly because the simple outline of the mans body is in my opinion a perfectly suitable metaphor for Mr.Polly's desperation for an escape to his life (to which he fakes his death and creates a new life) the dotted line both suggests a dead body being found and also a design for a new life, (i.e. sketching out his ideal character.)

hmmm....little bit of market research?

This evening I agreed to be part of a market research group, conducting research on behalf of the Open-Eye Gallery in Liverpool as it is moving from its current location to the Dock's close to the Tate.....did I mention I got paid for it?


Ten of us met at Cornerhouse (the group included a painter, someone who worked within advertising, an English graduate and a temp worker.) An independent researcher was holding the meeting and she got us to talk about our experiences of visiting exhibitions and museums. What would we look for, what would appeal to us, we discussed our thoughts about Liverpool and about the different art practices. We dabbled in a little profiling of what we imagined the guests would be like at a dinner party (guests included mr. photographer, ms sculpture etc.) what stereotypes do we place on these professions?
The discussion was really interesting and we talked about how work should be presented in galleries, and how to make galleries accessible? How important is the work and how a good background and context should support and enhance the artistic and aesthetic elements of an exhibition. I think a few of the people went to carry on the conversation (carry on drinking) as we were all very passionate about our feelings towards these experiences. It was interesting to hear about everyone's opinions on what should make a brilliant gallery and exhibition, the popular choices were the following..

- Easy directions/signage/central location
- Close to other galleries or museums
- Good coffee - was a big one/some sort of refreshment option
- A sociable area (possible cafe) where we can meet friends
- Close nearby parking or free transfer from city center rail station
- Welcoming staff who are knowledgeable and friendly
- Lots of different things to see and not just one exhibition
- Warm and comfortable surroundings
- A sense that we are not doing what every tourist is doing, possible provide local
insider knowledge?
- Some representation of local artistic community
- Option to put belongings in safe lockers or bag storage
- At least one free exhibition, or something extra added into admission price
(e.g.free coffee)
- Access to archives before/during/after exhibition
- A chance to offer our feedback/vote for pieces of work

We also discussed to what extent we all appreciated an interactive element to an exhibition. I said yes I believe it is very important to engage another sense than my sight even if it is just touch or sound, atmosphere or lighting. The others as a whole had not had positive experiences of past 'interactive' exhibitions and therefore were against the idea, or not using it just for the sake of it.

Don't Panic.........o.k panic

After playing with the colours and the design in screenprint these were some of the results - I ended up handing in the neon pink with black and the white with red and black.

So these two poster are the two final ones I have chosen, I will be doing a few screen print tests and I will just have to wait to see how they come out but for now these have been printed out super big and they are currently stuck on my bedroom wall.



Ironic that this project is for Don't Panic as that is all we seem to be doing at the moment. I've been working on my ideas for the don't panic 'resistance' poster, I'd love to do some neon-like screen prints. If I can squeeze some screen printing in i'll try to this week. Still based around the idea of the arrow(s) these are some further ideas which I have developed. Hitch suggested I try to not make the arrows and shapes so obvious, give it a little mystery....

Brixton Academy

Over New Year my sister was performing at the Brixton Academy in London. I'd just acquired the new Canon EOS 500D as a late 21st present and this opportunity provided me with the perfect opportunity to give it a little test run. I popped a zoom lens on and tested out some settings during rehersals and began documenting the night. Aimee had a dressing room. I really like the snaps I took in there, because she was my sister I could get quite close and these pictures have a sense of intimacy and reflection behind them, most of the time she didn't realise I was snapping away. I think the monochrome and the grungy kind of lighting captured enhances the feeling of intimacy and emotion. It was quite a challenge to change the settings so quickly from when your up-close, to far away when she was on stage, to when the lights were on here, each time required different settings so I had to be quick on my toes. Luckily my new camera also has video options so I managed to get some interesting videos of behind the scenes and from the side of the stage.

Venizia

In a recent trip to Italy we had a quick stop in Venice and I've always found it such an inspiring place. Last time I went it was the Canivale and so busy with tourists you couldn't even move and yet it was buzzing with culture. This time the place was almost deserted....quite creepy! Walking through Venice I saw some delicate and beautiful type.
I also came across this tiny little bookshop with some incredible handmade books and diaries.