Woooooogy: Short Experimental Film

Korean director Woooooogy surprised us with this delightfully disturbing debut piece simply entitled, Short Experimental Film. bluAngel is not entirely sure which character applies to the director's descriptions but this added sense of confusion and unpredictability makes for a very appealing film. Let us know what you think...



Further Info:
Short Experimental Film / Woooooogy on YouTube

Elephant Paints Self-Portrait

Not sure what to say about this yet, so will just let you watch...



From susty.tv on Vimeo

From Catwalk To Congo - Rankin At The National Theatre

Fashion photographer Rankin's latest exhibition is a collaboration with Oxfam, sponsored by The Co-operative Bank, to raise awareness of the plight of people displaced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The temporary camps in Mugunga are now home to thousands as a result of the incredible violence taking place in the region.

Rankin's well-known portrait style, usually reserved for fashion industry celebrities, has been put to good use here, photographing these courageous people, suffering but not suppressed. Aptly representing the resilience of the Mugunga camp residents the name of the exhibition is Cheka Kidogo which means 'laugh a little' in Swahili.

Photo by Andrew Davies

From: Oxfam News Blog, 20oct08

"Rankin swaps fashion world for African war-zone
Famous for his portraits of Kate Moss, Kylie and the Queen, photographer Rankin has joined forces with Oxfam to bring the faces of those caught up in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo to London’s South Bank.

Opening tomorrow (21 October 2008), his exhibition – sponsored by the Cooperative Bank and hosted outside the National Theatre – sees Rankin’s celebrity portraiture being used with entirely different subjects – the residents of Mugunga camp, home to 17,000 people displaced by Congo’s harrowing violence."

Further Info:
Full Press Release / National Theatre

Kounter Kulture, -19th Oct08, London

Wednesday 15th - Sunday 19th October 11am - 6pm
Truman Brewery - T3 and T4, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 (Wilkes St) Map
Liverpool Street Station or Bethnal Green / Old Street tube
www.opus-art.com / www.opusunderground.com
0191 213 0295

"A refreshingly edgy and exciting art fair bursts onto London’s arts scene this October. Kounter Kulture, an Opus Art production, offers a launch pad for new and established international talent. Kounter Kulture is all about the art, the artists and a sense of discovery - bringing the essence of London’s arts week back to its roots.

For those reaching stalemate with the usual suspects at Frieze, the artistic offering at Kounter Kulture provides a welcome relief. The free art fair, spread across 11,500 square feet of the Truman Brewery offers a variety of artists to fit all tastes, with areas dedicated to Urban Art, Contemporary, Recent Graduates, Chinese Contemporary and the very best from the print world. Artists include Stuart Semple, Ju$t Another Rich Kid, Miss Bugs, Pure Evil, Hush, Wang Jie, Rob Carter, Josie McCoy, Justine Smith, Will Tuck and Dave White."

Blog Action Day - Poverty & Human Rights

Today is Blog Action Day and the topic is poverty. Poverty is a result of inequality between people. It is a result of those with power allowing themselves more substantial rights than those without. Poverty comes about when we - the human race - forget that we are all part of the same being. It thrives when we strive only to satisfy our own needs and desires regardless of the negative consequences these desires heap upon others.
Without human rights there can be no end to poverty. We have the chance to make a difference to this status quo. There is no better time than now to start acting as responsible citizens of this planet and instead of continuing to squander it's resources and take advantage of our fellow inhabitants we can make a change.

We can insist that our governments act now to limit the negative effects of climate change. We can insist on equal rights for all regardless of differences. We can stop consuming more than we need and we can make valid efforts to support systems such as fair trade. Let's do it - today!

The video below is cool. It is well designed, attractive and inspiring. Watch it and then act to make it's message a reality. Let's put these cool thoughts and ideals into practice, everywhere, for everyone...


The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.

Video Source: An Unreliable Witness

Creative Culture and Telephone Sheep

A few months ago, over at greenUPGRADER Doug was promoting discussion around the function of art and creativity in relation to the 'green' movement and perhaps questioning how important art and design are in our current culture. The wonderful example of Jean Luc Cornec’s Telephone Sheep (pictured left) exhibited at Frankfurt's Museum für Kommunikation, 2006 was used to examine the issues.

