avishai sivan.

Bed.

Winter's here.

Gloves are mandatory and an impending "arctic blast" made the morning paper's headlines. Too bad the boiler's broken. My mood is grim and perhaps that's why today my mind tends towards the bleak and the bleary. Screw cheery, give me discomfort and darkness.

Good for today is Avishai Sivan. An illustrator I first noticed at a Vyner Street gallery whose name I'll never remember, Sivan hails from Israel and has been exhibiting for almost a decade. His works stretch across a range of mediums that includes film, Polaroid, and illustration. But it's the latter that lingers most; tormented, sinister portraits of life, sex, and human interaction in all its heavy, rolling, bleeding, vacant glory. Often painted onto old maps or punctured with throw-away bricolage, these are the kind of images that make you feel sad about life, it's imperfections and it's violence. But glad you had the courage to look it in the face.

Surreal and scary. Perfect in bed with a mug 'a tea and someone to remind you that everything is ok.

Eric and Miranda.

Redhead.

USA Pussy

.

Ovulation.

Worry.

Sleep 2002.

Find More: http://www.avishaisivan.com/index.html

all images ©  Avishai Sivan

laura zindel.

My sister and her friend have often amused me by quoting a phrase from a sketch based television show called Portlandia. It's a phrase that seemed to pretty succinctly sum up an indefinitive trend whose origins are ambiguous, but which has become undeniably chic. That phrase is "put a bird on it". The catchy tag line is plucked from the mouths of two shop owners whose cure-all tactic for sprucing up previously unfabulous items is to simply... yup that's right, put a bird on it!

This relatively pain-free makover turns even the blandest of shop goods into covetable objects that score high in the hot-right-now department. And despite the actors' out-and-out camp delivery, its an eerie truth that in today's market the application of various winged specimens has become a kind of hipster shorthand for clever design.

And though mockery on national television certainly hails that this trend  has arrived at Port Obnoxious, whenever I  encounter products that do put a bird to good use I can't help but feeling a little warm and fuzzy inside. On a recent trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art I came across the work of Laura Zindel, an illustrator and ceramist who started out sketching straight onto clay with a pencil. After an afternoon of Matisse et al. it turned out to be these little pieces tucked away in the back of the gift shop which caught my attention. Perhaps it was the noir-ish blackbirds which drew me in, or the way in which the bulbous curves of each vase seemed to mimic the puffed and feathered forms of each of the various fowls. Either way I kept lurking around the display table, turning circles, willing myself not to like it as much as I did. "She only put a bird on it," I thought to myself. Ah well, in the words of R Kelly, "My minds telling me no. But my body... my body's telling me yessss!"

Bottom line is, best not to judge yourself too harshly. These handmade pieces are truly lovely. Have a look:

find more: http://laurazindel.com/home


all images ©  Laura Zindel

milliner mistresses take over craft central.

 St John's Square was all a-twitter Tuesday evening with the launch of the Pop-Up Hat Shop currently occupying the eastern corner of the ancient priory courtyard. This event was the love-child of five up-and-coming designers who met through milliner Martina Bohn, whose hat block hire service provided a platform for such like minded ladies to meet and work. In an act of sartorial solidarity, the gang conspired to create their own space for showcasing and selling a collection of their latest toppers. And the results are so delightful that now I can't seem to stop alliterating.

The shop is based at Craft Central, a non-profit workshop/studio dedicated to supporting craft and design. Its breezy main gallery provides the perfect display for a lush spread of berets, bowlers, bonnets and caps; arranged in tall glass cases like trophies in a school gymnasium. All was seen-in in thoroughly good style, with champagne flutes and hearty gossip all 'round. Delicious work by some truly talented women.

Highlights include pieces by Thirzie Hull, whose vintage inspired berets make good use of taxidermy and other organic ingredients. Her combination of materials plucked, preened or skinned from the natural world with softer elements such as ribbon, lace, and gold leaf imbue her work with a lightness of touch and a heady dose of whimsy. Delightful, authentic, and full of romance.

 

YashkaThor's architectural woven bonnets are also a standout, crested waves of color in a sea of white-washed walls. Martina Bohn's own kitsch headgear is out in full force, and includes dignified looking caps with butterflies and scorpions glued askance. Not exactly an easy task to stick over-sized insects on your hat and make it look  half-glamorous, but Miss. Bohn took the plunge and appears to have surfaced triumphant.

Milliners on display include: Martina Bohn, Pamela Graham, Louise Halswell, Thirzie Hull, Yashka Thor. All works are for sale.

Pop Up Hat Shop will be open until the Sunday, November 20th at Craft Central. 33-35 St. John's Square. EC1M 4DS

more about craft central - http://www.craftcentral.org.uk/
more about Marina Bohn - http://www.martinabohn.com/hatblocks/

go visit.

[images taken by Charlotte and courtesy of Miss. Hull]

                                                           

crinkle cup by rob brandt.

