University Arts Funding

A massive issue at my university currently is funding for the arts.  The governments limitations on funding for arts and humanities funding will effect many universities, thousands of students and the industries as a whole.  I am currently studying MA Fashion and Lifestyle Promotion at UCLAN, extending my knowledge from my BA (Hons) Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism, for which I gained a first.  There has always been an issue with funding but according to my tutor the only reason the creative departments are managing is because we are part of a larger university that also teaches subjects the government will fund such as sciences.

What is strange about this is that fashion is an extremely profitable industry.  It is worth £21 billion in the UK alone and is our 15th largest industry according to Fashion United, similar in size to the food/beverage services and telecommunications industries and bigger than the wholesale and retail of automotives, sports activities, chemical manufacture and advertising/video sectors".  Why aren't we investing in fashion and other creative industries when they are great for our country not just in economical terms but because of the culture they add.

Fashion is innovative and the UK has some of the best fashion colleges and universities, whose graduates are driving its future.  So how can this continue with a lack of arts funding?  It has been acknowledged by many newspapers, such as The Guardian, that this will hit those from lower income families especially as solely arts based universities will need to rethink fees and supplementary costs.  So how will universities continue to be fair to all students?  And how will graduates get noticed when they leave?

Graduate Fashion Week was a great opportunity for me, I won the Lyle and Scott Strategic Marketing Award and got lots of opportunities to meet mentors as well as a fantastic win to put on my CV.  Whilst Graduate Fashion Week and portfolio websites claim to be fantastic there is still an issue with costs.  Universities are wondering if they can afford a stand/a catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week and graduates simply can't afford to join portfolio websites when there is such a slim chance anyone will see them.

Lyle and Scott Strategic Marketing Award 2009, Image from GFW Website

I have been considering creating a magazine as part of my MA to highlight the brilliant and conceptual work that can come from unknown creatives in the worlds of music, art, fashion, architecture and graphics.  Trends and industry articles would be supplemented by imagery created by new talent and additional elements would profile successful people within the industry and offer exhibitions etc that could further inspire.  I think it would be great for students and people within industry alike, giving them a chance to see what was already out there, inspiring them to make the most of themselves and their businesses. What do you think?

Cake Britain

So...there's an amazing exhibition coming up in Covent Garden.  Art and cake...2 of my favourite things.  I've wrote an article about it for Fused so no point really re-writing about it here.  Think Heston Blumenthal's fairytale feast and the Skoda advert but you can eat the end result.  Amazing.

Created in Birmingham

So I haven't blogged for what feels like a very long time.  Not only have I been poorly sick but I have been uninspired completely.  Until today.... Hooray!!

After unwillingly journeying into Birmingham in an attempt to get the lovely people at Apple to fix my phone (they didn't) I stumbled upon the shop Created in Birmingham.  Full of treaures and trinkets from hand printed note pads to jewellery to clothing to original photography...all created by local artists!!  Jewellery makers banged against artists manning stands whilst musicians chilled out on the sofas with their guitars.  I was grinning by the time I came out...full of the wonders of the shop and dying to take my friend Katie, who I know would have loved it.

I rushed home to Google the shop hoping they were online to pass on the info to others...only to find out that they are closing/moving and no, they do not sell online.

There was a small illustration print about heroes, a purple bangle made of surprisingly thin curving metal and a wooden clock that I had my eye set on.  This is when delaying a purchase comes back to bite you in the ass...and I dislike the Apple corporation even more.  After my scheduled time to meet with a Genius (who was not a genius clearly as he has no clue what is wrong with my phone and suggested I purchase a new refurbed one for £150) I had to leg it for my train home.  Now I feel terrible.  I want those things.  They would have been more beneficial than the Topshop bag I brought (though it's pretty nice, all grey and ruffled...it's this one but grey).

HOWEVER....more things like this should happen.  I urge you to find out more about them at the Created in Birmingham website...and cross your fingers they come back!!

Chris Ofili: I shit you not...

Chris Ofili's Nigerian inspired artwork is being exhibited at Tate Britain between 27 January and 16 May 2010.  Having seen some of his work at Tate Modern years ago I have always remembered the presence of elephant dung.  Glittery elephant dung in some cases.

The Tate website says it a bit better:
"Ofili has built an international reputation with his works that bridge the sacred and the profane, popular culture and beliefs. His exuberant paintings are renowned for their rich layering and inventive use of media, including balls of elephant dung that punctuate the canvas and support them at their base, as well as glitter, resin, map pins and magazine cut-outs."

And to be fair, it is pretty good.  If it wasn't I wouldn't remember seeing it 5 years ago would I?  The Tate however have taken it one step further, commisioning a London artist who goes by "INSA" to respond to Ofili's work.  Here's the result:

Yes shoes with platforms of elephant dung...so poo then.  I shit you not.  (Sorry I couldn't help myself!)  This is one eco-friendly material I didn't think I'd see within fashion.  See the full range of images at Ecotuerre.  Doubt I'll forget these in a hurry either.

Raphael Vincenzi: Come Home Little Soul

Fashion illustration seems to get a bit samey at times.  You see the same mixed media quite a lot, which seems to blur the line between illustrators.  Raphael Vincenzi at times reminds me of people I have mentioned previously mentioned, such as Nadia Flower and Darren Firth, with watercoloured looks and mixed media squared paper.  However, his latest Behance album, "Come Home Little Soul", makes Vincenzi stand out against the others.  There is a very artistic, delicate, considered use of media and typography.  Always beautiful, and at times moving, it's a lot more than typical fashion illustration.

Check out his website and full Behance portfolio.

Denise Boomkens: Escape to a cartoon world

In an effort to escape the gloom of winter I turned to photography and in doing so Denise Boomkens managed to make me smile.

I first encountered her 'Donald' work, where Donald Duck participates in a 1950's beach spread.  Based in Amsterdam Boomkens focuses entirely on fashion and beauty photography, all of which seems to have a comical aspect to it.  And by comical I don't mean humorous, although it is light hearted most of the time, I mean it uses/takes inspiration from cartoons/cartool style art.  Pop art for instance.

The bold, bright styling and use of colour and location couldn't fail to make me smile.  Until I looked out of the window at the blackness that has completely taken over.  She's had clients from many different magazines so clearly I'm not the only one she pleases.

L Filipe dos Santos: See. Saw

Portugease native L Filipe dos Santos (aka Corcoise), now based in Madrid, has captured my imagination...his sketches build on ink/paint spreads that every nursery gets children doing.  Drop the paint/ink on one side of the paper, fold it over and voila...a butterfly!

Or not.  His See. Saw portfolio shows another way of seeing things.  Look at the original splodges (for lack fo a better term) and what do you see?  Now look at what he sees....illustrated with the sketches he's built on top.  There's one in particular where I definitely see some form of monster/animal but no...there are some people.

Fascinating....see for yourself on his portfolio page.  I must say my favourites are the ones where the originals take up more of the page...where Corcoise builds on very little shapes and colour the sketches the amazement is not quite so great, though the resulting sketches are still wonderful.  What I love is the way he sees order in chaotic colours.

Nadia Flower: Fragile yet Striking

Nadia Flower's is, without doubt, an amazing illustrator. I discovered her a few years back whilst in my second year of university and keep coming back to her time and time again. I must admit to often being drawn to solely computerised illustration, possibly because that's the kind I do more than any other, however this makes me want to take out my pencil again.

The drawings are fluid, delicate, almost fragile...but there is something so striking about them. I think it's the way they are confident, strong in graphic style and absolutely wonderful in general.

See her portfolio at the Illustration website...where I first discovered her.

Missing: Culture. If found please post me a ticket to its location

I am feeling rather cornered of late.  I have lost all motivation to do anything.  In fact, you're lucky I'm writing anything at the moment.  I have, thankfully, discovered what I'm missing: culture.  I need the lights, the people, the sounds and the sights in particular that come with cultured society.

Where I live people say hello to everyone they pass.  This may sound lovely but this incessant need to greet strangers becomes rather annoying when I have escaped into my music and therefore look like an ignorant arse hole.  On a good day I can be found smiling as I hurry along to work, grinning at any randomer that passes me or even looks vaguely in my direction.  The woman from the flower shop often suffers this annoying person....this city girl masquerading as a villager.

The thing is I wouldn't say I'm entirely happy with the lack of galleries and intellectual conversation.  The Simpsons every evening with my sister, who is eleven, is not stimulating my mind.  The library is bored of seeing me.  I read more books than they can get their hands on (it's pretty small) and I get annoyed with their meager opening times...needless to say I have turned to friends and family to fuel my need for literature.  However, it usually turns out to be rather unfulfilling.  Girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, overcome obstacles and then get married.

High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby, is currently fueling my imagination...thank you to a kind friend...and is currently doing an alright job.  Laura, the ex in the story, has a beautiful name of course...this alone is a reason to love it.  It is not art though is it?

Rothko as seen in the Tate Modern

(...looking rather more purple than it should)

The first time I went to the Tate Modern I walked into their Mark Rothko room and was stunning.  The combination of his large scale paintings and lighting overcame me and I just sat and stared whilst my friend Katie mumbled "I don't like it, I don't like it."  When I went to London this February I was absolutely mortified to find their latest Mark Rothko exhibition had closed leaving me with the same work I had seen previously.  This is what I want.  Art, architecture, people, music, drama, poetry...to feel absolutely lost if I miss it but to vow wholeheartedly I won't miss it again.  I want culture that will overwhelm me, and Katie...that way we can discuss it after.  I want to laugh and cry and smile and ramble incessantly about how wonderful something is.

I don't want to be pompus and try to convince people I'm cool and know more than them.  Culture is just what I need.  That and maybe some flirtation...because who doesn't like attention?  Suggestions are most welcome...for culture that is, not flirtation.  This is not that kind of site.

Kazuki Takamatsu: Ghostly Graphics

Kazuki Takamatsu takes ghostly to a new level with these beautiful, elegant graphics.  Ethereal and enticing they remind me of ice sculptures, perfectly formed and enticing.  According to Today and Tomorrow they are painted with gouache but other sites from Popwhore to Trendhunter don't seem to understand how exactly they've been done.  Guess Takamatsu won't be sharing any time soon if it's got all these people talking...

Tree Life

As I have already mentioned I won an award at Graduate Fashion Week for my project Eden Village.  Revolving around sustainable tree houses the idea was that consumers could experience truely sustainable living to see how easy they could adapt.  From simply planting your own vegetables to designing an entirely sustainable house.

It was inspired by The Cool Hunter's Tree Life exhibit...and it's coming soon.  They first announced it in 2008 and have given 2010 as the kick off date...which, in case you haven't realised, is not too far away.  I'm still waiting for them to tell me which city will host Tree Life's launch but I have my fingers crossed for London.

"This event will showcase innovative and creative sustainable architecture, and illustrate that green can co-exist with urban city life." ...pretty much the essence of my entire project.  The biggest names in architecture, design and art will come together to showcase cutting edge eco-design.  Marvellous.

Minjae Lee: Cool Hunted

I'm tired so I won't bore you but I needed to give Minjae Lee some attention.  I was so pleased to see his work has made it's way to The Cool Hunter.  Bravo.  You can't not like it.  Sure wish I'd liked Art class more at school.  Some teachers ruin all the fun...ruin my chances at creativity why don't you?!

At 19 he's a genius.  There's something about his work that makes you look further.  One image shows a woman seemingly transformed and broken down, clouds revealed through her eyes and large, disgusting mouth...the McDonald's signs show who he's pointing the finger at...

I can't wait to see how his work will develop as his gets older.  After all, it's so dramatic already.

Wrap it up!

Moments after pressing publish on my last blog post I read an article on The Cool Hunter about their potential new venture with Mini Cooper...wraps to entirely cover your Mini.  So if I've made you feel out of date with a standard Mini rather than an electric version maybe this will interest you.  It won't make your car eco-friendly or save you money in petrol but it will completely revamp it.

Imagery from The Cool Hunter website demonstrating the possibilies from wrapping your car:

 
The Cool Hunter are also calling for designers/illustrators/art directors to submit potential designs to put towards their final 25.  Check out this article for more details.