The Next Big Thing

The seven short films chosen by art and design collective Tomato from this years’ graduates show that in these dark economic times, filmmakers seem to be satisfying the public appetite for a little escapism.



Organised by Film Friends Forever, the selection of seven films contained elements of magic and surrealism, a mixture of quirkiness and poignancy.

Royal College of Art graduate Rafael Sommerhalder’s animation piece Wolves, set the tone for the evening - a tale of two lonely commuters on the tube becoming part of a lupine-esque mating ritual. The simplicity of the sparse black and white animation enhanced the humour as well as the painful awkwardness of the character’s interactions.

What followed was the sole exception to an otherwise animation dominated bill - London College of Communication’s Luke White's Tide is a dreamlike story of a father sending his son down a small tunnel, equipped with a camera to bring back footage from a place very different from the bleak, barren landscape they inhabit. Inter-spliced with 16-mm projections, its ominous, dramatic atosphere was reminiscent of sequences from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Helen Piercy of the National Film and Television School (NFTS) presented Goodbye Mr Pink, a mixture of live action and stop-motion animation in which two children, on discovering their pet rabbit has died, perform an amateur autopsy and imagine the afterlife in store for the eponymous Mr Pink. With elements of twee and the sinister combined, this film had a distinct Roald Dahl feel.

Another NFTS graduate, Li Marhaban’s film End of the Line is a stunningly crafted mixed media animation of a woman navigating a city, run down by hours of work and commuting. Beautifully evocative, End of the Line was tipped by Tomato as the pick of the bunch, followed by Seong Jun Lee of the RCA’s experimental animation Cityscape, which conjures up scenes of London through flowing layers of spidery line drawings.

The evening closed with two funnies. Yellow Belly Up, from Philip Bacon, also of the NFTS, depicted an assortment of people wearing animal suits jumping of a cliff, meticulously recorded by a bespectacled, bird-suited, jellybean-eating overseer. Comparisons can be drawn with the black humour implicit in the work of young animator David Firth, creator of Salad Fingers.

Lastly, David Lopez Retamero, again from the RCA, showed us Sam’s Hotdog’s . Hot-dog vendor Sam introduces us to his life, his girlfriends and his vicious pet bear. As well as sublime animation, the comic dialogue set thsi film apart from the other, less talky pieces and ensured it drew the biggest laughs and audience response of the night.


The animation and cinematography of the films is uniformly beautiful and highly impressive, but what is interesting is the total absence of grit or realism. While, as a society we are in need of a good cheering up, the occasional change of tone wouldn’t have gone amiss to avoid the tone becoming mono. None the less, independently, each piece is impressive and the creators are definitely ones to watch.

www.tomato.co.uk
www.filmfriendsforever.com

Stories of the Eye competition

By Millie Findlay

Vice and Olympus have teamed up for a new photography project, where four ladies in the limelight use a camera to showcase hidden talents and create an interactive blog, allowing us a rare glimpse into their worlds.

Lovefoxxx's toes, Daisy's ginger boy with money, Alice and boy, Miquita's pool table shot. (Click any image to enlarge it)

In 1959, Olympus changed the face of photography with one simple idea: create a camera as easy to use and carry as a pen. Designed by renowned style guru Yoshihisa Maitani, the original Olympus Pen sold over 17 million units to become one of the most popular and trusted camera series ever. Now some of the UK's leading young women have been invited to take part in the relaunch, by choosing a theme for their own photographic blog which they'll then populate with pics taken on the new Olympus Pen.

Lovefoxxx, while renowned as the lead singer of CSS, the former illustrator and fashion assistant uses her natural creativity as she travels the world with her band. Model Daisy Lowe uses 'eye style' to take us behind the scenes of her fashionable world. Alice Dellal indulges her passion for photography, the model with the copy-cat inciting style offers us a glimpse into her life beyond the catwalk. London-based TV presenter Miquita Oliver uses 'eyeLondon" as a vehicle to take us on an insider's tour of her hometown.

Each will upload the photographs they snap on their Olympus Pens over the course of six weeks, giving us a privileged peek inside their worlds.

Mean while the public, you, us, anyone with a trigger finger, can browse through their photographs, and if they feel inspired, upload their own original snaps.

Lovefoxx, Daisy, Alice and Miquita will each judge the images uploaded within their own section, and picks their choice of images to be displayed on the website. At the end of the project each girl will chose one contributor to be displayed alongside the four celebrities in the Stories of the Eye exhibition. All the winners will also receive an Olympus E-P1, worth £699!

The exhibition will open with a typical VICE party bang, attended by industry insiders, press and special guests. Date and venue tbc.

See the story so far at www.viceland.com/storiesof theeye

Beyond the Valley: In The Blackout

By Charley Barker

Creative collective Beyond The Valley’s recent adventure into short film for their AW09 womenswear collection follows the unlikely love story between a Victorian Dress and a Mechanic Overall.

In the Blackout tracks the bizarre progression in the relationship between the two items of clothing, light-heartedly representing the loss of class division. The motto of the film is that love is complicated, yet possible. A metaphorical look emerges - how the label progresses design graduates to generate products suitable for large-scale and international distribution.

