Art & Culture: ‘Home’ exhibition launches Rodhus

The ‘Home’ exhibition celebrates the launch of Rodhus, a design resource centre and professional environment for designers. Set up by Richard Ainsworth, with the help of Abbi Kiki, Rodhus is a creative hub, offering workspace and professional services all under one roof.  

As part of the ‘Rodhus’ launch, the ‘Home’ exhibition showcases the work of talented designers and makers; from artwork and home accessories to lighting and furniture. The combination of the designers work all in one space creates an exciting and quirky show with an air of urban chic about it. Many of the pieces on display wouldn’t look out of place in the glossy pages of Elle Decoration, proving that local talent is thriving.

The highlights for me were Sylph Baier’s handthrown earthenware ceramics, Rachel Eardley’s quirky original drawings and Elsy and Vine’s knitted lambswool cushions, all vying to be in my home!

The ‘Home’ exhibition takes place from 21^st June until 25^th July at the Rodhus Gallery, Brighton. Check it out!

Carly Gordon

Art & Culture: Get creative with a new Niki Jones Notebook

For those of you who love journaling, writing or just doodling and like somewhere really special to do it, check out these beautiful note books from Niki Jones. The selection of great colours and patterns of the silkscreen printed covers gives them their beauty and the textured pages of the recycled paper gives them a rustic and vintage feel. They are handmade, stitched and bound in India, so each one is unique.

They are 20 x 17 cm, perfect for slotting in your handbag and carrying with you where ever you go and they have 100 pages, so lots of space for really getting stuck in.

These notebooks will surely ignite your creativity and inspire you to do your best work.

Lydia Vine

Art & Culture: The Art of Conversation

The Art of Conversation is visual play on the game of  ‘Chinese whispers’ between the Bank studios in Berlin and the Inventory studio in London . The exhibition calls upon the talents of some of the most exciting new designers in Europe. Over 90 days the two studios will collaborate to create  20 new and original works each in response to the other.  Their piece can take any form; from sculpture to performance, photograph to text. The resulting show will demonstrate that creativity is never predictable and infinitely varied.

To kick off the process, the first design team were gifted a hot air balloon flight by the curators, setting a precedent and giving the studio "space to think". Their online conversation and those that come after will be held and recorded using Skype technology and displayed at the exhibitions. These creative exchanges, from the straightforward to the left field, show the huge impact that communication technology has had on our ability to exchange information. A website charting the development of the project will trace the creative network being built between these design communities.

INVENTORY is a London based Studio founded in 2008 by Robert Boon & David Lane after an extended period of collaboration between the two. Their broad output now includes design for print, publications, websites, branding and identities, advertising, events and exhibitions, and they also consult brands on strategy.

BANK is a young but well established French/German design studio based in Berlin. They plan, develop and realise a wide range of design projects for cultural, institutional and commercial clients. Their approach is unique and original relying heavily on concept, creative typography and well art directed imagery. They are also interested in designing own typefaces.

The Art of Conversation; London-Berlin running at Idea Generation Gallery, London, 11th - 24th May and at Program Gallery, Berlin, 12th
June - 3rd July.
www.theartofconversation.org

Neil Batho

Art & Culture: Caitlin Heffernan – Terrain

Caitlin Heffernan is displaying her most recent solo exhibition ‘Terrain’ at  Rodhus Gallery, Brighton. 1st March - 23rd April

“Terrain is a new site-specific installation produced following a 2008 Artists' Residency in Nigeria. Cut short due to factional violence, the residency yielded fleeting glimpses of a troubled but beautiful land and the installation has been developed from a simple discarded piece of basket found on the floor of a market near Jos, Nigeria. Using the pattern of the woven basket as a template Heffernan has developed a series of beautiful large-scale drawings with 3-dimesional elements that echo the bright and highly patterned fabrics found in Nigeria. Terrain, which has been executed in bright reds, contains textural qualities that reference the country's red earth and rocky terrain. Caitlin travelled to Nigeria in November 2008 to take part in an international artist's workshop. However whilst making her way to Yankari National Park in the central belt of the country she was diverted because of factional violence in Jos. After less than a week she had to return to the UK but she used the experience to make an artwork that is resonant, beautiful but also poignant.”

This piece felt almost overwhelming and challenging in this space. The viewer is guided around the piece by the space itself which compliments its feel and structure. The installation consists of patterned drawings that spread across the floor and morph into a sculptured mound in the middle of the room. The effect I feel does accentuate the origins of the piece and almost gave the effect of an optical illusion.

Neil Batho

Art & Culture: Creatives in Residence at The Hospital Club

Nestled in the heart of London, amidst the bustling Covent Garden, stands The Hospital Club. Comprising five floors, complete with stunning bar, elegant restaurant and spacious screening room, here is the ideal surrounding to get the creative juices flowing. At the beginning of this month the club hosted its The Creatives in Residence programme which announced their shortlist of newcomers, as well as welcoming artists from all corners of the artistic spectrum.