Of course, in our view, art, design & creativity are vital components of green and eco movements both current, past and undoubtedly in the future. An appreciation of art, particularly in nature, inspires the desire to protect and support one's environment whether that environment is viewed as immediate, nationally or global. The ability to design and create also emanates from this need to protect and support as well as incorporating the desire to improve one's surroundings or situation, to solve problems and, as in all the most pertinent art, to achieve an ideal.

Even art and design which may seem superfluous or purely aesthetic on many levels rather than coming from a positive functional or progressive angle; if it captures a sense of beauty, inspires an idea, or simply makes us think about bigger questions than what we will eat for dinner, it is serving an important and necessary purpose. It almost goes without saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that 'good' art is not defined by being framed ornately and hung in a large white room; 'good' design is not only that which is proudly displayed in a museum or shop window. Positive art, design and creativity is all around and within us all the time. We only need to open our eyes.

I heartily agree with Doug's assertion in his post: "Work like the Telephone Sheep force us to see new uses and value to otherwise expired products. The importance of art can stretch far beyond entertaining some web surfers or museum patrons. It can spawn in any of us the ability to think with a more malleable mind. Perhaps in even a simple way on a daily basis we can look at common refuse and see further life, another form, continuing function…less waste."

By placing the objects in a totally new environment, what once were out of date communication devices, deemed unusable and deficient, are in this exhibition cleverly revived by the artist. This act or reusing, replacing and re-seeing gives the subjects an entirely new life for us, the viewer, as our view of them shifts entirely.

"The ability to see materials outside of their traditional roles is key to reducing the mass of products our society currently consumes and reusing that which surrounds us everyday to its maximum potential."

Further info:
greenUPGRADER article / Museum für Kommunikation
Photograph source: Hanneorla via Flickr

Shutting up Shop, Museum of London

From: Museum of London - Foyer exhibitions

Shutting up Shop
2 October - 23 November 2008

"Explore the demise of the traditional local shop with this insightful photographic display of old-style London shops from the 1970s and 1980s taken by John Londei. These beautiful and moving large-scale photographs, taken with a 10'x8' plate camera, will be accompanied by recordings of interviews with some of the former owners for whom these shops were much more than just a business"

Our Eco Shop

Lisa Harland of Organic Furnishings and Sarah Baulch of Revampit are offering eco designers an opportunity to display and sell your wares in their Eco Shop near Portobello Road, West London over Christmas. Apply before Friday 17th October:

"Calling all eco designers and makers..
Would you like to be involved in running an eco friendly shop in central London on Westbourne Grove, just off Portobello Rd for a flat fee/shared rent of £60.00 per week over the Christmas period?

Then look no further, Sarah Baulch and Lisa Harland are setting up Our Eco Shop for the second year running at 303 Westbourne Grove (opposite Paul Smith) over the next two weeks. We are looking for likeminded designer-makers to be involved in opening and manning the shop for 9 weeks leading up to christmas. Rent is shared equally between all involved and all monies on each sale goes to the individual designer."

More info here

We Can Go To Sweden, Okay

This is not strictly an eco piece but it is about the thing that makes us all want to do better, live better, be better - watch:



Thanks to An Unreliable Witness

I Met The Walrus by Josh Raskin

Discovered this gem at LADG - thanks guys!



From: I Met The Walrus, YouTube, Jun08
"In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon's every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit, and timeless message."

Further Info:
CTV.ca

If you go down to the V&A...

If you've not figured it out yet but are still intrigued, go down to the South Kensington / Knightsbridge area tomorrow (Wednesday 24th September 2008) area from around 6:30pm and see if you can solve the puzzle.

Clues and further details on the Facebook Group here and Enjoy!

The Charity Shop 18th - 20th Sep08, Gallery5 London

I meant to post this this morning but got distracted by the Dymaxion, apologies...

Opening today for just 3 days (er, 2 now, sorry again!) The Charity Shop is an exhibition of work for children, about children although adults and perpetual children such as us are welcome I'm sure.

Shannon Conley has collaborated with Sardine & Tobleroni (of The Monkey In The Box) for this project aimed at raising awareness of and provoking change around the global issue of children in need. The work incorporates charity shop finds (hence the title) which have been transformed by the artists to reveal new meanings related to the theme, in a very unique style.

20% of sale prices will be divided and donated to both the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust and Green Tara Trust.

Venue: Gallery 5
Address: 5 Blenheim Crescent, London W11 2EE
Open: Today with private view tonight, oh no, we've missed that...
Friday 19th Sep - 11am to 7pm / Saturday 20th Sep - 10am to 7pm
Go see. It's free!

