Anna and The Witch's Bottle

By Millie Findlay

A unique fusion of narrative, image and music, Anna and The Witch’s Bottle is a fairytale turned on its head, with echoes of Alice in Wonderland meets Aubrey Beardsley.

(Click any image to enlarge it)

The inaugural project of creative boutique Black Maps Press, Anna and The Witches Bottle represents an attempt to experiment with how narrative is communicated and appeals to the imagination through a multi-sensory experience. Not only are there beautiful words and images to shape the story, there is also a wonderful minimalist soundtrack provided by Martin Roman Rebelski of Doves.

Written by author Geoff Cox, (who is currently working on Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, starring Marilyn Manson as Lewis Carroll and model Lily Cole as Alice), Anna and The Witch’s Bottle is a modern fairytale turned on its head, at once whimsical and childish, but with a dark underbelly.

The book is illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason, known for his collaborations in the fashion world, he recently created a pair of hand-inked gloves for Yoko Ono. His illustrations perfectly reflect the darkly idiosyncratic tone Geoff Cox’s narrative, filled with sad-faced dog waiters and a hut made of crabs.

Black Maps founder Stuart Suitor brought the three elements together to present an alternative to the standard children’s books currently on the market. "I was absolutely struck by the pedestrian nature of these modern children's books," says Stuart, who was reintroduced to children's literature whilst teaching English to children from ethnic backgrounds. "I found myself lamenting the strange, creepy, weird but entirely marvellous books I had read as a kid." This served as the catalyst to bring the three creative forces together in what would eventually become Anna and The Witch's Bottle.

"Whilst being music driven, Black Maps aims to expand the idea of a record label, including experimental film, private press literature, design commissions, textile works, events and beyond", affirms Stuart.

Anna and the Witch’s Bottle is to be released in a limited edition of only 300 copies this month, making it an immediate collectors item for fans of mellifluous beauty. This unique and magical book has all the makings of a future classic: this is children's literature like you have never seen/heard it before.

Anna and The Witch's Bottle Launches at The Pumphouse Gallery Summer Party in Battersea Park on 22nd of September 2009 with a special reading and preview event.

Copies of the book are available at the Black Maps website or at the following real-world portals: select Paul Smith stores, MySugarland, Howie and Belle, Merchant Archive, Galleri Kleerup, and Culturelabel.com, for the bargain price of £30. But hurry, only 300 copies are available!

South East in East

By Millie Findlay

Hold onto your hats, the south Londoners are coming! Artist collective Off Modern introduce South London’s finest to East London during not just one night – but a whole week’s worth of music, arts and literature.

Off Modern at Corsica Studios, Bradford Bahamas, Off Modern at Hannah Barry Gallery in Peckham, Casio Kids (Click any image to enlarge it)

This Friday sees the start of the seven day extravaganza, when by night music the likes of Hot Club de Paris, The Invisible and My Tiger My Timing, will run alongside theatre performances from New Cross collective Short Nights. By day workshops, films and a large group exhibition featuring Off Moderners Tom Harrad and Yuki Pattison, plus contributions from South London compadres including Deptford based gallery and party organisers Friendly Street Gallery, and fellow Peckhamites Lucky PDF, mad scientists and inventors Bradford Bahamas and Charlesworth, Lewandowski & Mann.

Off Modern was born in the depths of South East London, with the aim to provide a "lateral glance at art, music, aesthetics and culture", explains co-founder Tom Harrad. The collective have created a platform for young artists to show their work and get noticed, without having to bend to the will of larger galleries. Off Modern lies in the thick of the rapdily growing south London artistic community, with long-standing collaborations with the likes of Friendly Street Gallery and Hannah Barry Gallery.

Tom Harrad affirms that the community spirit down in South London has contributed to the success of Off Modern and other artist collectives: "Everyone knows that the best way to get things done is to work with each other, and to build a scene we can all be a part of."

After being approached by Vibe Bar earlier this year, the folks at Off Modern decided the timing was right for something big. The xOff Modern events at Corsica Studios have been popular since its first outing back in late 2008, however the opportunity at Vibe Bar presented a new challenge. "All our exhibitions have been focussed on South East London artists, lots of graduates from Camberwell and Goldsmiths, so we thought that we should take this into the heart of the London alternative arts scene in the east end."

However, Off Modern has no plans to emigrate east any time soon. "Peckham is a hotbed for untainted creativity. The East end is saturated and commercialised." Tom declares, "Cheap rent and free space always attract artists. The opportunities for people who don’t have loads of money (i.e. Us) are far greater down south." Off Modern certainly does not seem to need to seek success in the east, having lured art-lovers down to Elephant and Castle in ever-greater numbers.

Nor do they show any signs of slowing down, with plans for a record label, single release and permanent exhibition space in the pipeline, as well as the second issue of the Off Modern Zine and the next Corsica studios event in October! There must be something in the water in Peckham…

Want more info? SEiE website or jotta calender