Ramble. Rumble. Roar.

Yeah I’m lucky to have very talented friends.

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:13:00 -0400

Yeah I’m lucky to have very talented friends.

explodingcyberinevitable: THE INTERVIEW: CHRIS BRACEY Chris...

Sat, 11 May 2013 07:34:58 -0400

THE INTERVIEW: CHRIS BRACEY

Chris Bracey got his start in the art world making neon signs for sex shops in Soho before being chosen to work on iconic films like Eyes Wide Shut and Batman. We speak with the artist ahead of his first solo show at London’s Scream gallery to find out why bargaining with Soho shop workers landed him his first film job and why working with krypton is a step too far.

I REALLY LOVE NEON LIGHTS, SO THIS IS AWESOME!

Iron and Wine “Joy”

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:01:45 -0400

Iron and Wine “Joy”

So last half term with college i went to Amsterdam & while...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:21:14 -0400

So last half term with college i went to Amsterdam & while there we visited the Stedelijk museum which is a really cool gallery. We mainly visited the museum to see the Mike Kelley exhibit of work, i had never heard of him before the exhibit of his work but it was just crazy….my kind of crazy. So that was really cool, i suggest you check him out….but you all have probably heard of him as you all know more than me. Anyway these are some pictures my friend took, as while in galleries i hate taking pictures as i prefer to look and wander rather than photograph and wander. Pointlessly none of these apart from the bottom right are by Mike Kelley but are a collection of other artists work that we saw while at the museum. I’m sure at a later date i will find out who did what and write about why i like it, this will do for now as i haven’t posted in ages.

If your interested in other things we did while in Amsterdam, let me know and i may do a post about it…..if i remember.

Moonrise Kingdom

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:42:07 -0500

Moonrise Kingdom :

As i’m such a bad blogger/tumblr artist person and haven’t written about my thoughts on Moonrise Kingdom here is a substitute for it. An article in the online mag ‘Its Nice That’ about the film and the direction given by Wes Anderson. Brilliant photographs and sketches of his vision. Hope this makes up for me not posting as often, if it doesn’t feel free to throw some sort of object at me.

I feel like i over edit and over think about things i post on...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:37:10 -0500

I feel like i over edit and over think about things i post on here, thus my lack of constant posts. That plus the fact its coming up to interviews for uni so i’d rather not post all my best work on here for a cheeky sod to then claim as their own. However these are just some quick snaps i took on my iphone on the way home from college today along the seafront. I really like’d the grey & blue tones, shame that the imagery is blury due to train movement.

I only recently discovered and watched ‘Moonrise...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:21:54 -0500

I only recently discovered and watched ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ but it was brilliant, bought on a whim without watching the trailer and i loved it straight away!! It looks beautiful, a photograph a minute. Great story of young love. (Hope to do a more detailed post tomorrow)

*Please ignore the bad quality of my scanner, i should of...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:11:02 -0500

*Please ignore the bad quality of my scanner, i should of cleaned it before scanning in my favourite pages.

Sorry i’ve been absent again, i’ve lost the knack for constant posts on here. Though to be honest all i’ve been doing over the holidays is bust a ball for portfolio time…scary stuff. In between the ball busting and festive family fun time i had a little break to read ‘Oh comely keep your curiosity sacred’(Continuing to share the creative love) I only came across it while in a shop buying maps, and had a flick through and thought it looked new and different.

I was right this art magazine is very different from the ones i read late last year, those are full in your face pure art. Whereas oh comely is more crafts and illustration but is beautifully laid out with great random content. Such as their favourite light bulbs, a pen race over the pages & playing hide and seek in public places. With fan mail, music and recipes thrown in as well. Each piece just fits so well with one another, its very comforting. I love other art mags and find them inspiring but sometimes it makes me feel slightly intimidated, whereas this is just a comfortable relaxed easy read that has me inspired minus the intimidation. Its quirky and you can tell that those that work on the magazine are having fun from the content they produce, its light hearted..i dont know of any other magazines to write about their favourite light bulbs!! (Pure genius)

The layout of the magazine is very white, crisp and clean with lots of space. Nothing is fighting for attention on the page, even the brief double page of fashion is photographed beautiful minus the pouty model. I find it to be different and refreshing, quietly confident knowing of its place in the world. I would recommend this magazine to anyone who is even the slightest bit quirky or artistic, aimed at women but still worth a look for the photography and illustrations.

