Big Bang Big Boom.

Amazing! Some of you may have already seen this short animation as it has been around the block, but for those of you who have not had the chance to admire the work of BLU you must watch it. I am going to dedicate this to all my friends and ‘Boom’ enthusiasts out there! you know who you are…..

N x

Snow White and the Seven Designers!.

I read about this article  on Vogue.com a while back and would love to go but can’t unfortunately make the performance dates. ‘Snow White and the Seven Designers’ is aptly named as designers such as Vivienne Westwood,  Jean Paul Gaultier and Giorgio Armani have come together to design costumes for a new pantomime that will be performed on stage in London this coming October 2010. Other names involved are Zandra Rhodes, Pucci, Amanda Wakeley, Paul Smith, Thomasz Starzewski and Bruce Oldfield. The ‘seven’ are- Dapper, Snazzy, Natty, Classy, Dizzy, Snappy, and Taupey! The story retells the well known fairytale and they fight together to challenge London’s biggest threat- ugly interiors and bad taste! It stars some of interior designs leading people and promises a beautiful visual of costumes.The pantomime is showing at the Garrick Theatre, London from the 12-16th October 2010. All of the proceeds raised will go to Dementia UK. Love the idea and hope it goes well!

N x

Gaudi-Sagrada Familia.

During my trip to Barcelona, I went for the first time into the Sagrada Familia, the famous architectural church and work of  Antoni Gaudi. It was overwhelming and it felt like I was stepping onto a film set from something out of the Lord of the Rings! It is beautiful and the lines that are created, with different tones of grey and shapes give you the impression they are moving, elegantly, whichever way you look. I once again was a little snap happy and sat for a good few hours in a forrest of concrete, looking at a structure that began as far back as 1882 and will not be completed for some time yet!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves……

N x

Barcelona.

I spent last week in Barcelona, a city soon to be my new home. Beautiful, full of people, noise and gorgeous architecture (a post on Gaudi’s finest ‘Sagarada Familia’ will follow soon!) and here is what I saw………

N x

The blue sky, along with Barcelona’s contrasting lines and buildings of new and old made me a little snap happy…..

‘All Saints’-Singer Sewing Machine Display.

I walked past All Saints high street store today and noticed their window display which is impressive and a little different from most. What looked like 200 or more Singer Sewing machines all in rows, lined their windows and in-store walls to make it look like a working factory floor. They are in your face! I am a little envious of the window dresser and the people behind the scenes who were given the budget and time to source so many which we can see throughout ALL of their stores in the U.K!! I know that some of you may think me a little weird for staring into their window for so long but I thought it was aesthetically pleasing none the less. However, the All Saints installation comes with some controversy as I discovered in an article covered by the Evening Standard and more. It made me think twice, where have all these machines come from? and true to some points made in the article, has this taken away the antiques niche market and the areas that surround these large chain stores??? and more so, what will they be doing with them after????

While I am currently making up garments on my ‘modern’ Singer Sewing machine, it was topical to read a little more about the legendary machine that Issac Merritt Singer invented in 1850! Do not worry I am not going to give you all a detailed history lesson but  I am going to include some visuals and a commercial from back in the day.

N x

Grafica Fildalga.

Well, here is another beauty of a short film by Cool Hunting documenting a poster print company in São Paulo, Brazil called Grafica Fildalga. It is a feel good video. Using a 1929 German printing machine, Maurizio, Carlão and Carlinhos show us their love and life’s passion for their jobs. Digital print and new technology has overtaken those similar companies that once existed so it is refreshing to see this small business still flourishing and keeping alive an old craft of  hand-carved letterpress printing.

N x

The hand-carved letterpress

One of Grafica Fildalgo's posters

Paul Tebbott.

I came across some lovely prints yesterday created by Paul Tebbott. Really peaceful and soft on the eye, minimal and worth a purchase.

N x