Further Info:
The Charity Shop / West11

It's Getting Hot In Here...

You think you have it all figured out,
and then
something else crops up,
or rather, you notice something that was there all along (or was it?).

TRUST NO-ONE particularly not this one and certainly not a big armadillo... but maybe they are the ones who know everything - assuming there is anything to know?

Questions, ought to be followed by answers. If you think you have any let us know?

There may be some here, here and perhaps here

dim3 ak7ion

...I'm placing my bets with Banksy... or something to do with Nokia... hmmmm

Shame I won't be a Londres to enjoy the spectacle...

UPDATE: Got location - huzzah! Know who it is. But still, can't be there, so check it out for me...

24th September, 18:45, London. In the spirit of mysteriousness, I will post the location nearer the time... said Alice...

Stay connected...

Curiouser and curiouser...

... said Alice as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, crossed two fingers for luck and leapt feet first into the rabbit hole...

...blue air unwrapped it's cool arms and spread itself round about her, supporting and yet pulling Alice down through the slow motion tunnel visioned space...

...she couldn't remember landing on her feet, but somehow Alice found herself standing before a monstrously tall and impossibly narrow teak door with the word '7thsyndikate' scratched heavily into it's gnarled surface...

...glancing down, Alice noticed the bottle of green hued liquid in her hand. Carefully holding the glass stopper in place, she tipped up the bottle to read the label placed confusingly along the bottom edge. 'dim3 ak7ion' was all it said. 'Curiouser and curiouser' said Alice, not for the first time today...

Further Info:
is not available at this time

Banksy's Donation

Banksy's intended donation to the Labour Party via auction of a piece of his typically witty work had to be declined due to his lack of an official identity.

But thankfully for Labour, Steve Lazarides who successfully bid £195k for the piece was kind enough to make a personal donation to the party of the bid minus the estimated value of the piece - £75k.

Thus Mr. Lazarides got to keep the piece as well as his peace of mind; Banksy got to keep his identity secret and the Labour party pocketed a tidy sum of £121k, so alls well that ends well eh!

From: BBC News, Politics, 29Aug08

"Banksy's secret costs Labour dear
Graffiti star Banksy's secret identity caused some problems for Labour's accountants, after he donated a piece of art to raise funds for the party.

The piece, Sketch for Essex Road, was the star lot at a private fundraising auction at a gallery, raising £195,000. But the party could not accept the full sum as there was no way of checking Banksy was a 'permissible lender'.

The party gave £75,000, the original valuation of the piece, to the gallery and accepted the remaining £120,000. There are various rules governing who can donate sums of more than £200 to UK political parties - for example individuals must be on a UK electoral register."

Further Info:
BBC News

Stugbags: Recycled Print Blankets

Here's a clever design idea from the Netherlands which recycles rubber print waste into bags and other funky carrying products. Stugbags salvage the rubber 'blankets' used as a backing for all sorts of graphic print items and which are then discarded by printers after use. A natural felt lining is added and hey presto - a new colourful, unique bag or laptop holder is born ready for you to carry your stuff in - brilliant! Check out the fab minimal packaging too.

Sourced from: greenUPGRADER, 22Jul08
"“Promoting the waste=food principle”
Stug Bags use reclaimed rubber to construct their multipurpose line. Rubber printing blankets are commonly found in the offset printing business where the rubber is a coating over a compressible substance and is used to transfer ink to the printing surface. Using this material Stug then manufactures a variety of bag types using natural felt lining. Each bag is unique with different ink characteristics left on the rubber surface from the last time they were used in the press."

More info: Stugbags

Superuse: Where Recycling Meets Design

For some amazing recycling design ideas, inspiration and awe look no further than Superuse. From the clever-why-didn't-I-think-of-that ideas to the downright-how-can-that-possibly-work-crazy. Peruse at leisure and vote for your favourites.

"Superuse - where recycling meets design

Superuse is a online community of designers, architects and everybody else who is interested in inventive ways of recycling"

Vincent Chong @ Art In Mind

One of RecyclingCDs valued and talented artists will be exhibiting this month at the Brick Lane Gallery in London. Vincent Chong will be joining a group of other emerging and mid-career artists promoted by the gallery in this regular featured exhibition.

The show runs from 30th July until 11th August 2008 with a preview opening night on Wednesday 30th July, 6-9pm.