(All images and pages shown belong to oh comely magazine & those working in conjunction with them!)

These are some stills from one of my earliest projects this year...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:27:33 -0500

These are some stills from one of my earliest projects this year called ‘one minute’ i licked varying lengths of tape used to secure silk screens. So i’m not sure it was the healthiest option but it was fun. Varying lengths all accomplished in under the one minute time limit. This idea came about by me wanting to create a info graphics piece in reference to the one minute brief by seeing how many stamps i could lick in that time frame. However it was suggested that i use the silk screen tape as its free from college and lots of it. I did several lengths spanning the width of the class room to the length of my living room. I may put the video up at some point. I think in total i licked over 3 metre’s of tape!

Adverts+

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:44:29 -0500

So my friend recently requested another post about adverts that i like currently. I’ve been meaning to do another post about adverts and even had a list of ones i wanted to discuss all written down on a piece of paper. That however was a while ago and i have since lost the piece of paper and can’t remember all the adverts, so these three are more recent ones that i like.

Levi Jeans

I cant quite put my finger on why i exactly like this advert or why it works but it just does! I saw the advert in a cinema which is one of my favourite things to do, forget the film i’m about the adverts without the normal home distractions. I really like the use of what sounds like a sort of poem narrating the story of those that wear Levi Jeans. Its almost like a cheerleader on the sidelines encouraging the wearer on to do and be great. While being suggestive that those that wear the jeans are doing great things, the young, hip and cool. Those that have the potential to change the world slightly. I like the crisp clear imagery and the shots of the product, it has the whole package. I really like this advert!

John Lewis Christmas Advert 2012

As you can see i’ve included two John Lewis adverts, clearly John Lewis know who to hire to put together a brilliant advert for them. There adverts always seem to convey a love being timeless, in different scenarios. What length will the snowman go to get the one he loves the perfect gift? will you go to the same lengths? Surely the snowman wouldn’t go to all that effort of getting to John Lewis if the products weren’t made with consideration and love? I like how the music perfectly narratives the story and the look of the male snowman. The faces pulled by him were brilliant and heart warming making the audience truly invest in his cause through the trials and tribulations he faced along the way. I’m just a bit of a sucker for inanimate objects being given a personality and emotions!

John Lewis

This John Lewis advert has the same theme as love being timeless and thats all they are trying to convey is that their brand has been working to the same things that have always mattered and will continue to do so. I really like the comparison of the time differences, really nicely done. Not much more to say really, John Lewis just know how to make a good advert!

cavetocanvas: Lynda Benglis, Quartered Meteor, 1969, cast...

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:11:00 -0500

cavetocanvas:

Lynda Benglis, Quartered Meteor, 1969, cast 1975

From the Tate Gallery:

Quartered Meteor is a lead sculpture to be displayed in the corner of a gallery space. The work is a cast of a form originally made from piled layers of polyurethane foam. Benglis first made foam sculptures as works in themselves; these were by necessity temporary and ephemeral. Casting the foam works in bronze not only ensured their longevity as artworks; it was a deliberate attempt to subvert and make uncanny the material presence of the objects. In this work the static, heavy nature of the lead is at odds with the foam’s amorphous shape, recalling the appearance of cooled lava.

Benglis is one of the key figures of American Post-Minimal art of the 1960s and 1970s. She is arguably best known for brightly coloured poured latex works. However the metal sculptures of which Quartered Meteor is a seminal example represent an important part of her early practice. Like many other artists of her generation, Benglis often worked from the principle that form should be derived from the inherent qualities of her chosen materials. Transformed from foamy globs into solid masses of metal, these works signal the artist’s sophisticated understanding of the differing nature of materials.

I normally don’t reblog, but i saw this piece at the Tate a while ago and it was really cool. Was desperate to touch it, feel the texture and whether it was cold as from looking at it i presume it would be cold to touch. Although not overly attractive its still an interesting piece and catches your eye which is partly what art is about i think.

At college we have a policy of sharing the love, so when someone...

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:04:57 -0500

At college we have a policy of sharing the love, so when someone finds a new blog or art magazine we have to share it with the rest of the class. So when we had to do a presentation on an art magazine article we all rushed out to buy several. These are the ones i picked up & although expensive as a whole they are so worth it. The content and just visual imagery is inspiring. At some point i may blog about some of my favourite pages and articles. But i thought i’d share some of the magazines for you to take a look at! Enjoy!!