This particular evening made use of two full floors which enabled each contender to demonstrate their talent within their own unique space. Now in its second year, The Creatives in Residence offers the opportunity of guidance for young, upcoming artists to get a name for themselves and a chance to showcase their work. Amongst those involved are film makers, musicians and singers, visual artists, performers and some stunning fashion designers.

Amongst the nights shortlisted that stood out was fashion designer Dean Quinn, whose futuristic dresses won the judges approval. The small selection on show to the public featured three carefully executed form fitting, body-con dresses embellished with bejewelled shoulders. Already having achieved the prestigious Woman’s Wear Designer of the Year Award and having also been featured in the V&A Fashion in Motion exhibition, he is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Another fellow designer in the running was Ada Zanditon who makes use of organic and sustainably sourced fabrics . Ada also runs her company to a strict eco friendly aesthetic, from the relationships she builds up with workers and suppliers down to the light bulbs that she uses. Using environmentally friendly, non-carcinogenic dyes she creates bright and youthful looks for a fashion forward market.

A comprehensive list of all of this years residents as well as more information on those shortlisted can be found on The Hospital Club website.

Poppy Sakulku

Art & Culture: Prince William Turns Photographer

A Positive View, which is taking place at Somerset House from 10 March to 5 April, will bring together more than 100 rare and signed vintage works across almost a century of photography; classic and contemporary works will cross a variety of genres, from still-life, fashion, landscape, portraiture and reportage. It will also include other works by Jeff Hubbard and members of the photography group at Crisis and be followed by a reception and auction at Christie’s where the diptych and other works will be auctioned in aid of Crisis.

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people in Britain and is releasing a diptych that comprises of a photograph of Prince William placed with a photograph of the photographer. The interesting aspect of this diptych is that the photograph of the Prince has been taken by a homeless person, Jeff Hubbard, and is the 1^st time a Royal has been photographed by an ordinary member of the public.

Jeff said: “Creating the diptych with Prince William was a little nerve-wracking at first but I soon relaxed. After all how often do you get the chance to photograph a Prince? Working with Rankin in the run-up to the shoot really helped me develop my skills and confidence as a photographer, which was a real privilege. The end result is unique. Auctioning the image will raise vital funds for Crisis – and I know from personal experience just how important the work they do is.”

‘A Positive View’ 2010 promises to be a landmark exhibition and the proceeds will help Crisis to expand its services across the UK. This is the third edition of A Positive View, a photography exhibition and auction founded by Andrew Page. A Positive View was first held in London during 1994, sponsored by Vogue. The exhibition was held at the Saatchi Gallery and the auction was hosted by Sotheby’s. The event raised nearly £250k, benefiting the Chicken Shed Theatre Company. The Princess of Wales was Patron.

For the first time, A Positive View will also feature work from contemporary artists whose creative practice incorporates photography, with geographically diverse representations from Korea, China, Japan and West Africa. With signature works by Seydou Keita, Yum Joongho, Koo Bohn-Chang and Weng Fen among others, A Positive View will provide an unusual and interesting opportunity to consider how practitioners beyond Europe and America are working with photography. In another departure, the 2010 edition of A Positive View will also include works by unknown photographers who have been studying photography at the Crisis’ education, training and employment centres in London and Newcastle.

Neil Batho

Art & Culture: Inishturkbeg’s Annual Artist Week

Next week sees the ‘Life Vividly Lived’ exhibition at Flowers, Cork Street, London.  Each artist has been chosen as pioneers in their chosen fields and their distinctive relationship with the environment.

The pieces have been created from Inishturkbeg’s first annual artists’ week in September 2009. Inishturkbeg is a private island off the west coast of Ireland and is one of the largest in the Clew Bay.  “We think of Inishturkbeg as a parallel universe, where our experiences are intensified and our lives amplified. Each chapter is somehow super-oxygenated, with colours, sounds, smells and feelings brilliantly etched into our minds. Inishturkbeg, simply, offers everyone lucky enough to enjoy its charms, a Lungful of Life. It takes a lot of words to capture the unique spirit of Inishturkbeg. Artists’ Week is intended to do so much better than mere words”. –Nadim Sadek, Owner.

The artists displaying are; Nicola Hicks, Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Kay harwood, Shoichi Sakurai, Peter Jaques, Laura Brennan and Darren Edwards, and will be an innovative experience to see works with such individuality in their mediums, come together in one place for an outstanding show.

9th - 14th February 2010

Flowers Gallery

21 Cork St
London W1S 3LZ
T +44 (0)20 7439 7766

info@flowersgalleries.com

Neil Batho