Venue: 196 Brick Lane, London E1 6SA / Tel: 0207 729 9721
Tube: Liverpool Street / Aldgate East

Saint Darwin's Spirituals by Vincent Chong

Further info:
Art In Mind / Brick Lane Gallery / Vincent Chong

Battersea Power Station Renewal

Last Saturday Ecomonkey took a trip down to Battersea Power Station to see the latest redevelopment plans by Treasury Holdings Ltd. The information centre is well organised with an impressive display of photographs, architectural drawings and plans as well as a fascinating model of the huge 38 acre site with the planned redevelopment in context.

Treasury Holdings is promoting their design as sustainable - 'A New Energy For London' which sounds great. How exactly this will be manifest is a different matter. The information contained on the Battersea-Power Station website is vague about the actual sustainable aspects to say the least. So we visited the site with a healthy dose of cynicism alongside more than a little excitement.

The £150 million plan centres around a 300 metre high chimney and 'eco-dome' which will house retail and office space as well as residential on the chimney itself! Frankly, we're unsure who would want to live on a chimney but you can't fault the developers for innovation! The 'eco-dome' will draw air up and out through the chimney enabling natural ventilation which will, according to the press release, reduce energy demand by 67%. It's a shame that the chimney looks so ugly and will dwarf the original chimneys which, in Ecomonkey's humble opinion, ought to retain a level of dominance!

The other main plan is to bring back the energy supply function of Battersea Power Station but this time to use renewable energy -'biofuels, waste and other renewable energy sources' using two of the current chimneys. The site will include further residential, retail, commercial and hotel as well as public space - a square, riverside walk and 6 acre park. There are also plans to extend the underground to the site.

If planning permission is granted, Treasury hope to commence building in 2012 and complete by 2020. It all sounds very ambitious and we are still not sure how much of the plan is green-wash or how realistic the sustainable aims are.

It's one thing to say the site will be 'Zero Carbon' and that the 'eco-dome' will not need air-con but surely all the houses, offices, hotel etc on the site will still consume energy and expel emissions. Will all of these buildings be powered by the site's power plant? There will undoubtedly be carbon emissions in the construction (which includes demolition and rebuilding of the existing chimneys) - have these been accounted for in the 'Zero Carbon' calculation? Will there be affordable housing or just expensive apartments to fund the development? A truly sustainable development needs to at least cater for all budgets if not focus on those at the lower end of the wage scale.

If the plans are fulfilled and the site does in fact become 'totally independent from reliance on public utilities', source all drinking water from an on-site borehole, harvest rainwater for grey-water recycling, collect, store and treat storm water for reuse, make good use of river transport etc. as it claims, we will be very impressed and ecstatically happy!

There is one day left for the public to visit the site and consult the plans. So to have your say get down to Battersea this weekend:
Saturday - 19th July, 10am - 6pm.
Gate 2, 188 Kirtling Street, SW8 5BN (Tel: 0845 262 2625).
Visit the BPS website for more info.

NB: All photos are under copyright of Racheblue

Grow Bags @ London Architecture Week

As part of the London Festival of Architecture which started at the weekend and runs until 20 July, the What If team present Grow Bag.
Is it art or a solution to a problem? Isn't that what art is? A creative solution to a problem or discussion of an issue? Hmmm, whilst you ponder that, hop on the bus to N1, WC1 or EC1 to view What If's work.

"A SOLUTION TO INNER CITY LIVING? How can we meet the demand for 'grow-your-own' within dense urban areas where available land is scarce? What-if: projects place GROW BAG installations in Hoxton Square, Store Street and Cheapside to promote the use of vacant, neglected and undefined spaces in the inner city of London for the growing of vegetables."

VACANT LOT (allotment): Chart Street, N1
GROW BAG installation 1: Hoxton Square, N1
GROW BAG installation 2: Store Street, WC1E
GROW BAG installation 3: Cheapside, EC2V
PLANT ROOM: East Road, N1

More info here

MindingThe Gap

Dearest Reader,

I hope this missive finds you well. I would like to apologise for the distinct lack of content over the past few months. This is due predominately to the state of flux brought on by leaving one side of the world for another and all that that entails. Bidding farewell to a certain way of life that had become somewhat comfortable, a wonderful group of friends both old and new, a summer that had delivered on it's promises and a beautifully stunning country with it's enchanting people - these things take a lot of time to plan and get through.

And then The Return Home - Wow! This has been and continues to be a mind blowing experience. To come back to a country you'd not for one moment stopped loving but to have been given the gift of seeing it through the new eyes of one who has spent several years away with only memories and fleeting glimpses to see her through. This is truly an amazing experience. To realise that one's allegiance to home is based on more than a pride in the familiar. To return as though to a best friend and find yourself quite unexpectedly falling in love! This is coming home! It has been wonderful and frustrating and although we're still not quite settled yet, plans are in place and gradually unfolding.

All this Dear Reader - lack of time and a base from which to work - has meant it has been difficult to post my thoughts and findings to you despite the fact that I have thought of you often and composed innumerable posts and musings to you in my meandering mind.

I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive the absence and that our relationship can resume once more over the coming weeks.

With kind thoughts and best wishes,
Rache x

Banksy in the Swiss Embassy

If you go down to the car park of the Swiss Embassy you will find a space covered in the potent art work of Banksy - the renowned and talented graffitti artist.

The Guardian's Arts Correspondent, Mark Brown took a trip to check out.

Watch the video here

Hoopla Workshop, Auckland

Those clever people at Toggle, Esther Lamb and Shelley Simpson are holding a sewing/embroidery/stitch-art workshop at Artstation this week. Designed to bring these traditional skills into the realm of modern art, Hoopla sounds like lots of fun. Here's the low-down from the organisers:

10 am - 3pm
27 February - 5 March 2008
Artstation, 1 Ponsonby Road, Newton, Auckland

$5 pp individual / $4 pp for groups
Closing afternoon tea: 3-6pm, Wednesday 5 March 2008

"Hoopla! is a week long creative workshop and exhibition that takes the traditional craft of embroidery into the realm of contemporary art...

...Participants are invited to come and create art works using stitch, embroidery hoops and a selection of fabrics, felt shapes, buttons, sequins and thread ... can either join one of the stitch workshops or visit the parlour to stitch in their own time. Adults, teenagers, children and families are welcome to participate...

Feel free to come along at any time between 10am and 1.30. We will be there to help you with creating your own artwork in stitch."

More info here

The Creative Industries, Manchester, 27Feb08

The Creative Industries: Ten Years After

Walton Hall, Manchester, UK
Wednesday 27 Feb08, 9am - 6pm

Organisers:
Mark Banks, Department of Sociology/CRESC, The Open University
Justin O'Connor, Cultural and Media Industries Research Centre, University of Leeds

"The Creative Economy Programme sets out an ambitious strategy which once again places the creative industries at the heart of the UK’s economic future. The ‘UK model’ has been internationally exported, across Europe, and into territories as diverse as Australia, China and South Korea, shaping and being shaped by pre-existing policy frameworks, contributing to the rapid globalization of creative industry debate. Yet there are some hard questions to be asked and key issues to be addressed – this symposium attempts to address these issues and in doing so take forward an agenda for critical debate on the creative industries. A series of invited key speakers will address the following themes:

· the historical formation and context of 'creative' industries
· creative industry policy and the legacy of ‘New Labour’
· creative industries and local and regional development
· creative industries in comparative international contexts
· the changing politics of creativity and creative industry work
· the future policy agenda for creative industries

Speakers include: Justin O’Connor, David Hesmondhalgh (Leeds), Andy Pratt (LSE), Kate Oakley (City), Chris Bilton (Warwick), Mark Banks, Jason Toynbee (Open)"

More here
Source: Wiser Earth

One Million Peace Signs

One Million Peace Signs is a new website and blog aimed at encouraging readers worldwide to share pictures of people and places related to peace, focusing particularly on images of the traditional peace symbol.

The site authors explain:
"Snowed in on Jan. 1, 2008 in the Middle-of-Nowhere Wyoming, we decided that collecting One Million Signs of Peace for a website would be a fine New Year's Resolution. Crazy? Probably. Possible? We think so! Since then, people from all over the world have sent us their Peace Sign Photos, Peace observations, and "go for it" encouragement..."

As well as posting pictures (currently via Facebook and flickr), visitors are invited to add peace promoting events and personal peace heroes. There is also a page containing information and links about the history of the peace symbol. A thoroughly inspiring read...


Click links for more: website / flickr group / facebook group

My Heart Wanders - Pia Jane Bijkerk

Pia Jane Bijkerk is offering us the chance to enter creative images for her 'My Heart Wanders' book. It sounds like a beautiful idea. Read the delightful project conception story and simple entry instructions on the blog and get inspired by the delicious images!

From: Pia Jane Bijkerk - Calling All To The artist Studio…

"...And so as I travelled in search of my heart, I caught glimpses of it everywhere - little signs of it in the streets, in the landscapes, in my work, on set, in the many homes that I visited.

And then I saw it amongst you.

The direction of my little wandering heart became apparent and it is my pleasure to now pull the red velvet curtains back and make welcome my first collective blog art project…"

Read more here

Stop... Carry On...

glumbert - Time Freezes in Grand Central

NZAG Awards, Fri 1st Feb08

The New Zealand Art Guild Feb08 competition is underway and you are invited to the awards ceremony this Friday from 6:30pm at the Bruce Mason Art Centre in Takapuna, North Shore.

I managed a sneak preview of some of the other entries and it promises to be a fabulously interesting show! Exhibition entrants will be announced on Thursday but I am - somewhat optimistically perhaps - off to write my acceptance speech for the top prize, tee hee! Hope to see you there if you can make it.

"Don't miss - Opening Night and Award Ceremony for the NZAG ART AWARDS 2008. North Shore City Mayor Andrew Williams will officially open the exhibition.

When: Friday 1st Feb 6:30 pm
Where: Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Auckland

Everyone is invited to attend what is a NZ first - a challenge based art awards. Free entry - drinks and nibbles provided."

More info here

Restitch - Sewing Skills

Restitch is a small UK company run by Mary Jo Hill which recycles unwanted adult clothes into a delightful range of children's clothing. The company is committed to producing locally made goods and helping to reduce landfill by rescuing good quality cotton and corduroy clothing that would otherwise end up there.

In a Restitch press release last year, Mary expressed her concern that many young people of current generations are growing up without the skills required for even mending clothes let alone making their own or customising shop bought items. This lack of skills gives increased power to high street companies as one of only a few means of sourcing clothing.

"...most people are unable to carry out straightforward sewing tasks like repairing tears, mending holes and following simple patterns... ...today’s consumer-driven society encourages clothes to be bought and thrown away rather than made in the home and repaired.

Hill says that unless people relearn these skills they face a world where fashion is entirely dictated by large high street retailers and people are unable to regain their individuality.

In an effort to encourage greater numbers to take up sewing, Restitch is making a selection of patterns available free on its website.
“By making these easy-to-follow patterns available free and online we are hoping to show today’s generation how easy it is to make new clothes from old or unworn ones. Every person should be able to pick up a needle and thread and sew,” says Hill."

Visit the Restitch site here / Full Press Release here

Res Artis: Bright Ugochukwu Eke

Too often we seem to conveniently forget that we are simply one of many species on this planet, as reliant on its environmental structures and systems as all other living species. Our life cycle may be longer than some other creatures but it is also significantly irrelevant in comparison to other living elements central to life on Earth.

We like to think that our technological, industrial and financial 'advances' render us immune to the effects of environmental changes taking place around us. We seem particularly adept at ignoring the changes that occur as a result (whether direct or indirect) of our own actions and insatiable consumption.

So, it is refreshing to see artist, designers and other creatives (like many of those listed and linked on this page) producing work that reflects our careless approach to our planet's resources and the damage we are inflicting on the same fragile ecosystems that allow our own survival, as well as that of all other species, to continue.

Environmental artist Bright Ugochukwu Eke, is one such creative striving to expose the negative impacts of our short-sightedness. During his month long residency with the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in the US, Eke created a permanent sculpture for the project's outdoor collection, of carved, wooden fish hanging from an oak tree. Underneath these forty fish, which have been stained black, hang small bags of oil. The piece is a clear symbol of the harrowing effects of pollution on our rivers and land. It demonstrates in no uncertain terms how we recklessly incapacitate our environments ability to support the wildlife which relies on its natural cycles for survival.

From: Res ArtisDec07
"Born in 1976 in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria, Bright Ugochukwu Eke attended the University of Nsukka and received a BA in Fine Arts. Eke focuses on the total disregard for the environment not only by the authorities but also by individuals who litter their communities indiscriminately.

In the installation Acid Rain, he creates water (rain) droplets containing a blackish industrial chemical similar to acid rain. Shield consists of raincoats and umbrellas made of water sachets to protect from the toxic effects of acid rain. His personal experience of acid rain occurred whilst working in the rain in a polluted area. The result was skin irritation caused by the toxicity of the rain. In these two works the artist highlights how industrialization especially in developing countries and specifically in the oil producing areas of Nigeria has caused the decimation of the natural environment..."

Read more about Eke's Residency here and his Eco-Scope Blog here

Mark Wallinger wins Turner Prize

From: BBC News, 3 Dec07

"Mark Wallinger has been named the winner of the Turner Prize for his replica of the one-man anti-war protest in Parliament Square, State Britain.

Actor and director Dennis Hopper presented the £25,000 award at a ceremony at the Tate Liverpool gallery.

"I am indebted to all those people who contributed to the making of State Britain," said Wallinger...

...He was favourite to win the prize for his £90,000 installation, which recreates everything from Brian Haw's protest in Parliament Square in 2001.

Every detail was copied from his tarpaulin shelter and tea-making area to the messages of support and hand-painted placards.

..."Brian Haw is a remarkable man who has waged a tireless campaign against the folly and hubris of our government's foreign policy," Wallinger said.

"For six-and-a-half years he has remained steadfast in Parliament Square, the last dissenting voice in Britain. Bring home the troops, give us back our rights, trust the people," he added.

The jury commended Wallinger, 48, for its "immediacy, visceral intensity and historic importance". They said: "The work combines a bold political statement with art's ability to articulate fundamental human truths."..."

Read the full story here

Spam to Print

Your small breasts spam, by Linzie Hunter.

These brilliant designs from Linzie Hunter turn all those horrible spam email messages many of us receive on a daily basis into works of art. We're all for turning rubbish into art so here's to Linzie and her wonderful spam prints!

Information Overload & Internet Rehab

Apologies for the diminished posting of late. Life has a habit of getting in the way of blogging sometimes!

A reduced service will continue until 2008 as we take a much needed break from internet information overload and concentrate on other creative outlets.

We will make occasional posts so keep checking back. It is hoped that normal (perhaps improved!) service will resume in January. Until then, please bear with us and enjoy the festive season!

free range Slide

free range Opening Night

...what a great night! We had a great crowd turn up to support and peruse the art work and several sales were made both before and during the evening.

Huge thanks go out to all those who made the memorable night possible:

John & Julz @ Te Karanga - the kindest, most helpful gallery managers we could wish for...
Kfm Radio & Te Karanga gallery for hosting and publicising the show...
Organic World for generously donating delicious organic nibbles...
Friends and family who supported us through the last minute panics and helped out on the day...
All the lovely people who came along and all those who sent good wishes...

Thank you all so much!

If you couldn't make it along, don't worry, the show runs until Saturday 10th November so there is still time to view.

free range Art Exhibition

Te Karanga Gallery presents free range - a collaborative exhibition of emerging art by Aki, Racheblue, Lyhui Te & Ginny Jones from Thurs 1st to Sat 10th November 2007.

From street art to traditional through fantasy to figurative and beyond, free range offers you a smorgasbord of artistic styles to tantalise your taste buds!

Te Karanga Gallery, 208 Karangahape Road, Newton, Auckland kfmradio.co.nz
Open: Mon 12pm - 6pm / Tues - Fri 10am - 6pm / Sat & Sun 12pm - 4pm

Te Karanga Gallery is part of Te Karanga Charitable Trust sharing space with KFM Radio and Tea Culture specialty tea shop

Opening Night: Thursday 1st November, 7:30pm
kindly sponsored by Organic World, 181 Point Chevalier Road

RSVP: racheblue@bluAngeldesigns.com
Website: freerangeartshow

Govett-Brewster Exhibitions Nov07

Govett-Brewster on Queen Street, New Plymouth is one of New Zealand's most chic and modern art galleries. The gallery building itself and the well designed layout is extremely impressive as are the variety of exhibits and the very contemporary content.

One of the current interesting exhibitions at Govett Brewster is Activating Korea: Tides of Collective Action which discusses issues of identity and cultural changes through various media. Here's the low down:

"Bae Young Whan, CDC, flyingCity, JNP Production, Kim Gisoo, Sang-Don Kim, Ko Hyun Joo, Minouk Lim, mixrice, Hein-kuhn Oh and Park Chan-kyong with exhibition design by Choi Jeong-hwa.