Here are some more examples of my most recent life drawing. I...

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:50:19 -0500

Here are some more examples of my most recent life drawing. I still suck at it but prefer it when we can created more abstract pieces, i don’t think i’ll ever be overly amazing at the more precise drawings. The top two images were drawn wither alternative materials. The portrait was created by getting hair and dipping it in paint, then using it to draw. Whereas the more abstract image was created with food & toothpaste spread using my fingers, creating tone. The other images are trying to capture movement quickly so mine ended up as stick men!!

Been working on a college project called ‘Museum of the...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:45:23 -0500

Been working on a college project called ‘Museum of the ordinary’ for the last couple of weeks ( Its my excuse for not posting in a while) The link takes you to last years foundation work for the project. Here are some photographs of my outcome a series of three Magic Tree air fresheners, with alternative smells and locations. The actual project was based around being given a location near the college to go and observe, to act as the starting point for this project. After wasting many weeks on what turned out to be a doomed task on an activity book for my area i decided to make the air fresheners as lots of cars in the area had the air fresheners in. These were then placed in the original location given to me and then just random locations, it soon became less about the smell on the trees but more about the funny placements. This was due to the fact that i couldn’t get a good image of the area with the tree without the text being unclear. So the smells became kind of unnecessary. Luckily because i am such a shortie Reese in my class came out to help me place the trees for which i am grateful for. The Magic Tree is probably the most recognisable air freshener and it was a simple idea that was fun. I still have to decide on my favourite pictures and how they will be displayed, but i thought i’d share some pictures with you.

Tromso Lights by Toby Loc, he created several of the music...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:06:48 -0500

Tromso Lights by Toby Loc, he created several of the music videos for Rizzle Kicks and now this. Thought’d i’d share it because its really beautiful, and its all about sharing the love of others work that i enjoy. So go and check his other work out!!

This is a really late post from when i went to the rain room by...

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This is a really late post from when i went to the rain room by Radom international on the 1st Nov. It was a 3hr queue to get into the rain room, once inside the room was blacked out with one really bright light at the end of the room. This highlighted the rain falling, the rain worked by stepping onto a gridded surface, that had directly above it a platform that the rain fell from. This had attached to the sides 3D cameras that picked up the persons shape and turned off the rain around them. So you never got wet, you had to move around slowly otherwise the cameras didn’t pick you up quick enough to turn off the rain. The sound of the rain was really nice and the room was visually stunning. Although a simple concept it was different to normal rain due to the controlling element.

Some good adverts

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:21:46 -0500

During half term i had some time to have a bit of a social life and watch some tv and went to the cinema. These were just a few of my favourite adverts that i thought i would share, with those equally as sad as me. I love good adverts, mini narratives executed well are my kind of thing. When i was little i used to just flick through watching the adverts, they were far more interesting than the actual programmes!!

Prius Plural

I love the look of the Prius advert and the catchy song! Its great, really funny as well with its examples of plurals which i have been applying to my own life when writing about plurals. I like the link between the Prius and the plurals although i find it a mouthful to say, its great that they’ve opened it up to facebook so find out what the plural of a Prius is. Great use of social media to get people talking!

Ronald McDonald- Hospital can be a scary place

This is not something i would of expected from the Ronald McDonald company. Its a really sweet advert, its so successful that when i watch the advert its sometimes makes me want to cry! (Only sometimes though so dont judge me!) The use of the little cardboard child and seeing a hospital through their eyes is simple and puts the audience in that position. Great use of colour and music too!

O2 Priority sports

Normally the O2 adverts really annoying, the man that does the voice over for it really grates on me. The tone that is set is normally really dull and i flick over whenever it is on. So i was surprised that i enjoyed this advert but i really liked it. The use of blue circles in reference to the ‘o’ and their colour scheme was good it reminded me of a brief we were doing at college before half term called copy (Due to all the different circles). The snappy images too and the music really built up in the background, this is something were not use to with o2 adverts. It was relevant when the olympics was on and is still relevant to British sport, its different from other adverts out at the moment also which is good.

showslow: RainRoom by rAndom International RainRoom offers an...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 08:54:56 -0500

showslow:

RainRoom by rAndom International

RainRoom offers an environment of perpetual rainfall that responds to the presence of its visitors. As soon as you approach the installation, a cocoon of dryness is created around you. This leaves you able to wander freely through different areas of the space, surrounded by falling water, and yet to remain completely dry. RainRoom allows the freedom to experience this unique environment; to be untouched by the rain falling all around you.

