The Big Bang/Bounce
Check out this event at Shoreditch Church this weekend! Soupa member Carlos Garde-Martin will be doodling LIVE on Saturday afternoon. Click here to find out more.
Spring has Sprung
The clocks have gone forward which means – despite what weather greets you – spring is here and so is Sprung. jotta (the creative community borne from the University of the Arts London) has joined with fine art paper merchants Fedrigoni to present Sprung – a visual interpretation of the written word, inspired by the traditions and rituals of the season. The exhibition and accompanying publication will feature twelve jotta artists chosen by a panel of judges to showcase their response to a selected poem.
The exhibition includes pencil drawings, silk screen prints and hand sewn graphics which leads me on nicely to the work of Evelin Kasikov who combines traditional cross stitch with graphic design and geometry.
As you can see, these things combined leads to a really unique handmade printing process using the palette of CMYK.
The exhibition previews tonight and will run until April 30 at Fedrigoni UK, London Showroom, 5th Floor, Diamond House, 36-38 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8EB
Images courtesy of the artist and jotta. Visit jotta at www.jotta.com
Van Doesburg - Tate Modern
The Van Doesburg exhibition at Tate Modern is a fantastic example of where our current visual style using bold communicative typography have developed. You can imagine Theo van Doesburg working in this century just as much as in his lifetime (1883-1931). The most exciting works in this exhibition for me were typographical posters of De Stijl movement, and the geometric art forms which created such a distinct look and feel of this period of time - and still now.
Exhibition on at Tate Modern until 16 May 2010
Jenny Holzer - Blue Purple Tilt
After studying Jenny Holzer at university back in 2003, I became interested in the idea of art as a graphic communication. Previous to this, I had viewed art as a self involved pointless media and something in which I personally could not engage with.
The work of Jenny Holzer enabled me to view art as a communication tool in a similar way to graphic design. Her work was recently been on display at the Lightbox in Woking, Surrey. The piece BLUE PURPLE TILT, 2007 which was created especially for the Artist Rooms collection, was a inspiring and visually stunning piece.
“PURPLE TILT, 2007 is a 4m high light installation with panels each measuring 3810x137x1270cm creates an impressive visual presence in the double-height main gallery”. Well worth a visit.
If You Could : Collaborate
Just been to visit the exhibition If You Could : Collaborate at the A Foundation Gallery, Rochelle School in Shoreditch. What a refreshing experience, it was great to see some original work combining a array of various skill sets and collaborating to create some unique pieces. Amongst the collection the ones which caught my eye was the fun interactive piece about how we use our desk space by Julien Vallée & Nicolas Burrows and the film made by Michael Moloney & John Hooper which was truly beautiful.
Its only on until the 23rd January 2010 so get a shifty on down there and see for yourself! Or check out the website for more info and photos of the exhibition. www.ifyoucould.co.uk/collaborate
Julien Vallée & Nicolas Burrows
Michael Moloney & John Hooper
Soupa Market Success
Check out the pictures from the Soupa Market - http://bit.ly/4wh06H
Take a trip to the SoupaMarket!
Looking for Christmas gifts in the supermarket can be dull. Looking for Christmas gifts in the SoupaMarket however, is anything but...
This one time only event will see members of Soupa sell their wares at the Old Truman Brewery's 'All I Want for Christmas' fair on a collective SoupaStall. This lovely poster has been created by Soupa member Oscar de Castro to promote the event and details who will be providing the goodies!
Expect limited edition screenprints, T-shirts and cuddly critters – all unique and handmade by Santa's Soupa little elves.
If you'd like to come along, then we'd love to see you. See the above poster for details – and be sure to tell your friends!
Pop along to Print Clubs pop-up shop!
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Cockpit Arts - Christmas open studios event
We at Soupa went to the Summer Open studio events and we will definitely be popping this Christmas to pick up some treats for friends and family... i think this is the first Christmassy post!!
Paper and Pens Exhibition
Printclub screenprinting members special offer
Design Jewellery and Make T-shirts with Lazy Oaf!
Transport for London - Moquette competition
From graphics to roundels, tube stations to textiles, Transport for London is steeped in a history of innovative design. As part of the gradual refurbishment of London’s transport system, Transport for London and London Underground are pleased to announce an open competition to design a new seating moquette for use on the Underground system. The winning design, which will initially launch on the Piccadilly line, will then be adopted across the London Underground system. This is your chance to become part of the fabric of London design and transport history and for your work to be seen by over 3 million tube users every day.
Entrants are invited to submit up to two repeat pattern textile designs using the colours specified in the design brief remembering that your design will be used for public seating so will need to be commercially viable and take into consideration wear and tear and soiling.
The winner will receive a design fee of £5,000 which includes copyright purchase.
CLOSING DATE 14th September before 5.00pm GMT.
Tea and Make at Brockley Rise
Craft fairs too cliche?... fetes to dowdy?.. well Tea and Make was a very nice combination of the two with a friendly local atmosphere accompanied by some very talented makers. Whilst wandering around the stalls outside St Saviours Church in Brockley - South East London we stumbled across some very cute screen prints by Hannah Waldron - which we recognised from Anorak magazine, none the less. On the stall next to Hannah were some very cool acrylic jewelery makers Cup of Sea who's rings we just had to try on - yes every one - just to see what they would look like. Check out their sites!
D&AD New Blood 2009... How was it for you?
We’re always on the lookout for your feedback and love hearing about the events you’ve been to and New Blood is no exception which is why we’ve asked a couple of people who went, what they thought of it.
Tom Northey - 'senior lecturer in BA Graphic Communication at UCA, Farnham
How did you find atmosphere of New Blood? A really good atmosphere, the buzz was electric, the venue was the best yet. Did you feel it encompassed all areas of design or leaned toward a certain area? I think its safe to say that it encompassed all ar
eas of graphic design and beyond, it was great to see some great photography there too. Did any of your students get approached from industry professionals? Yes and no. Most students were doing the work. The students were getting out there chatting – not many got approached. Did you and your students have fun? We did have fun, it was great to see what other courses are doing too. One of the best stands was Lincoln.
Carlos Garde-Martin
How about you Carlos, what did you make of the show? Being part of this years New Blood, for me, was a fantastic experience. The Private view was a great success, my name got drawn out of a hat so i got to go in two hours earlier. It was bustling with people enjoying the free beer and wine, perhaps a little more so because of the unbearable heat that day. Aside from the private view there did not 'appear' to be as many art directors as I had hoped, that said it's not always obvious as to who's who. I was pleased to see some great work there by fellow students, however the way in which some universities chose to showcase their students work, I feel really let them down. I can think of one example where they had covered the entire walls of their stall in brown paper. Thankfully this was not the norm.
What did you think to the venue?
The venue was the right size for the amount of exhibitors, however the upstairs space could have been used more effectively. Giant bean bags littered around the ground floor provided a great place to relax, and exchange ideas. Especially if you had been on your feet all day. The four main areas being represented were highlighted by giant banners hanging from the ceiling, handy if you lost your bearings in and amongst the stands.
"Giant bean bags littered around the ground floor provided a great place to exchange ideas"
Did you go to any workshops? I attended a workshop on the second day. One of the Senior Directors of Blurb.com gave an interesting talk on what services they provide and how you can get into 'Indie Publishing'. I must say if you haven't checked them out already, you should. They are able to print professional standard, one off books for next to nothing. There are certain limitations with formats, but that's what keeps the costs down.
Finally I caught the D&AD's training and advice sessions held on the 2nd of July in Nottinghill. I have to say that although not totally relevant to me because I am an illustrator, all the speakers were very engaging and full of helpful suggestions. They went through various subjects such as; how to make your mark in such a competitive industry, setting up a business, and going freelance. The speakers also made themselves available to answer additional questions at the end of their talks. I would highly recommend attending future D&AD talks because they are such good value for money and it's a great place to network. However if you are an illustrator, be aware that the Association of Illustrators talks may be more geared towards your specific industry.
- © Carlos Garde-Martin
Leg's eleven – it's Bicycle Bingo heaven!
On the 11th July, the super-popular Bicycle Bingo returns for its second leg at the Elevator Gallery, Hackney Wick. And boy would you need strong legs to power the bingo machine!Luckily for you, just fork out £5 for entry and that money will go to the Mercy Corps and Christina Noble Children's Foundation – it couldn't be easier! Find out more about the event at: www.teamradiosilence.co.uk
The event is hosted by Team Radio Silence whose upcoming 10,000 mile trip from London to Mongolia has been reported on Soupa in an earlier post (see below). Is it me or can those boys just not keep still? The first game starts at 8pm so make sure it's a Full House – take your wallet but you can leave your bingo wings at home!
You don't have to take your clothes off...
...to have a good time, oh no! But you can pay the Peepshow Collective a visit and see them expose themselves – in a purely hypothetical way at least.The Collective's latest exhibition Inbetween focuses on their own personal investigations and includes work from Luke Best, Jenny Bowers, Miles Donovan, Matthew Hawkins, Adrian Johnson, Chrissie Macdonald, Marie O Connor, Andrew Rae, Elliot Thoburn, Lucy Vigrass and Spencer Wilson. Inbetween takes place at Dreamspace Gallery, 1-3 Dufferin Street, London, EC1Y 8NA and runs from 17th June to 15th July (Monday to Friday) and it's free admission. Sounds like the cheapest peepshow you're ever likely to see.
For more information, visit: http://peepshowcollective.blogspot.com/2009/05/inbetween-exhibition-by-peepshow.html
Bloody hell – check out the talent on that!
From time to time, we all need a little inspiration which is why the D&AD New Blood 2009 event is a real source of creativity.Taking place at the National Hall at Olympia in London from 29th June – 1st July, expect raw talent at its finest and you'll also be able to take part in workshops. It's free entry but you need to register to get your ticket. Have a look here: http://newblood.dandad.org/
And if you're a graduate, check out the D&AD Graduate Training and Advice Sessions taking place at Coronet in Notting Hill. There is a small fee but you might just find it's more than worth it! Sessions include: How to Copyright your Work and How to Go Freelance. Details of that can be found here: http://www.dandad.org/education/training-advice.html
If any Soupa members do go, we'd love to know how you get on – so drop us a line and maybe share a few tips!