The concept of the director Ian Bonhôte and Fernando Del Reginato who worked with puppeteers to create a dance between the two characters, then painstakingly airbrushed them out, screen by screen." Says one third of Beyond The Valley, Kate Harwood. "The Victorian dress was something we created especially for the film - we had to create an interesting and workable shape.”

Co-owners Jo Jackson, Kate Harwood and Kristjana S. Williams graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2003, and have worked hard under the moniker of Beyond The Valley to support and promote emerging new talent across the multi-disciplinary industry of fashion, art and design.

The treasure trove store houses a diverse range of original fashion, books, jewellery, illustration, furniture, wallpaper, design products and accessories. Ceramic Biscuit Boxes by Robert Archard, sit alongside Marissa’s gold rubber brogues and a hamburger bag, for the more obscure fashion addicts, by Hannah Havana. Beyond the Valley provides a space for designers to peddle eccentric, individual and quirky products – with no limitations.

The Beyond the Valley AW09 collection is based on the Victorian dress which featured in The Blackout. “The dress was one of our print show pieces for the season, and for that we had free reign." explains Kate, "It was a really interesting creative process; I worked as a costume designer before I set up BTV so it was nice to be back on set. To base a collection on a film character just came naturally. I design the clothes and Kristjana designs all the print work.”

www.beyondthevalley.com

Solenne Morigeaud

By Millie Ross

This Parisian surface designer made the leap from the high end fashion houses of Paris to study textile futures at Central Saint Martins. Now, while setting up a business in France, Solenne is expanding her repertoire of surfaces from etched mirrors to a fascinating collaboration with a scientist.

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How would you compare studying in Paris to your time studying at Central Saint Martins?
In both places, the studies themselves were very creative. But in England there is a group spirit. People share their ideas, and are less individualist than in Paris. Also in Central Saint Martins, we are pushed to go far beyond our capabilities, and to challenge ourselves.They also prepare students much more to the business world than in France, by introducing them to former students and share experiences.

Are there any designers or art styles that have influenced your work?
I admire the artist Peter Callesen for his beautifully handmade paper work, Tokujin Yoshoka for the spiritual aspect of his work, Shinwei Rhoda Yen for the sad poetry of her dying table “Mushroom ate my furniture”, “ Limited funghi” by Katharina Mischer, “The tree trunk bench” by Jurgen Bey… I like the idea of playing with the life cycle of our objects and materials, questioning their durability and giving them a new life through a poetic process. I am also very inspired by decorative artistic movements, such as Art Nouveau.

What made you take the transition from the Parisian fashion world to the craft world of London?
First, the challenge: What could be more inspiring for a designer to try an experience abroad? Then the specialization: Although I studied both fashion and textile in France, I found myself solely working in the fashion industry. So the diversity that a textile designer should have was very restricted. I wanted to extend my skills, because I strongly believe in being multidisciplinary.

You've worked for some high end fashion houses including Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix what were your roles there and how did you obtain these jobs?
I was a textile embroiderer. I was working directly on the garments that were shown on the Haute-Couture catwalk. An amazing experience that taught me many skills and develop a very good eye!

The textile world in Paris is quite small. If you are studying textile and do some work placements, you start to create your own network. This network creates opportunities. Experience and a good portfolio are what every company is looking for when you come to present your work. I just tried my chance, and it worked!

How do your etchings and cuts reflect your fashion and accessory design background? Does this background impact the techniques you employ or the overall style?
I think I have indeed an embroiderer way of working in design. For my project “Smoke and Mirrors”, I was looking at the material “mirror” exactly like a piece of fabric. How would I dress it up? How would I ornament it? Also, a fashion designer has to check how his garment fits, how the cut is. He needs to have an overall view of his creation to see whether there is a detail that works or not. A leftover from my fashion experience… I definitely cannot deny (and do not want to) my fashion background.

You're a textiles designer that works with mirror and glass- does this place you in textiles field or interiors?
I am a surface designer, which means that I am working with every type of material, depending on the commission. For my last project, I was working with glass and mirror, and my aim was to work for interior design. But does that mean I am an interior designer? I do not think so. I could also have created jewellery from my samples. The textile area has a much wider range than working only with fabrics. It is applicable to any kind of material you can imagine, that is what makes it so inspiring!

Where did the inspiration for the Smoke and Mirrors project come from? And what process did you go through to create one of these mirror or glass designs?
The inspiration comes from old divination: Ink stains, clouds, shadows and smoke trails – coincidental patterns that create an unforeseen imagery. My aim when I was sampling was to create a magical and unexpected effect. I did hundreds of samples before finding the desired result!

What are you working on at the moment?
I am setting up my own company in France. So a lot of administration! Meanwhile I am working on a project called “Nobelini”. It is a contest in which a designer and a scientist are paired to work together on the creation of a new product. I am working with Marta Archanco, a scientist specialised in endocrinology. She studied two appetite-related hormones called leptin and adiponectin and its relation with reproduction, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London working to identify the complex interactions by which a hormone called thyroid hormone takes part in our body during growth and development. More details here and here

What would be your ideal job/ collaboration?
Sourcing old unwanted objects of the every day to give them a new life! I want to give objects longevity by creating an emotional attachment between our possessions and us.

