London-born ‘cultural entrepreneur’ Philip Levine is ‘heading’ towards iconic status in fashion and art circles. The founder of creative agency Two Penny Blue and co-founder of the Lazy Gramophone, a couture arts and design label that supports emerging talent, spends part of his life as a walking work of art. Since 2006 he’s been using his head as a canvas; last month he appeared as a living exhibit at the Victoria & Albert museum’s Hintze Sculpture Gallery.
Philip, a member of the Observer Future 500 2011 (supported by Courvoisier), is inspiring both the folically-challenged and the artistic community with his sublime scalp.
“I never thought using my head as a canvas for creativity would be such an invigorating part of my life. It has taken me on such a unique journey.”
Philip’s 1000- Swarovski crystal headpiece (created with more than a little help from friend and colleague, the professional body artist, Kat Sinclair).
If you’ve missed the posters of Philip’s different head designs, dotted around the capital (with thanks to long-term supporter Art Below) or the digital projection at Liverpool Street tube station, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Gillette-sponsored artist’s first solo exhibition is about to start at the NL, Dutch Cultural space in London’s Fitzrovia. Launching on Wednesday 4th May from 6pm, and showing ‘til 9th May, noon- 6pm daily. For further information or guest list requests email: askphil@philsays.com
We hope to see you there.
Philip says, “Walking around London town and traveling are the best inspirations for (his) art.”
Philip continues to support CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a charitable initiative that raises awareness of depression among young men. A bespoke poster image supporting the cause is on display at Gloucester Road tube station.
Images provided by Philip Levine. Photographer Daniel Regan.
BOUND, the exhibition at All Visual Arts’ new space in Kings Cross is the brooding exhibition featuring new and significant works by Alice Anderson (‘Fort-Da’) and Kate MccGuire (‘Corvid’). Walking into the space is akin to finding yourself in an Edward Gorey drawing or lost in the tunnels of Gormenghast. On the floor is a writhing, endless feathered knot, and standing parallel is a towering cotton reel, the taut thread around it being a rope of auburn hair.
Those familiar with Kate MccGuire’s work will be familiar with seeing her serpentine works, safely encased in museum cabinets, or at the very least in a smaller size. Here her work is a free, crow-black loop of rippling anaconda – something both fascinating and repellent, without beginning or end. It does not take much to imagine this sinister form hunting the streets at night. The obsessive nature of this work also has links with Anderson’s study of childhood anxiety. In this work McGuire used crow feathers, (she also uses pigeon and magpie feathers sent by gamekeepers and farmers), to create this work- the crow itself being strongly associated with a knowing sense of foreboding, a harbinger of bad news.
Fort- Da is equally compelling. You cannot tell if the auburn hair twisted round the 3 metre cotton reel is ravelling or unravelling. The work references a game invented by Sigmund Freud’s one-year old grandson who would repeatedly throw and retrieve a reel on a string from his cot. Freud believed the child to be stating “Fort” and “Da” – gone and there - which Freud believed to be a coping mechanism to deal with the absence of his mother. Anderson used this, and her own childhood compulsion of winding hair – her own way of dealing with maternal absence, in this work, the bobbin representing her attachment. The colossal dimension of the work makes this anxiety all encompassing.
It is not a comfortable exhibition, it is not meant to be and certainly should not be missed.
BOUND is open Tuesday- Sunday 10-6pm
1-30 April 2011
All Visual Arts (AVA)
2 Omega Place, London N1 9DR
The Green House is a breath of clean, fresh air for Bournemouth’s hotel scene. They claim to be the greenest hotel in the UK and one could well believe it. The Green House’s emphasis on sustainability and all things eco-friendly whilst remaining impeccably stylish is an impressive feat.
The Greenhouse Hotel – eco-conscious Chic
Fabulous wooden floors from sustainable sources; carpets from 100% sheep’s wool from up the road in Salisbury; beautifully reclaimed Victorian roll top baths; filtered water not bottled; intelligent lighting; Liberty & Green toiletries; solar panels and a CHP unit meaning they produce extra electricity and sell it back to the grid – the list goes on with an attention to detail that could only come from the dedication of a true eco-enthusiast.
The great worry of course, when there is so much focus on all of this is whether or not it’s actually much cop as a hotel. It is. The beds are eminently comfortable (made in the UK by Hypnos with all natural materials since you ask) and the rooms are beautifully decorated with wallpaper by St Martin’s design students alongside eco-paint from Farrow & Ball.
