Glimpse my final show!

So my work is finally up, it's in the studio for marking, you can see from the picture below that it's in the middle of a busy studio full of final years!

The date that it will go into public view is still unknown, but the latest now is that it will go with the undergrad shows in the summer, which is better because more people go to that!

Bit blurred!

I like the shadow on the wall that follows straight into the shadow in the far right picture on the floor. Delicious!

At this point I'd still left some of the labels on above the pieces on the wall!

Me blurb!

Credits!! Can't forget them!

I attempt to do a drawing and piece of writing a day, and much of it fuels my work! It's completely random, or reflective on the day! But some of the stuff I come out with!

"And the palms held out and said come and praise. Explicitly they bared all and said their peace. I hummed all the way back to the river boat, to dora dora johnson and the ethiopian man"

I love reading that back!

To complement the presentation, I put up some of the technical drawings and sketches from development. Here is Adrien in process!

Le Collection!

Here I put down a black and white picture that I took on my jollies last year, its the shadows of some greenery gracing the black stones of Weybourne station, a place I completely love.

This picture is features twice. because it just has to be! With the lace running down the left (see above) it has a touch of religion about it! Yes. It's Iconic.

Another interesting piece of writing, hidden in the presentation by the ribbons, but the writing is scary but fantastic and it speaks of the madman!

"And the madman danced in time, laughing at the line made between me and you. He says we are fools. Only to be fed at set times. He tells me I'm an idiot and you, silly, but we are made for each other. You are not the kings of said wands, you are the king of gold."

Anyone wishing to interpret what I'm talking about cos I haven't got a clue!

Doodle of how I wanted an image to look!

"So what do you sat when a dagger is cast upon the screen and thrown from the bless'ed book on the shelf breathing down and blowing the stories in to the future and beyond the spiral stream avec pattern"

Some more writing!

'The Disguise of the Madman'

I have tried to upload a video too but it won't have any!

So I hope so far it looks good, I'm happy with it, for me the vinyl lettering just finished it off! 

The photographs are just so good I couldn't go ahead with my original plan! -that was to put all the images on the floor and more sketchbook images all around the main images, but they stood out so well on their own and after I laid it all out on the floor below, I really liked it like that, a bit like a studio. They really do say what I want to say about the collection I have made through an image! (something I've babbled on in my thesis about!) 

So a big thank you to Anthony Farrimond (Photographer extroadinaire), Ashley Sutcliffe (Model that would like some representation!) and Natalie Greenwell (- Make-up Artiste! Any links I can attach for Natalie??) for my photographs.  

Plus, if you're reading this and you want some killer images like mine, then I highly recommend everyone listed above!!

I'm now scurrying with my mum to clear out my room, so my website updating will have to hold on!

I hope this is ok!

A Regained Thought

To follow on from the post on the 3rd December and complete the laser issues I was experiencing, I left off having received a quote for my files to be cut that was rather shocking and still is! 

I went on to get another quote from a company in Nottingham who, although apologetic about it being a tall price, actually quoted a decent mid price compared to the first company. I thanked them and I will bare them in mind for future crisis!

The mirrored acrylic arrived as a normal delivery but the rest of the Perspex from another company took it's time but the company was really good in keeping me informed on the order. The matt black was the cause to the hold up and I spoke to someone who checked my order and that the black was in that day and they made sure it was 'on the van' for delivery tomorrow. Sure enough it arrived sometime before 8 the next morning. I'd call that impeccable!

But Fred Aldous really saved the day. I called Paul Walker (who deals with the laser cutter) and he told me that he was quite busy helping on the shop floor on the run up to christmas but if I dropped my materials and files off with him, he would cut them when he could. He did this and was a complete star for doing so. It cost a FRACTION of the first company-- I should name and completely shame really!

In between all of this, I was getting down great chunks of my thesis and presentation, some waiting for a photo shoot to take place was needed to really finish the two.

Once the pieces were cut I collected them... a big Thank You to Paul again for helping me out! I went home and put them together. Paul recommended using surgical spirit to clean the pieces and bring them up all new! Each piece did, as he said, come up all bright and shiny except the mirrored pieces that reacted. They have developed small cracks in the surface of them meaning they are purely samples now, but I need to sort this out as a good buff of them just doesn't work!

I'm going to put the surgical spirit onto the cotton pad and let it dry up then buff away and see what happens. If that doesn't work then I'm going to raid the cleaning section of the ASDA and test each solution! 

Each piece was sent to cut at least twice and it was a good job too. some of the pieces have tiny faults in them, from faint engraved areas to patches of a complete cut instead of engrave but these are minor and could be sold off as sample, seconds. Only one piece completely faulted and won't feature in the final collection, which is a shame because it's VERY nice! But the collection is very good and can still work! 

