old master . . . .

Anni Albers is respected for being a pioneer of twentieth-century modernism and a leading member of the Bauhaus movement.  She is well known to weavers for the way she reinvented the craft as an art form. However, it is not her weaving that I am interested in today, but her print designs from the 1970's.  These pieces look so contemporary they could have been produced yesterday, which goes to show that good design is timeless.

images from www.albersfoundation.org

one long day, one short film . . .

Heres a little something that was made one Sunday with Arron Fowler (Digital practitioner) and Richard Foot (Photographer) to be submitted to the Crafts Council England's Power of Making Exhibition. We set out to make a film in a single day, armed with our distinct and separate skill sets. We did not plan our day, but knew that we would explore the relationship between my loom and I. The completed film is the result of 11 hours continuous work from inception to completion.  Fingers crossed it makes it into the exhibition, watch this space . . . .

cut & paste . . . .

I recently bought 'cutting edges, contemporary collage' (possibly the most beautiful book).  There are many artists featured in the book but I have picked just one for now.  These images are all by Dani Sanchis and have got me reaching for a pair of scissors . . .

Images all from www.danisanchis.es

fifth floor . . . .

What is on the pin board above my desk? . . . . well the following images are.  

I first saw this series of photographs in an exhibition at the Brighton Photo Biennial 2010.  The series was shot by Stephen King of Lewis’s Department Store, an iconic Liverpool landmark that traded for over 150 years.  

"It housed three restaurants as well as a hair salon and was once a bustling hive of activity filled with staff and customers who recognised it as the epitome of leisure, style and shopping. It closed to the public in the 1980s. What remains is an evocative space complete with original period fixtures and fittings from the 50s, 60s and 1970s." 

The colours are simply fantastic . . .

images from http://www.lewissfifthfloor.com/

strange creatures . . . . .

I discovered Jessica Bajoros's work a couple of years ago whilst randomly searching the web for inspiration . . . .

 . . . . and I still love her surreal creatures.  Images from http://www.jessicabajoros.com/

it's all about photography . . . . .

For the last couple of weeks I have well and truly dipped my toe in to the world of photography (I guess it was inevitable given that I share a studio with my brother who is a photographer).  Though Im still unable to identify what all the models in his camera collection are I can at least pick out the SX70 now, so I've learnt something!

images by Martin Parr

Last week I had my introduction to the work of photographer Martin Parr.  Im extremely pleased that I tagged along to see him talk at the Lighthouse in Wolverhampton.  Not only was his presentation utterly engaging but I am now completely in awe of his work.

Photography Month at The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse

I've also been helping Footprint Photography (Richard Foot aka my brother) set up Photography Month at The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse.  Submissions of work came in from across the country and we had just shy of 100 pieces to hang altogether.  Now the work is up on the walls (in an old school Royal Academy style) visitors can vote for their favourite piece.  The 6 photographers with the most votes will then be judged by a panel of experts and the overall winner will be given a solo show in March 2012.  I've picked my favourite . . .

My Manic & I, by Ella Ruth Cowperthwaite

Check out Ella's website for more examples of her beautiful work. Of course there are many other lovely images to be seen and I even got a piece of my own work in as well . . .

Cones, by Helen Foot

Over the course of August their are many other photography related events happening at the Coffeehouse.  These include a series of talks by professional photographers and a photo treasure hunt, all great events to gear Shrewsbury up for the arrival of The Shrewsbury International Festival of Photography which will take place next year.  The Festival, which focuses on music photography, looks set to be a fabulous event with talks and exhibitions by some pretty famous movers and shakers in the field.  Check out the new facebook page for details: ShrewsburyInternationalPhotographyFestival.  Can't wait until next year now . . . .

Images from facebook and www.martinparr.com