Doppelganger: Images of the Human Being

This new book, which Cool Hunting recently featured, includes "bizarre, creepy and altogether stunning visions of digitally-influnced identity." Due to the nature of my MA topic I have been reading a lot about the influence of the digital on our personalities, intelligence etc. it is very interesting to see it represented in a visual way.  It is imagery like this that could inspire the digitally influenced fashion and lifestyle trends that are developing.

"Exploring what deeply concerns people emotionally and representing it pictorially is one of the most interesting things happening in art and visual culture today," explains editor Robert Klanten in the book's preface. From tangible, more conventional layers like costumes and masks to photo-technical renderings and artistic manipulations, this sizeable coffee-table tome reveals the innumerable permutations of human form that have emerged in this very short span of time. Perhaps the result of its translation from German, Doppelganger's preface can seem a little abstruse at times, which hardly seems to matter given that the rest of the book's evocative and unsettling images speak for themselves." (from Cool Hunting)

Not quite Twi-hard

Something terrible happened.  After moaning about the fact the Twilight films seemed to be lacking something my wonderful aunt forced the books into my hands: "You'll like them, I promise."  I didn't believe her and so they have sat in a bag in the room for months.  Literally.  Until now.

This week has been relaxation week.  After breaking up from work for the summer I've taken a week to unwind before starting my work placement at Fused Magazine.  Apparently I can't just do nothing and so my fingers itched their way to that bag and I began to read.  And there I found it...what's missing from the Twilight films: Bella's personality.

In the books she is quirky, cool, pretty, funny, clumsy, sarcastic and generally has bags of personality.  The Bella Swan that people know  and love (though I don't know why) from the films has none of this.  Ok, so Kristen Stewart is pretty, but as Bella she lacks that personality.  In fact, I don't think she cracks a smile at any point in the film.  I re-watched it last night fearing I was being harsh but still saw no smile.  Every other character though is spot on.  Well...except for the fact that the supposedly extremely beautiful Dr Cullen and Co. are not all that beautiful.  They're just creepy.  And at no point does their skin (Edward included) ever look like diamonds.

I have now become obsessed with finishing the books.  Stephanie Meyer's writing is fabulous.  I have devoured both Twilight and New Moon in record time, have started on Eclipse and brought Breaking Dawn today.  It cost me £15 as it is only currently available in hardback...and now I've just seen it half price online (follow my link).  I must be stupid.  How did this happen?!  When reading the books you can create your own imaginary world.  Everyone in my world is the same as in the films but Bella...but maybe it's pure jealousy the Kristen Stewart gets all close and personal with not only Robert Pattinson but Taylor Lautner too.  Lucky girl.


No matter my opinion, it looks like Twilight is here to stay.  Sorry to all those boys that just wish their girlfriends/wives/daughters would shut up about it!  Read the books, avoid the films.  Well, try at least, I have a feeling you'll struggle now Eclipse has been released at cinemas.

The Birthing House

I'm trying to lose myself in a book.  This way I can forget all the bad shit and focus on something good...this other world.  I totally made the wrong choice.  The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom was in the supernatural section at the library (it's one of my favourite areas...apologies if you now think less of me) and so I was hoping for something leisurely but interesting.  People are so excited about this book, or at least Ransom's publishers are, that it has a website.

Oh no.  Now I find out it's supposed to be scarier than The Shining.  What now?  Stop that.  Scary dolls, mystery virgin pregnancies and all sorts of strange goings on leave me sat here, typing this, with the book next to me taunting me to open it.  Well I can't Mr Ransom or I won't sleep.  Again.  It could be scarier I think but nevertheless I carry on reading in an attempt to reach a point where it's alright to stop reading.  I think I reach it then something happens.

Dear Lord.  I'll let you know when I finish how good exactly it is.  If I ever finish it.

Oooooh and another point related to "birthing" or birth at least....today my wonderfully brave cousin, who is a soldier in the Army, became a dad today.  Congratulations.

The Defrosting of Charlotte Small

I finished a book the other day.  I know, shock horror right?  It's not like it's breaking news...as I devour books like chocolate.  Though chocolate actually hurts my teeth lately, I'm pretty sure I'm grinding them in my sleep.  Anyway, I'll get back on track, I've just finished a book called "The Defrosting of Charlotte Small" by Annabel Giles.

The sleeve says it all: "After flattening a friend's dog, carelessly losing not one job but three, and waving her daughter off to spend Christmas overseas, Charlotte hits the wall...Consequently, having thrown the entire contents of her house on to the street, she's found by the police lying on her back under a Christmas tree with an empty bottle of Port and a half-eaten lump of Stilton."  Not a good Christmas really.  She goes on to claw her way back, to allow herself to feel more and get her life back in gear.  And she goes on a mission to find love.

With each chapter is a quote and some of them are wonderfully apt.  One of the things that made Charlotte understand herself a little more was writing down what she found fun.  She made a list.  So I'm making a list.

Things I like to do for fun:
...reading
...writing rambling blog posts that people probably never get to the end of
...rating things on a scale of one to ten
...exaggerating i.e. loving or hating not liking/disliking
...dancing when I'm drunk and/or in my bedroom where nobody can see me
...eating
...eating cake in particular
...singing badly to music
...going to the theatre
...going to gigs
...travelling (anywhere from Chester to Cape Coast)
...writing letters
...recieving letters
...trend (in all forms of design)
...sleeping (to sleep, perchance to dream)

After doing this she fixes her career, begins to love herself, mends broken bridges and lives happily ever after...I hope.  Here's to a fresh start.  In 4 days I'll be 22.  Old right?  Everyone has their own personal journey.  Mine won't involve googling love.  Sorry Charlotte Small but I doubt anyone can tell you what that truely is.  That's why the answer to "how do you know you're in love?" is always "you just know!"

Future in Progress....I'm in a book!

This year I graduated from UCLAN as the first set of fashion students to officially come from their "International Fashion Institute" (IFI).  They've made an amazing trend book called Future in Progress and I'm in it.  "Future in Progress features a series of directional and inspiring concepts, projects, ideas and opinion that we believe will influence our fashion future up to 2020."

I thought I'd treat you and took some pathetic iPhone pics for you...though just images don't do this justice.  The books actually really good.  Particularly because Elena Kate Gifford, the Creative Director of Future in Progress, is amazing with trend.  Genius.

Buy it at Amazon.  It's not just IFI people....it includes students and professionals from all over the UK in one big, collaborative, epic mashup.  With contributors including Terry Mansfield (Chairman of GFW), Neil Bennet, Chris Hamilton and amazing UCLAN student Alex Crozier.  It's pretty epic.

Future in Progress: front cover, my page, my section (awww bless...they're promoting me!), Alex Crozier and Chris Hamilton