Do you have any other projects or exhibitions coming up?
I will be exhibiting at the London Design Festival. At Tent, with the collective “Is this textiles?” and Mint shop.

More details of Solenne's shows on her website

See more of Solenne's work here

Memory Evaporate

By Holly Willats

ottaContemporary has once again transformed the interior spaces of The Trafalgar Hotel with works by four young artists who, through use of found imagery, photography and analog film works, create surreal installations, exploring the moment of hesitation between the real and the fictional.

Sophie Turner, Feather Anchoring 2009, Sam Austen, All that is alive merely evaporates, 2009, Katherine Whittle-Williams, Flock, 2009, Richard Rawles, Beating Around The Bush 2008. (Click any image to enlarge it)

Whittle–Williams both reflects and confronts the limitations of photography as a medium. By reconfiguring and appropriating found imagery, she manipulates images into a reflective series that hopes to stimulate an awareness of time and space as a continuous entity beyond the work; reality is under question.

Meanwhile in the basement, Rawles explores an enchanted and twisted fairytale world of the lost or forgotten, the neglected or rejected and preconceptions and prejudices. His photographic series encompasses the space in enigmatic light, asking the viewer to look at the shadows that are left untouched. A response to urban landscapes that allow nature and beauty to rule and prevail, Rawles creates this fairytale world in order to question the validity and authority of these wisdoms of nature. By creating interplay between light and dark, Rawles emphasises a paradox that exists within the essence of nature.

Thirdly Austen, whose influences of early vaudeville cinema, surrealist films and analogue science fiction film, culminates in work that explores the ephemeral nature and physicality of analog filmmaking. Austen looks at a layered film making process by exposing sections of images over one another. Through illuminating psychedelic imagery the viewer is invited to permeate the borderline between the real and the imagined landscape and even question the possibility of mutation.

Sophie Turner’s installation allows physicality to challenge representation by merging found imagery, taxidermy and research-based methodologies with history from the Trafalgar area. Turner’s work looks at the notion of the objects tangible memory and through linking traditional craft’s such as taxidermy and cross stitch embroidery to moments of time, she questions how one can attempt to anchor such untangible moments and memory.

A fair amount to digest, which is why this is an exhibition that needs to be seen. So get down to Trafalgar Square and rather than waste time deliberating over the Gormley plinth – see some work that will really get your imagination going.

The Trafalgar

2 Spring Gardens Trafalgar Square London SW1 2TS

10 August – 10 October 2009

Fanny Bostrom

By Esther Bradley

Our favourite Swedish-turned-New Yorker has us hooked on her treasure trove blog of fabulous found artwork. And while her enchanting fairytale inks and watercolours are hung and admired in the Swanfield Boutique, we get to know a bit more of this artist as she relaxes in her hometown.

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When did you move to New York? Was it hard to establish yourself there?
I moved to New York about five years ago. I was still modelling at the time but after about two years I jumped ship. It's always hard changing careers; it takes time and hard work and a big slice of luck.

How does the art scene in New York differ from Sweden?
I've mostly been exhibiting in America. I had my first solo in Sweden in May of this year. I loved showing in Sweden since that’s where I’m from. The art scene is pretty vibrant. I love Copenhagen as well; it feels like things are happening there.

How do you support yourself as an artist? Do you sell work or get many commissions?
Well this year has been kind of bumpy, with all the economic crisis going on everywhere. I think collectors are spending less money on emerging artists right now. Although last year was quite good for me, being a new artist and all.

Why did you decide to set up your blog?
I wanted to try it out, before it was more personal, but now it's morphed more into an art blog of people’s work I admire. It inspires me, it makes me search more.

How do you find and choose the artists featured on your blog? Is there something about them that draws them together?
No, it's just artists I like, that’s all, very simple.

Tell us about your work…what are your favourite pieces and where do you find inspiration?
Well, it differs from every show. My last solo show was in Sweden, where most of the inspiration came from old fairy tales, like H.C Andersen and The Brothers Grim. Also one of my favourite books is Master and Margarita by Michael Bulgakov-that was a big inspiration too. I used a lot of found old pictures for the show - I love searching through flea markets for unusual things.

My favourite pieces I’ve made always change but I usually have a special one from every body of work. From this recent one it was "I must be one of the devil's daughters"; that was the first painting I made for the show.

What are you doing at the moment? Are you working on anything in particular?
Right now I’m at my mums place by the seaside outside of Gothenburg. I’m reading, swimming and walking in the woods, fishing for mackerel and picking mushrooms, pondering what to do next.

Peruse Fanny's blog on jotta and see more of her work here

Together, At The Junction Live Performances

By Esther Bradley

Check out video footage of live performances by a r a r sound experiments, featuring jotta member Vasco Alvo, and What They Could do, They Did, who’s ritualistic performance Chaplin Vs. Keaton, acknowledges Charlie Chaplin’s first performance in Elephant and Castle area.