Saw this today. It made me giggle.
Dutch artist Rob Brandt apparently whipped up this little number in 2006. Now it's distributed by London-based super-cool design brand Thorsten van Elten. And sold at Liberty, or on Columbia Road in Shoreditch. And available in a handmade glass version. But none of that really matters. It's still giggle-worthy. Tactile and playful.
Dare to do Dixie differently, Rob. You go girl.


 

Get The Cup: http://www.thelollipopshoppe.co.uk/products/kitchen-and-tableware/ceramics-and-dinner-services/crinkle-cup/

Look Around: http://www.thorstenvanelten.com/

i ♥ you london.

London Bus Tour  - from moritz oberholzer.

Film maker Moritz Oberholzer shot this film on handheld 35mm while riding a double decker bus.
Just look at the colour of the light. Pallid London personified. Brill'.

[Featured Music: Loud Pipes by Ratatat]

via Some Of It Was True!

give in to the simple pleasures of john martin.

The Bard c. 1817

John Martin is quite simply a genius.

A delightful afternoon at his current show Apocalypse, on view at the Tate Britain, confirmed this fact. Oh yes, it did.

Wildly popular during his heyday (circa 1815-1854), Mr. Martin was a celebrated figure in the art world,  delighting the public with his extraordinary cinematic vision drawn from religious mythology. In his lifetime he completed several notable series, including oil paintings depicting scenes from The Book of Revelations and mezzotint prints for an illustrated version of Milton's Paradise Lost.

Book Three

Book Four

Book Ten

Book Twelve

Not being much of a Bible thumper myself, its rare that paintings of a strictly religious nature will move me on the grounds of their subject alone. Yet Milton's wall-sized panoramas are nothing if not transfixing; envisioning well known Christian narratives in all their earth-shattering, ground-splitting, run-if-you-want-but-you"ll-never-escape-THE-WRATH windswept and fire-saturated glory. Yet its exactly this turn of hyperbolic flourish that gives these works a post-religious appeal; Martin transcends the pure Biblicality of his subjects and indulges the viewers desire for fantasy. He treats his stories as fable rather then fact, forsaking key characters in favor of imaginative landscapes which stretch out endlessly in ever-unfolding shades of violent and saturated and unnatural colour. In Adam and Eve Entertaining the Angel Gabriel we see our our main characters rendered as tiny luminous nudes; pale in comparison to the vast meadows, lagoons, and snow-capped mountains against which they are posited. In other works we find the King of Babylon barely visible amidst the colossus of his crumbling urban paradise, and the Pharaoh of Egypt a tiny figurine against a brooding sky clogged with lightening and cloud. Even when our boy Jesus makes an appearance in The Final Judgement, its the yawning chasm of hell-fire and careening debris which draws our eye in first.

Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion. 1812 

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 1852

The Fall of Babylon. c 1835

The Final Judgment. 1851

The Great Day of His Wrath. 1852/53

The Plains of Heaven. 1852/53

But what's most interesting to note about Martin's work is the so called "controversy" that surrounds it - mainly the fact that his work has alternately fallen in and out of favor with critics who have called it distasteful, sensationalist, redundant and low-brow. His popularity as a traveling exhibitor often seemed to work against him, giving grounds to his reputation as a painter who pandered to the crowd and was generally guilty of making things that were just too much fun to go and see.

Such commentary is not entirely misplaced; Martin's paintings certainly tend towards obscene theatricality, and given the choice between restrain and excess I would say he'd usually go for the latter (Why use a hundred foot-soldiers when a hundred thousand would do?). But its this indulgence of his obviously overactive imagination which invites us to indulge our own. Getting lost in Martin's images feels good. It would be foolish to overlook the dramatic vision (not to mention exquisite execution) which made Martin both a very talented and very likable painter, simply because his paintings are too readily pleasurable to look at.

It's a strange tendency of ours isn't it, this masochistic urge to question ourselves for enjoying anything that seems just a little too easy? Martin immortalized a world of Christian moralism where licentious kings, libidinous whores and sin-soaked cities met their demise at the hand of a greater, more rational authority. And while these tales certainly reek of flagrant sermonizing, it is our inclination to critique our own "devious" enjoyment of Martin's works which feel truly heavy-handed.

There is a reason eating is fun, sex is exciting and the sun feels wonderful on our faces... simple, uncomplicated pleasures that directly stimulate our senses and make us happy. No need to feel guilty, just accept it. Enjoy it. John Martin is still, 150 years on, one of the greatest pleasures in the art world. So go and see him. It doesn't mean you're weak.

King Arthur and Aegle in the Happy Valley. 1849

John Martin is at the Tate Britain until 15th January, 2012.

compilation 1: autumn.

Frost gathering on the edge of iron framed window panes. An oily pink sunset smeared behind a dark skyline. Double layerings of socks and still my toes are growing uncomfortably numb. The clock on the wall reads six p.m. and I’ve decided it’s officially not summer any more. London is currently awash with an inter-seasonal glow that causes everything to blush with cozy anticipation. It’s an elixir we readily swallow in order to forget the inconvenient reality of the impending deep freeze. Ahh autumn, the season where appetites become enormous, cheeks retain a perpetual hue of wind-lashed rosacea, and most of us are plagued by an immediate desire to mull everything.

