Candy_issue_7 by Macacos Flamejantes

THE GIRLPOWERSHOPPING ISSUE.

PARTNERED BY

THE GIRLPOWERSHOPPING ISSUE. CONTENTS.

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Introduction. SweetTalk. PSP+ME. Aalex. Allison Leach. Beci Orpin. Bennie Reilly. Beuys&Beuys. Built by Wendy.

Cliona O’Flaherty & Aisling Farinella. Colorblok. Elisabeth Arkhipoff. Ellen Allien. Ellie Harrison. FakeCake. Jenny Mörtsell. Laura Creamer. Lili Forberg.

Martha Rich. Nagi Noda. Red Dog. Rhona Byrne. Ros Shiers. Sally Timmons. Seriph. Stitches. Tara McPherson. Tokiki.

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Front cover. ‘Covergirl’ exclusive illustration done by Jenny Mörtsell.

Right. ‘Clown’ by Ros Shiers.

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*No-one puts baby in the corner. 20 years young, best get some popcorn.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Dancing

http://www.ros-shiers.com

http://www.jennysportfolio.com

CANDY is an independent venture developed to showcase exceptional creativity worldwide through original innovative formats. All informations and visuals contained within this document remain the copyright of the creators, they are simply being shown for the purpose of presentation. No elements of this document may be used, reprinted or transmitted without the prior consent of the publishers and the people featured in the piece being featured. Should any credits be wrong, please contact us and we’ll set it right next issue, you have our word. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GO ON, SEND US STUFF, THE POSTMAN IS FAT AND NEEDS THE EXERCISE PLUS WE’LL POP A MENTION IN THE NEXT ISSUE!! HURRAH!! POSTAL ADDRESS: c/o DYNAMO, 5 UPPER ORMOND QUAY, DUBLIN 7, IRELAND. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PARTNERED BY

Another year on and we’re in two zero zero heaven... Wowsers! What a start, first our site got shut down due to crazy amounts of downloads (didn’t help with us bringing out 2 huge issues at the one time), then we got it back up (easy tiger!) and then the fun really started. We’ve been working really hard on this issue (it’s so good to be back), preparing to rock the world with SweetTalks which hopefully will be coming to a place near you soon and we’ve got tonnes of projects planned that will hopefully blow your socks off. Anyhoo, back to business, this is the GirlPowerShopping issue and it’s full of the best female talent the world over. To be honest it’s the issue that has caused the most debate as to whether we should just showcase one sex over another but we looked over previous editions and feel we should try harder for a better spread of work, not just across sexes but countries and disciplines and in order of ability to play table tennis while eating toast. We’re really happy with our first issue of 2007, we really hope you like it too, please don’t be afraid to tell us what you think! Seriously, all comments (and criticism) welcome.

Introduction. Next issue is our second burpday issue in June so feel free to send us cake. We LOVE cake. Oh, make sure to click the links. Hurrah! Richard Seabrooke / CANDY. richard.seabrooke@dynamo.ie

This page. ‘Cosmaz with Suzi’ by Rilla Alexander of Rinzen. New site now online at http://www.rinzen.com

Staff. Contributors. Thanks. Support.

Contributors.

Thanks.

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Wes Trumble.

Jon, Tanis, Dorian and all at Veer. Jen, Alicia and all the NYC MeanRed crew. All the speakers at all the SweetTalks. David at Royal Magazine / KDU. Will at Protein / Resfest. Merryl & Nichole at Kidrobot. Tony Arcabascio. Zoe & David at Commonwealth NYC. Steve & Rilla at Rinzen. The Tados. Jon Burgermeister & Ellie. Blam at Blanka. Mark at Helter Skelter. All the IdN crew.

Oisin and all at The Sugar Club, sterling work. Jon & Eleanor on Shock’d! All the people who helped make PSP+ME such a success. All the people who sent us so many amazing emails and said so many incredible things over the last couple of months, here’s to an amazing 2007 for us all! Looks like we’re back baby...

wes.trumble@dynamo.ie ---------------------------------------------------------

Desy Balmer. niceandnasty@eircom.net ---------------------------------------------------------

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Staff. ---------------------------------------------------------

Richard Seabrooke. richard.seabrooke@dynamo.ie ---------------------------------------------------------

Aidan Kelly. aidan@aidan-kelly.com ---------------------------------------------------------

Asbestos. me@theartofasbestos.com ---------------------------------------------------------

BrenB. hello@brenb.net ---------------------------------------------------------

Cameron Ross / Nick Merrigan. cameron@newmedia.ie nicholas@newmedia.ie ---------------------------------------------------------

Simon Roche. simon@fieldmice.ie ---------------------------------------------------------

Lucy Corscadden. lucy@meandeye.com ---------------------------------------------------------

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Postal address. Richard Seabrooke / CANDY. c/o Dynamo, 5 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin 7, Ireland. ---------------------------------------------------------

This page. Angelo the Stitch hangs out with the boys. More at http://www.brassier.blogspot.com

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CANDY PRESENT SWEETTALK 19: DUBLIN. AN EVENING CELEBRATING IRELAND’S VERY BEST CREATIVES IN A RELAXED, INFORMED ATMOSPHERE.

CHRIS JUDGE CONOR & DAVID LINDA BROWNLEE RUAIRÍ ROBINSON WWW.CHRISJUDGE.COM

WWW.CONORANDDAVID.COM

WWW.LINDABROWNLEE.COM

WWW.RUAIRIROBINSON.COM

THURSDAY APRIL 5TH THE SUGAR CLUB, LEESON STREET, DUBLIN.

ADMISSION: 8 EURO. DOORS FROM 7PM. FIRST SPEAKER AT 8PM. COMPLIMENTARY LIMITED EDITION PRINTS TO EARLY ARRIVERS.

MORE INFORMATION AT WWW.CANDYCULTURE.NET

CANDY IN ASSOCIATION WITH VEER PRESENT SWEETTALK 20 IN NEW YORK CITY, AN INFORMAL ONE DAY CONFERENCE FEATURING LIVE PRESENTATIONS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S FOREMOST CREATIVE TALENTS TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME.

SATURDAY MARCH 17TH ST. PATRICK’S DAY 2PM - 9PM / ADMISSION $20 FROM TICKETWEB.COM NOW! LIMITED CAPACITY!

NYC CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE 536 LAGUARDIA PLACE. BETWEEN WEST 3RD STREET AND BLEECKER STREET IN THE WEST VILLAGE HTTP://WWW.AIANY.ORG/CENTERFORARCHITECTURE/SPACE.PHP

MORE INFORMATION AT WWW.CANDYCULTURE.NET & WWW.VEER.COM/IDEAS

PSP+ME WAS A PROJECT CONCEIVED BY CANDY FOR SONY PLAYSTATION TO SHOWCASE THE POTENTIAL FOR SHARING AND DISPLAYING CREATIVE CONTENT. FOR THE INITIAL STAGE WE COMMISSIONED MANY OF IRELAND’S LEADING CREATIVES TO PRODUCE WORK BASED ON CERTAIN THEMES RELATED TO EXPERIENCES ASSOCIATED WITH PSP. THE RANGE OF WORK WAS IMMENSE, FROM FASHION TO MUSIC, MOTION TO GRAPHICS. AT THE LAUNCH, WHICH SAW MANY PEOPLE BRAVE THE ELEMENTS TO SEE THE WORK ON SHOW FOR JUST ONE NIGHT, THERE WAS ALSO A FLURRY OF CUSTOMISED PSPS WHICH SHOULD BE VIEWABLE OVER THE COMING WEEKS ONLINE. ALL OF THE CONTENT COMMISSIONED IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FREE OF CHARGE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, ALL WE ASK YOU TO DO IS SUPPORT THOSE WHO MADE IT AND SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES AS NEW CONTENT COMES ONLINE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PROJECT, INCLUDING DETAILS OF HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN WORK, VISIT HTTP://WWW.PSPANDME.IE THE FOLLOWING IS JUST A TASTER OF THE FINAL BODY OF WORK, BEST GET CLICKING AND SEE THE ENTIRE PROJECT ON THE OFFICIAL SITE NOW.

+ AIDAN KELLY. + WWW.AIDAN-KELLY.COM + THEME : ‘DISTRACTION’.

+ BRIAN COLDRICK. + WWW.BRIANCOLDRICK.COM

+ ALAN CLARKE.

+ + + +

LEFT + BOTTOM ROW. ASBESTOS. WWW.THEARTOFASBESTOS.COM ‘HANDS’.

+ TOP RIGHT. + DAVID ROONEY. + WWW.DAVIDROONEY.COM

+ LEFT. + BRENB. + WWW.BRENB.NET

+ RIGHT. + DONAL THORNTON. + WWW.NOSAUSAGENOFRY.COM

+ FINAL PANEL. + ROSS MCDONNELL + WWW.ROSSMCD.COM

+ AIDAN KELLY + ALAN CLARKE + ANGRY + ASBESTOS + BODYTONIC + BRENB + BRIAN COLDRICK + CELESTINE COONEY + CHOICECUTS + CHRIS JUDGE + CHRISTIAN MILLS + CONOR + DAVID + D1 RECORDINGS + D.A.D.D.Y. + DAVE CLEARY + DAVID ROONEY + DEBBIE PAUL + DELICIOUS 9 + DONAL THORNTON + FLK STUDIO + FRANKENSTYLES + GLENN LEYBURN + LEON BUTLER + LINDA BROWNLEE + LOVELY PRODUCTIONS + MICHAEL UNKNOWN + MUTEGRAB + NICE&NASTY + OLIVER JEFFERS + PETER McEVOY + PHIL DUNNE + PIXELCORPS + REDMAN AKA + RICHARD GILLIGAN + SISI + STUDIOMIME + TRUST ME I'M A THIEF + UNTHINK

+ LEFT + BOTTOM. + CONOR + DAVID. + WWW.CONORANDDAVID.COM

+ NEXT PANEL (LEFT). + DEBBIE PAUL. + WWW.DEBBIEPAUL.COM

+ RIGHT. + FLK STUDIO. + WWW.FLKSTUDIO.COM

+ NEXT PANEL (RIGHT). + PHIL DUNNE. + PUBLIC COMPETITION WINNER.

+ DAVID CLEARY. + WWW.DAVIDCLEARYART.COM

+ LEFT. + FRANKENSTYLES. + WWW.FRANKENSTYLES.COM + RIGHT. + GLENN LEYBURN.

+ NEXT PANEL (LEFT). + CELESTINE COONEY + LINDA BROWNLEE. + WWW.CELESTINECOONEY.COM WWW.LINDABROWNLEE.COM + ‘PROVOKE SEDUCE PLAY’.

+ TOP ROW. + REDMAN AKA. + BOTTOM ROW. + OLIVER JEFFERS. + WWW.OLIVERJEFFERS.COM

+ RICHARD GILLIGAN. + WWW.RICHGILLIGAN.COM + ‘IMMERSION’.

LOG-ON / DOWNLOAD ALL CONTENT. HTTP://WWW.PSPANDME.IE

+ LEFT. + STUDIOMIME. + WWW.STUDIOMIME.COM + RIGHT. + UNTHINK. + WWW.UNTHINK.IE

Font Helvetica Neue Weight Size 55 Roman Small Medium 65 Medium 75 Bold Large XLarge 85 Heavy Weight Series www.Blanka.co.uk

Aalex. --------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.aalex.info --------------------------------------------------------------------

ALEXANDRE BETTLER (aka Aalex) is concerned about her world, not just the formidable challenges it has ahead of it but it's very dayto-day existence. Just when you thought someone else was having the high life Aalex is having a normal sort of day finding out that her world rotates a little quicker than ours. This is very comforting as it happens to be our world too and its going to take us a little longer to get where we're going, She sees things we don't see; little nuances that make everything just tick along nicely. She turns these small and large ideas or experiences into books, teabags, trestle tables postcards from an edge & happy plates. It’s an in-depth look into why we feel the feelings we feel, the in's and out’s of personal experiences that shape the outlook we have on life Particularly great projects that strike us are “Last century was ok” where she contacted grandparents asking them a series of questions and comparing the answers or her hilarious “Save Fish - Eat chips” t-shirts and totes that have to be seen to be believed. Really.

This page. ‘Bread spoon’. Next page. ‘Tea Bag’ & ‘Bread & Circuses’ poster.

When did you know you wanted to do what you do? What did your folks say? I am still not very sure what i want to do and it seems to change everyday, mainly depending on the weather and the people I meet. I mainly know what i dont want to do and usually work backwards, starting by crossing things i don't want to do. My parents are great and supported me in every direction i tried, even when i wanted to be an hermit !!! They are a precious support. What do you hope to achieve through your work? Making friends. Making people communicate more (me included). Meeting people. Making people smile (me included). What do you consider to be the most important things in your world? People. Smiles. Friends. Bread. Sounds.

A lot of your work features very public statements (Save Fish, Eat Chips, If you are depressed, tea will cheer you up, etc.). Why do you feel itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for you to engage with the general masses in this way? Ever received any unexpected or over the top feedback? I am interested in vernacular and everyday life situations. I like stationary objects because they are mass produced, simple, subtle, cheap and honest. Everybody know paperclips and use them and never really question them. I would love my work to be the same. Reason why I use bread in my personal work. I think bread has this same level of simple, cheap and universal object/language. It is a medium for broad communication. Using public statement allows me to (hopefully) reach a wider audience. I believe my hopes and beliefs are a bit naive and impossible but i don't mind really. The Save Fish Eat Chips bags and t-shirts have been well received by vegetarian people which wasn't expected and thought was quite funny. >>

This page (clockwise from top left). ‘And Or With’ book cover, ‘The Bread Workshops’ book cover, ‘Different Sides of Nothing’ book cover, ‘Bread & Circuses’ book detail.

Who was your favourite celebrity when you were growing up? Yuri Gagarin. Alexandre the Great (hi hi...). Ghengis Kahn. Care to explain your cooking designing objects, what’s the idea behind them? Trying to speak about design and communication using something that every know about and use/need: food. The objects are made to be used in both contexts. The table, the knife, the chopping board and the cutting mat can be used for both uses. I believe they are many similarities between cooking and designing and would love to connect them as much as possible. There is still a very 'seriousness' about graphic design or design in general. Simply the name 'design', without having a very specific meaning, has a very serious and clean image attached to it (maybe due to the the clean and serious time we live in since the 90s) that might not help communication in general. Books are something you seem to like compiling your work into. What’s it about that format that you like so much as opposed to doing an improvised mime show with you relatives at a time of seasonal festivities or pinning it to a real goat in the Pennines? Bread and Paper. Paper has, for me, the same level of communication as bread. Books allow me to communicate my work and interests in the same way as if they were made of paper. Again, books can be cheap, mass produced and simple. I also like the fact they are humble. They are a great way of communication and simply the way the paper is made is very similar to making bread. I recently did a workshop at the RCA with some nice students and we made paper in the morning and bread in the afternoon, mixing them together and using both as medium for communication.

I see from ‘The Bread Workshops’ you’re into all things bready. Care to elaborate on this love, any particular favourites (Mine is a hot poppy loaf, I thought I’d really like olive bread but found it a tad underwhelming!)? They are many... Any nice brown bread with many seeds would put a smile on my face, but as long as it is not mass produced white sliced bread, i am happy! I’ve just got a really nice loaf of poppy roll and I’m heading to the delicatessans to get some fillings. What would you like, I’m probably having some roasted veg, goats cheese, rocket and a smidgeon of tapenade... Sounds perfect to me! Where about is your bakery? You find a lot of inspiration from many things around you in your daily life. Because of this do you ever have a problem relaxing or do you treat it like you’re an imaginary photographer and some days you leave your “camera” at home? I would say I feel like some things can wait and will happen again. I believe it is part of the 'everyday' game.. give things time... But I also feel like difficult to relax, as they are so many things i would like to have time to do... like opening a bakery / bookshop / design studio!!! Give me time... >>

This page. ‘Save Fish, Eat Chips’ tote bag. Next page. ‘Post’ postcards.

This page. ‘Cooking Designing Table’.

You’re stuck in a lift in Stoke Local Library and due to the maintenance people being called away to a more urgent call for an hour or two God takes pity and offers you the opportunity (don’t tell anyone, it’s ruins his cred for the miracles and what-not) to have 7 other people (living or dead) appear in the lift with pens, paint, pencils and the best damn sketchbooks and laptops you ever did see. Who do you invite (on the quiet)? You because we never met and it seems like we have a few things to speak about. God himself because I never met Him neither. Genghis Khan. My friend Jérome Rigaud to help playing with the elevator's electricity and making a typeface out of it. Korea's King Sejong, who decided to invent a typeface for his country in 1450. Hokusai, would love him to teach me about painting. Le Corbusier. This should be a nice crowd to keep us busy and having fun for a few hours.. Who are the other creatives you admire and respect? Anyone who just doesn’t do it for you and you wonder what all the hype is about? I guess I give respect to anybody working exactly according to who they are and doing this humbly and honestly. Names wont really help on this one as I guess it is usually quite easy to spot these people without them needing to shout it loud... What’s the music that’s got you rocking and relaxing at the moment? Alva Noto+Ryuichi Sakamoto. Beastie Boys. Edith Piaf. Torococorot. Serge Gainsbourg. Fourtet. Les Negresses Vertes. Noir Desir. Secondo / AM/PM. 2007 for Aalex will mostly be taken up... Starting a design studio with friend Matthew Appleton. Visiting Croatia where I want to live/work. Organising Bread Workshops in Poland and Portugal. Making books. Making friends. Meeting people. Smiling to people.

‘IT’S TIME TO MEET YOUR MAKER’ A PHOTO STORY BY ALLISON LEACH HTTP://WWW.ALLISONLEACH.COM

“IN A WORLD INCREASINGLY DOMINATED BY BIG BOX MASS MERCHANT RETAILERS, I AM DRAWN TO INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND CULTURAL VISIONARIES WHO REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF POP CULTURE THAT AMUSES, ENTERTAINS AND/OR CHALLENGES OUR PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD. THIS PROJECT IS A CELEBRATION OF THE ARTISTS BEHIND THE TOYS” ALLISON LEACH / 2007 ALLISON LEACH has been a commercial photographer for fifteen years and has shot for Vanity Fair, Esquire, People, Entertainment Weekly, Men’s Health, Interview, TV Guide and many others. She specializes in shooting people, so it was only natural she sought to portray the very people responsible for these amazing toys.

ANDREW BELL HTTP://WWW.CREATURESINMYHEAD.COM

DAVE COOPER HTTP://WWW.DAVEGRAPHICS.COM

KAZ HTTP://WWW.KAZUNDERWORLD.COM

PETE FOWLER HTTP://WWW.MONSTERISM.NET HTTP://WWW.PLAYBEAST.COM

N AT H A N JUREVICIUS HTTP://WWW.NATHANJ.COM.AU HTTP://WWW.SCARYGIRL.COM

TIM BISKUP HTTP://WWW.TIMBISKUP.COM

T R I S TA N E AT O N HTTP://WWW.THUNDERDOGSTUDIOS.COM

GARY BASEMAN HTTP://WWW.GARYBASEMAN.COM

JIM WOODRING HTTP://WWW.JIMWOODRING.COM

DAVID H O R V AT H & SUN-MIN KIM HTTP://WWW.DAVIDHORVATH.COM HTTP://WWW.UGLYDOLLS.COM

Beci Orpin. ------------------------------------------------

http://www.beciorpin.com http://www.princesstina.com.au ------------------------------------------------

Take some pencils, some buttons, add some sad and happy teeth, kilos of primary bright colours that dazzle the kids and a tonne of sweet little tees and you’re not even half way towards becoming the next Beci Orpin. This is a girl who’s work has something for you, something for us and something for everyone including a very nice clothing range called Princess Tina that she set up in 2001. She's done work for Mambo and an exhibition for the ultra cool X-Girl and there are many plans for bigger and better projects this year. Her work involves a good deal of illustration applied into different forms like anything from textiles to flock wallpaper to lampshades, and the odd skateboard for your older brother [or sister mind] all detailed and gorgeous to look at; ships on the high sea, mushrooms toucans and ladybirds. It's a world away from ours, a fantasy but real and washable, tactile and wearable, its youthful looks and seemingly shy and retiring outlook is a big cover-up for strong and sharp attitude. Viva Beci!

Previous page. ‘Sad tooth’.

This page. Illustration which formed part of ‘We’re only here because i dreamt us up’ exhibition at Someday Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, November 2006.

How long have you been creating work your way? ummm... since i was born? well i have been officially graduated and working for myself for about 10 years How would you describe it? What are your ambitions for every piece of work you do? well its quite different. it depends if i am working for a client, for princess tina or making artwork. if i am working for a client of course i want to make them happy but try and do something no one else would do. if its for princess tina i just try and make myself happy, and to design stuff i want to wear - but i also kind of have to think about making things that are wearable? artwork i just do as i please. i guess i put 100% into everything i do... and try to to put lots of consideration and research into it too. you have to dig! i have tried to cheat and do a quick average job before but i just cant live with myself! Where, how and by what do you find you’re inspired? gosh... i get asked this question a lot (no offence) and it changes all of the time. i found a piece of paper on the ground this morning that someone had hand_written "cat" on it and oddly i got some inspiration from that. i pick a lot of things off the ground. but i also love thrift stores and flea markets. i walk a lot and that can be inspiring - you can see things you wouldn't see from a car. it can also be meditative. i also get inspired when i have a lot going on at the same time... i think its a momentum thing. What type of clients do you work with, any particular fields you like more than others? well i have done a lot of fashion work ( mostly creating textiles and graphics). it was what i wanted to do, but i think i got a lot of clients in similar markets and it became a bit repetitive. i am still doing fashion work for the clients i love, but now i am doing more illustration work, some stuff for books, some packaging design and some music stuff too... i am liking the variety at the moment. textiles is still my main passion though and its nice to be able to apply that to other fields.