I returned to the shop were I had bought the shoulder pads for the test pieces in the summer and they no longer sold them, so I went to the local haberdashery in Wakefield...HABIKNIT! and they sold a nice range of just what I wanted, in white AND black, which was perfect.

I started on the shoulder pieces as they were the longest to make, but the trial run was so useful on something so complicated and I referred to it throughout. The finish on the inside seams are much better and covered by the fabulous feather, which was difficult to stitch because of the glue in the ribbon, but I'd had experience of this sort of thing before, so it's pliers at the ready and a clean of the needle every so many stitches!

By this time though, everything was going downhill, I'd caught the cold and it got progressively worse. I spent a week making pieces slower and slower, in a raging temperature and barely anything to eat, with the terrible cough that kept me from sleeping easily. On new years eve, the state of affairs went from bad to worse, even though I had just finally completed every piece, I was now behind where I wanted to be. My temperature raised as normal in the evening then after I sat down, it unusually raised one more degree which put me in bed and marked the turning point of the bug into flu. 

Alongside flu, came a chest infection- both bad but I'm tempted to say the chest infection was quite simply the most vicious thing I've ever come across. I was floored for over a week and a slow recovery began. 

I had to forget every part of my work, I couldn't think of it, I didn't think of much, just slept a lot. I was fairly incapable of doing anything, at one point, I couldn't lift the glass of water a foot from my hand. My photo shoot was abandoned and any hope of finishing the MA when I should have went completely although I was in some kind of denial for a bit.

By mid January, I was able to get up from the sofa but not much else, I felt quite low in myself for a couple of days. I realised that I needed to think about my work and so I placed it back up on the horizon as a gleaming light to head towards, this instantly made me more chirpier, although I wasn't well enough to get everything out and finish. But towards the end of January I was well enough to get back up and get working again, not well enough to go out and do a shift at work or for a casual shop but enough to get my work moving again at a steady simple pace.

The morning the photo shoot was cancelled, I felt so ill- and had thought about it so much whilst overheating with flu that I couldn't bare to re organise it in the uni studio. I seriously thought about getting a photographer to help me. I did.

in a few days covering a week or so, that was busy, stressful but probably the most rewarding I had ever experienced, I pulled it together- model, photographer and studio.

(Big Thank You to go to, Anthony Farrimond le photographer extroadinaire, Ashley Sutcliffe- Model in the making and Natalie Greenfield- Make up artiste of the day!)

And I'm now on the verge of finishing my MA. I'm stressed but happy. Flu seems to have proven to be a blessing. I would have ended feeling very down and what I remember of those days are very black indeed. Now, however, it all feels so bright and sunny and refreshing.

This is probably my final post here as a student and after I've finished some changes will be occurring!

This blog will have a small shake up to be rid of the student marks, and fill it up with a bit of luck, full of exciting things.

Au revoir!

Magazines and Blogs

I check out quite a few magazines and blogs, some I come across by accident through my tumblr blog, others I go and visit expecially, some I buy occasionally, others I read week in week out!

They all play a part in what I take in creatively and all the one's I've written out here are a bit of a dream list for my work to appear in. I have more that I check over from time to time but I have so many places bookmarked it's impossible to just put my mouse cursor over them! I must re organise my bookmarks!

All hail a press pack...Hello Business Mine!

The Cut Newspaper

http://www.thecutnewspaper.com/

Comepletely made my under 21 year olds, this is a fun, fresh and fashionable magazine, covering everything that's of the moment, music to style!

Dazed Digital and Dazed Magazine

http://www.dazeddigital.com/

Not just a fashion magazine. Covers art, music, fashion. I love this magazine even though I don't read it often, I love how it is so respectful to all the creative areas, I find that some magazines take the view of 'fashion is the only way'. 

Amelia's Magazine

http://ameliasmagazine.com/

Though not as highly styled or as powerful as Dazed, Amelia's magazine is another  place that loves everything creative.

Supersweet

http://www.supersweet.org/

I'm not very informed on Supersweet but I like them, they seem to like new things and interesting creative areas! I think they are a shop too!

Urban Outfitters blog

http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/

I used to be attached to this at one point in my life, not so much now but it's still brilliant. It does appreciate everything including crafts.

The Cool Hunter and Cool Hunting

http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/

http://www.coolhunting.com/

Two separate but wide ranging blogs that show the best of what's out there across multiple disciplines.

Fashion156

http://www.fashion156.com/blog.php

I love this blog. Again appreciative of everything but has a heavy focus on fashion and is particularly drawn to upcoming designers fresh from college! They like to keep you up to date with the fashion weeks and post some of the best fashion shoots. 

Style Bubble

http://stylebubble.co.uk

A very well known blog covering fashion.

Drama Magazine

http://drama-magazine.com/

I love this magazine, it has some amazing images inside full of fresh and known fashion on known and unknown talent. Beautifully styled but it doesn't seem to be around very much lately. It's made only three very good magazines.

Nylon

http://nylonmag.com

Aimed at the fresh and funky youth, imported and widely available in the UK, it is predominantly US based. Almost like a younger, playful Dazed.

V

http://www.vmagazine.com/

Just too much good stuff. The very best of fashion. It knows who's the best and who to look to.

AnOther

http://www.anothermag.com/reader

Brilliant, also. Fashion, plenty of reading too.

Vogue

http://www.vogue.co.uk/

If you need to find something out about mainstream fashion then I go here. If I can get my hands on a Vogue Italia then I'm very pleased, they are the best of the Vogues.

Broadsheet supplementary magazines such as the Telegraph Magazine are read weekly, picking up on all areas of creative industries with reading material to boot. Fashion areas are completely up to date.

Stockists.

Concept Stores

DARKROOM- A store that is more a curated gallery than a stocked shop! Open to new designers although it appears that your work has to fit with the current exhibition themes and tones.  

http://darkroomlondon.com/

MACHINE A- This is a shop that is so conceptual that I believe you have to book an appointment to visit. Stocking edgy fashion but displayed in innovative ways. Perhaps too edgy for me and appears to cover clothing bases than jewellery or accessories.

http://www.machine-a.com/

Jewellery

KABIRI- The number one stockist I'd love too see my work in. I think it would fit too, in look, style and price.

Based in three London locations, including Covent Garden and a concessions counter in Selfridges, they have plenty of publicity and my target audience shops here! Also plenty of stylists and fashion editors make selections from here. If I'm going to approach Kabiri, I need to make sure I know what I'm doing; meetings with the business mine are a must to help this.

http://www.kabiri.co.uk/

Online

NOT JUST A LABEL- Quite a well known site, good for new designers, press etc. But it's just so big, it's too easy to get lost in. For me anyway, and in some respect, I have to feel happy. Although, there's no escaping the names you find on there.

http://www.notjustalabel.com/

THESHOP.co.uk- Started up by the stylist Camilla Turner in 2009, it's on the hunt for new jewellery designers to put alongside other new designers. The positive is that it is run by a stylist who has immediate knowledge of your work, rather than waiting for passing traffic in alternative shops. 

http://www.theshop.co.uk/

Local

PAPER SCISSORS STONE- Based in Leeds, it's another shop that brings together brilliant designers, new and established. It has a strength in pulling a wide selection of creative media together.

http://www.paper-scissor-stone.co.uk/

POLLYANNA- A rare shop, found in Barnsley, hugely established with worldwide links. The designers stocked are completely high end and it would be good to gauge interest in a local designer!

http://www.pollyanna.com/

HERVIA BAZAAR- A fabulous, shop in Manchester, centrally located yet off the beaten track which adds to the glamour I think. Stocks a variety of established and new, it's that edgy fashion scene up north.

http://www.herviabazaar.com/

KUJI- A quirky easily priced shop in Sheffield, already stocking laser cut jewellery, and, similar to Paper Scissors Stone, stocks a nice mix of media with names I wouldn't be ashamed to be stocked by but possibly a bit too relaxed?

http://www.kujishop.co.uk/

COW- Cow Vintage, based in Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester, is a fresh take on the vintage shop, with clean surroundings and an acceptance of new jewellery, already stocking the likes of Tatty Divine. Definitely a different option to many listed here, but I need to be aware of these places!

http://wearecow.blogspot.com/

Fashion

NO-ONE.co.uk although online, now appears to have a shop in Shoreditch, prime audience stomping ground. Full of exciting designers gaining notoriety in top end fashion magazines. They, like many of the shops I've cherry picked, like to find and help out new designers, again, a must for me to look at.

http://www.no-one.co.uk/

BEYOND THE VALLEY- Although sold as a concept store, it's more commercial online. A runner up in the Telegraph Independent Shop Awards recently, this is a fun shop, visited by what looks to be a good audience, stocking a nice selection of price points,  variety of designers as well as being a place for new designers to start. I believe it also has an exhibition space too!

http://www.beyondthevalleystore.com/

KOKON TO ZAI- An odd one, KTZ is giving off confusing vapours, I read somewhere- I can't remember where- that they stocked new designers and a variety but this doesn't seem to be the case on their site, or from other sources. If they do stock other designers, then it would be a great place to be but I don't think my work is THAT edgy enough yet!

http://www.kokontozai.co.uk/

Labour of Love- London based boutique with much the same aim as the rest, to provide a start and place for designers to get to the public.

http://www.labour-of-love.co.uk/

Hoxton Boutique- I can only find reference to these online, and they have not much in way of price point to show, but from what I've seen, it, like KTZ, is worth the look!

http://www.hoxtonboutique.co.uk/