Conscious comforts in The Greenhouse Hotel bedrooms
And the food is fantastic. There’s a new chef called Gordon on the block. Gordon Jones, previously with The Royal Crescent in Bath, is running the kitchen at the hotel’s restaurant and is producing some seriously good cooking. Alongside the A la Carte Menu, he offers a six course tasting menu which draws on a wide range of local, seasonal and organic ingredients of the very highest quality. On our visit Jones and his small team delivered a powerful range of flavours, combining classical techniques with flair and ambition. The tasting menu kicked off with a delicate Jerusalem Artichoke veloute that had some chorizo (yes, from the UK) chunks to give it some extra punch. It was a brilliant start to the meal, light but full of flavour. Pigeon eggs were new to me; scrambled into an emulsion and served with an outrageously good black pudding. A perfectly cooked piece of salmon judiciously left to shine with simple spring flavours was outstanding, as was an excellent citrus tart with feather light pastry to finish. This restaurant creates excellent dishes and if there’s any justice it will be full every night. For the faint hearted, there are plenty more conventional choices on the menu, either way it is highly recommended. And keep an eye out for Gordon the kitchen hotshot, part deux.
Delicious delights from Gordon Jones
With summer just around the corner, The Green House is in a perfect location for a weekend by the sea; just a 2-minute stroll from the cliff walk down to the beach. Take a picnic and hire one of the beach huts for the day to enjoy ‘the English Riviera’ in all its sunburnt glory. It’s well placed for conference goers too and no doubt an infinitely more enjoyable experience than many of the tired hostelries in the area. For a boutique beach break with a conscience, The Green House is hard to beat – it’s a little slice of guilt-free luxury.
The glittering, emerald and sea green dress worn by Ellen Terry, the Victorian actress known as the “Queen of Theatre”, has been restored after a mammoth 1300-hour process.
Decorated with over one thousand green iridescent beetle wings, the shimmering dress was worn by Ellen Terry for the role of Lady Macbeth at the Lyceum Theatre in 1888. It was an iconic piece for its time and has strong associations with the actress who was painted by John Singer Sergeant (“Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth”, 1889, Tate Gallery) wearing the dress. (Note the former inhabitants purportedly shed their wings naturally!)
The dress can be seen at the National Trust’s Smallhythe Place, Tenterden, Kent- the former home of the actress. For opening times and further information, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ or telephone 01580 762334
Corrado Sassi’s work, exhibited at “Fast and Steady” the recent show of Marcelle Joseph Projects, held in conjunction with Charlotte Artus Art, experiments with the interference between the viewer and the subject of the image.
Sassi, based in Rome, took the images in Manhattan and upstate New York on a 35 mm camera. His practice is to employ a “fast and steady” mode of photography, taking “snaps” without the use of a view finder and holding the camera at chest level. From this method Sassi’s work has a narrative quality- you are positioned as a voyeur witnessing a slice of an unfolding tale. This is heightened by the bifurcation of a number of these images such as “Grill” which gives a sense of catching glimpses from a car or train.
Corrado experiments by fragmenting his photographs in a number of ways, both splitting works horizontally and, at its most subtle, in the series entitled “Voile” where images are printed on aluminium in the background, layered with a print on a transparent voile fabric in the foreground, and contained within an artist-made wooden box. The complete gauzy images are hard to read, and it is difficult to ascertain if the work is complete or a fading ghostly after image.
There is something both filmic and fairytale in Sassi’s work. The controlled use of red seen in the monochrome setting of “Fiocco”, where a single red bow hangs above the empty, snowy road, or the girls’ red coats in “Family” recall Little Red Riding Hood. The careful consideration that Sassi has given to the palette is seen also in John Constable’s paintings such as the flash of red skirt in “Helmingham Dell” and also the sinister red in Nicholas Roeg’s film “Don’t Look Now.” Sassi makes us feel that we have chanced upon these images, and, by the same token, Sassi makes all the decisions as to what we are allowed to see.
For more information contact:
Marcelle Joseph Projects -http://www.marcellejoseph.com/
Corrado Sassi’s work will be next exhibited at:
WHEN IN ROME: THIRTY WORKS OF ART BETWEEN NOW AND THEN APRIL 20-MAY 21, 2011, Isituto Italiano Di Cultura, Hammer Museum, and LAXART, Los Angeles, CA
April 20–May 21 2011
The UK charity Bottletop and clothing brand Fenchurch continue their captivatingly clever and creative collaboration with the launch of The Bottletop Band’s album, ‘Dream Service’. The star-studded collective behind the exceptional and eclectic sounds, includes: Eliza Doolittle, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Sam Sparro, Reverend and The Makers.
Following on from the hugely successful ‘Sound Affects’ album series, ’Dream Service’ is aimed at raising funds and awareness for the charity’s work. As well as designing and producing ethical and eco-friendly fashion products, (see our post featuring ‘The Clever Clutch to Cling to’ here), loved by the likes of Kate Moss and Paris Hilton and generating employment in Salvador and Brazil, Bottletop also supports grass roots education projects in Brazil, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and the UK. Cameron Saul, the son of the Mulberry founder, and friend Oliver Wayman are the brains behind Bottletop, a charity aimed at empowering young people to take control of their lives. What they do is very clever and inspirational; creating highly desirable products, structuring sustainable business models and transforming young lives.
A single from the new album is available for free download – ‘Fall of Rome’ – a collaboration featuring Carl Barât (Libertines), Andy Nicholson (ex-Arctic Monkeys) and Drew McConnell (Babyshambles). Download it here: http://www.bottletopband.com/
The Bottletop Band will be performing live at various venues – keep checking the website for dates…..
Saida Bruce recently graduated from the London College of Fashion with an MA in Fashion and the Environment, but her knowledge and skill set is that of a couture doyenne. Her new collection, ‘Trace-in-Time’, encompasses “a design philosophy and process that mirrors and accentuates the attributes that people come to love about their clothing”. Each handmade garment is a wearable work of art, with every detail meticulously considered.
Saida with garments from her ‘Trace-in-Time’ collection at the MA exhibition at Victoria House Basement.
“My garments are designed to age gracefully and grow with the owner,” she says. “By inserting strategically positioned layers of printed fabrics in the weak areas of each garment, visual wear and tear forms part of communicating the wearers’ life experiences.”
Very delicate sheer fabrics were selected to showcase the specific design features of the weak areas, highlighted via the light boxes.
Saida has always rejected fast fashion with its transient value and inherent wastefulness. Her methodology reflects on the past, the present and the future, with one of her main objectives being ‘emotional durability’. “Having investigated the fashion life cycle holistically, I found a strong personal interest in the way we feel about the clothes we connect with and treasure. I think it is important for a designer to consider a garment’s life once it is in the user’s hands.”
Garments from Saida Bruce’s ‘Trace-in-Time’ collection.
Although the ‘Trace-in-Time’ collection is conceptual, Saida would like to develop the idea into a more commercial range of menswear, for those who ”wear their clothes to death!”
Last year, Saida spent a month immersed in the Sri Lankan garment industry, a major source of apparel for numerous well known UK high street retailers. As part of a collaborative project with The British Fashion Council and the London College of Fashion, Saida and fellow students undertook research to see what really goes on behind the scenes. She “witnessed positive changes in terms of sustainability, within manufacturing, from the factories themselves, to their corporate social responsibility which meant offering acceptable working conditions, welfare and adequate wage packages.”
One example of sustainable fashion flourishing in Sri Lanka and showing commercial success is that of the From Somewhere collaboration with Tesco. Using surplus fabrics from a Sri Lankan factory, the initiative has created a stylish, sustainable and easily affordable range of clothing.
Using materials that would otherwise end up in landfill is another trick of this young designer, who manages to take charity bag rejects and turn them into garments with the ‘wow’ factor. Whether it’s customising hemp and bamboo t-shirts to create cutting-edge streetwear or sewing delicate recycled silks to make glamorous evening dresses, Saida is gifted at tailoring creations for conscious fashion consumers. She has been commissioned to make one-off pieces but, I warn you, she now has a waiting list. (I’m proud to own a stunning bespoke Saida Bruce dress that makes an appearance 3 or 4 times a year for worthy events – I can assure you it’s worth the wait!)
Since 2008, Saida has coordinated the Sustainable Fashion area at the London Green Fair. As well as teaching youngsters dressmaking skills for life and running workshops on the likes of customizing and screen printing, she arranges the ethical fashion shows each year, with a host of sustainable labels.
The next London Green Fair takes place 4-5 June 2011 in Regents Park. Click here for more information.