So let’s celebrate this delusionally giddy pre-winter époque with a few fall flavoured treats.

1. Sister Arrow.

Herbal

Zoo Flask

Terrarium

Sister Arrow is a London based artist who cites influences including nature, metaphysics, sci-fi and caves. Maybe I'm just clinging onto spring but these prints are heavenly; candyfloss paradise in a bottle. And there's even enough melancholy in these photos (taken at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens) to satisfy any cravings for the bare trees and gloomy weather afoot. What a versatile gal. 

[You can buy her work through comics//zines//prints publisher Landfill Editions.]

. . .

2. Sensational Knitwear by Sandra Backlund.

Just when I had made up my mind that there was absolutely no way a knitted dress was ever going to look cool, I discovered Ms Backlund. Now the thing about most mainstream knit dresses is that they are often little more than thick-woolen, skin-tight pullovers that just happen to grant you the favour of covering your bum. No wonder wearing one feels about as flattering as wrapping a towel around your waist. It's an unfortunate truth that the noble endeavor of designing a garment which fulfills our dueling desires for something "sleek" and "substantial" often leads to unsatisfactory conclusions.

But that's exactly the ethos that Buckland rejects, and this subversion is the key to her brilliance. To embrace the sweater in all its glory is to embrace the chunk. Think bulky, layered, intricate, choatic, towering and gorgeous. I want in.

 

. . .

3. Autumnal Food.

  

Marcus Nilsson

Autumn can often feel like a season devoted entirely to eating and drinking. There's the traditional America culinary orgy of Thanksgiving hulking around in the middle of November, Germany's beer-themed Oktoberfest holding a rightfully hedonistic slot and Britain's bonfire night, once an occasion of patriotic commemoration, now seems more readily assigned to the practice of cider drinking and sausage eating. All accross the Northern Hemisphere we've countless dark evenings to fill full of long meals supplemented with experimental recipes and unnecessary extravagances. Venison and red wine? Butternut squash and crème fraiche? Yes yes yes!

Like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter, in autumn all paths lead to the pantry. Even fashion can’t keep its mind off the dinner table with continual references to trendy beverage-themed hues and an affinity for animal products (fur and leather) giving way to fetishism. Buts that’s all right, because now is the perfect moment to fuse glamour and gluttony. Why, just the other day at work a beautiful girl rode in on her beautiful bicycle with a fresh, lush sprig of figs woven into the frame of her rear carrier-rack. The combination of the elemental elegance of the cycle and the organic opulence of the fruit was fully inspiring and mouth-watering all at once... Oh now we're just rambling. Lets get on with the eating. 

This time round we'll keep it simple, focusing on roasting: autumn’s favorite cooking method. Here are some tips from the ones who know best:

Roast Figs with Honey and Ricotta

 by Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall

A great hasty pud. Roasting the figs with honey emphasises their perfumed sweetness. Serves six.

6 figs
6 tbsp honey
150g ricotta
50g thick Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract or the seeds scraped from half a vanilla pod

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Cut an X into the top of each fig and squeeze gently to open it up. Trickle a little honey into each fig – reserve about half of it for serving – place in a tin and roast for 10-15 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

Beat the ricotta with the yoghurt, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spoon some of the mixture into the top of each fig and trickle on some more honey just before serving.

Roast Saddle of Hare

by Susan Campbell and Caroline Conran (Poor Cook)

1 saddle of hare, preferably marinated for two days as this makes it more tender and tasty and improves the flavour of the gravy

Flour

4 rashers of bacon

Butter, beef dripping or pork fat

Water

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 pint single cream or top of the milk

Take the hare out of the marinade and wipe it dry. Remove the silvery membrane over the back with a sharp knife. Preheat the oven to Reg 7/425. Melt about half an once of butter in a frying pan. Dust the saddle with flour, brown it on all sides in the butter, take it out and wrap in bacon rashers. Roast in butter for 20-30 minutes, basting often. Add half a glass of water five minutes before it is cooked. Take off the bacon and put the hare with the rashers on a hot serving dish to keep warm.

Pour off some of the butter from the roasting tin, or scoop it off with a metal spoon. Add a minute sprinkling of flour to the juices in the tin; let it bubble a moment and stir in the cream. Heat gently, taste for seasoning, and pour the small amount of thickish sauce over the saddles. 

Carve lengthwise strips parallel to the backbone and serve with pureed potatoes or celeriac or hot beetroot.

 Roast Pumpkin

by Fergus Henderson

What is vital here is the pumpkin. It must be an organic blue pumpkin, which can be obtained at health-food shops. Once you have tried one, the large, orange, woolly variety will become a thing of the past in your life. 

As to the roasting, simply cut in half, scoop out the seeds, then cut into moon crescents. Place the pieces in a baking tray, skin down, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in a hot oven, basting occasionally. This should take about 20-25 minutes. Check with a knife to see when it's soft. 

Be careful not to overcook your pumpkin as it will dry out.