I went and did this with my friend a couple of days ago, it was awesome. Will post about it at a later date.

Someday all the adults will die

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This is an exhibit that i visited today at the Hayward Gallery ( The same place that the Art of Change is on), its a punk graphics exhibit. Unfortunately we were told not to take photographs (Although others were so dont know whats up with that). The exhibit is a great reminder of what came because before computer graphics with photoshop and the like. All the work was simple hand rendered material, the sort of thing you do with a photocopier. Definitely my sort of work!, it was simple which is what i liked and of course being punk graphics it was full of humour although i dont think at the time it was intentional. There were some really cool classic punk style type faces (i.e. They looked angry and as if they were slashed the classic cut out many fonts from magazines and stenciled) I loved the hand done quality of them and the rough edges to it all very cut and paste BRILLIANT! Even if your not into punk or not into graphics i recommend you go and take a look just for some of the humour and a walk down memory lane. The exhibit is free to get into and is only small, so something to do on a lunch break!!

Art of Change, new directions from China (This my second...

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:28:00 -0400

Art of Change, new directions from China

(This my second attempt at this post, i did one on the day that i went and it was awesome. When tumblr was trying to load it however it got rid of all my writing!! So this may be briefer and will only discuss my favourite pieces)

I was advised to go and visit this exhibition by my tutor at college, and since it has been half term i thought that i might as well. Its a really good exhibition filled with a variety of work, its fun.

I went with my dad and upon entering the exhibit we were faced by two people dressed in blue and white striped pjs, standing still and silent. We thought little of it, only to realise after that one of the people in striped pjs was following my dad. For the whole exhibit this lady in pjs acted like my dads shadow to the point where he would run round me and she would follow. Never being fully in his eye line, always to the side copying him step for step. She never spoke to us although we did try to tempt her she was just there, at first it was slightly off putting as i couldn’t concentrate on the art but it was funny in the end. We were never given a reason for her presence, when we exited the exhibit she returned to the front of it. I called her his shadow as thats how i saw her, although thinking about it i think it could of been a statement about living in a communist society. Always being watched like a shadow, being controlled etc. Of course i could be talking out my arse but thats my thought on it.

Something i didn’t get a picture of and i dont know who the artist was but in one room were shelves. Just ordinary shelves but one of them had a man’s head poking through, you could see his body underneath. He was wearing a suit and was yawning at the time and on the back shelf was a lady in a sleeping bag having a nap. Bonkers totally bonkers but thats why i liked it, completely random and visually amazing. I should of photographed it.

Liang Shaoji created the silkworm art, i really liked how delicate the pieces were. Some were so fine i was so tempted to reach out and touch them! (Don’t worry i didn’t) These are just a few of the silkworm pieces, they are my favourite. I like the mix of the industrial chains with the delicateness of the silk, it was a good contrast. It would of been interesting to see the worms on the chains, to see how it was done. The silk was almost completely transparent in places, i would of liked to shine some lights through maybe. Although that could look too harsh and take away the delicate nature of the piece. The silkworm symbolises generosity and its thread is a symbol of human life and history. I think i can see the connection with this and the piece. The little silkworm beds are very cute though, and slightly comical to me. They made me laugh and i once again just liked how they formed a structure while looking so delicate that they may break.

Gu Dexin created the room filled with pictures of squished meat, i loved that these images filled a room. Just being in there i was certain that i could smell raw meat, visually it was really impressive. The images are of him squeezing the meat between his thumb and finger until every drop of moisture was expelled leaving the remains dry. The images were put in gold frames as if they were really important which i found really funny. These remains were then put in boxes like archaeological treasures, i like that this was a physical act and without meaning. Gu believes that the audience should bring their own meaning to the work, i dont believe the work has a particular meaning. It could be a representation of how as humans we bleed dry all living things for our own pleasure. Or it could just be the fact that he liked the physical act of doing this every day, either of these are good enough reasons for me.

You can by the book on the exhibit which i may do for future artists reference, i recommend you go and get yourself a shadow and smell the meaty room!!