What’s the Australian creative scene like? Was it hard to get up and running or is it somewhere which fosters both creativity and ambition? it can be both. australia is a pretty good place to live - relatively cheap rent, relatively good weather, amazing food and great coffee... in my experience you can either blossom in it or easily become complacent. it can be harder here because we don't have the amazing resources of an older city... but the internet has changed that a bit. i think you still need to travel and see what is going on other places. there is some good people here doing amazing things, but then there are a lot of crap things too. but maybe that's the case all over the world? As well as your incredible creative output you find time to produce your own clothing and accessory line ‘Princess Tina’ which sells all over the world in only the best boutiques. How did this come about, how long has it been running? princess tina was an accident that happened about 5 years ago. i was in an exhibition and had to create 20 of a product to sell, so i screenprinted handkerchiefs and part of the design included a font saying "princess tina's pony club". they sold and then stores wanted to order them so i made more. then i made some tees and bags, and then kept making stuff until it turned into the all-consuming monster i have today What do you reckon sets your label apart from the rest, what’s the key to success? wow its successful? that's funny. its a weird thing. i am not a fashion designer and every season i am like "should i be doing this?". i always start with the graphics and then design the garments around them (very simple garments - mostly just things i want to wear). i think most other companies work the other way... maybe that what sets us apart? What’s been your biggest selling item so far? Why do you think it was so popular? has got to be the tooth! the kids love it! anything it appears on gets lapped up...i don't know why! the rain cloud necklace has done really well too... stores keep requesting it so we keep it as stock item now. >>

Previous page. Princess Tina SS 2007.

This page (left to right). Watercolour & vector illustration. Print ad for shop in Melbourne.

Illustrations which formed part of ‘We’re only here because i dreamt us up’ exhibition at Someday Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, November 2006. Next page. Princess Tina SS 2007.

I see you had a run-in with Urban Outfitters, how did that work out in the end? Was it weird to see one of your creations make it mass market, albeit not in any guise developed or endorsed by you? hmmm.. i am not even sure i should comment on this. i was f**king annoyed to say the least. we spoke to some intellectual property lawyers in the states who seemed to think we had a pretty good case, but in the end it was going to cost so much, so we just left it. there has been a few renegade sites putting some stuff about it has been cool... but it was frustrating to say the least. Any plans to move from the tooth to other body parts, maybe bellybuttons or earlobes or even verukas or cold sores?? Hah! not at this stage... What are the 5 most important things to you... family & friends / nature / good food and coffee / originality / happiness

Style and fashion over the years has become a whirlpool of ever more relentless collaboration, some so right and some so, so wrong. Who would you see as you dream collaborators and who would you completely dismiss if they wanted in to the wonderful world of Beci Orpin / Princess Tina? i think it would be mean to dismiss something without hearing what it was first! i might be scared of a big company like phillip morris or something evil like that. not sure how that would even eventuate. hmmm... other dream collaborations. well some are becoming reality. to get to work with simplicity patterns and built by wendy was amazing (i designed pattern covers for them), and i will hopefully be doing a PT colab with keep shoes in LA ( they make the most amazing kicks ever) and also hopefully one day soon a toy with kid robot... i would love to do a co-lab that involved furniture or homewares - eames or conran store would be amazing. or fashion wise maybe eley kishimoto or APC because they are my favourite. i love girl skateboards too.. if i ever got to work for them would be a dream.

3 things you would change about yourself... 1. spending habits - i am obscene with money... luckily i have a raph who helps to control all of that now 2. the "yes" syndrome - i take on too much and then almost kill myself trying to do it 3. un-coordination - i ride a bike badly and cant even go near a skateboard. surprisingly i am quite good on a snowboard though.

When designing your ranges do you work to seasonal trends or themes or maybe something else? Who do you use as soundboards for new ideas and graphics, friends, relatives, animals or just your own good sense? i don't really work off seasonal trends, i try to avoid it at all costs, but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but be influenced by what you see around you. i definitely work off a theme. i have a few sketchbooks i collect ideas in. its good to have a theme because then you can always reference back to it through out the collection and (fingers crossed) everything looks cohesive in the end! as far as ideas... raph (husband/business partner) talk a lot about things. and he is great because i will always get an honest opinion. and also leah my assistant is awesome to bounce ideas off. i also show my 3 year old son stuff too... i love his opinions, they are really honest and hi s way of seeing things is so different from anyone else's! >>

Previous page. ‘Peacock’. This page (left to right). Princess Tina SS 2007, "Storytree" - laser cut wood veneer part of "We’re Only Here Because I Dreamt Us Up" exhibtion at Someday Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, November 2006, ‘Winter Symphony’ Gift and Present show piece, Someday Gallery, December 2005.

What other creatives do you respect the work of? i think my 3 all time design heroes are dick bruna, alexander girard and olle eksell. local heroes perks and mini. other contemporary - fawn gehwheiller, lizzie finn, james jarvis, peter sutherland, espo, ashley snow-macomber, marimekko, tove jansson I see you recently did a range of prints for an Australian Gallery, any more information on these? Were the part of a bigger project / show? i had a show at someday gallery here in melbourne (now closed unfortunately) called 'were only here because i dreamt us up'. i got to curate it as well and invited to other female artists from canada ( genevieve castree and sonja ahlers) to be in the show. it was a lot of fun. the prints were part of that... i also made a huge "story" tree made from laser-cut wood. each branch told a different story. and also come small collages. the three things worked together

Anywhere else we can get our sticky mittens on your wares? Preferably within a budget flight range but hell if we need to go further... well in the UK you can try the following stores: supra (london), ran stores (leeds and manchester), odd one out, dr jives, flatspot online - http://www.giantrobot.com http://www.busy-being.com http://www.magic-pony.com if that fails you can email us and we can give you some other stockist. Music is something very important to a lot of creatives, not just for their work but their relaxation, release of energy and also soul! Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the music thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got you chilling, dancing, working and fighting these days? may i just say i am incredibly lazy when it comes to music, but am blessed with some hard-digging husband/friends who give me nice things to listen too ( thanks raph, misha, phil, jeff and uncle g). chilling - rub and tug mixes, j dilla, and i am getting into a bit of alt country lately too. dancing - aloe blacc, sa-ra, peven everett, and i am def partial to some commercial r n b. working - selda , pam pizza and mezze mix, dudley perkins, axelrod,some psych folk stuff, bjork. fighting - hard one.. i try not to do much fighting! maybe eazy e?

What does 2007 hopefully hold for you and all your ventures? i wish i knew! i have some fun freelance projects lined up... i am having a solo show at monster children gallery in sydney in june, and involved in a few other shows. princess tina will just keep doing her thing... have been threatening to do some homewares for a while - maybe this is the year that will happen.

This page. Illustrations for screenprints as part of "Folklore" solo show at X-Girl, NYC. April 2006. Next page. Princess Tina promotional graphic.

Bennie Reilly. -----------------------------------------------------------

http://www.benniereilly.com -----------------------------------------------------------

Dislocated from the world of a child we adults forget that there’s is an easier life, maybe a more gentle life, but with a certain leaning towards nightmares and darker things. Discovery of a new world under a carpet or behind a door, outside in the garden, in the left over boxes can be the difference between an ordinary and spectacular day, let alone if you got to slay one of these creatures or share tea with some others. Bennie Reilly captures a sense of these friends and dreamers in a very unusual way. Their features are strangely larger and somewhat contorted, stretched, funny but still attracting your attention and holding you inside a gaze, slightly uncomfortable but wondrous. Bennie is from Dublin living breathing and working here she's been a part of 'Conspirators of Pleasure' La Cathedral, Dublin 'Getting on Mother's Nerves' at Mother's Tank Station, Dublin, 'Drawing is a Verb Drawing Is a Noun', The Stone Gallery, Dublin. Including all this she's the founding member of dead art, which happened in March 2005. This was a group of recent graduates practicing mainly in drawing and painting who’s function was to provide regular group crit sessions and participate in exhibitions, as well as maintaining a collective webspace at http://www.deadart.net

Previous page. ‘Recess’. This page. ‘Bad Boys’.

This page (left to right). ‘Bunny Boy’, ‘Brenda & Lorenzo’.

When did you know that this was the life you had to lead, how did you start drawing and then building on that, did you study? I went through a brief phase, when I was ten, of wanting to be a zoologist, other than that I don't remember ever considering a career other than art. I studied Fine Art at DunLaoighaire Institute of Art and Design and as soon as I finished my degree I organised a studio space and just kept at it. You seem steeped in the traditional medium, do you venture into the digital ever and if so how does it affect your process? Yes, I'm a traditional girl when it comes to making art. Drawing and painting are what I'm best at. Maybe one day I will venture into the digital but as yet I haven't felt the need. I grow impatient in front of computer screens. The digital photos I sometimes work from are the only ties my work has with technology. What's your process when you come upon an idea / how do you form ideas and then act on them? For me the process of forming and developing ideas is quite simple yet a bit vague. Inspiration comes from photographs and images in the newspaper. Mostly when an image interests me I'll immediately know how to take advantage of it, and I can tell straight away whether it's going to become a painting or a drawing, or both. Sometimes though I won't fully realise the potential of an image/idea until I start to make studies from it, and I might not really understand why I like it at all until it's a finished piece. Is it true to say the vast majority of your work centres on children, does this have a special meaning to you? Children have been the centre of my work for quite a while now but there is no sentimentality involved on my part. A few years ago I started to collect old 50's and 60's mass market prints of children - big eyed girls and crying boys, so cute and sinister, sad little hobos and housewives - I found them fascinating! I then began to search through photos of my nieces and nephews and childhood shots of my own and of friends and found a huge amount sad and funny images that I knew I could work with. Children can be such awkward and expressive little creatures but people read so much into genuinely innocent distortions.

Would it be right to say you had an interesting childhood? I had a very average childhood but I made it interesting. I had a super imagination and a fondness for solitude. I could play by myself for hours and I didn't even need toys. I used to play Mammys & Daddys with the cutlery drawer, the forks were women and the knives were the men, and the teaspoons were the babies of course. Do your characters stem from a theme or are they how you see the world? How is the world with you? I couldn't call them all “my” characters. Most of them existed once as real children in photos taken during happy holidays and birthday parties, now though they exist in the slightly darker world of my paintings and drawings, exposed to depraved adults (like me) who think them sinister and demonic. Favourite illustrators, artists or people that really made an impression on you. Have they had an influence on your own work perhaps? Marcel Dzama and Amy Cutler were the first to make me realise that it is ok to simply draw (so long as you make a good job of it). They had a big influence on my earlier 'Boyfriend' drawings. The Royal Art lodge confirmed my notion that sadness and humour are a winning combination. The strange and beautiful works of Henry Darger have had a big effect on my painting and the recent KF Schobinger exhibition at the Douglas Hyde made me very happy. I would list Eoin McHugh as one of my favourite Irish artists and English artist Jamie Shovlin as my exiting new discovery. What work are you starting on next, possible exhibitions we can see. Can you talk about "Getting on Mother’s Nerves" and "The Conspirators’? I am presently finishing off a series of paintings of children with pets. I've also started a stint of drawing research at the Natural History Museum so animals stuffed in the 19th Century should feature heavily in my future work. I currently have a couple of drawings on show at the Stone Gallery and will be exhibiting at the Monster Truck Gallery launch in February.

Getting on Mother's Nerves at Mother's Tank Station was the highlight of my art career to date. I shared a gallery wall with some of my favourite artists, Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber, Royal Art Lodge & Matt Bua to name a few. Conspirators of Pleasure is a group show that I co-organised and curated with some other artist friends. It took place over a weekend at The Backloft in La Catedral and 9 artists took part including me. It was a really successful show, we had a great mix of drawing, painting, sculpture and video work. Ciaran Walsh led the hang and we made great use of the large space. On the Saturday night I hosted a cabaret where acts such as Michael Knight, Beakyou and Sean Og's One Man Bike performed among the art. Did You set up Deadart? What purpose in mind, and do you think it’s having an effect somehow. Just after I finished my degree two college friends got in touch with the idea of starting a sort of support network for newly graduated artists working in the mediums of paint and drawing. We got lots of other artists on board and set up deadart.net an online gallery. We organised regular crits where everyone would get together, have a few beers and pass around there work. We had our first exhibition 'The A - Z of Drawing' in The White Rooms, Galway in 2005. Deadart had a great effect on all involved, it helped fill that frightening void that occurs when you finish art college and realise that you have to fend for yourself. It helped ease us in to self reliance and gave us the experience of organising and showing in a professional exhibition. Our next show, Deadart Squared starts on April 13th at The White Rooms. What else do you do for kicks at the weekend? At the weekends I drink lots of wine, eat lots of cheese, practice with my band ‘little xs for eyes’, and sometimes I visit the zoo.

Previous page. ‘Your boyfriends (detail 1)’. This page. ‘Big boys’ & ‘Oh Deer (detail)’.

This page (left to right). ‘Game Over’ & ‘Mutton Girl’.

This page (left to right). ‘Your Boyfriends’ & ‘Game’. Next page. ‘Skelatommy’.

BRENB. ELISABETH ARKHIPOFF. DALEK. MICHAEL GILLETTE. MICHAEL C. PLACE (BUILD). TIMOTHY SACCENTI SATURDAY MARCH 17TH @ NYC CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE SHOW RUNS 2PM - 9PM. TICKETS $20 AVAILABLE NOW FROM WWW.TICKETWEB.COM / MORE INFORMATION AT WWW.CANDYCULTURE.NET & WWW.VEER.COM/IDEAS

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http://www.builtbywendy.com ------------------------------------------------

For Built By Wendy everything started in suburban Chicago 1991, and yes her name is actually Wendy! Wendy Mullin was always hard at work and forever creating, studying through the day sewing at night, eventually selling her creations early on to stores in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. Like most wide eyed pioneers she moved lock and stock down to New York city where she branched out and became a stylist and freelance designer where she gained some notoriety from the sales of her well known guitar straps, things started to fall into place. She started selling wholesale and opened her first retail store in little Italy around 1998 and later on opened stores in Brooklyn and LA. The success story is evident and due to the simplicity and yet a vast range of work she has put her hands to, everything from guitar straps to clothing for men, women and clothes for the little ones. She has carved out a brand name and style that is extremely unique, very special and instantly recognisable. Not enough for you? look out for her range of ‘Built by you patterns’ in conjunction with Simplicity and her book of sewing skills ‘Sew U’. Surely that will keep you busy for a while. How long has Built By Wendy existed, both in your head and in reality? Since 1990 when I got Built by Wendy labels made. I didn't have a font so I just glued letters from the newspaper together to spell it out. Kind of Rock N' Roll Swindle style. It didn't last very long in my mind before it became reality. I am more of a "do-er". What do you think it is about your approach and style that makes you stand out? I try to make things that are personal. I think when people make things that are personal and truly inspired then it is original and original things stand out more. You’re one of the few really cool labels that designs for everyone, men, women and babies... Why do you think this is important to you rather than specialising in one gender or age group... My ideas are not necessary limited to any gender or even just the medium of clothing. I like to apply ideas where I think they fit instead of trying to put my ideas into a specific box. I don't like labels or marketing of groups. I think of people as individuals with different combinations of similarities and differences that make them unique. That being said I think many people could be attracted to things I make depending on their interest in my sense of style. The first outfit you ever made was... baby pink cotton twill dirndl jumper with swiss miss style trim on the hem and buttoned shoulder straps.

Having your own stores, which I’ve been to, must give you invaluable insights into your prospective customer and the way they work. If you had 3 rules for any aspiring designer towards making sure their style is going to work what would they be... 1. make a combination of simple plain basics, unique basics, and unique clothing then you can usually cover what people will buy. 2. listen to your customers. I usually know what will sell well when I see what all my employees pick out for themselves. 3. Be nice. Some of the stuff that inspires you... It can be very specific like a blue shade I saw on some wallpaper in a bathroom or it could just be very vague like a memory of a feeling. I see you’ve published your own books, pattern kits and sewkits. Is this a reaction to something within the fashion industry or do you think people need to get more involved with the clothes they wear again or is it something completely different again... I actually didn't publish these. Bullfinch is the publisher who put out the book. I did it because I thought I had some unique knowledge from my own experience that I could share. A new viewpoint on home sewing and beginner design that has not been combined in one book. I am not really making any sort of statement. I do come from a self taught sewing background as opposed to say a stylist who becomes a fashion designer. So it just made sense. The patterns seemed to be a natural partner for the book - Simplicity patterns put those out.

What styles are rocking your world at the moment... I can't think of any right now. Many musicians and artists equate one moment in time or a signature piece of their work as a watershed within their life where everything clicked and success or satisfaction followed. Are there any pieces or moments of such weight for you where the hard work finally paid off and your remarkable success occurred... Wow that sounds intense! I am not sure if I experienced remarkable success. My fall 2001 collection I think really was the first time that I was inspired in the way that I have continued to be, meaning a combination of various things to form an inspiration or theme. Like random personal and pop culture stuff combined. It was about family and Thanksgiving combined with the movie of the book To Kill a Mockingbird (which was a childhood favorite). From there I started developing my personal take on pop culture stuff and filtering it through my collections. I also showed this collection at a fancy loft with a real runway and some real models and it just seemed more legit than anything before. I also was able to start doing my own prints which is the basis of much of my collections and do sweaters etc. I think before then I was much more limited with resources to make my true ideas. Also, any particular pieces that you would consider as either signature or of more weighted significance due to a certain circumstance? I guess my military disasters army jacket or peace in the middle east tees. They are inspired from the current world circumstance. >>

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I try to make things that are personal. I think when people make things that are personal and truly inspired then it is original and original things stand out more.â&#x20AC;?

Who would you consider as heroes or idols... There are people I respect how they live their lives or the things that they create but I don't think I would consider them heroes or idols. I don't think I have any? Like Lance Armstrong or something? The funniest place you’ve seen one of your pieces... I can't think of any. The ultimate collaboration you have yet to do... Not sure? hmmm.......... Hollywood are on the phone and they’re offering anyone in the world for you to clothe for some big show on the red carpet... Who would you choose, who’s good enough for Built By Wendy, one man, one woman... Jason Bateman, he's my generation's Bill Murray.

You also produce really amazing guitar straps which leads me to believe that music is something very important to you. What’s rocking the BBW Ghettoblaster at the moment for chilling out, working and, most importantly, dancing... Right now I am listening to Harry Nilsson. I mostly listen to old stuff. New stuff: Animal Collective, White Magic, Will Oldham, Vetiver, that sort of vibe. And I like more obscure heavy jams like Stoned Guitar, Dark, Juan de la Cruz, Masters Apprentice. What can people expect from Built By Wendy over the coming year... More and better.

This page. Built By Wendy collection 2007 collage.

WORLD ~PIECE Photography by Clíona O’Flaherty

Photography by Cliona O'Flaherty. http:www.clionaoflaherty.com Assisted by Aoife Herritty.

Styling by Aisling Farinella http://www.aislingfarinella.com Assisted by Erika Harris.

STOCKISTS. Armoire, The Loft Market. http://www.myspace.com/theloftmarket Brown Thomas. http://www.brownthomas.ie

Make Up by Christine Lucignano. http://www.christinelucignano.com

Hair by Zara Cox. zara.cox@gmail.com

Cherche Midi, 23 Drury Street, Dublin 2. Tel. 00353 1 675 3975 Costume, 10 Castle Market, Dublin 2. Tel. 00353 1 6794188

Model: Rebekah McCreesh @ Morgan the Agency.

Harlequin, 13 Castle Market Dublin 2. Tel. 00353 1 6710202

http://www.morgantheagency.com

Harvey Nichols. http://www.harveynichols.com Jenny Vander, 50 Drury Street, Dublin 2. Tel. 003531 677 0406

With special thanks to Peter O'Brian for the vintage Rochas and Leean James for the vintage Vivienne Westwood pieces. Thanks also to Julie & KA-80 for the ducks that nearly flew.

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF LA GIUSEPPINA.

La Petite Coquette, 22 South William Street, Dublin 2, Tel. 00353 1 7079978 Proxy. http://www.proxy.ie Tommy Hilfiger. http://www.tommy.com

Photograph © Glen E. Friedman.

Colorblok. ------------------------------------------------

http://www.colorblok.com ------------------------------------------------

I don't sleep well, I have recurring dreams that I might fall down a large hole in the ground, or possibly get sucked into a worm thing in the sky eventually waking up all groggy and not sure what and where I am. As I try to rub the sleepys from my eyes it becomes apparent that I've left a dull and boring world behind, aged in the opposite direction now only 7 years old and fallen inside the imagination of Juliana Pedemonte. “Who's that, Mammy”? “She's the boss” my mother answers, “She makes all this possible”. I look around and I’m not sure what “Possible” is anymore, but one thing is for sure that it's a very bright and Colorblok'd world. Fantastic revelations, characters eat ice cream, do little dances and fly helicopter hats whilst doodling in a copybook. Its like everyday is like Saturday and I've been told that I don't have to go to school on Monday and Tuesday. All pages feature illustrations by Colorblok.

When and how did Colorblok come about? It was the year 2003, i had finished my university degree in Graphic Design at the University of Buenos Aires and by that time I had already had some bad experiences working in agencies. Determined to work on my own, I moved to Miami with my husband and started working on my new project that I deliberately called Colorblok (what's not to like about color, or blocks for that matter?). At first I had some illustration clients and was experimenting my first moves on Adobe After Effects. Later I stumbled upon some great people at Mtv Networks Latin America who gave me my first shot at my first motion graphics spot. Eternally grateful. A man with very weak hands is writing the new plaque for your building door. Can you please explain Colorblok in enough words so his hand doesn’t get sore writing too many words and hence he can’t eat his sandwich? I can do that, and I can also hand him a glass of water afterwards to accompany his sandwich. I guess the plaque could say: "Colorblok, visual delicatessen in technicolor" What was your first memory of illustrating? I think I've been sitting down and drawing before I can hold any memory. My mom keeps a wide pile of evidence proofing that from a very early age I was shameless to scribble and doodle all kinds of surfaces. I do remember being "commissioned" by my classmates at elementary school to make all sorts of drawings.

How would you describe your approach to a brief? I always have a first feel, hint or mental representation that leads me to trace a possible route for the development of the assignment. Sometimes it ends up being something different through the process, but it usually sticks to that first mental image somehow. Is it just me or has the rest of the world reawoken to hand-crafted creativity, am I right in saying the craft is back or has it always been there, maybe I’m just stupid? I don't have any reason to believe you're stupid, bien au contraire my dear Watson. Your observation is quite certain I think. Despite that in a way, craftiness has always been there, a lot of people have recently opened there eyes (and there hands I might say) to it. More than ever people are prickling their fingers to make there own cushions, totes, imaginary friends, and so on. I believe there are many reasons for it. As humans we are lonelier that ever, we are alienated because technology has gone to far, we are tired of having the same things everyone else has due to mass production. That is why more and more we are customizing our wardrobe, desktops, houses, and whatnot. At the same time we are more globalized than ever too. What can I say, it's a scary word out there. 7 things you can’t live without... Family Friends Music Chocolate Cinema Tea Internet (sad but true) >>

Static illustration versus motion graphics, what do you like each? S.I. gives me a chance to be more concentrated on the details while M.G. allows my characters to come to life. I think MG is more complex because it has a lot of other considerations to make (speed, edition, movement smoothness, etc). I still have a lot to explore on both mediums. I personally enjoy variety in my work so I wouldn't want to stick just with one of them.

Do you collaborate a lot? What do you look for in a collaboration before you sign up and get stuck in? You said it mister! When I started collaborating I had no filter system. It was a quick YES to all. I soon realized that I was a busy woman and my schedules started to get complicated. I learned how to say no and now, no matter how enticing they sound, I first check my calendar. And then I just ask myself how much do I want to participate.

Does your approach change when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working for individuals as opposed to big corporates like MTV & Nickelodeon? Not really as I have the pleasure to know the people in those companies in a personal level, so to me it's always about good communication and understanding. It's important to me that we share a vision, I try to make sure that there's something about the brands I work for that I enjoy or connect with.

Who are the people you respect most, can be alive and kicking or kicking it with the lord above/below? I respect and admire a millions of people, known and unknown. From heart surgeons to painters, from writers to musicians, humanists to teachers, people that help other people every day, bright minds, philosophers and peace keepers. It's difficult to name names, but those who had the most impact in my life as an artist are Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Paul Rand, Bruno Munari, El Lissitzky, Mary Blair, Tove Jansson, Stanley Kubrick, Charles Eames, and so so many others.

How would you describe your dream client? Tall, handsome, great taste, passionate about art, enthusiastic about working, with the head in the clouds and the feet on the ground. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the dream job you have yet to be commissioned for? I've never done a CD cover, I'd like to do that for any band I'm a fan of. I'd also like to do some concept art for movies, that's a dream too.

If there was any time in history you could live in when would it be? Why? I would have loved to be a part of mid-century american modernism, or inside vibrant european avantgarde movement in the early 20th century, specially taking classes at the Bauhaus both in Weimar and Dessau. The sense of community they had and their enthusiasm for bringing art to everyday objects is so appealing to me. That's one of the most inspiring movements for me. I would've also love to be around Walt Disney and all his wonderful animators while he was making his dreams come true. Or having fun with 60's psicodelia, going to see The Beatles play live.

Where do you get your inspiration? A great part comes from a very fulfilling childhood, from the things I've admired throughout my life, places I've been, buildings I saw, artists I admired, music that has lifted my existence, objects I adore, characters I love, books I've read, cats, dogs, bugs, people and other animals.

2007 for Colorblok will be... I can never say, I hope it's packed with wonderful projects and trips around the world. There's some original content projects I'd like so see come true. I'm also looking forward to see my vinyl toy MONO finally come to life, and I have hundreds of goals and dreams, they never never end, so I'll be busy till I die :)

Elisabeth Arkhipoff. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.romanticsurf.com http://www.sport-hit-paradise.com http://www.unexpected-feeling-and-sons.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though we know Elizabeth Arkhipoff only through her funny emails and seen her work printed and online, we have absolutely no idea what she looks like and to be honest if she doesn't wear sunglasses all the time even at night, indoors, on the dance floor, showering, we may be slightly disappointed. She is an artist and designer who lives and works in Paris and New York. She was born in Ivory Coast in 1973. Graduating Paris X University with a BA in Contemporary Literature and Philosophy, she started her artistic career in 2000 at the Paris Museum of Modern Art with an experimental free-lending library. Her practice embraces music, painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation and drawing and successfully recreates worlds of glamour, high decadence which questions how we function as a people and possibly the pursuit of everlasting good looks, time permitting. Overall there's a sense of a time gone, her work is always “Right now” and the style and quality of execution takes every concept and turns them onto their heads and comes up with works of ironic art. Timelessly potent. Elisabeth presents at SweetTalkNYC March 17th. For more information visit http://www.candyculture.net

Previous page. M83 ‘Run into flowers’ video screenshots. This page & next left. Elisabeth for Swarovski.

How do you set yourself up for a good day’s work? Can we get us your secrets please? no rush: I read the news, the mail, with a nice cup of tea! How would you describe your work, we have our own ideas but we’d love to hear your take on yourself? I don't really know, I guess I'd say personal, unexpected... and "punk and clean" as someone already described it. What do you hold as the most important results a finished piece of your work should achieve when people see it, what’s your ambition for it? Just create an emotion. I like to think my work can be seen in many ways, at different levels of understanding. Taking images out of context and into fantastical new compositions is something that really appeals to you and you have very much made your own. What’s so interesting for you about this way of working? it is not only a way of working, this is the way i generally see things, that's how my brain works i guess. take or see something random and start to imagine a story around.

Previous page right. Elisabeth for Caroline Distribution. This page. Anna Sui detail.

Aswell as creating incredible print-based work you also like to bring your creativity to motion. What challenges do you have to overcome in order to bring your work to life 25 frames a second? Do you find it more rewarding than your print work or simply another outlet for you to make your mark? sincerely, i have no preference, no "medium of choice". i enjoy the same way doing an installation for an art show and directing a music video, or making a record cover, a poster etc. I can't imagine spending my life doing the same thing again and again. I'm not a "real" director nor a "real" graphic designer. I like having no style.

7 things you can’t live without? I need way more than 7!! The 1 thing that makes you sad every time... the past Fashion and music form quite a lot of your output, what makes them so interesting to you? because they both are like a popular art, in the way that they organically bring their artistic creativity and craziness to the "mass market", like john galliano or james brown. >>

This page. Elisabeth for Swarovski. Next page (top to bottom). ‘Unexpected Feelings & Sons’ detail & logo, ‘TALLBUILDINGS-PANORAMA’ & ‘CRUISE-PANORAMA’ graphics for personal ongoing project. View more at http://www.unexpected-feeling-and-sons.com

Previous page. ‘NO SODA : NO FUN (2001)’ Mixed media installation and paint, dimension variable. Installation view, Rooseum-Center for Contemporary Art, Malmoe, Sweden. VI-Intentional Communities, curated by Charles Esche and Asa Nacking. This page (left to right). HELL/ ALAN VEGA -’Listen to the Hiss’ cover. (Gigolo records, Germany, 2004) TAHITI 80 ‘Wallpaper for the soul’ CDs, vinyls, posters and promotional materials. (Atmospherique France / JVC Japan / Minty Fresh USA, 2002).

This page (left to right). ‘CALVI ON THE ROCKS’. Poster for the music festival Calvi on the Rocks 2006. Elisabeth for Anna Siu detail. Next page. Poster for Japanther (2005).

Is it hard to bring a designer or musicians thoughts to task in order to truly represent their intentions within their work? What’s your process in making sure you nail it every time? Usually people who ask me to work with them already know my work and like it. They don't expect me to only represent their intentions, they want my additional point of view to complete their initial thoughts. Do you prefer to work alone or is collaboration something important to you, either with your client or fellow creative? Depends with who i guess! but yes, I really enjoy collaboration, mostly for all the talks 'around' the project. Your favourite commission so far? I don't have a favourite commission as I feel I am always doing something different. For me, each project is unique, and I take it as an opportunity of experimenting, learning, discovering new things. Because of the strength of everything you’ve achieved you must get a lot of offers for all kinds of great and not-so-great projects. How do you decide which ones you want to be involved in? Ever felt later on that a decision to not do something was the wrong choice or do you not look back? that is what i find so exciting in my work, the variety of projects. i would find ultra boring to work only for one specific field. so i usually say yes to the projects that look fun and interesting. I say no when i feel the "client" doesn't care about my work but picked me just because he saw my name somewhere, when there is no mutual respect.

The ultimate collaboration you have yet to do? i'd love to collaborate with designers like ettore sottsass, droog design... Or doing design for hip hop music, it’s visual aspects seem stuck in a blueprint, even though the music has evolved over time. Who and what inspires you? I am inspired by any kind of things, from a Cranach painting to a beach towel. Anyone you would consider as heroes? Eric Satie. If you had to give it all up tomorrow what would you do? I’d probably leave the city, move down the country and start a fish and meat smokery but hey, this is your interview... i see nothing i'd like to give up really, as nothing, nobody ever forces me to do what i do! and thanks to the internet and stuff like that, you can live and work anywhere... or at least, i like to think so! What music’s got you dancing, relaxing, creating, etc. at the moment? Sport Hit Paradise, Dondolo, MF Doom, TTC, Emperor Machine, Gina X, and generally anything from http://alainfinkielkrautrock.blogspot.com/

This page. ‘Sport Hit Paradise’ ongoing project. http://www.sport-hit-paradise.com

Ellen Allien. -------------------------------------------

http://www.ellenallien.com

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“Berlin I grew up feeling surrounded by the Wall. I lived on the small island of West Berlin. Border controls on Sunday excursions, the rummaging through bags, the military. It was scary. But the quote ‘All quiet on the western front’ still didn’t really apply, as lots of things were happening that wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else. “The island of West Berlin was a destination for creative minds in search of alternatives. Music was and still is my outlet. Alongside tinkling on the electric organ, teaching myself how to read notes and my jukebox with a collection of singles in my room, my ears were first intrigued by the revolution of Neue Deutsche Welle. It was fantastic! For the first time people were singing in the language you could hear out on the street: Ideal, Grauzone, Nina Hagen pop meets punk” said Ellen Allien. “Things happened so fast. Minimal sounds made from machines entered the charts. For me it was Kraftwerk's Model that changed everything. I discovered that pop also worked without any frills. My side of Berlin provided a home for the curious, those who were going against the flow. However, it was only when the Wall came down that Berlin became Berlin again the city that lets me breathe” continued Ellen Alien.

She concludes that “Being able to breathe, to drive and walk wherever and with whoever I wanted. And no more borders. I was immediately fascinated by East Berlin, by this atmosphere of curiosity and get-up-and-go. There was room for experiments. Electronic music united East and West. I started to focus on music and art. At first that meant playing the saxophone, learning about fashion, hanging out in rehearsal rooms and taking classes in acrobatics. To finance it all, I worked behind the bar in the Fischlabor, which happened to be the meeting point of the up-and-coming music network. I mixed my first tapes and suddenly became part of the emerging Berlin techno scene, which started out in empty industrial buildings, houses and cellars. Ellen became Ellen Allien!”.

Ellen Allien is a privileged individual and when speaking to her there you sense that she is someone interested in the chat. The performance of communication and the results it may yield. On a daily basis she explores the world inside and outside of her being through fashion, music, art and travel.

There are many similarities between the above statement and my own memories of growing up in Belfast. Division it seems offers people something to explore. It offers people something and someone new to understand and meet. It provides an alternative. It makes us think that the grass is always greener. It makes us think. It makes us act.

As a DJ she was playing alongside the legend DJ Tanith at Tresor in the early 1990s. At the time there were few women DJs, that is rave, techno, electronica, house DJs etc. was pretty much a fraternity. The drum and bass scene had DJ Rap, Kemistry and Storm; techno had Miss Djax and Mrs Woods whilst house music was a little more female friendly with Smokin Jo, Sonique, Sarah HB, Lisa Loud and Ireland's own Aoife Nic Canna. Men dressed as women were more likely to be behind decks than actual women.

True creatives it seems travel the length and breadth of the spectrum. Poles apart or not divides are frequently crossed by art. The art and the artists transcend the mundane, the ordinary, the everyday realities and whatever shit reality throws at people. Photography, music and song, and writing see through the bullshit, explore the madness and re-create the reality. Creativity causes change. It doesn’t say no! It knocks down walls.

Today things are a little different. Miss Djax goes from strength to strength and is part responsible for thrusting Claude Younge, DJ Rush and Alan Oldham aka DJ T-1000’s artwork and music into our world. Today Ellen ALlien, Miss Djax and Smokin Jo are joined by Miss Kitten, Magda, Lisa Lashes, Nikki Beluchhi and Heather – to name a few – not forgetting the ladies of the emerald isle, Americhord (Mora), Shazz, Troya and Aoife Nic Canna.

“In my work, graphics, music, artwork, visuals and fashion merge body, dance, space and a lust for life. Travelling with my record case, living out of the suitcase. The hotel is my home. Experiencing new worlds and cultures and accepting them; understanding, how things work in other places. Sharing views and politics. A club unites people without words. It’s the music that speaks. Recognising the beauty of the world and absorbing the otherness. Home is far away and not important”. Ellen Allien. >>

Describe Ellen Allien... I see myself as a songwriter, singer and techno producer, oh and fashion designer (she said with a little laugh). You really get the impression that Ellen Allien takes her music and her life serious but at the same time she isn’t caught up in the meaningless hype that accompanies it. Here is a performer near the top of the proverbially tree willing to talk about everything and anything, not just do the usual PR exercise to promote her latest album. She talked about a desire to connect with people, a purpose of meeting new people and you felt like this was the first conversation of many or it was an old friend you hadn’t seen in years. What's the Ellen Allien story? The first record I released was on champion sound and then I moved to MFS a Berlin label. I was touring with MFS and I find out I don’t like the music at all. I am not hard trance and I said to myself I should run my own label. There was no label for my music at this time and in Berlin there were just a bout 4 labels so I said no compromises. I had my own radio show on KISS FM, worked at the Delirium record store and finally founded my first label Braincandy. It felt as if music had swallowed me whole. With Braincandy I made a serious attempt at releasing the kind of abstract techno I liked best. BPitchControl is an organ for me and other people who I found talented and worth supporting. To me, BPitch control is glamour, community and exchange platform all at the same time. Productive As a DJ I have always tried to connect genres, styles and audiences. I want to feed people new music and capture their interest. I want to fill the room with sound. And I have always been searching for an acceptance of what exists. We all live in the here and now! And it was that common thread that I wanted to share with the audience. When I DJ, body and music become one, they become brainy. To me, music was always the only way to soar through epic parallel worlds, to relax, to experience excess, to find myself. Music is both my motor and my outlet. As a producer, music is a playback of my emotions and moods. I tease them out of me with alternating technical devices. Music becomes a chronicle, each album is a work from a period of my life, which grounds me after the stress of DJ-jetting. Albums are like diaries.

Did being a girl help? As a girl DJ if you couldn’t mix the records together the men would say oh what is that girl doing behind the decks. No one said this to me. It was more like, oh there’s a girl lets give her a DJ booking. I stared in a little bar and played there two times when big promoters came to me and asking me if I wanna play at Tresor and E-Werk.

Discuss creativity People learn to be creative. The music is connecting me with the people, first thing and I tried to connect people together. I think that is the main thing in my life. I am a connector, with my label with my fashion line, doing remixes. I do a lot not so much for money but because they are my friends. I like to meet people and I think I try to only to show a little bit of my soul with my music. I show people I am not only a machine.

Of course it takes a while. if you make good music or you are a good dj it doesn’t matter if your a girl, but it is better for you as it is more exotic as there are not so many creative dj girls, but now more and more but still not as many as men. We did go on to discuss Djs like Nikki Belluchi the uber stunning DJ who does FHM and its ilk and is just as likely to get her baps out to thrill a crowd as she is to dig the right record from the depth of her crates. I found Ellen surprising she didn’t condemn Belluchi and her ilk. There was no male stereotype feminist rant. She was polite, insightful and matter of fact stated that sex sells and men like that so it will happen. The fact remains though that such DJs don’t play the best clubs, they do end up n the local Roxy, so with a wry smile I appreciated her point of view. What is the most important form of art - fashion or music? You can’t ask that because then you are in a tunnel. I think that the most important thing is to be open minded and try to bring things together. The fashion line is only a hobby. In cooperation with Markus Stich in 2006 she created on her own body the kind of fashion she would wear and wears. The femaleness is playfully accentuated – without being un-wearable. Ironing is forbidden. Stich studied in Paris and worked for Dior, Lanvin and Plein Sud. In 2004 he founded his own label for men. It is her music, Djing and producing that she is most loved and most revered from Berlin to Boston. Her production work is prolific: collaborations with Heiko Laux, Apparat and Audion. Releasing on Champion as far back as 1994 and compiling a Live Mix for London’s Fabric is just the start. Recently she completed remixes for Tom Yorke of Radiohead and Beck. Right now she has compiled the BPC Camping Comilation featuring Sascha Funke, Modeselektor, Tomas Anderson, Ben Klook and herelf. BPC also have Damero’s ‘Happy in Grey’ out and Ellen’s tour schedule is relentless, so despite her refusal to be pigeon holed or sent down a creative tunnel or narrow mind she does focus on the music. Music is primary but creativity is most important.

Discuss Laptop dancing It doesn’t matter where you search for the records in your record bag or in your computer. It is the thing what you do with the computer or the records. Many djs play fantastic with final scratch sometimes better than with records or they play very cold or very boring. It is up to the dj how creative he is with the instrument. For me at the moment I prefer vinyl but it’s (Abelton, Serato) something I will try soon. I have lost my bag and been unable to play many times this year. I will try and see if it’s good for me but it’s a thing on how your brain works better. “In my work, graphics, music, artwork, visuals and fashion merge body, dance, space and a lust for life. Travelling with my record case, living out of the suitcase. The hotel is my home. Experiencing new worlds and cultures and accepting them; understanding, how things work in other places. Sharing views and politics. A club unites people without words. It’s the music that speaks. Recognising the beauty of the world and absorbing the otherness. Home is far away and not important” said Ellen Alien.

“It’s the unknown that attracts my attention, and I want to know it!” Concluding that:

This is Ellie Harrison. -----------------------------------------

http://www.ellieharrison.com http://www.teablog.net http://www.eat22.com http://www.daytodaydata.com http://www.henweekend.org -----------------------------------------

So Ellie, how are you today? We do hope you are very well, we were wondering what you might be doing today? We were thinking that we may be doing something that might just be a little more interesting than your Tea Blog but then that would be presumptuous of us when we think about it. There's really nothing like a good tea, don't you think? We're kinda busy over here as we have said, and at the moment we were hoping to talk to you about all your lovely artwork and ideas but then we found out everything's on the internet for us to see, so we're going to have a look-see. It's marvellous what you're doing, where do you get the time, the energy and the brainpower, we think you could be the funniest woman alive! Are you the funniest woman alive? Previous page. ‘Display Room (detail). This page. ‘Daily Data Logger (detail). Next page left to right. ‘Daily Data Logger (detail). ‘Timelines (detail).

How would you describe your work? For the last six years I have been obsessively documenting bits-and-bobs from my everyday life. This behaviour first started in 2001 on my 22nd birthday, when I began the project Eat 22. I challenged myself to see if I could photograph everything I ate for an entire year - it turned out that I could and over the course of the year a total of 1640 snapshots were taken. Since the success of Eat 22 I have undertaken several other year-long projects. There was Gold Card Adventures, for which I calculated the total distance I travelled on London Transport in a year (9236 km). Then The Daily Quantification Records in 2003, for which I collected data about 14 elements of my daily life each day for the year - I wore a pedometer everywhere I went and weighed myself every morning. I counted the number of people I spoke to, the number of drinks I had, text messages I received among many others things - creating vast spreadsheets full of pointless facts. I began experimenting in ways of visualising all this data, processing it through scales and systems to transform it into the specifications for sculptures. I enjoy playing around with the idea of 'the role of the artist', experimenting with the possibility of things which occur in the artist's day-to-day life directly affecting the appearance of her artwork. Most recently, for the exhibition Day-to-Day Data (which I also curated), I made a series of installations called the Daily Data Displays. These comprised a collection of adjustable objects, mechanisms and electronic devices that could be reconfigured each morning by the gallery staff. Everyday for the duration of the exhibition I collected data about mundane events occurring in my life. At the end of each day the data was collated and emailed to the gallery for the staff to use as instructions when configuring the appearance of the display. The idea was to create an artwork that would change and evolve in tune with the artist's life.

The information I choose to document and make public is often of a 'personal nature' - I manage to evade all embarrassment caused by divulging these facts, however, by taking on different personas or characters and referring to myself in the third person. For The Daily Quantification Records project I took on the role of the 'scientist' observing the artist from a far and overseeing the data recording process. For the Daily Data Displays I created the Daily Data Logger - an enthusiastic, data-collecting obsessive so keen on measuring / quantifying the things that surround her that she permanently dresses in a tracksuit (for easy manoeuvrability) and wears a utility belt jam-packed with data collecting devices. Taking on these roles also enables me to add an element of humour to the work; I often mock the 'artist' or the 'specimen' when in character - belittling their position. This allows me to highlight the absurdity of the activities that I choose to undertake and, more importantly, the process of making art itself. One of the reasons I choose to make a mockery of the activities I undertake, is because I am well aware of, and happy to take-the-mick out of, the obsessive side of my personality - the fact that when I do embark on one of these tasks I do take it incredibly seriously. There is never any cheating or cutting corners and I am always determined to see through the projects I start. I have been thinking quite a lot about why this is and it is definitely something to do with being in control. By observing, documenting and collecting the data I set out to, I am in some way staying in control of my life - keeping on top of my affairs. There is also a strong theme of self-improvement running through a lot of the projects. The life long project The Challenge Series, which can be viewed online, actually encourages me to going swimming and read more often. If I don't, then I'll fail to complete the challenge to swim the equivalent distance across the Atlantic or read the equivalent number of pages to the Encyclopædia Britannica, in my lifetime. I began Swear Box 2005, after complaints from my friends and family about my bad language. The project was really hard work, but over the course of the year, it did succeed in making me far less foul-mouthed. This self-help theme is explored more overtly in the Artist's Training Programme - a spoof training programme designed to make 'better artists'. View online at www.ellieharrison.com/artiststraining >>

This page (top to bottom). ‘Daily Data Log’ sheet. ‘Tea Blog’ website details. Next page. ‘Challenge’ details.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONFIGURATION OF DAILY DATA DISPLAY ROOM FOR 10 MARCH 2006 (BASED ON DATA COLLECTED ON 9 MARCH 2006) 1

BALL & CORD

FLOODLIGHT & COLOURED GEL

position black marker to 14 °C

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONFIGURATION OF DAILY DATA DISPLAY ROOM FOR 12 MARCH 2006 (BASED ON DATA COLLECTED ON 11 MARCH 2006)

FOOTBALL FAN & MINIATURE MIRROR BALLS

BALL & CORD

clip blue gel to floodlight

white, black & red mini football

set dimmer to 6:40 hours

set dimmer to 7:00 hours

set dimmer to 2 hours

clip 2 miniature mirror balls to the fan

MEASURING CYLINDER & TENNIS BALLS

POLICE LIGHT, INFLATABLE BANANA & FOOT PUMP

place 7 tennis balls in the measuring cylinder

DISCO BALL

clip 3 miniature mirror balls to the fan

MEASURING CYLINDER & TENNIS BALLS

place 9 tennis balls in the measuring cylinder

leave police light off

POLICE LIGHT, INFLATABLE BANANA & FOOT PUMP

position cylinder over 26 years 363 days

This page. ‘Daily Display Room’ details.

DISCO BALL

switch police light on

leave disco ball off

leave banana deflated

FOOTBALL FAN & MINIATURE MIRROR BALLS

clip blue gel to floodlight

fluorescent pink 'Challenger' football

set dimmer to 5 hours

FLOODLIGHT & COLOURED GEL

position black marker to 14 °C

switch disco ball on

position cylinder over 27 years 0 days

inflate banana to 10 pumps

This page. ‘Daily Quantification Records’ details.

What do you see as your ambition when setting out on a new project? What do you want it to achieve? All of my projects begin with the desire to find answers to questions such as: 'how much do I consume in a year?' 'How far have I travelled around this city in a year?', 'How far have I walked?' I then work out what equipment I need, the most practical way of monitoring the activity before I start. Each project is a challenge, a test of endurance and a way of applying a set of rules or structure to my life - maybe to stop me from going off the rails! Are you as meticulous in other facets of your life? What does your boyfriend, friends and relatives think? I am semi-meticulous in other facets of life. I'd definitely describe myself as 'particular'. My mum likes to describe me in the same way that their family described their grandmother: 'a very difficult woman' a title which for some reason I can't help but be slightly proud of. I must confess I do do the old 'Sleeping With The Enemy' thing, and make sure that the labels on all my tins and food packets are facing forward - but who doesn't? My boyfriend is very tolerant and longsuffering - he gets told off regularly but is eventually coming round to my ways.

Your 10 favourite things? - Eating anything (except meat). - Going to the cinema (to watch anything good). I recently saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is hilarious. Favourite films of recent years are: Dogville, Touching The Void, Riding Giants, Me and You and Everyone we know, Sophie Scholl, Atomised and Shortbus. - Brain Training with Dr Kawashima. - Dancing in a tidy flat. - Larry David. - Sarah Silverman (she's actually even funnier than Larry, though just as cringe-worthy). - Snowboarding. - The feeling when you have just finished swimming (rather than swimming itself). - Wall planners. - An empty inbox.

In less than 10 words each please describe the following projects: I can't do it in less than 10 words!

5 things that make you sad? - Walking down the road behind a load of car exhausts fumes. - Intensive farming. - People failing to respond to your emails. - Having a proposal rejected. - The war in Iraq (in fact war in general).

Sneezes 2003: I recorded the exact time of every sneeze I did in 2003 (318 in total). I displayed the data as a giant room-sized, colour-coded timeline.

5 things that make you mad? - Despite my love of food, I hate supermarkets! - I hate people who take a carrier bag for the shopping when they already have five half empty ones in their hands. - I hate waste and people who don't think about the consequences of their actions. - I guess I hate laziness and disorganisation (though sometimes I am guilty of both of these). - Drivers sitting in their cars with their engines running selfish bastards. The music that keeps you relaxed, dancing, working and also fit to kill someone... You may not be able to believe this but I am very easily distracted. I generally work in silence and save the music for the weekends and for spates of manic tidying. I like a real mixture of stuff from Blondie to Buddy Holly, Basement Jaxx, Gnarls Barkley, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes - I actually like to shake my booty to a bit of Sean Paul and enjoy trying out crazy dance moves around the flat. I would happily challenge any of you to crump off.

Eat 22: This was the first project I did that involved documenting my life. I challenged myself to take a photo of everything I ate for a year. Swear Box 2005: In 2005 I recorded every sentence I uttered that contained a swear word. The sentences are displayed in a web-based swear box. This swear box, had a similar effect to old-fashioned variety, in that I only cursed 142 times in the whole year. Daily Data Display Wall: For this installation I created a giant display of objects and devices that could be reconfigured each morning (by the gallery staff) in relation to the data I collected about my day-to-day routine.

Statistics are hot air: Everyday in 2003 I counted the number of gaseous emissions* I produced. I created a year long barchart, which can be view online or as a wall-based installation stretching for over 7 metres. Gold Card Adventures: From September 2002 - September 2003 I recorded the total distance of all the journeys I made on London Transport (9236 km). It worked out to be as far as travelling from London to Shanghai! Tea Blog: Tea Blog is an ongoing project that began on 1 January 2006. Every time I drink a cup of tea (or a different type of hot drink); I record the thought that is most on my mind. These thoughts are archived online at http://www.teablog.net >>

This page. ‘Eat 22’ pictures.

This page. ‘Gold Card Adventures’ pictures.

Which has been your most satisfying or interesting project so far? That's a tough one. Eat 22 was very satisfying, because it was the first project of this kind I had ever completed. When I started out, I didn't know for sure that is would be possible to sustain it for a whole year - I was testing my own endurance and stamina. When I did complete it successfully, I felt a great sense of achievement, as though now I could attempt anything. It was that addictive sense of achievement, which spurred me on to document so many other different things. Which has been the one that you thought would tip you over the edge and make you “go Rainman”? Last summer I was commissioned by an organisation called Prime to take part in a project called Part-time. The project was exploring the parttime jobs artists undertake to financially sustain their practices and their relationships to this work. This got me thinking about the idea of 'work' in general and the amount of time I spent doing it whether it be for my practice, to make money or simply doing the washing-up or hoovering the flat. One day I came up with the crackpot idea of attempting to document every-single-thing I did twenty-four-hours-a-day for four-whole-weeks, in order to work out just exactly how much time I did spend 'working'. As you can imagine, this project quickly drove me completely crazy. I had to wear a large-display digital watch and carried a reporter's notebook everywhere I went. My days were spent hovering in limbo between actually doing different activities and scribbling about them in my notebook. My nights were spent processing the reams of data I was collecting onto a vast spreadsheet, which by the end of the project had 2242 entries. Even after the first day, I thought it would be impossible to make to the end of the fourth week, but I persevered through the insanity and kept scribbling away. There were two outcomes of this project. The first was a series of 28 colour coded timelines each documenting 24 hours. These can be viewed online at http://www.undercoverartists.org/ellie/timelines The second outcome was a vow to never attempt something so extreme again, to stop all this silliness and to think of new ways of making art!

What other artists and creatives do you respect and like the work of? There are a couple of artists who work in a similar way to me who I have a huge amount of respect for. Firstly The-Ching Hsieh - in 1980, he photographed himself, in his studio, every hour for a year. He could not sleep for more than hour, or go away from his studio for more than an hour - that is hardcore, that is endurance! http://www.one-yearperformance.com On Kawara is another great artist, famous for his Date Paintings. For years and years he persisted with a project, where he would record the exact time he got out of bed each day. He would buy a postcard from the town or country that he happened to be staying in and stamp it with the time he got up. He would then send the postcard to his art dealer, or his friends or family. More than anything I admire, and am envious of, artists who just have simple ideas, that don't require any endurance or persistence, that can just be made and then exist as art with no strings attached. It must be an easy life being one of these sorts of artists. I like works that are dramatic and fun, playful but thought-provoking. Artists such as: Carsten Höller, Olafur Eliasson, Tim Noble and Sue Webster and Tomoko Takahashi. Any projects you've come up with but simply haven't happened yet as they're just too hard? There was one idea that popped into my head a few years ago, which I hope I never convince myself to do. It is an idea for another year-long project to commemorate the tenth year anniversary of Eat 22. It would be Eat 32, and would require me to spend a year re-eating the exact same foods, at the exact same times, on the exact same days as did 10 years previous. Even thinking about it now I'm beginning to sweat - imagine the organisation involved making specific weekly shopping lists, having to go to supermarkets and buy all the right foods and make the same dishes, assemble the plates of food, get up in the middle of the night and eat some chips - argh! Please help talk me out of this one!

Do you find that because you are always measuring, taking notes, making work where most people wouldn't, that you rarely get a moment for yourself? Yes definitely, this is exactly what happens! More than that, I used to find that I never really experienced my life, because I was too busy documenting it. It's sort of like when you go to a concert and spend the whole time taking pictures of the stage that you actually forget to look and listen for yourself and experience the moment. Imagine that, but on a grander scale - I felt as though I lived my life through the documentation, experiencing things second hand whilst processing data onto spreadsheets or downloading photos from my camera. The other strange thing that happens is when the projects come to an end - it's very difficult to get out of the habit of documenting. Even now, five years later I rarely eat anything without a subconscious inkling that I should be photographing it first. Similarly I cannot sneeze, fart, go to the toilet, swim, read, travel on a bus or tube, swear, drink a cup of tea, an alcoholic drink, speak to people or receive a text message without first thinking for a split second that I should be recording the moment in some way.

I see you've organised a woman's art weekend, care to tell us all what that's about and what the women attending (and peeping toms gawking) can expect? Yes, I am in the process of setting up and coordinating the first ever Hen Weekend - 'the seminar by the sea for female artists, writers and curators'. It's going to be attended by sixteen interesting artists from around the UK, Ireland and the US. The idea is to get the group together in a fun and relaxed environment, so that they can discuss ideas and consider collaborative projects. The first event is going to take place at the De La Warr pavilion in Bexhill on Sea (East Sussex) at the end of March. Participants already confirmed include: Julia Alvarez, Diann Bauer, Amanda Beech, Michelle Deignan, Jeanie Finlay, Hilary Jack, Karen Magazine, Sally O'Reilly, Joanna Spitzner and Lorelei Stewart. See the website for further details. What can we expect from you in the coming year? I'd say 'more of the same', but it wouldn't be true. I'm planning to shake things up a little and tryout new ways of working. I'm going to attempt to be more spontaneous and less obsessive in my approach to art making - it'll be interesting to see if this is possible. As well as continuing making work for exhibitions and my website, I plan to research a group of artists for another touring exhibition which will be the follow-up to last year's Day-to-Day Data. If the first Hen Weekend event goes according to plan, I'm going to put together a series of future events around England and elsewhere. I'd love to do one in Ireland too, so if you know any interesting arts venues that would be happy to have 16 female artists descending upon them - let me know. *farts

SNEEZES 2003

This page. ‘Sneezes’ details.

AT THE WALLNER GALLERY

THROUGHOUT 2003, ARTIST ELLIE HARRISON RECORDED THE EXACT TIME, TO THE NEAREST MINUTE, OF HER EVERY SNEEZE. THE ROOM THAT YOU ARE NOW STANDING IN REPRESENTS THE YEAR 2003. THE PLAN BELOW SHOWS HOW THE WALLS OF THE ROOM ARE DIVIDED VERTICALLY INTO THE DIFFERENT MONTHS OF THE YEAR AND DIVIDED HORIZONTALLY INTO THE TIMES OF THE DAY TO FORM A GIANT TWO-WAY TIMELINE. EACH OF THE TIMES DISPLAYED ON THE WALL REPRESENTS A SNEEZE. THE SNEEZES ARE POSITIONED AROUND THE SPACE TO INDICATE THE EXACT DATE AND TIME AT WHICH THEY OCCURRED. JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

0 : 00 0 : 00 1 : 00

1 : 00 2 : 00

2 : 00

3 : 00

4 : 00

5 : 00

5 : 00 6 : 00 7 : 00

6 : 00 7 : 00 8 : 00

8 : 00

9 : 00

10 : 00

11 : 00

12 : 00

13 : 00

13 : 00 14 : 00 15 : 00 16 : 00 17 : 00 18 : 00 19 : 00 20 : 00 21 : 00 22 : 00 23 : 00 0 : 00

14 : 00 15 : 00 16 : 00 17 : 00 18 : 00 19 : 00 20 : 00 21 : 00 22 : 00 23 : 00 0 : 00

FakeCake. -----------------------------------------

http://www.fakecake.com -----------------------------------------

Etsu Meusy Rocks! She's an artist from Japan based in Vancouver, Canada with a tendency to like things with bold colours and very strong graphic content. Some of it might need an over 18's certificate but we have to wait for the big man to tell us about that. She incorporates a very old 8th century Japanese printing technique called Tenugui and all her textile work is still printed in Japan using the traditional means and very limited and hard to get your hands on unless you know about FakeCake. Whilst she singlehandedly rethinks the textile business she's a dab hand with newer more computer aided design, finding it easy to work on designs that find themselves on the pages of Neomu, Tokion, Faesthetic and Yen magazines worldwide. We fall in love with anything Japanese and the like, it’s those clashed colors and over-exaggerated looks, the long dreamy summer days in a girls diary and the Magi-pop of a world gone mad and funny at the same time. Monkeys and care bears, Jesus, Elvis and the sound of the sea, all the familiar staples of living in the magical world of Etsu. Best get our passports. Previous page. ‘FakeCake pens’.

This page. ‘FakeCake icebox’.

How long have you been illustrating, how did it start? since the late 90s - started as a hobby How would you describe your style? nostalgic, dream-like Where and how do you get your influences and inspirations? mostly from music and coffee What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever knowingly drawn / painted onto? underwear I’m guessing you’re really into music. What’s keeping FakeCake happy and dancing at the moment? an old album by fila brazilia

You use a lot of cultural references in your work yet when you use them they seem to take on a unique feeling, it’s as if you know them so well you’re drawing them from your mind’s eye rather than copying from a magazine. With this in mind what were your favourites of these as you grew up? A-Team member? i pity the fool! (who else?) JellyBelly flavour? they are pretty to look at, but i never liked eating them TV Show? different strokes with japanese subtitle Family dinner? neighborhood kaiten sushi Toy? coloring books Animal? rabbit Soda? orangina Friend? kaori, a childhood friend who lived down the road Relative? grandpa Band / group / singer? def leppard Item of clothing? t-shirts Bike? red & white bike from muji Fruit? banana Cake? strawberry shortcake >>

Previous page. ‘Dreams’. This page (left to right). ‘Love and Peace’ & ‘Mmmmm’.

This page (left to right). ‘Polka Dot’ print & ‘Mystic Triangle’.

This page. Various FakeCake original paintings.

3 things that make you happy... my son, kai rainbow shopping in japan 3 things that make you sad... war spoiled teens (like the ones on mtv’s my sweet 16) rainy day Fashion plays a key part in your pieces and forms a lot of the commissions you seem to do. What labels do you like and respect? way too many! You’ve just got a call and the person has said that they can hook up a collaboration with anyone (living or dead). Who would you want to work with? Why? i know this is not a person, but it would be cool to collaborate with x-girl on some tshirt project. it was one of my favorite clothing lines growing up and the graphics by mike mills were just inspirational.

Your most prized possession... Why? mr. greedy figurine ...because it was a given to me by someone special. What other creatives do you respect the work of? all artists who create and inspire others I see you’re working with the lovely people at 2K on a range of tees. What do you think are the keys to producing a killer piece? the key is to create a piece that you’d actually hang on your wall. What does 2007 hold for FakeCake? definitely more cakes! i’d like to produce items like, tenugui (japanese hand towels), calendars, postcards and more paintings.

This page. ‘Fab’, Voyage’.

Next Page ‘Wonderland’.

Jenny Mรถrtsell. -------------------------------------

http://www.jennysportfolio.com

-------------------------------------

Here comes Jenny. She is the sunshine of our life! All the way from Svenska, which is not really that far away anymore, you can get a cheap flight now to Stockholm not like years ago when it was hundreds of pounds. Anyway, Jenny's been illustrating for many years now as a graduate of the famous Konstfack University and has been drawing, designing T-shirts, typefaces and even tried being a pop star and succeeded. It really seems like there’s nothing Jenny can’t do... All this is being well and good but let’s be frank and bow down quietly to the sheer class of the work she has to offer us. Her style is true representation of the world that envelopes her, it’s our world too we can share Little projects with great detail like ‘The Kids are alright’, the excellent work for Nylon both here in Europe and Japan, and illustrations for BraveHat and a major list of clients down both arms are top notch and unlike anything else around. What's staggering is the attention to detail in every aspect, using simple pencil and paper [the cheap stuff, ask her] it’s as if she has gotten inside the character she is portraying and gives us back their best side. She captures a real sense of the people, of a time and in an ironic and funny with her tongue in cheek way, it’s honest and lovely and we love it.

Previous page. ‘Irina’

This page. ‘Kimora’. Next page. ‘The kids are alright’.

When did you start illustrating? How’d it first happen? I've always liked to draw, so I guess since I was old enough to hold a pen. When studying (I am totally overeducated - went to three different art schools before my five years at college) I was a little turned off by how talented everybody else was, so it wasn't actually until afterwards I started to pick it up again. When did you reckon it was time to take it fulltime? How’s it been since? I finished school (2004) thinking I should try and get a job as a graphic designer. But six months later I got so tired of never getting my ideas through and found myself much happier when I was drawing, just doing my own things. People seemed to like my work, so I decided to give it a go. What are the tools of your trade? Yes pencils but what else... Can be physical but also mental / ethereal /etc. New and old magazines and all kinds of photography for inspiration, a private space, some good music and lots of coffee.

Do you do prep sketches before you go full tilt or do you just go for it each time? Maybe your approach changes? I really don't like doing sketches. I do a lot of thinking before I start drawing, but once I've decided I just go for it. I am really not comfortable with doing changes either, not only is it often impossible wihout starting on a new drawing, but when someone tell me to change something I start to draw to please, and it never turns out good. Your favourite commission so far? Well-paid, high-profile jobs aside, I am happiest when I am able to take my own decisions. You are happiest when... The rare occations when I don't care what others think about me. For example, drunk on the dancefloor. How do you explain your work to your relatives at family gatherings? "I do illustrations". Does this differ from the way your parents explain it, my Mum says “He does posters”? They are mostly just happy I seem to enjoy whatever it is. My dad is a self-made man so he is satisfied that I have my own company. I don't think he is quite as happy about the economical prospects of the niche I've chosen though... >>

This page. ‘Audrey Hepburn’.

This page (left to right). ‘Beauty queen’, ‘Fritz poster’ & ‘Club Bravehat’ poster.

This page (left to right). ‘Starn 1’, ‘Medusa’ & ‘Starn 2’. Next page (left to right). ‘Alber Elbaz’, ‘Jarvis’ & ‘Ciara’.

This page (left to right). ‘DVM’ various. Next page (left to right). Jenny for Diesel, ‘Daiane’ & ‘Stas’.

IKEA. Absolut. Porn. Heavy Metal. Cheesy Caviar. ABBA. I know what I like about your homeland but what do you consider to be the 3 greatest things about Sweden... My friends, the forests, tunnbröd. And the 3 worst things... Jantelagen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jantelagen conformity, the expression "good for being swedish". What music is keeping you moving at the moment? What’s got you relaxing? I'm not sure that are two different things. But music is a big part of my life. Right now I listen a lot to late 80s New Beat and EBM. I've also collected italodisco 12 inches for several years. If I'm late for a deadline I usually listen to minimal techno, it works wonder for the concentration.

The ultimate commission? I will know it when I meet it. The ultimate collaboration? With anyone that is both brave and humble and wants to reach out. Who are your favourite creatives and why? Mother nature have done some pretty cool fruits and animals and other classic pieces. If there was one thing you would like to be better at what would it be? Beatmixing. Any resolutions for 2007? Try to be at the right place at the right time more often.

Some bastard has robbed all the pencils, locked you in a huntsman’s cabin miles from home and eloped with your very best friend. Worse still, you’ve a deadline for tomorrow morning... What do you do? Carve the motif in the walls with my leatherman tool and send pictures of it from my cellphone... No, but I would probably put all blame on the bastard and beg for a stretched deadline. This page (left to right). ‘Bon Elitelist’ Next page (left to right). ‘Amazing’ & ‘Nylon Beauty’.

Kate Fine. -----------------------------

http://www.finedesign.ie -----------------------------

Kate Fine graduated from The National College of Art & Design, Dublin with a Degree in Craft, 1996. After working in London as an art consultant, she returned home to set up Fine Design with the intention to design and supply high quality, innovative and contemporary interior products. Curious to experiment with new materials and techniques Fine likes to modify everything she approaches in a fresh and innovative way. A great example of her using identifiable elements from past design is her reinterpretation of the classical Damask motif from old wallpapers and application to her modern furniture Fine finds interaction with a client important and the challenge of designing to suit their requirements, she works predominantly on commission for private clients, architects, interior designers and commercial businesses. Clients can specify dimensions, shape and finish enabling her to propose designs and quotations. Fine feels good design should be timeless and the marriage of functionality with aesthetics is not only important but essential.

All furniture illustrated designed by Kate Fine.

How come you decided on furniture? It actually was an unintentional direction. From a very young age I was always designing and making objects with different materials. For instance I loved building and rebuilding objects with Lego, and working with clay, making gifts for family and friends and using found objects to create new inventions. After graduating from Art College with a specialised with a degree in ceramics I moved to London where I worked as an assistant art consultant. Through selling other artists work I was encouraged and motivated to start creating my own work. I began by selling some handmade mirrors at a market in London. On my return to Dublin there was a boom in the house market and felt it was a great opportunity to design and make furniture/accessories to meet this demand. I wanted to create something that offered function and aesthetics. So it wasn't a conscious decision, certainly I know after college I didn't want to go down the conceptual/gallery direction now make figurines/throwing cups, I found it too limiting. Where there any major influences on your decision to pursue this life? I guess I have always been creative, from a young age I would make the Blue Peter stuff off their show, make gifts for parents friends. I wanted to go to art college, NCAD from a young age. I wasn't sure what medium I wanted to work in, even in college... I always had an urge to have my own business, as with my grandparents did, they had a fashion label. My father and brother are also self-employed... so I guess it runs in the family! I always said that I wouldn't work a 9-5 job! I guess its challenging too, which I like and being my own boss!

Who from the masters of furniture design do you admire and why? Two of my favourite contemporary designs are by Eileen Gray, her ‘Adjustable’ and ‘Occasional’ side tables. Both tables are timeless whilst created in the 1927 they still can sit in any period environment since their creation. She loved light, functional furniture that one could move around without problem. The ‘Adjustable’ side table frame is made of chromium-plated steel tubing the top varied from crystal glass clear, parasol grey or metal black. This was one of her most classic design, its distinctive form has made this height-adjustable table into one of the most popular design icons of the 20th Century. Eileen Gray understood how to combine the aesthetics with the practical. The ‘Occasional’ side table with round or rectangular table-tops of MDF high gloss lacquer finish and chromium-plated steel tubing frame can be lifted as if it had a handle and carried to where one needs it. It is constructed such as to slide the base under the bedside or armchair. Eileen Gray, a leading international modernist, who brought an astonishing level of invention to bear on the smallest items, helps to re-define what it means to be an “Irish” designer. Her skylight in the bedroom ceiling at her house in Castellar (south of France) allows one to manually slide the steel shade across the circular skylight thus creating the illusion of an eclipse. Fernando & Humberto Campana, brothers from Brazil re-invent the utility of materials and create innovate designs. Their ‘Tattoo Table’ 1999, made from PVC strainers and stainless steel, they have recycled the everyday household object and created a table top that when light passing through the pattern it casts a powerful shadow on the floor.

Your work seems very simple and clean lined with little fuss, would you agree? What influenced you regarding this. Yes, indeed. It all seemed from the concept behind the consumer barcode you see on all packaging. With designing mirrors in mind, which to me once were an ornate focal point in a room, today they are highly functional as our living spaces have become smaller, hence opening up spaces, reflecting light. So, rather than one large stark mirror. So I was drawn towards a modular concept, like the barcode. I guess I was also limited with machinery & I am not a qualified joiner so keeping it simple is best. Developing the barcode mirrors/ concept and keeping the use of lines I could create endless combinations. I like to keep it simple in shape and form, like the Damask Tables, I reworked the classical motif in a contemporary way and applied it to a simple yet modern designed table. Limited as I am not a qualified joiner/furniture designer... now I can subcontract some of my designs, but I seem to still keep the lines!!!! There is actually a lot of engineering involved in the designing process... to the mm, so there is a lot of precision involved in the configurations for example. Do you get very emotional about your work and it’s place around you in the world? I take pleasure in handing over the pieces. Its important to me that the client is part of the creative process I find that when I install the job or deliver I thrive off their reaction. If I am happy with the final product & feel that I have filled the brief... I get excited to see their initial reaction. If it’s a new design I do find it a bit hard handing it over!.. I am like, now be careful, take care of it!!!... and sometimes I am concerned where or how they show/place the piece... but I have to let go to that!!!! But overall, if the client is happy I am happy! For me it is gratifying to see my designs flourish from concept to final product. I enjoy the challenge of designing and creating new and imaginative products. >>

Does your work reflect how you are as a person directly or do you separate yourself from the design and treat it as purely business? I feel my work reflects how I am as a person indirectly, its more the way I run my business reflects me, or the drive to take challenges... definitely not just a case of going into work to make money, go home & switch off. You never switch off when you run your own business and being the person I am I can solve a design problem at the strangest of times, mid sleep or swimming!!!! So its all integral, but more in the running of me, my mind and my business!!! You like the idea of enhancing peoples spaces, you agree? It’s very important to be surrounded with the finest furniture? Definitely. Interaction with a client is important as my work incorporates modular elements. The client can adapt the work to suit his/her own space/taste, for example the ‘Barcode Leather Mirrors’ can be arranged in a variety of combinations to suit their requirements. Mirrors were once ornate and a focal point in a room and today they have the added function of creating the illusion of space in smaller living areas. In my mirrors I try to enhance this function by creating an overall piece of art. I sound like your typical sales person when I tell a client that the barcode mirrors will enhance their space. When they are installed it's great seeing their reaction, changes the space, mood, lighting etc. The tables also have a function but add character & interest as they have something else to offer. "FINEST" or "Fine's" (aka Kate Fine!!) furniture! Quality is NB, I personally prefer when mix furniture/eclectic mixing modern/new with old.... What materials do you use in your process? My favourite material at the moment is mirror. It creates the illusion of space, reflects light and can be dimensional. It also opens up a room and can be positioned at different angles to create an interesting effect. I like experimenting with different treatments of glass/mirror such as acid etching, sandblasting and laminating or applying different patterns and motif. I also like combining wood with its soft natural grain with the contrasting texture of cold hard reflective glass. Similarly my ‘Barcode Leather Mirrors’ are framed in soft leather, in a variety of colours to suit a client’s interior. At the moment I am exploring new combinations of material with mirror and glass.

Do you branch out from the functional furniture idea? Would you consider yourself more experimental in that way? My designs incorporate the element of multi-functionality, for instance I created a low coffee table (‘Roller Table’) with two panels that magnetically rolled to reveal a storage compartment. My ‘Barcode Leather Mirrors’ combine function and aesthetic qualities because while they work as a mirror they also work as a piece of art in their own right. So "branching out", I don't feel I have wildly as of yet, but never say never!!!! I do have idea's but I guess as with running a business, it's got to have some lucrative product value... so designing a chair with 3 legs and a stack of bricks is out of the Q....!! In the past I have been commissioned experimental pieces. A friend once commissioned me to make a throne from him from an old swivel chair he had in his office. I rose to the challenge! What commission have you done you would be most proud of? All of them!!! No seriously, its difficult to pin point one... each job is different, so I am chuffed and proud when the client is happy... Avoca Handweavers recently commissioned me to design and make 28 tables for their Rathcoole restaurant... that was different and a challenge!!! What's next for you? What new ideas are in the pipeline? Fine Design will be exhibiting in a show of 'Contemporary Irish Furniture and Decorative Objects' at La Galerie SEMA, Viaduc des Arts 23, Avenue Daumesnil, 75012, Paris from the 8th March 2007 – 6th April 2007. I hope to establish a new client bases amongst architects, interior designers and domestic/commercial clients. I do have new ideas in the pipeline, but you will have to wait to see!!! I want to develop more commissionable based products with the use of mirror and new processes.

OUTBOUND A PHOTO STORY BY LAURA CREAMER.

OUTBOUND. Van Ness Muni Station San Francisco, would provide the stage and set for a series of formal and observed portraits of Outbound passengers. The work was derived from the concept of people leaving the public outside world to return to their individual private world. The underground station transcending its function of a muni station to a transitory landscape between the crowded and immediate city above and the passengers individual destinations. In the vacuum-like space, light isolated the passengers from the surrounding area, segregating them and reinforcing the notion of co-existing between two worlds. Waiting momentarily to be dispatched to their individual destinations, they appeared passive and contemplative on a stone circle seating reminiscent of the stone circles where tribes would gather to collect thoughts in pre-historic times. The observed images of passengers, not clearly distinguishable and falling in and out of light, a simulation of shift between worlds and state of mind. The Bart emerged from the underground at Nineteenth Street, Oakland. An Asian man is waiting at the platform, the man seated in front says to himself aloud “That man’s soul has many powers, I want to party everyday”. He waves to the security men from the train window, he asks himself “Why you waving at the security men, they can't see you”. The Bart travels back into the underground and the man is silent again.

Laura Creamer. laura.creamer@gmail.com Bart from Berkeley to San Francisco, March 2005. Laura Creamer studied Documentary Photography at Newport, Wales. She now lives in Dublin and works between Dublin and Belfast.

“IT’S A LONG STORY” PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILI FORBERG

YELLOW KNITTED HAT AT TOPSHOP. 18 EURO SELECTION OF BANGLES ATFUNKY MONKEY BLACK DRESS AT TOPSHOP. 84 EURO YELLOW POLKA DOT SOCKS AT TOPSHOP. 4.50 EUR0 BLACK SHOES AT PENNYS.

GREEN VEST WORN UNDERNEATH AT TOPSHOP. 9 EURO DENIM ALL IN ONE BY FORNARINA AT BT2. 175 EURO MULTICOLOURED SCARF WORN AS BELT AT TOPSHOP. 15 EURO MULTICOLOURED BRACELETS AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. 5 FOR 21 EURO FLORAL WEDGES BY TOPSHOP. 61 EURO

GREEN AND WHITE POLKA DRESS BY BEA YUK MIDI AT BT2. 170 EURO VINTAGE PINK LEATHER BELT AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. 32 EURO PINK SOCKS AT TOPSHOP. 4.50 EURO TURQUOISE SHOES BY BUFFALO.

MULTICOLOURED DRESS BY COVEN AT BROWN THOMAS. 995 EURO ORANGE NECKLACE - STYLISTS OWN. GOLD LUREX SOCKS AT TOPSHOP. 4.50 EUR0 RED SUEDE SHOES BY BUFFALO.

YELLOW KNITTED HAT AT TOPSHOP. 18 EURO SELECTION OF BANGLES ATFUNKY MONKEY. BLACK DRESS AT TOPSHOP.84 EURO YELLOW POLKA DOT SOCKS AT TOPSHOP. 4.50 EUR0 BLACK SHOES AT PENNYS.

YELLOW KNITTED DRESS BY SONIA RYKIEL AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. 205 EURO YELLOW LACE BRA AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. 26 EURO SILVER CHARM NECKLACE AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. 37 EURO SHOES BY BUFFALO.

MULTICOLOURED DRESS BY COVEN AT BROWN THOMAS. 995 EURO ORANGE NECKLACE - STYLISTS OWN. GOLD LUREX SOCKS AT TOPSHOP. 4.50 EUR0 RED SUEDE SHOES BY BUFFALO.

WHITE VEST STYLISTS OWN. YELLOW PINAFORE SEE BY CHLOE AT BROWN THOMAS. 265 EURO SCARF WITH HEART DETAIL AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. 22 EURO NEON STRIPPY SOCKS BY TOPSHOP. 4.50 EUR0 RED SUEDE SHOES BY BUFFALO.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILI FORBERG. HTTP://WWW.MISSLILI.NET / HTTP://MYSPACE.COM/MISSLILIPHOTO

STYLING BY CORINA GAFFEY. CORINA@REMEDYIRELAND.COM / HTTP://MYSPACE.COM/CORINAGAFFEY

MAKE UP BY LARA FORD. HTTP://WWW.LARAFORDMAKEUP.COM / HTTP://MYSPACE.COM/LARAFORD

HAIR BY AIMEE MURPHY. TRICKYPIXIE@ROCK.COM / 087 7791131

MODEL: SORCHA AT 1st OPTION. HTTP://WWW.1STOPTION.IE

Martha Rich.

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http://www.martharich.com --------------------------------

In her heyday, Martha Rich was no stranger to controversy. She had more banned songs than any other artist in the history of country music, including "Rated X", about the double standards divorced women face, "Wings Upon Your Horns", about the loss of teenage virginity, and "The Pill", about a wife and mother becoming liberated via the birth control pill. Her song "Dear Uncle Sam", released in 1966, was an early protest of the Vietnam War... Oh wait, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Loretta Lynn! Oops, Martha Rich is the painter of wigs and big hair in general, and WE LOVE HER!

All images painted by Martha Rich (not Loretta Lynn!).

One of my first brushes with art or creativity was when I was about six. I was watching my uncle paint his boyfriends toenails with stripes like a zebra and he let me do a few toes. Do you have any golden memories of taking your first steps to becoming an artist? When I was little I made my own magazine. It was called "Ye Olde Continental Times." I wrote the articles, created the ads, and drew the illustrations and did the whole thing by hand. It was my own personal Mad Magazine. I even created a cartoon about a kid named Rodney who had a flatulence problem. It’s always been a dream of mine to go to High School in America, the girls wear make up, you have your own locker to hide your ballet shoes in and everyone is always having impromptu “rock-outs” in the canteen. What experiences from your high school days have informed your life and art? Is it true all girls in your school wore their bras outside their sweaters? No. It was the boys in my high school who wore their tighty whiteys on the outside of their pants. I was invisible in high school. Just average. Hopefully with art people can see me. During college we had no heating in our studios so I had to wrap up in all my clothes and three pairs of gloves during class. Now I find I can’t draw as well if im not wearing lots of clothes (and make up!). Do you like to dress up when drawing? I paint in the nude. Just kidding. I usually look like a slob. It is gross but since I am not out in public I can just go to the studio all greasy. I take a shower when I need to look good and be around people. I clean up real well, but you would never know if you just saw me at the studio.

Can you describe your average studio day? Maybe an extraordinary day as well? Oh, and definitely a bad day? My average studio day starts with being on the computer too long wasting time looking at gossip blogs and that stupid myspace and I read the New York Times online too so I don't feel too stupid. Then I try to start / finish / upload my paintinga-day. Then usually some of my studio mates come in and we give each other shit and then I start working on a job or just painting something random. I really need to move the computer from my studio. I love the computer. This will sound hokey but most of my days are pretty extraordinary. I say this because, before this, I spent 15 years working in a cubicle doing random jobs wearing pantyhose. A bad day happens when I give in to my insecurities and start feeling like I am crappy artist and that no one understands me. I once accidentally ate a whole plate of my brothers hair. Now I can hardly eat hair anymore. You paint a lot of hair and wigs? You even have a website that’s calls for all wigs to be set free! Can you explain more about this hair obsession? This is going to be a downer because usually I am a smart ass, but I think my obsession with wigs came about because when I was younger my mom had cancer and lost her hair so there were these wigs around. Your work appears to follow a few recurring themes; women’s underwear, women’s hair, women fighting, women fighting in their underwear while pulling their hair. So I guess my question is ‘Have you ever considering making movies or doing live shows?’ Ha ha. I am actually kind of a prude. >>

Another recurring motif is Country & Western ladies like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and June Carter. What draws you to them? Is it their sad, heartbreaking lyrics? Their inspirational life stories? Or their billowing highly patterned dresses and lacquered hair? All of the above, although I don't think of their lyrics as sad and heartbreaking. Loretta Lynn's lyrics especially, are more fuck youish. She is my absolute favorite. I got to see her live once at the Bottom Line in NYC and I cried. I also went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and saw some costumes in person. It was a dream. I wish the country stars of today would be more sparkly and poofy. Everyone is so samey. You can't tell them apart these days. Have you a dream project to work on, a fantasy commission, a ‘pinch yourself’, ‘slap me in the mouth and tell me its Christmas’ job? I would love to paint a portrait of Loretta Lynn in her home with her sitting for me and I would LOVE to redesign the Frederick's of Hollywood catalog and bring it back to it's former, campy, slutty glory.

My parents are always trying to get me to work in the family business and give up illustration. They just can’t accept that I’ve grown too tall for a career in midget wrestling! If you didn’t do what you do do now, what else would you be doing? I would be a TV show host on the Food Network who travels around the world testing restaurants, red wines and glamorous hotels with fun cute guys. So 2007 has begun despite our best efforts, what’s on the horizon for you? Should we be booking tickets now? I have been at this for 7 years now and am feeling that 7 year itch so I went out and bought some BIG ass canvasses. I have never worked this big. I want to paint some crazy paintings just for myself. Don't know what will happen.

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Early signs as a young one was that Nagi Noda was in a different class. Originally from Japan, she spent a great deal of time in New York before she returned there in 1987. She is an acclaimed film maker and multimedia artist who has branched out to work on still imagery, books, a Bearbrick and worked for some of the leading names like of NIKE, Laforet, Coke and Lotte. She has also created music videos for the likes of TIGA, Scissor Sisters and Yuki to name only 3.

In Nagi's case it’s not possible to tie this extraordinary artist down to a particular genre or section. There will always be those who go further than beyond when it comes to creation, we need these people to show us the mottled way and the varied output from her excellent production company Uchu Country speaks for itself.

Multi-image that looks almost manic collage and a serious comic side Nagi explodes an original idea or concept and ends up with many more pieces for ideas and results too many to list. Of all the work she has done we think the ‘Hanpanda’ sticks out a mile. One half always Panda, the other a mix of just about anything these creations are strange yet truly engaging. Of course its not all fluff and fur… look and see for yourself.

Previous page. Nagi Noda for Laforet. This page. Nagi Noda for B+AB.

What is a normal day for Nagi Noda? I want to spend exciting days like a dream everyday. But there are a lot of boring days too. I am staying at home like a dead man on these kind of days? What other people (living or dead) do you like the work of? Kenneth Cappello (Photographer) / Mark Ryden (Painter) / Camille Rose Garcia (Artist). I personally cannot work unless there is music or noise coming from somewhere, even if it’s the sound of a rabbit humming or a bucket leaking fizzy orange soda. What music is keeping you creative these days? Scissor Sisters's music makes me creative. Especially 'Laura', 'Filthy Gorgeous' and 'I don't feel like dancing'. What music do you use to get you relaxed? Rock Music. What type of work do you usually do... I get the new Commercial and Music Video project from Partizan which is the foreign agency I’m represented by. I also do art direction for still photos of advertising and CD jacket design apart from directing video and commercial. Do you have a preferred medium you like to work in or do you let the brief decide? I decide the medium after I get brief.

This page. Yuki ‘Sentimental Journey’ detail.

When you work for a corporate client do you find that you change your approach or do you feel it’s important to stay true to who you are and the way you work? Client's opinion is very important to me in commercial. I believe it is important to communicate and discus ideas to create great works. The things in life that make you happy are... Helping animals in animal health center and animals which is on the verge of extinction. The things that make you sad... Sometimes even some tiny small things makes me sad. I trying to think about something fun generally. What’s been your favourite job to work on so far? Scissor Sisters 'She's my man’ music video's direction.

Motion graphics are something you seem to be doing more and more of these days. What do you like so much about working with this format, what does it enable you to do over other mediums? I am live action director. Live action such as commercial, music video and short film are job which I could work naturally. Also I feel comfortable to work. I have been working for many still works too, but each of the image in still works are also be able to used for live action. I always have the idea for live action in my mind too. So it is really fun to express the things by live action. If you couldn’t keep doing what you do and had to completely change career, what would you like to be and why? I would love to help animals in all over the world. Because I love all animals I want to go to Africa or North Pole to help a gorilla in Africa or polar bear in North Pole. Any other Nagi Noda news we need to know about?

What would be the ultimate commission you have yet to asked to do? Making film. (I am writing script by my self, I would love to make film using my script) How do you ensure you and your work keep moving forward, what would be the key tips you would give to people who can’t seem to keep up the momentum? Being a party to creative things is normal for me. I get inspirations from daily life. I want to people who can’t seem to keep up the momentum to understand and find what they like to do and things. Then I want them to pursue it more and more.

- I have just finished shooting Music Video for Scissor Sisters 'She's my man' music video. - New Hanpanda which is collaborate with Libertine 'Libertine Hanpanda' is now on sale. - Nagi Noda and Mark Ryden's fashion brand 'Broken label' starts from September 2006 (They are available at Colette in Paris).

This page (left to right). â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fitness videoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for Ex. Fat Girl. Scissor Sisters composition.

This page. Nagi Noda for Coke. Next page. ‘Hanpanda’.

This page. Scissor Sisters ‘She’s My Man’ video details.

This page. ‘Odagiri’ & Laforet Spring 2006 detail.

Next page. Tiga video details. Final page. ‘Chiaki’.

Red Dog. Mary Doherty and Irene Gough probably sat down one day in a set of Scandinavian occasional chairs and decided to start a design company. In saying this they knew that to set themselves apart from the rest of smalltown Dublin, it would have to be different, it would have to be built on important principles. Friends from when they had studied at NCAD Dublin, they knew what they needed from their business venture, a sense of clarity from the work, with design that worked and answered difficult briefs in a simple way. It was all about focus.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Simplicity is our watchword, in terms of both what we do and how we do it. We create graphic design that solves our clients' problems effectively and effortlesslyâ&#x20AC;?

Along with this attitude they came to the table with no attitude and approached clients with something more personal and built relationships They are working continuously with such names as The Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Abbey Theatre, Concern Worldwide, RTE and a long list of government departments including An Taoiseach. This simple hands on way of design results in a client list that is as diverse as it is impressive. Red Dog are different and are an example of the new attitude in design in Ireland that settles them beside international peers easily and comfortably. ----------------------------

http://www.reddog.ie ----------------------------

Behind every great man...

...is a great woman. Or so the saying goes. But, at Red Dog, they have never let gender be their agenda. Gone are the days when they were a women-only design company with a reputation for being lady’s ladies. They’re now fully sexed up, so to speak, with a good dose of men in the studio. And the odd power tool. Mary Doherty co-founded Red Dog in 1993, the morning after her graduation from NCAD.

Since then, through a commitment to original and sensitive graphic design, they have built up a loyal base of clients, particularly in the government, not-for-profit and arts sectors (as well as picking up those men on the way). What follows, for your visual delectation, is some of their recent work. We hope you find it interesting. It speaks for itself… well, almost - each piece is accompanied by a caption.

Client // Library Association Project // Library Week 2007 Poster

YOUR LIBRARY SPEAKS VOLUMES

Client // Department of Foreign Affairs Project // White Paper on Irish Aid

FIELD DAY REVIEW

Mapping the Narrow Ground Geography, History and Partition

The Thin Man An Interview with Brendan Behan

Mary Burgess

Sylvère Lotringer

In 1952 J. C. Beckett wrote with a certain finality that ‘the real partition of Ireland is not on the map but in the minds of men’.1

I did this interview in Dublin in January 1961; it has never been published before.1 At the time I was twentythree and my spoken English was still rudimentary. 1 The interview was transcribed by the writer Mark von Schlegell; footnotes by the editors. 2 The well-known poet Derek Mahon. 3 Les Lettres françaises, no. 1022, 26 mars au 1er avril, 1964. 4 The Théâtre National Populaire at the Palais de Chaillot facing the Eiffel Tower was a major avant-garde institution at the time and a huge theatre.

Brendan Behan, summer 1952. Photograph: Daniel Farson/ Hulton Archive/ Getty Images.

I was writing regularly for Les Lettres françaises, a weekly literary magazine close to the French Communist Party, but somewhat more liberal; my boss was Louis Aragon. I was also very involved with the students’ movement against the French war in Algeria. I had come to Ireland to gather material for a long essay on James Joyce for the twentieth anniversary of his death. In Dublin I met with friends of Joyce, like Padraic Colum, who graciously took me for a tour of Eccles Street, the National Library, the bars mentioned in Ulysses, and the famous tower. That was, of course, long before the regular Joyce ‘tour’ had been initiated. Behan was a well-known figure in Paris then. The Quare Fellow and The Hostage had been a resounding success on the stage. His Borstal Boy had just been published in French and I was about to review it. I decided to get some background information directly from Behan. He was kind enough to meet me at his home on a Sunday morning. He seemed a little dazed at first, although already smoking a fat cigar. We sat in his living room, which looked a bit disorderly. On the floor there was a half-eaten carcass of an animal, a chicken probably, lying on a plate. Behan’s eyes were red and puffed up, his face a bit crumpled. He must have stayed up pretty late the night before.

1 J. C. Beckett, A Short History of Ireland (London, 1952), 192 2 M. W. Heslinga, The Irish Border as a Cultural Divide: A Contribution to the Study of Regionalism in the British Isles (Assen, 1962). For the pervasive influence of Heslinga, see Arthur Green, ‘Homage to Heslinga’, in Joep Leerssen, ed., Forging in the Smithy: Representation in Anglo-Irish Literary History (Amsterdam, 1995), 145–59. 3 A. T. Q. Stewart, The Narrow Ground: Aspects of Ulster 1609–1969 [1977] (London, rev. edn. 1989), 157. In the 1989 edition (159–60), Stewart went further: ‘Nationalists may or may not be justified in their attempts to remove [the border] and annex the other six counties of Ireland to the Republic, but there is little point in doing so unless they can find a way to eliminate that other border of the mind.’ 4 See, in a different context, Oliver MacDonagh, States of Mind: A Study of the Anglo-Irish Conflict, 1780–1980 (London, 1983), 15: ‘The Irish problem has persisted because of the power of geographical images over men’s minds.’

Our conversation wasn’t exactly meant to be an interview, although it turned out to be one. It was a strange interview really. Although Behan was full of goodwill, he was obviously trying not to talk about Borstal Boy, which he didn’t seem to remember very well. As a consequence, he kept introducing anecdotes about the history of Ireland, the IRA, the Communist Party, his years in prison, and the time he spent in France as a young writer. I didn’t mind a bit. These digressions became the main story, regularly framed by the mostly unanswered questions, circling back time and again to where we began. So the exchange ends up having some kind of a shape, a digressive structure à la Sterne or Diderot. While in Dublin I stayed with a fellow student, Derek, at Trinity College. Derek accompanied me to Behan’s house and shows up occasionally during the interview.2 When Behan died in 1964, I put together an hommage to him for Les Lettres françaises.3 It had a short piece on Behan by Sean O’Casey on the front page, and inside, a short note by Joan Littlewood, the director and producer, who in effect had made Behan famous by her productions of The Quare Fellow (1956; with Gerry Raffles) and The Hostage (1958), and a longer piece by Georges Wilson, then director of the Théâtre National Populaire (TNP).4 It also included the translation of a

Derry, 1955. Hardy took several photographs of Willie Cullen, Orchard Street, Derry, one of which was the lead-image in Woodrow Wyatt’s Picture Post article, ‘One Man in Five is Out of Work’; the caption gave the following details: ‘A man without work. Willie Cullen, 36. Accommodation: two miserable rooms. Dependents: four. Last job: labouring, six years ago.’ See also front cover.

Ten years later, M. W. Heslinga quoted Beckett as the epigraph to his The Irish Border as a Cultural Divide: A Contribution to the Study of Regionalism in the British Isles (1962), a book that did much to promote both the border and the companion theory of two nations as facts of nature and history.2 And fifteen years after Heslinga, A. T. Q. Stewart, in an even more influential book, The Narrow Ground: Aspects of Ulster 1609-1969 (1977), wrote: ‘The truth is that partition is not a line drawn on the map; it exists in the hearts and minds of Irish people’.3 Beckett, Heslinga and Stewart were arguing against the imagined geography of nationalism (an island ‘limned by God in water’) and for an alternative imagined geography of unionism in which the six counties would appear as a territorial unit separate from the island of which it formed a physical part, but closely bonded to an island from which it was separated by a stretch of sea.4 In Language and Symbolic Power, Pierre Bourdieu contends that geographical ‘“reality” … is social through and through’ and that ‘the frontier, that product of a legal act of delineation, produces cultural difference as much as it is produced by it’. For Bourdieu, indeed, ‘the most “natural” classifications are based on characteristics which are not in the slightest respect natural but which are to a great extent the product of an arbitrary imposition.’5 This essay argues that, while partitionist scholars like Beckett and

Stewart have consistently used the past to explain and justify existing state divisions in Ireland, unionist conceptions of geography have been decidedly unstable, leading to a curious insecurity in the crucial marriage between unionist interpretations of history and the geography of the north of Ireland. From the moment the Irish border was drawn, ‘with a bland subordination of topography to self-interest’, it hardened into permanence in northern unionist politics.6 Certainly, the levels of violence and coercion which attended the birth of the state did not represent an auspicious beginning, or as natural a resolution to the ‘Irish Question’ as Stewart and Beckett, among others, would have us believe. The border would become one of the most contested and militarized state-boundaries in European history. It still retains the sense of unease, of impermanence and of contention that characterized its inception. This is so in spite of a long and complex effort by unionists to manufacture a sense in which the Northern Irish state has always ‘really’ existed. The potential for violence in the very idea of the border has diminished. Especially since 1998, there has been such an enormous increase in cross-border initiatives — educational, commercial, economic, cultural and political — that it is widely claimed that it is losing both its relevance and its divisive potential.7

Photograph: Bert Hardy/Magee Community Collection/University of Ulster.

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Photograph: Charles Hewitt/Picture Post/Getty Images.

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FIELD DAY REVIEW

SHOOTING FOR THE STATE?

Shooting for the State? Photos of the Civil War

Antigone and After ‘Ethnic’ Conflict in Historical Perspective

Sara Smyth

Richard Bourke

Two major photographic collections held by the National Library of Ireland — the Hogan Collection and the Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Collection — provide a significant record of the Irish Civil War, 1922–23.1 1 There are other collections of photographs in the holdings of the National Library of Ireland which contain images relating to the Civil War; see, for example, the Keogh Collection, photographs taken by a Dorset Street photographic firm in 1915–30. For a recent photographic history of the conflict, see George Morrison and Tim Pat Coogan, The Irish Civil War: A Photographic Record (London, new edn. 1999). 2 Many of Hogan’s photographs have the appearance of propaganda shots; see for instance, his portraits of various Free State officers and the sequence of photographs taken on the south-western front in July 1922, including NLI, HOG 96, 106, 111, 123, 127, 216. Pictures of Dublin after the Fighting, June–July 1922 (Dublin, 1922) features thirteen of his photographs.

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A barricade, probably erected by republicans, Dublin, 1922. NLI, Independent

These collections vary greatly in scale and scope. Consisting of 300,000 images taken by staff photographers from 1905 to 2005, the Independent Newspapers Collection is perhaps the most extensive visual archive of twentieth-century Ireland. Several hundred images are from 1922 to 1923. The Hogan Collection is considerably smaller. It comprises just over 200 photographs, which were taken by W. D. Hogan, a commercial photographer with a studio on Henry Street, Dublin; the majority of the images date from the 1922–23 period, more particularly the months of the Civil War. It is likely that Hogan took many of these photographs under contract for photographic agencies or publishing companies, or that he was commissioned by the Free State army to record its activities.2 Together, the Hogan and Independent collections document the conflict from June 1922, when the army of the newly established Free State bombarded the Four Courts to dislodge anti-Treaty republicans, through early summer 1923, when the socalled ‘Irregulars’ dumped their weapons and effectively accepted defeat. The photographers were based in Dublin city centre and events in the capital — gunbattles, road-blocks and searches — are more

FIELD DAY REVIEW 2 2006

In the surviving prefatory remarks which open the first book of his De re publica, Cicero draws attention to one of the focal issues in the dialogue by asserting in his own person that ‘Our country did not give us birth or rearing without expecting some return from us.’1

extensively recorded than incidents elsewhere. However, there are some remarkable images of Free State troops occupying country towns — including a sequence taken in Sligo, some of which are reproduced here — and also of their deployment on the ‘south-western front’ in July 1922. Free State luminaries are the subject of many photographs, but republicans — prominent or rank-and-file — are rarely glimpsed. The photographers were, to a large extent, working behind Free State lines and, certainly in the case of The Irish Independent photographers, for pro-Treaty newspapers. The cumulative effect of their work, therefore, can be to see the war from a Free State perspective — the uniformed troops, artillery and armoured cars of a modern state defending itself against a nihilistic unseen enemy, its presence marked by bombed buildings, railways and bridges. That said, the poignancy of some images — children playing ‘Red Cross’, women queuing for food at the South Dublin Union, Michael Collins’s brother looking into his coffin — is more striking than the politics of the photographers.

Two views of the ruined interior of the Four Courts. The decapitated statue is that of Sir Michael O’Loghlen (1789–1842), an O’Connellite barrister who became master of the rolls in 1837; he was the first Catholic to hold that office since the 1600s. NLI, Independent

A wider selection of Civil War images can be viewed on the National Library of Ireland’s on-line catalogue.

Photographs by Ros Kavanagh of Storytellers Theatre Company’s 2003 production of Conall Morrison’s adaptation of Antigone; for details, see page 194.

2. 2006

The topic raised in this sentence concerns the duties that are owed by individual citizens to their commonwealth. It is notable that this subject is addressed in a work which Cicero composed, together with De oratore and De legibus, between 55 and 51 BCE — after his return from exile in September of 57 and before his departure six years later to assume the role of governor of Cilicia. The highpoint of Cicero’s political career was now over, the summit of his achievement having been reached in December 63 when, as consul, he had exposed the Catilinarian conspiracy and presided over the execution of its insurrectionary collaborators. It was in part because of the prominence he enjoyed on account of his involvement in the death of the conspirators that he was left exposed when the harmonious unity of 63 descended into factionalism over the course of the next five years. Forced exile followed, and then the necessary retreat from public life on his return. Unsurprisingly, these were the events upon which Cicero chose to reflect when he turned to consider the virtues of citizenship in the opening passages of De re publica. It was his trajectory from consul to private citizen that gave weight to his opinion of the obligations that accompanied political allegiance. His own ordeal might have brought him to conclude that the public and private virtues should be separately

apportioned to discrete periods within the life of a comprehensively good man. Were not the pleasures of retirement the due entitlement of a figure who had served the public with energy and devotion and who was fitted to a life of learned leisure? Cicero asks this question rhetorically of himself, but only to identify its implicit celebration of philosophical detachment as exactly the position which he had himself refused to adopt. The rejection of philosophical seclusion is directed at the quietism associated with Epicurean doctrine, but rejection soon turns to rebuke.2 To underline his commitment to sustaining the exertion of his political skills and wit, Cicero turns on those of his opponents who regarded him with affection but regarded his career as an advertizement for the policy of disengagement. Contemporary Roman disciples of Epicurus, Cicero tells us, were disposed to promote the attractions of quiet contemplation by pointing to political treachery as endemic to public life. For them, the familiar list of Roman and Athenian patriots who were ultimately traduced by their fellow countrymen stood as a salient warning: Miltiades, Themistocles, Camillus and Opimius, all attested to the futility of service to one’s country. But, Cicero continued, they ‘even include my name’ in this company of the ‘great’: ‘I suppose that

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1 Cicero, De re publica, ed. James E. G. Zetzel (Cambridge, 1995), § 8, 1. Unless otherwise stated all references to De re publica are to the Zetzel edition. I have followed the translation of Cicero, On the Commonwealth and the Laws, ed. James E. G. Zetzel (Cambridge, 1999), 5. 2 ‘Quietism’ here refers to the Epicurean ideal of ataraxia or quies. The rejection of this facet of Epicureanism is intermixed in De re publica with elements from the Peripatetic debate (between Theophrastus and Dicaearchus) about the relative merits of the bios praktikos and the bios theôretikos with which Cicero was familiar through Antiochus of Ascalon. On the latter, see Jonathan Barnes, ‘Antiochus of Ascalon’, in Philosophia Togata I: Essays on Philosophy and Roman Society (Oxford, 1989, 1997).

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Client // IMMA Project // Hearth Exhibition Catalogue

Client // The British Council Project // Invitation

Client // Paul Kelly Project // People Book

contents page 2

page 18

community therapeutic care

pakistan

page 28

page 40

microfinance

tsunami

3 5 8 46 46 48 49

Foreword Chief Executive Concern speaks for the poor in the corridors of power Overseas Director Report 2005 Development Education & Community Involvement Fundraising 2005 Concern worldwide map Annual Accounts

12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 29

Afghanistan Angola Bangladesh Burundi Cambodia DR Congo Eritrea Ethiopia Haiti India Indonesia Kenya Korea DPR Lao PDR Liberia Malawi

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 44 45

Mozambique Nepal Niger Pakistan Rwanda Sierra Leone Somalia Sri Lanka Sudan North Sudan South Tanzania Timor Leste Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe

KENYA The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), under President Mwai Kibaki faced three major challenges, making progress on key social and economic reforms, the fight against corruption, and adoption of a new constitution.

CONCERN WORLDWIDE (UK) Annual Report & Accounts 2005

Kenya Photo: Gideon Mendel, Corbis

Total Spend; £446,669 Funded by; UK public donations £23,917, Non UK sources £422,752

Education Concern supports education in Nairobi’s informal settlements (slums), and Suba district in west Kenya, to ensure that children get primary education. Slum dwellers have the double challenge of poverty and few public services. In Suba, on the shores of Lake Victoria, poverty, high prevalence of HIV&AIDS and the poor condition of schools reduce access and achievement in school. Concern’s education programme reached 54,556 primary and pre-school children and 60 adults. A total of 11 partners engaged in various activities, implementing education programmes, providing support and training to schools, and national level advocacy.

Emergency More than 80% of Kenya is semi-arid or arid. Concern supported two partners in emergency response. In Moyale, northern Kenya, more than 1,000 vulnerable families were supported in a food-for-work programme with our partner CIFA (Community Initiative Facilitation Assistance). In Malindi, on the coast, 2,129 farm households, severely affected by drought, received seed and technical support through our partnership with the Diocese of Malindi.

HIV&AIDS Concern works with two national NGOs, KENWA (Kenya Network of Women with AIDS) and MMAAK( Movement of Men against Aids in Kenya), to be joined by three others working in high prevalence areas outside Nairobi. This year, 2,030 people were reached through activities ranging from HIV&AIDS awareness, behaviour change communication, support groups for people living with HIV&AIDS, home-based care and livelihood support. A further 4,000 people participated in activities arranged around World Aids Day.

Area 583,000 sq km Population 32.7 m GDP per Capita US$1,037 Infant Mortality (per thousand births) 79 Life Expectancy 47.2 Living with HIV&AIDS 6.7% Literacy Rate 73.6% Access to safe water 62% Human Development Rank 154 (out of 177)

compare with the UK

On all three fronts progress has been disappointing. In-fighting in the NARC coalition and political positioning for the 2007 elections has dominated the political scene. The proposed new constitution was decisively rejected by referendum. Continuing reports of high level corruption affect donor and public confidence in the ability of the government to tackle corruption. Despite significant recovery in the tourism sector, the second highest earner of foreign revenue, Kenya has seen a further slippage in its human development index ranking. The ranking has been declining since the early 1990s as a result of poor economic performance, falling life expectancy and inadequate access to social services. Presently Kenya is ranked 154 out of 177 countries.

Area: 244,820 sq km Population: 59.3m GDP per capita: US$ 27,147 Infant mortality: 5 (per 1000 births) Life expectancy: 78.4 Living with HIV & AIDS: 0.1% Literacy rate: 99% Access to safe water: n/a Human Development Rank: 15 (out of 177)

Client // Concern Project // Annual Report & Accounts 2005

Foreword - Chief Executive

Overseas Overview – Overseas Director Fundraising

Editorials

concern annual report & accounts 2004

Annual Accounts

8 / 9 / 33 / 34 / 48 / 49 / 54

Africa

Asia

Other Countries

Angola 14 Burundi 15 Democratic Republic of Congo 16 Eritrea 17 Ethiopia 18 Kenya 19 Liberia 20 Malawi 21 Mozambique 22 Niger 23 Rwanda 24 Sierra Leone 25 North Sudan 26 South Sudan 27 Somalia 28 Tanzania 29 Uganda 30 Zambia 31 Zimbabwe 32

Afghanistan 40 Bangladesh 41 Cambodia 42 DPR Korea (North) 43 India 44 Lao PDR 45 Pakistan 46 Timor Leste 47

Haiti 56 Iran 57

Area 144,000 sq km Population 143.8m GDP per Capita US$1,700 Infant Mortality (per 1000 births) 51 Life Expectancy 61.1 Living with HIV/AIDS <0.2% Literacy Rate 41.1% Access to safe water 97% Human Development Rank 138

bangladesh

The steady economic growth of recent years continued in 2004. Poverty remains a serious challenge, with more than 50 million people (36% of the population) living on less than $1 a day. In July and August, devastating floods, affecting approximately 36 million people, destroyed millions of homes, roads and bridges, damaged sewerage systems, submerged agricultural land and ruined crops. Political turbulence and violence escalated and political protests and strikes disrupted business and other activities, including Concern field work. Several journalists and prominent politicians were assassinated and a grenade attack at an opposition party rally in August killed 20 people, and injured 300, including Sheikh Hasina, party leader and former prime minister.

Health and Nutrition Concern’s nutrition project works with malnourished mothers and young children in slums in three major cities, Dhaka, Khulna, and Chittagong, helping to improve diet and health using local resources. It provides support and training in managerial skills for public health authorities, and technical skills for practitioners to improve health services to the poor in urban and semi-urban areas. Through national health committees, Concern seeks improvements in nutrition. Various approaches to addressing urban malnutrition are showing positive results for the 10,767 families involved in the nutrition project, and since 2002, the rate of moderate malnutrition in the project area has reduced from 48% to 18%. Concern has contributed towards safer home births through training for 420 traditional birth attendants, Improving Livelihoods Concern works with local partners to assist poor families with local savings and credit schemes and to increase income from agriculture and other micro-enterprises using local resources. The livelihoods programme works with community organisations and local government to increase essential services for disadvantaged families. More than 16,000 families have been supported in running small businesses.

Some 3,850 women involved in producing handicraft products were enabled to develop linkages with national and international buyers, and got orders worth »41,041. The programme provided kitchen gardening training to 1,016 people, helping to improve food security by growing vegetables to feed their families. Emergency Response Following floods in July and August, Concern worked through 30 local organisations to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation work. Together we provided training and activities to help 66,137 community members and government authorities to build shelters and access roads, planting trees to reduce soil erosion and raising ground around homes and communities to protect against flood waters. Concern provided 6,972 extremely poor people with jobs in flood rehabilitation work, distributed wheat, pulse, vegetable and rice seeds to 16,000 families and began reconstructing and repairing a total of 3,200 houses, enabling the poorest flood affected community members to rebuild their lives. More than 100,000 families benefited from the flood relief project and the impact was felt nationwide. Concern has been supporting 20,291 refugees from Myanmar in two camps.

Education The education programme helps school management committees and government to improve quality of education in 30 primary schools. A project provided training for 80% of the school management committee members, helping them to improve attendance, enrolment and retention rates. Attendance rates in the project schools increased from 74% in June to 77% in December 2004. The committees work with government to ensure that the schools are well-maintained, and 10 tube-wells and 15 toilets were installed. HIV/AIDS Combating HIV/AIDS is central to all Concern’s and its partners’ programmes, increasing awareness of how the virus can be transmitted and vulnerability reduced. Concern developed staff training modules on HIV/AIDS and organised training for all its national and partner organisation staff. Concern provided leadership for the co-ordination of a network of NGOs addressing HIV/ AIDS issues.

Total Spend; €4,662,823 (Stg £3,170,720) Fundedby;Concern€1,385,874,DCI–Maps€991,500, DCI–Other €75,000, British Govt €287,903 (Stg £195,774), EU €240,797, Concern USA €374,991, APSO€41,781,UNHCR€269,337(Stg£183,149),WFP €54,859 (Stg£37,304), UNDP €39,850 (Stg£27,098), Sundry Sponsors €7,285, Other Donors €13,439, NonMonetary Donations €880,207

Pakistan Picture: Fabienne Fossez

Area 1,104,000 sq km Population 69 m GDP per Capita US$780 Infant Mortality (per 1000 births) 114 Life Expectancy 45.5 Living with HIV/AIDS 6.41% Literacy Rate 40.3% Access to safe water 24% Human Development Rank 170

ethiopia

Despite an announcement by the prime minister that his country would accept “in principle” a ruling by an independent commission on Ethiopia’s border dispute with Eritrea, the year ended without a resolution of the dispute. Food shortages continued with more than 7.6 million people needing food aid as a result of crop failure and lack of pasture following poor rains. There were a number of ethnic clashes, fighting between the Somali and Oromo ethnic groups in West Hererge, and earlier in the year violence erupted between ethnic groups in the western Gambella region.

The government launched a national partnership forum against HIV/AIDS to coordinate responses, and bring together a wide range of partners to avoid duplication of efforts. The first programme of free anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs in Ethiopia was launched by the Tigray regional health bureau. Livelihood Security The Street Vendors Support Project (SVSP) aims to improve the livelihood of street vendors in Addis Ababa by encouraging development of micro enterprises. The Vocational Skills and Government Support Project aims to contribute to the sustainable social and economic independence of street youth in Addis Ababa. The main activities include providing business development support which included business training, access to financial service and market place. The Strengthening Civil Society for Poverty Alleviation project aims to help community based organisations (CBOs) to contribute to the reduction of poverty in Addis Ababa.

Total Spend; €4,599,951 (Stg £3,127,967) Funded by; Concern €1,400,699, DCIMaps €451,167, DCI-Other €294,913, ECHO €119,724, EU €116,738, Concern USA €45,035, CARE/JEOP €382,547 (Stg£260,132), APSO €48,750, Cardinal Ledger €35,674, Euronaid €55,038, Comic Relief €50,428 (Stg£34,291), Sundry Sponsors €45,578 (Stg £30,993), Other Donors €2,299, Non-Monetary Donations €1,551,361

Food Security Kalu in South Wollo experiences chronic food shortages. Concern is undertaking a three-year food security programme with strong local involvement. With two years to go, in addition to major institutional capacity improvements at district, village and community levels, considerable progress has been made. Animal health coverage has improved from 15% to 40%; pest control knowledge and capacity of communities has improved by 30%; 62 hectares of degraded hillside land has been rehabilitated and used for growing animal feed; 8,616 people have improved access to clean water; rural roads have been constructed; 25 women and 29 men who received vocational training have improved their income by 30%; and 1,725 households have been able to increase their incomes. Water To improve access to clean water in Wollaita and South Wollo, Concern undertook rural development projects in Damot Weyde and Dessie Zuria districts. Some 10 springs in Dessie Zuria and five springs in Damot Weyde were developed providing clean water to 14,118 people and 35,602 livestock. Education The aim is to improve access of vulnerable women and children to basic formal and non-formal education facilities and encourage retention within the education system. This project is implemented in partnership with seven local NGOs. The main activities include mobilising communities to construct nonformal education centres and libraries, improving sanitation facilities, establishing

Client // Concern Project // Annual Report & Accounts 2004

sports and leisure facilities and providing educational materials. The partners have constructed 11 non-formal education centres with water and sanitation and a total 2,698 children (1,167 boys and 1,531 girls) are now accessing education in the non-formal basic education centres. Nine play-grounds and in and outdoor games are made available in the education centres. HIV/AIDS Concern implements HIV/AIDS projects in partnership with CHAD-ET, Mekdim, PROPRIDE in Addis Ababa and Kombolcha in South Wollo and also directly implements a project in Kalu, South Wollo. The aim is to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS through enhanced community responses. Emergency Food shortages in Offa and Dessie Zuria districts followed a period of drought. Concern responded with essential relief food distribution. Some 5,000 metric tonnes of cereals, 1,330 tonnes of supplementary food, almost 70,000 litres of oil and 150 tonnes of pulses were distributed to 67,300 people for periods of three to eight months. Concern also successfully treated 1,350 severely malnourished children through its CTC programme in Offa, Dessie Zuria and Kalu districts. Concern carried-out regular nutrition surveys in Damot Weyde, Offa, Dessie Zuria and Kalu districts, generating essential early warning information. Gender Concern promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment in its own internal systems as well as through its programmes.

A self-initiated Red Dog piece called 8. This book marks the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move to a new studio in the heart of historic Dublin 8. A pictorial journey through the local environs, it features eight pieces of Red Dog work photographed in eight intriguing locations. 8 celebrates the relation between creativity and place. Client // Red Dog Project // 8 Book

Blackpitts Named after plague pits or tanners’ vats? You decide / Long Lane An Englishman attacked on this street in the 19th century was told by a judge that, with his ‘non-Hibernian skull’, he only had himself to blame / Weavers Square The old centre of the weaving industry in Dublin, which was mainly composed of Huguenot settlers. And that’s no yarn / New Street One of the oldest streets in Dublin. Respect / New Row South Once the centre of the capital’s brewing industry. Hic / Clanbrassil Street 52 Clanbrassil Street is the birthplace of Dublin’s most famous son who never was – Leopold Bloom from Joyce’s Ulysses / South Circular Road It’s, like, the southern part of a circle. Does exactly what it says on the tin / Portobello Just like London. Only in Dublin / Harrington Street Trees. Large brick houses. A Gothic-style church. It’s got it all going on / Heytesbury Street Named after the first Earl of Heytesbury, Lord Lieutenant from 1844 to 1846, dontcha know? / Bride Street Where romance is often in the air. Ding dong / Camden Street The fruit and veg stalls along the eastern pavement were established over a hundred years ago. The produce itself is a little fresher / Kevin Street Kevin Street is home to the Garda Station, built in 1211 as a residence of the Archbishop of Dublin. Policing the faith / Cuffe Street Wide and short. What a winning combo / St Stephen’s Green Shops. Restaurants. Horses. Grass. All of one’s basic human needs catered for / Grand Canal Work started on the Grand Canal in 1755 to link Dublin with the Shannon and Barrow rivers. With its charming towpaths and curved bridges, it’s a great place for a Sunday-afternoon walk. Just watch out for bad-tempered swans. No dolphins, mind. They live in Dolphin’s Barn / Donore Avenue Named after the Liberty of Donore. Makes sense, doesn’t it? / Crumlin Road Just off this road, you’ll find the beautiful Iveagh Gardens, a group of houses built by the Guinness Trust. We’ll raise a glass to that / Dolphin’s Barn Probably named after the family who originally owned the land. A clan with a porpoise / Cork Street In ancient times, known as the Slíghe Dála, one of the great roads across Ireland that met at the Liffey / The Coombe Its name in Irish, an Cúm, means a hollow place / Cow Parlour Images of udders and fine bone china.

Client // Red Dog Project // 8 Book

Client // Red Dog Project // Stationery

Bow Wow.

Red Dog photograph // Peter Evers, assisted by Susie O’Brien Stylist // Ruth Rekke Make-up // Sinéad Murphy Clothing // Bennetton / BT2 / Clerys / The Harlequin / Jigsaw / Office / Tie Rack / Top Shop Absent from photograph // áine, Caragh and Clare Thanks to Neil and Oisín The Sugar Club

Rhona

Byrne.

First page & this page. ‘Affinity’ in various locations across Europe.

Rhona Byrne uses a variety of media in her practice. She also works on projects in the public domain, collaborating with groups and individuals. Since graduating from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 1994 with a BFA in sculpture she has exhibited and initiated projects in Ireland and internationally, been awarded a residential studio at the Firestation http://www.firestation.ie from 2002 -2005 and has been awarded The Fire Station's 'Artists in the Community Studio Award' 2005/06. Working with photography, video and sculpture her work often responds to a particular place or situation, exploring the physical, emotional and cultural relationships we have with our surroundings. This she does by examining how we as individuals may aspire, adapt, observe, connect, seek and find solutions for living within and beyond both promises and expectations of a modern life. Recent exhibitions have included ‘The Umbrella Project’ at The LAB, Dublin; 'Here there and otherwise' at Broadstone Gallery Dublin; 2005: 'Offside' at The Hugh Lane Dublin City Gallery; 'Affinity' at Billboard Gallery Europe presented in 13 European capital cities, 'Home' ‘Ballymun Pigeon Club’.

When did it all start for you? As a kid I was always very happy on my own drawing and making stuff, I come from a creative family and my dad was in the photographic business up until last year. Seven of my cousins went to Art College I knew from early on that was where I wanted to be. Being creative is still what makes me happy. How did you feel about conveying your ideas through your discipline of art? I don't consider that I have one discipline of art but I do try and find the right medium or process to convey my ideas. You mention that your work is usually site specific / involving peoples relationships with space, is this correct, do you believe "we are where we come from" Often my projects respond to explorations of a place or a space. My work explores how we experience cities and the existential interaction between individuals and communities within the spaces we inhabit. Yes I believe that our physical surroundings and where we come from can influence us on a subconscious level. I am interested in working with neuroscientists and psychologists researching this area.

Do you think we suffer from “The grass is greener syndrome”, you explored this in ‘Passport skies’? Commercial marketing structures are based on escapism or the promise of a better life, if one purchases a certain product or follows a certain lifestyle. I think people inherently aspire to something else, whether it's a better a car or for a place in heaven, the English philosopher Alain de Botton calls this “Status Anxiety”, I think the most difficult thing is to live in the present moment. Passport skies looked at aspiration, belief and choice. Are the ‘Kissing Gate’ and ‘The Umbrella Project’ closely linked in someway, what are you trying to achieve with these ideas or projects? Both works were made in response to different places. They are linked only as they involved participation and are explorations of what I am interested inpsychological journeys and how we navigate space. The umbrella project took a cross section through our city environment and re-imaged it. The project invited people to be tourists in their own town, taking a closer look at the environments we inhabit and being part of a collective experience and a temporary community. The kissing gate was about human relationships, connectivity with each other and about ownership of land and finding personal space within the surroundings we inhabit; it is the tradition of a kissing gate to kiss one person to let them through to the other side. >>

This page & next page detail. ‘Kissing Gate’. More on ‘The Kissing Gate’ here... http://tinyurl.com/2s86ry

What intrigued you in respect to ‘HOME’ and The Ballymun Pigeon Club? Is change as good as a rest? I wanted to connect people through a creative process. I wanted to give residents a voice to express their personal feelings and aspirations about the regeneration of the spaces they inhabit. It was also hoped that through this process the pigeon club would get recognition and a new club within the new development. I think it’s circumstantial whether 'change is as good as a rest'.

A general question: do you think people generally like being insular orchoose to be insular at certain times, detached from the world possibly anti- social, then in short bursts become very social, what are you're thoughts on that? I think it depends on the person. You think there's a need for boundaries within society, a place for everything, and everything in its place? I think there is a need for personal boundaries and personal space.

Can you explain the ‘Affinity’ idea, what do the Boxing gloves represent? This piece is about human relationships. Can you talk about ‘Nothing happens’, would you agree it seems like an attempt to hide or a facility of escape from the world? Tree houses are familiar structures made to escape from the world. I hoped by building this piece people would mentally clamber up into this tree house that was lodged into the higher ceiling space of Gallery for One in temple bar, where impossibly 'nothing happens'.

This page (top row to bottom row) ‘not alone superbia 2 imaginary pet 2005’, ‘kissing gate changing landscapes; the concourse 2006’ (3 images) & ‘Passport Skies’ (2 images).

New work? What are you doing at the moment? I have some interesting shows and commissions coming up in 2007. I am working towards a piece for LOCWS international 3 in Swansea, Wales, where I am going to learn how to fly a small plane over Swansea, document this and show this film in a church. I have also been commissioned to be an artist as part of the design team for the redevelopment of the old Mountjoy prison site. Other group shows include the House project, Dublin and Ways of light at the Stone Gallery, Dublin and I'm working on a Dublin city council percent for art commission.

This page. ‘Home’ project. More on ‘HOME’ here... http://tinyurl.com/3ytydp

This page. ‘Here Now’ shoes and detail.

This page & next. ‘Umbrella Project’ various stills.

Ros Shiers. -------------------------------

http://www.ros-shiers.com -------------------------------

There's a favourite film of ours called ‘Picnic at hanging rock’. On Saturday 14th February 1900 a party of schoolgirls from Appleyard College picniced at Hanging Rock, near Mt. Macedon in the State of Victoria, Australia. During the afternoon several members of the party disappeared without a trace… The film itself was beautifully shot and evokes a magical and often alluring depiction of the girls and the female form akin to a dream sequence that borders on the utopian, the idyllic. But it turns dark. Ros Shiers is already there waiting. Her females, her ladies, women, angels, sex symbols and sirens draw you to the rocks by the shore with endless promises of treasure and enlightenment. Any man with warm blood in his veins is rendered numb in the face of such beauty and beautiful detail. Very classic intricate drawings evocative of arrangements within the enormous dance routines from old Hollywood and Cecil B. Demille but with reference to our culture, right now. It's a peep show but gentle and feminine, languid and loved. They slide into vision side by side and dreamy pretending to be naïve and meaning no harm, but it’s too late... You’re already dead in heaven. Previous page. ‘Stripey’. This page. ‘Flower Eyes’. Next page. ‘Wonderland’.

When did you start drawing, how’d you get into it? I started drawing when I was at school, I had a fantastic art teacher called Mr. Howard, after school I did a foundation course and I think thats when I really worked out that I wanted to be an illustrator. What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever drawn on? My plaster cast when I broke my wrist at school maybe. I have designed a tattoo for someone so I guess thats kind of like drawing on someone. How would you describe your style? Always a tricky question for me, one I'm not great at answering... I'd like to think my style was intricately detailed, mesmerisingly seductive drawings of beautiful femme fatales in various stages of undress with a darkly appealing fantastical edge.

This page. ‘Rabbit Skeleton’. Next page (left to right). ‘Moustache Ladies’ & ‘Ram Head’.

Do you think people (both the people commissioned work and the general public) these days are more receptive to work that is handmade than, say, 2/3 years ago? I think they are but hell I thought A-ha were good... Yes... I think people are enjoying more organic/ handmade work now, work that hasn't solely been generated in the computer. I suppose anyone can learn how to use a computer program to make pictures if you know how to use the tools well enough. I think you need a good eye and some natural talent to be able to draw things yourself and produce interesting/appealing work. The happy accidents that you get on handmade work are special, but hard to stage in the computer without looking like you have tried to create them and they haven't just happened accidentally. I think people like things that are one off that couldn't be created exactly the same again. Ever get tempted, Garden of Eden stylee, to turn to the darkside and start using computers? I hear they’ve got all kinds of wizardry on those... I don't think I would ever want to completely make my work in the computer, I think it would lose the quality I like about it but I would definately love to be more competant using other programs. I only really use photoshop so I think it could be quite fascinating to learn about other programs... who know's how they could benefit my work. >>

A long lost aunt has died and left a small fortune to me, turns out to be approximately 20,000 euro. Rather than spending it like any normal person on a Cinquecento and marble statues of Pegasus for my garden I’ve decided to invest it in work by creatives you respect. Who would you advise me to buy so that I can make a tidy return in the future but in the meantime won’t grate on my tiny eyes? I'd have to buy a piece of Banksy work, he's fantastic! Then I'd suggest you look into illustrators you like. If it were me I'd buy work from Julie Verhoeven, David Downton, Neal Murren, Jo Ratcliffe oh and you'd definately need a Ros Shiers piece in your collection...(hee hee!) What’s been your favourite commission so far? A private collector commissioned me to do a one off piece for his home with an alice in wonderland feel. I was given free rain to just go and create a picture where I let my imagination run wild and got lost in my little world of illustration. That was fun as you don't often get free reign to do whatever you like. And I also really enjoyed working on a book cover I designed for Catherine Townsend's first book entitled Sleeping Around which is out this summer.

Your ideal client is one who is... Clear about what they want from the start, really understands/loves my work and has lots of money to spend... only joking! What’s the ultimate job you have yet to do? Designing prints for/collaborating with a great fashion designer, getting a range of wallpaper designs into production, doing the Selfridges windows, having a sellout exhibition...so many dreams. They’re bringing a new format ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ to ITV3 where leading creatives are invited to partner with another to do something really special and the audience votes who’s best? Who do you hope is on your team and who do you hope you’re not up against? Viktor & Rolf would be great to have on my team, they are so uniquely creative and inventive and would be incredibly inspiring to work with. I would hope not to be up against my twin sister who is an amazingly talented fashion designer, I'd want her on my team too... would that be allowed? >>

Previous page. ‘Sexheart. This page. ‘Ladies’. Next page (left to right). ‘Horseskeleton’, ‘Tattoo Kiss’ & ‘Dolly’.

This page (left to right). ‘Wallpaper 1’ & ‘Tattoo Girl’. Next page. ‘Pirate Beach’.

This page (left to right). ‘Leopard Lady’ & ‘Tiger’.

Some of your work is very sensual and semi-erotic, ever get tempted to re-illustrate the ‘A-Z of Sex’ or ‘Karma Sutra’ or even the cover art for ‘Debbie does Dallas’? Yes... all three projects would be great fun to do. The music that has you rocking and relaxing these days? What music couldn’t you live without in your life? Music is so great and so important when your working. Radio normally gets me through the day then in the evening I could not live without Fleetwood Mac, Roxy Music, Razorlight, Dolly Parton, Oasis, David Bowie, Paul Weller, The Killers, Abba, The Kings of Leon, The Cure, Damien Rice, Ben Harper, Bee Gees, Joni Mitchell, Muse and of course Queen. What does 2007 have in store for Ros Shiers? 2007 got off to a great start with a big advertising job for Ford to be seen on the South Kensington underpass and various fashion supplements over the two weeks around fashion week. I'm off to New York at the end of February for a week of meetings with prospective clients which I'm very excited about and I have just been offered an exhibition in the Brighton Fringe Festival in May by the beautiful boutique hotel Neo... so lots to get on with at the moment. A busy year ahead I hope.

This page (left to right). ‘Caged Lady’, ‘Puppet Love’. Last page. ‘Skull’.

Sally Timmons is an artist who has undertaken â&#x20AC;&#x153;unproductive activitiesâ&#x20AC;? such as joke telling, recalling embarrassing memories, learning useless phrases in alien languages and random information gathering. These act as an absurd means to bring together and observe some of the indicative symptomatic traits and personalities of contemporary societies. Timmons' work uses found objects and situations, photography and moving image mostly recognizable through the use of humour and a consideration of the historical contrivances we encounter in our everyday lives. >>

In her work she tries to explore the legacy of history left by us; how we get through our lives, the imprint we leave as we go by step by step, how we act and then the consequences of these actions on ourselves, others and on the world around us. Of course it's all done with a large amount of tongue in cheek but nowadays even comedy is a serious business. >>

Where did it all start, who influenced you the most? My interest in art beyond what was taught to me in school started when I went to see Rosc in 1988 with my friend Orla Murphy and one of my sisters, Mary. It was my leaving cert year so I would have been 17. At the time, Rosc was housed in the Guinness Hops Store just off James Street. We got the bus into town from Rathfarnham and got mugged at the back of the Marrowbone Lane flats on the way. Our mugger was a kid with a wooden handled corkscrew that he whipped out of his trousers and ran at us with - in all the confusion he somehow managed to get my sisters handbag along with the help of another young fella that came from behind. After doing all the explaining to the police and looking for my sister's bag in bins around the area we went to see the Rosc exhibition which we got into for free because we told your man at the door that we had been mugged around the corner. One of the works on view that year was Tim Rollins and K.O.S. [Kids of Survival]. I had never seen this work before and spent a long time contemplating the large-scale paintings. One was a depiction of Charles Haughey as half-human, half-thoroughbred dog painted over torn out pages of James Joyce's Ulysses. Tim Rollins originally started up K.O.S. in the Bronx in New York in the early eighties. He began to work collaboratively with 'at risk' young people and set up a base in the Bronx where young people had an outlet to undertake creative endeavour in a safe and supportive environment. All of the works that they produced at that time considered the social and political context of these young people's situations through harnessing literature, music and painting as points of expression. The everyday experience of running into 'our' local mugger outside the exhibition and seeing the work of K.O.S. who harnessed art as a means to confront social and economic concerns was an important realisation for me at that time. I recently attended a talk by Rollins in Dublin's City Arts Centre [2002 I think?] and would consider his demeanour now to be evangelical, but in the late eighties and particularly in Ireland, his actions allowed for a consideration of new concepts in terms of art as social and political activism.

When you think about your own work, what are you trying to achieve? The foundation of my work is based on story telling whether it takes the form of jokes, lies, memories, gathering objects or visual narratives. Are you intrigued by the way people are, or are becoming, or have always been, are you conscious of patterns they follow? My work attempts to arrest our everyday activities and somehow find a means to present this stuff back in order to question normative behaviour. For example, one of my videos titled ‘Message’ is a recording of myself talking to myself in case I ever loose my memory in the future. The video is a nod and a wink to the film ‘Total Recall’ directed by Paul Verhoeven but in my version the footage is intentionally damaged so that during playback of the supposed confessional recording, all of the crucial information is erased. Message was made as a means to question human legacy - who it is that writes our histories [Stories], who informs us of our position in the world historically and what information is left out based of ideological priorities at any given time - whether intentional or not? In your opinion, are people prone to interact less now in a world that seems predominantly fearsome and more insular? Have you ever addressed this as an issue in your work? Yes, I'd agree with that as a statement. I've been commuting up and down to Clare on the Dublin/Galway train for the past two years and I haven't had a conversation with anyone except for one day in the lead up to xmas 2005 when I got onto the train in Athenry to travel to Dublin. The train was packed and everyone was in good spirits with the xmas week ahead. This guy proceeded to hand around picnic cups and little bowls at each booth in the carriage and gave out lemonade and biscuits for everyone. Everyone in the carriage began to chat and have a laugh - one woman told me that she thought my curly hair was lovely - I was thrilled, it made my day! I still have no idea why your man gave out party supplies on that particular day but i was very grateful to him for his kind gesture and It's a pity that it's not what train travel is like all year round? [maybe Irish Rail could learn a thing or two from him?] I have recently addressed the notion of altruism and gift giving in art practices in a written body of research for my MA that I just completed recently. In his book 'The Gift' written in 1950 - Marcel Mauss, through anthropology, tries to show that in all societies, gifts, mostly assumed to be given voluntarily are actually obligatory - its worth thinking about in terms of social structures and interaction through ritual such as organised religion, culture and charity.

In ‘IDIOM’ what are you striving to understand in that idea? Idiom is the title of a video work that I made in a province of Finland called Ostrobothnia - a bi-lingual region on the west coast where Swedish is the predominantly spoken language. In the video, I attempt to learn both Swedish and Finnish using audiocassette educational tapes. The term Idiom meaning - the way of using language that comes naturally to its native speakers is suggestive of the work's possible meaning in itself. The work was initially intended as a visual sketch or drawing in order to comprehend how our identities are reliant predominantly on our mode of communication. However, the video has grown beyond simply a humourous form of comment to having the potential to be developed further and to consider more global issues around communication and propaganda. I'm looking forward to recording more footage in the summer and working on a larger piece based on the same subject matter. In your project ‘Rethinking Permanence’ you say anyone can use land! Does this include private land? Or is it an imaginary ideal? It is a plot of land on the North Side of Killiney hill [near the bottle bank and car park] that the superintendent of Parks has allocated for use by any person. There is a cairn located on the site that marks the plot and provides information about the rules for the use of LAND. But, yes, of course the expansion of the Danish group N55's LAND project in Ireland is an ideal and will remain imaginary until someone uses it. I'm going to put a picnic table there in the summer and organise some events but that's just because I feel I should use it seeing as how I went to the trouble of negotiating the whole thing with the parks superintendent. Killiney Hill is steeped in histories connected to the notion of territory and land ownership. The reason why I was interested in developing N55's project in Ireland is because I wanted to attempt to make a comparison between the land histories of Denmark and it's surrounding northern states with an island state such as Ireland whose identity is based on subjugation and territorial struggle. In the case of the project Re-Thinking Permanence it is a fact and an ideal that any person can use LAND, with the meaning of using land being different to claiming or owning land - http://www.n55.dk >>

Are you addressing the idea again of people and their relationships of where they are in making them who they are? Yes. It was interesting to initiate a working relationship with Ion form N55 as we both had different interpretations of the value and significance of an expansion of LAND in Ireland. I drove him and his son to County Clare during his stay in Ireland and we spent hours discussing the significance of dry stone walls and what is implied by these iconic markers of boundaries and land division. It became really clear how we had a different political approach to the significance of an an expansion of LAND - mine from a point of view of questioning ideals and values from a contemporary Irish point of view and his from the point of view of accepted international standards of human rights. What was the initial concept behind ‘Making Do’? There is a reference "because the term Making Do developed as speculation on the strategies and tactics of warfare" what were your ideas behind this in 2004? That quote is not mine, it may have been taken from the diary developed by the curator of the show - Glenn Loughran, in which he documented the lead-in and implementation of the Making Do exhibition on Lincoln Place in Dublin [beside the dentist school in trinity college and directly opposite the new millennium wing of The National Gallery of Ireland] The remaining part of the sign above the shop where the show was held now says; 'Aking O'. The initial concept for 'Making Do' was initially put forward by Glenn and was based on the writings of the French philosopher Michel De Certeau who wrote the book titled: A Critique of Everyday Life. One of the chapters in the book is titled: Making Do and has been referenced on numerous occasions by cultural practitioners in the typical way in which we understand the phrase 'making do' as in; dealing with circumstances as they come along - as opposed to designing a grand plan that figures in the future and historical context of any given situation. The reference made by Glenn about strategies of warfare is based on an example put forward by Certeau of 'getting by' without considering the larger implications or context of a given situation. The idea of Making Do was very apt in many ways as a starting point for an exhibition of visual artists that existed for nine days in the shadow of the very much prescribed cultural space that is the new extension or millennium wing of The National Gallery.

Wallworks was the title of the project I developed for Making Do. It is a work that I am still very fond and proud of, based on the way in which the project engaged with and managed to build an audience through the interactions I had undertaken prior to the actual event. I spent a couple of months before the exhibition selecting and gathering artworks from the homes of friends, associates and family. I was interested in investigating what people actually surround themselves with culturally in their home environment? What do we 'make do with' when there is only a minority of individuals in Ireland who actually own artworks in 'market value' terms. For Wallworks the objects I had gathered were installed in a 'salon style' [groupings of works based on categories or themes assigned to the works] and I harnessed the assistance of another artist - Eileen Healy, who kindly played the role of 'tour guide' and provided anecdotal guided tours describing the stories behind each piece that I had gathered when I had visited the owners homes. The result was a large gathering of people who came along on the day and engaged in questioning -through humour - the many structures that we adhere to in terms of knowledge and appreciation. Most of the visitors to the show were the people who's works I had borrowed and who were curious and proud that someone had noticed and placed some kind of value on their taste and interests. A general question: do you think boundaries and belief in borders and constraints make people always fight / you think people need argument? Do I think that boundaries and belief in borders and constraints make people always fight? This is a chicken or egg question and I am not sure how I should approach it? It may be possible to provide one quick answer but I would need a context before responding to such a general question. I would have to ask further questions in order to clarify what you're asking me? Are you talking about Borders in a philosophical and psychological way or are you talking about real existing boundaries such as walls in New Mexico, the Gaza strip or The West of Ireland? Are you talking about human prejudice and pre-conceptions as another way of metaphorically understanding these terms? The second part to that question was - Do you think people need argument? I think that humans need to argue in order to see the world from a point of view beyond themselves and if it takes a fence or wall for people to position themselves around? Then, so be it. If you assume that I equate argument with conflict then you are mistaken - am I getting argumentative?

What new work and ideas are you contemplating? I have projects and commissions lined up over the next twelve months such as; a temporary radio station in Kildare, a kind of visual artist's Feis or showcase in Galway and a touring show about 'death', which will commence in Dundalk next Autumn. It's all tied in with my interests in storytelling. I'm looking forward to moving into the new studio space [CommonPlace] in order to work on and develop personal ideas with no particular deadline in mind. I will also be returning to Finland in June to undertake a residency at Platform and complete a photographic bookwork that has been in gestation for three years. http://www.platform.fi What is ‘Commonplace’ about as new work? CommonPlace is a space in Dublin's city centre, on Burgh Quay, that I am currently negotiating. There will be four artist's studios and a small project space that I will curate. The space will be a meeting place and gallery and I intend to start commissioning small works in editions, in the near future. I recently received seeder funding from Dublin City Council for CommonPlace, which is a welcome acknowledgement of my artistic efforts to date. I will be working on the CommonPlace WebPages in the coming weeks and can be contacted through an email address for the moment. commonplaceamateur@gmail.com

Sally Timmons is a founding member of Via, the artist - led initiative which has been active in Dublin since 2001. She is also co-curator of The Moore Street Lending Library. She is currently overseeing a series of events titled ‘Temporary Foray’, ‘Temporary State’ and ‘Temporary Station’ in association with Kildare County Council Arts Services while also developing a number of curatorial endeavours and exhibitions in Dublin, Dundalk and Galway in 2007. ‘Commonplace’ is the name of Timmons' most recent venture, which includes four artist's studios and a project/exhibition space in Dublin's city. ----------------------

http://www.via.ie ----------------------

Seriph.

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http://www.seriph.com --------------------------------

When does the nightime end and we can begin to see a little daytime? Long black lines weave in and out of the sidestreets as if to cover the walls in a garish embrace, clinging to something, anything. Where are we? Actually where are we? Is it a glimpse ahead? Gracefully Seriph drifts over to give us direction and guidance but she beckons from a shadow, we cannot make her out. She says the city is about to close for good and if it’s important to us we best move on.

Multiple characters or multiple personalities, it’s becoming a familiar story to us, we lose love and we win it back. Even a simple object like the motor car is transformed into a futuristic adventure, dark and hidden, a moving mystery. None more mysterious than Seriph herself casting bronze from the computer screen, carving by hand. Her work is fluid and skillful but black and scary and just when you thought you had gotten your head around it the tells us “It takes up to four hours to hard boil an ostrich egg”.

Previous page. ‘Torn Smoker Art’. This page. ‘Thru The Looking Glass’. Next page. ‘Evil Onion’.

How long have you been doing your work, how'd you get into it? oh... about 8 years. I've been drawing since i was a one year old and it all spawned from there... What would you say are the 3 most important things to keep in mind when setting about creating something? first and foremost is intent (knowing what and you want to say and perhaps why), being true to your own style (using your own voice) and knowing who you're talking to (if anyone, even if it's just to yourself) Who and what inspires you? that is a hard question because to me inspiration comes from so many places, amazing films, ethereal photography, even just people out in the world, sitting in a park, dogs being themselves, a clear sky… and of course, my boyfriend Paul http://www.bubblebathgirl.com … hope that wasn't too vague For a one person studio you have an incredibly prolific output, what's your secret to getting so much done? much of the personal work was done as breaks between to client work. i think i need those breaks...part of some ADD i have or something, but I think what you see there are also highlights of years worth of work.

You seem to be equally proud of, and relish the challenges of, your personal and corporate work. Does your approach change when you're working for a commercial client? the approach fundamentally is the same - it’s about communicating something... the difference is in execution-creation within the context of the intended audience so they will understand the message and have the desired experience What do you look for in a prospective job before you take it on? I think it's mostly about gaining more knowledgeI ask myself, what can I learn from this? Working for yourself do you sometimes find it hard to motivate yourself, what tricks do you use to get yourself moving on a slow day? it is a little hard to get out of bed in the morning, especially since I'm not exactly a morning person : however I think what ultimately gets me up is either being onsite or having a little rewards system for myself…. Finish this by this time and I can go have a drink with friends… etc. Equally, do you sometimes find it hard to finish a piece, labouring for hours on additional details and nuances which the viewer may skip over? I think in the end I just have to prioritize, otherwise it would be a never ending process… plus when the client has deadlines, that pretty much helps the stoppage >>

Previous page. ‘Moth’. This page. Seriph for Acura.

The ultimate commission or job you have yet to do... being able to create/use my nutty illustrations in some huge multimedium national campaign. I think being able to see that on billboards, tvs and online would be amazing Obviously with the breadth of the work you've done you could take more freetime while taking on commercial work. Why do you think self-initiated projects are so important to do, what do you get out of them over commercial work? they are important because they remind you of your own voice, keeping that individual sense well developed leads to true innovation... in both personal and commercial work Is collaboration something that you do a lot of? If yes, what's been your favourite collaboration so far? If no, why not? not so far...haven't had a lot of time unfortunately... the few I've done have been with mat mejia of droppod... i think we have good creative back and forth energy... You've been offered to collaborate with anyone, either living or dead. Who'd you like to hook up with, you can pick a few if you like... Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Conan O'Brien, John Williams, Beethoven, Tim Burton, Trent Reznor, James Brown and sooo many others that I cant think of at the moment! What's on the SeriphSoundsystem at the moment? tool, perfect circle, incubus, dr. dre. What does the future hopefully hold for Seriph? one day a fancy show in a fancy gallery in new york attended by people wearing a lot of black!!!… tho honestly I am damn lucky to have been able to work doing something I enjoy and I would be more than happy to continue that…

This page. ‘Roots’.

Stitches.

It makes us very sad to hear about lost items in the post. Or those people who get their wallets stolen on the train or bus, worse again sometimes we leave our things behind in dressing rooms and down the backs of expensive taxi's, sometimes we even forget ourselves, its only human and natural but nevertheless loss is a terrible shame. We should consider ourselves lucky and all this moanin' and groanin' about our sad situation pales into comparison when we are notified about an ongoing initiative that was set up by the caring and kind Anne Brassier from Airside. Basically for some years now she has singlehandedly been caring and nuturing an overlooked minority. Stitches are a very rare creature indeed, warm and loving, always looking on the bright side but carrying with them baggage, bad times in their past have left their mark. Some are fragile but most get on with their lives regardless of what has gone before. They put it down to experience and hope that you do the same. When all is said and done they only look to find what we wish to find; happiness and the possibility of getting our lost mobile back. Contact Anne at Airside now and think strongly about giving a Stitch a home. Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you like a warm and comfy place to stay? You know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right thing to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------

http://brassier.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------------------------------

This is NOT how Stitches are created.

This IS how the Stitches arrive, behind Anne's toolshed. Scared and frightened.

Very scared and frightened.

Graham.

Anne takes them to Airside for rehabilitation, after which new homes can be found for them. This is Alfalfa identifying with the Shouty characters by Airside for Lemon Jelly.

Once a new home has been identified, with suitable adoptive parents, the Stitches are sent on their way from Airside. This can be very difficult for all parties as attachments have formed during their time at Airside.

But no need to worry, the new parents are normal, just like you and me.

And then it's happy times. Here's Angelo at his birthday party in Tokyo where he now lives. As you can see, this was taken on a sunny day.

Sometimes though, the parties aren't quite so relaxed.

Stitch Armstrong at the zoo.

Olaf in Osaka.

Animals mostly worry Stitches.

As do babies.

And sometimes no matter how hard we try to make sure they are sorted before being adopted out, Stitches can go astray.

One big happy family.

Tara McPherson.

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http://www.taramcpherson.com ------------------------------------

Have you ever read an interview with a tattooed astrophysicist bass playing metalhead who draws comics and makes the coolest rock posters all whilst dancing the cabbage patch? No? Well I'd never conducted one... Until now that is! Stand back in awe and wonder.. It's Tara McPherson!

Previous page. ‘Spacemining’.

This page. ‘whydoidowhatido’.

Next page (left to right). ‘Follow Me’ & ‘Unicorn Girl’.

As a teenager I would roam my home town high on wax and artificial colouring agents (from eating the crayons I drew with) trying to interrupt arguing couples. I’ve always wondered should I have been a therapist or a TV chat show host. Is making art always been your ambition or have you another passion that you wrestle/have wrestled with? Do you wrestle? I like wrestling in the morning but I never watch it on TV. In an alternate universe I am definitely an Astrophysicist. When I started community college all the art classes were full so I took this Astronomy class and simply fell in love with it. It piques my curiosity so much I wanna scream and shout theories of relativity and superstring theories to everyone. But seriously, really, I really was the Vice President of the Astronomy Club on Campus for over a year, changed my major and was super duper into being an Astrophysicist. Then once day I had an epiphany... I didn’t think I’d be happy in the long run with that as a career... You know, working long hours into the night observing and analyzing data. So I decided to really focus my college courses into making art again. You know, it’s a scary decision to tell yourself, and your friends and family, ‘Hey! I wanna be an artist!’. Most of them just smirk and think you can’t do it successfully. But I knew... After taking more art classes, I knew that this is what I was put on this planet to do. Make art. So now I sit in my studio working long hours into the night observing and analyzing my own work. I had been doing some illustration jobs around town for a while before I received my big break. Fortunately the illustrator originally planned for the job had a nervous breakdown and was hiding under his car. I know, lucky me! Is there a job, event or person (apart from yourself) you hold responsible for putting you on the path you are now on? Well one day after eating this amazing chinese food, I got this fortune cookie that said ‘Your talents will be recognized and substantially rewarded’... So that’s when I totally knew I was going to be a successful artist. But really, I think with my career it was series of events all leading in the right direction, not just one particular thing, that helped me get where I am today. Honestly within the art world I feel genuine success has to do with talent, hard work, and a little luck.

Does your day have a ritual? A routine, a mind-numbing repetitious day-dream filled stab in the heart kinda thing! Or, is it an ever changing, inspirationally challenging and creatively rewarding ‘slap me I can’t believe im so happy!’ kinda thing? No ritual in this studio that’s for sure! Sometimes I dream of having a normal schedule! Coffee at 8.45, board meeting at 10, lunch at 1, home at 5... Just kidding! Well except for the going home at 5 part. That would be kinda sweet... But there is no way I could ever survive in the normal world of regular people with routines. It’s just not me. There are constantly new and exciting things that happen everyday that keep me inspired. And my schedule varies so much that I’m always entertained with what I’m doing. Or if I get bored with one thing I can switch to another. It’s great and works with my personality perfectly, I am an Aries after all. Original concert posters is a phenomenon we don’t have here in Ireland. Up until recently they were number 5 on the church’s list of banned art, number 1 being portraits of Sinead O’Connor and number 2 the depiction of animal autoeroticism! Can you shed some light on this art poster world, how it works, screen printed or digital, is it band or venue commissioned etc? That’s amazing! Really? Posters are and have been so popular here in the States. Well the way I do posters is through a few different avenues. But number one- I get the band’s or the bands management’s approval before doing the poster. Sometimes I work through the venue, or the promotion company, or the tour manager, or directly with a band member. All of the above, but I always make sure the venue gets posters, the bands get at least 30 to 50 posters to keep and sell, and then I keep the rest to sell on my site or at events. I have a publisher, Diesel Fuel Prints, who take care of all the printing and shipping for me. They are fantastic to work with and are very good friends as well. Do you listen to music while you work? Do you hum along, tap your toe? When you are concentrating do you stick your tongue out? I definitely listen to music when I work, and I have been know to tap a toe or two. Sometimes I whistle, while I work. I’ve noticed that I hold my breath when I paint delicate parts. I’d probably be good at snorkeling. >>

Previous page. ‘Witching 9’.

This page (left to right). ‘High On Fire’ & ‘Lonely Heart’ book cover.

Next page (left to right). ‘Isis’, ‘Blues Explosion’ & Beck poster.

This page (left to right). ‘Diaspora’ various.

Next page (left to right). ‘Hug’, ‘Dullsound’ & Duran Duran poster.

There is a recurring motif of cute Goth girls in your work. Was this a deliberate attempt to get work for Vertigo Comics, or is it, as it seems, just a perfect marriage between artist and client? They’re more like cute strange women from another world. I was never goth, so I just don’t think of them that way. I never set out specifically to work for Vertigo, I mean I loved comics, especially Vertigo, but it wasn’t a conscious intention of mine. So one day when I got an email from one of the editors it was kind of like a jump around the house giggling with joy type of moment. I’ve painted a lot of witches for them, so apparently I fit good for that! But yes it perfectly makes sense, and I absolutely love working with them. My editor Shelly Bond is simply great to work with, and now since I have begun painting the sequential interior art she has pushed my art to a new level. I think it was destiny. Tell us about some of your favourite work and if you could do anything what would be your favourite project? My favorite works are always my newest ones. But I have soft spots for many many of my pieces. They are like little children, how do you pick favorites? I shape them, give birth to them and then set them free into the world. As far as a dream project... Hmmm... I’d like to have a show at The Gagosian or The Whitney someday. That’s the 10 year plan I’m trying to focus on. In the end I just want to paint... Sometimes I can struggle being an illustrator with my passion for collecting miniature porcelain dolls. EBay is both a blessing and a curse. How do you divide your time between your many projects? Do you Struggle To Juggle™? I just try to correctly estimate how long it will take me to finish a project. And I work long hours. And I work on multiple things at once. But the secret we all know is... all work and no play... So I find time to unwind. I have to play bass, just like I have to paint. I have always played in bands and the one I’m in now I’m really happy with. We actually have a show tomorrow night and I was just taking a break from working to practice before doing this interview. I close the curtains in my studio so no one on the street can see me jumping around in here! Bottom line- You make time for what is important to you. And there are things that you can do that will inspire you so when you do go back to the project you were working on, you come at it with artistic fury. But the main thing for me is that they are all fun projects to work on and the more skilled you get at time management the more you accomplish, and the more trust you have with clients... And yourself.

You are sailing down a stream when you come across a seriously injured dolphin. You approach this beautiful and intelligent creature to see if it’s still breathing and if there is any way to help. As you lean towards its face its whispers through the pain, “To save me you must never draw pictures again!” What would you choose as an alternative? Sorry, but that dolphins goin’ down! I could never not draw! ... But hypothetically speaking... If I had to choose an alternative, I’d tour the world in a metal band. Yeah! Maybe I’ll do that anyways... What is your favourite a. item of clothing, b. ice cream topping, c. ethnic musical instrument, d. dance move, e. method for staying awake all night? a- my slayer shirt b- smashed oreo cookies c- sitar d- the cabbage patch e- yummy coffee!

This page (left to right). ‘Witching 5’. Next page. ‘alienaceion’.

Tokiki.

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http://www.tokiki.com http://www.myspace.com/tokiki ------------------------------------

At first you might be convinced drifting through her fantastic world online that Tokiki would be at home in a small wooden hut by the seaside in Honolulu, or better again in a suburb amidst the bright neon love that is Tokyo city, Japan. You'd be way off, in fact you are not even close. It seems to us that anyone who names their beautiful designs in an individual way, whether they be elegant nightwear in endless shapes and fashions or over the shoulder bags recycled from old tee's, her perspex jewellery that beams with a smile, is doing something much more personal than just knocking out a clothes range, manufactured and multiplied. It’s the generous feminine touch that captivates us and takes us backward, bringing us to the time when clothes meant a great deal more than just function and wearability. These creations had a sense of class, style and understanding of their prospective patron that stood head and shoulders above anything else. But with all this class on show Tokiki has managed to keep close to contemporary look that has found her hard work hanging in the likes of Topshop’s Bazaar in Ireland and doing well. Not bad for a fair lady from our own city of Dublin.

All clothing featured designed by Tokiki. Illustrations by http://www.studiomime.com

How long has Tokiki existed? How did it originally happen, how long had it existed as a dream before becoming a reality? Tokiki has officially existed since 2002 but it was definitely forming as an idea for a few years before that. I had a vague idea that I wanted to be making things, and a vague idea that it should be possible, simple even, to just go ahead and do that, and sell them, and make a living. But when you looked around in Dublin, you didn’t really see that happening or see other people doing that so it stayed a vague idea for a long time. I had to see it in action before I was able to say “There! That! That’s what I want to do!” As soon as that happened and I formed a clear idea in my head of what I wanted it to be I started to make it happen. My background was in design and photography and I was dabbling in both, but I just quit what I was doing and did a full time pattern-making course and then set up my business straight away. Was your setting up business a reaction to anything you saw around you, a challenge you saw before you or something else? I think it was all of the above. I lived in Melbourne for a year in 2000/2001and it’s such an amazing city, bursting with creativity, with no constraints on what you can and can’t do, no preconceived notions of the way things should or shouldn’t work. It’s got an amazing retail and social scene, full of little specialist shops and living room bars and completely open to anything and anyone new. There’s a lovely mix of the creative and the entrepreneurial in the sense that things don’t get talked about, they get done, but for the joy of doing it rather than the profit. Fancy opening a tiny gallery space in your garden shed? Sure, why not? