Endless Stair - London Design Festival 2013

This years London Design Festivals Landmark project is "Endless Stair" in front of Tate Modern. 

Translating Eschers 2D drawing into a 3D structure of 15 interlocking staircases proved challenging for the team of architects, engineers and designers headed by Alex de Rijke. For more details watch this clip

 

In order to be able to easily transport the installation and to make it weather proof, tulipwood, rather than traditional soft wood was used.



I visited on a rainy day and the effect of the sheet of raindrops gave the impression that the stairs had been highly polished which further showed off and highlighted the beautiful wood blocking and detail! 

Jason Hackenworth: "Dance of the honey bees" balloon sculpture

New York artist, Jason Hackenworth, known for his organic and biological forms made from latex balloons, unveiled his latest sculptures last week at the Manchester "Dig the city festival 2013".

Suspended over Exchange Street, near Harvey Nicholls and Selfridges, I just love the bright colours, texture and shape of these beautiful "Honey bees!"

 

 

 

 

Didsbury Arts Festival 2013

Didsbury was blooming this week-end! It was the start of the 5th Didsbury Arts Festival. This community festival is growing each year with a week long programme of music, arts, crafts, theatre, comedy, exhibitions and workshops and much more. 

One of my favourite pieces; "Pencil shavings" shoe!
"Art over the counter"; installations created by local school children and displayed in shop windows in Didsbury Village and Burton Road.

Sylvia Glover ceramics. Gorgeous! I loved listening to the potter at her craft fayre stall enthusiastically talk about her glazes, tiny footholes on her delicate pieces and home made punch...another world!

"Remind me tunic" made of post-it notes and "recycled crisp packet dress" in the Barnardos charity shop!

"So Satsuma"are running workshops this week and selling their funky designs including bespoke matching dog coats and hats!

Inspiring! "The Loose change buskers" who helped to open the first day of the festival. The group travels to different events throughout the year busking and collecting money for Cancer research. To date they have raised about £80k! Didsbury village was so cheerful with the sound of live music!

I really enjoyed a "promenade production" of the ghost story "The Turn Of The Screw" at The Parsonage (Both inside and in the pretty gardens) It is one of the oldest buildings in Didsbury and a perfect backdrop. So much work had obviously gone into producing this lovely evening.

Local estate agent JP & Brimelow were one of the festivals sponsors. They produced special Didsbury bags and displayed Animal houses ,art over the counter in their window.

This lively festival takes place every year in June and is well worth supporting and enjoying!

    

 

Jubilee celebrations!

Another one for my collection; a Jubilee sweet tin

My favourite with a regal twist!

One of the corgis gets a fashion makeover in a shop window

Regal bunting dressing windows

 

A grand Jubilee entrance to the regal ladies loos at Victoria train station!

Plastic Seconds

At the Vintage festival recently I noticed a stall by "Plastic Seconds", selling fun and original jewellery recycled out of everyday objects. It reminded me of my attempts to make a necklace out of litter (See posting "Rubbish necklace at Design Festival!") It proves that everything can be given a second lease of life and beautiful objects don't need to cost the earth! Plastic Seconds clever use of simple pen tops, sushi sauce bottles, yoghurt pot bottoms...in fact all sorts, have resulted in unique and some quite avant garde pieces! Lush!  

Find out more: http://www.plasticseconds.blogspot.com or  http://www.plasticseconds.com

Vintage 2011

Vintage 2011 came to the Southbank this week-end. A music and fashion led celebration of food, drink, dance, art, design, comedy and everything else british, creative and cool from the 1940's-80's.

Red or Deads, Wayne Hemingway was behind the colourful event which saw the Southbank come to life with bunting, glitter balls, sandy beaches, live music and stalls selling all things vintage!

Hetty Rose shoes made out of vintage kimonos

 Hetty Rose kimono shoes suspended from the ceiling of Yo Sushi!

Sara Tiara headpieces crafted from vintage fabrics

Bunting and Glitter balls hanging from Festival hall

One of many stalls selling customised and recycled garments

Rubbish necklace at London Design Festival!

In 2010, Design Bridge, the international branding agency, hosted a Feelosophy exhibition during the London Design Festival. Their staff were invited to submit their interpretations of Clerkenwell, where the agency is based. The reception of their London office was taken over by an installation expressing these interpretations. Sonic ID's Martyn Ware, and former member of 80's pop group Human League, created a soundscape for the exhibition.

Smashed car light, St John Street....

Crisp packets...

My route to work each mornng takes me through sparkling Hatton Gardens - the UK diamond centre. The Festival also coincided with London jewellery week. Coupled with my interest in jewellery, I was intreagued by the amount of domestic and commercial rubbish in this fashionable area. I combined these two themes to produce jewellery crafted from recycled litter!

I scoured the streets, skips and greens of Clerkenwell collecting all sorts of litter and discarded rubbish, cleaned it and then  fashioned the items into a necklace with a display box. I loved this project, apart from opening a matchbox full of maggots!

....all the links combined..
A rubbish necklace!

Fabhatrix!

A couple of years ago, when I went to the Edinburgh festival, we popped into Fabhatrix, Edinburghs independent hat shop in the heart of the vibrant Grassmarket, selling designs by both local and global designers. Although I don't suit hats, the quaint, old fashioned boutique was like one big dressing up box with customers trying on beautiful head wear, ranging from retro styles to modern handmade felt creations. A charming wee place! 

Ouch!

Whilst strolling along Little India in Singapore, we stumbled across a procession which celebrated the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. Shaven head devotees take part in a pilgrimage in January, on the day of the full moon, whilst undertaking various acts of devotion.

A common act is the "mortification of the flesh" by piercing the skin, tongue and cheeks with "vel" skewers, which are symbolic of the spears that were used to fight off evil spirits. Although it looked incredibly painful and some piercings were bleeding, it was a colourful and interesting spectacle!

Cans Festival

Cans Festival was a Street Art event that took place under Waterloo Bridge in London in 2008. On the day the tunnel gallery opened to the public, thousands of people queued for hours for get a chance to see the eclectic mix of spray can artwork. I loved it! Meanwhile, in Bethnal Green another Banksy appeared, which I hunted down to photo before it was tagged!

Banksy artwork, Bethnal Green, 2008