This major exhibition explores the complex and contradictory meanings of collectivism within Korean contemporary art in a society where traditional values and today’s multifaceted changes coexist. The works in this exhibition represent a shift from the political representations of Korea’s military dictatorship, the Cold War, and national division. Heralded by 1980s Minjung art, many artists today aim to raise awareness and bring about change around issues such as urban development, immigration and national identity. Featuring a range of media, the exhibition challenges the fast-paced cultural, economic and political changes in the contemporary Korean society. Activating Korea is co-curated by Mercedes Vicente and Beck Jee-sook in conjunction with Insa Art Space of the Arts Council Korea "

Activating Korea runs until 25 November 2007

Next month also sees a screening of environmental documentary films as part of the nationwide Aotearoa Environmental Film Festival. Screening takes place on Thursday 1 November at 2pm and 6pm. Entry $12 ($6 concession). Click here for more details.

Visit the Govett Brewster website here

cause / affect

From: Liquid Treat, Newsletter 20Oct07

"Designers are always trying to find projects that help the greater good, but often when they take on a cause, they find themselves working in isolation and cramming in the pro bono work alongside their other clients. Cause/affect is a new design competition held by AIGA San Francisco that provides both a community and exposure for socially responsible work. Submissions will be accepted until Nov. 9, 2007. Selected entries will be showcased online and at an event to be held at AIGA SF's office Dec. 4. In addition, work will be entered in a People's Choice Award competition, where online voting will determine an additional winner, also to be announced at the awards ceremony."

Check it out here and enter here

Misiak Recycled Tea Sets

From: Kate, Inhabitat, 22Sep07

"England is the land of tea, and as once would expect, there are tons of old, unwanted tea sets in London sitting in charity shops and landfill. Fortunately British product designer Christine Misiak has arrived on the scene to turn old tea sets into new, hip, contemporary products that are as gorgeous as they are eco-friendly. Exhibiting at 100% Futures during at the London Design Festival, Misiak makes tea time greener with this thoughtful form of adaptive reuse..."

More here

Deptford Design Market Challenge

Looking for some inspiration on recycling? Wondering how to turn once discarded and unused objects into something new, useful or simply decorative?
The Deptford Design Market challenged 27 designers to do just that using objects picked up at the market and the results are impressive and inspiring. The resulting designs can be seen at the Royal Festival Hall for another couple days until 25th September (free admission), but if you don't have a chance to get there check them out here.

"The designers, who include Conran and Partners, Stuart Haygarth, Martí Guixé, and Based Upon, have each been asked to pick a second-hand object – a paint box, a guitar, a basket of toy soldiers – bought from Deptford Market. Their task is to challenge preconceptions of usefulness and beauty, using their talents to re-work the item, creating something unique, desirable and functional. To view all the items visit the Gallery.

By re-interpreting the discarded, the aim of the Market Challenge is to inspire and encourage designers to think about re-using what is available before creating an entirely new product from scratch. The possibilities for regeneration are endless: compressing or manipulating the object; reengineering it; using it as an image for a website."

The Original Art Sale 07

Phew - I finally finished the last two of my 6 pieces and delivered all my work safely to the Telstra Clear Stadium in Manukau. The exhibition/sale runs for only 3 days next weekend from next Friday 31 August until Sunday 2 September, so put the date in your diary now!

With a new larger venue the sale promises to be bigger and better this year. It is a little further to travel for Auckland city folk but will hopefully encourage new buyers and art lovers. I can't wait to check out the other work that will be exhibited - it's going to be fun!

Hope to see you there! Here's the lowdown:

Gala Charity Preview Evening:
Thursday 30 August 2007, 7pm - 9pm
Proceeds to The South Auckland Health Foundation
Tickets $45, available from the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre or email The Original Art Sale for more information

Sale Dates:
Friday 31 August 2007 * 10am - 5pm
Friday 31 August 2007 * 6pm - 9pm - ($15 includes a glass of wine)
Saturday 1 September 2007 * 10am - 6pm
Sunday 2 September 2007 * 11am - 4pm

Entry Price:
Adults - $10 / Students/Seniors - $8 / Children - free
Friday Evening - $15 (includes a glass of wine)
Tickets include free parking

Sale Details:
"The Original Art Sale is one of the largest sales of art ever held in New Zealand and is now back for a third year in a new home. Several thousand pieces of art, sourced from across the New Zealand art community will be available at the massive 3 day event.

'The Sale' appeals to everyone from first time buyers to existing collectors wanting to spot fresh new talent. With prices ranging from $100 - $5000 our aim is to make original art accessible to all who wish to own it. The art supermarket concept is purposely designed to present a wide range of styles and mediums to satisfy every possible taste..."

More info here

ArTea Party Jun07 Photos

Better late then never!

Photography by IRW Scott & Tom Woods (edited by Racheblue)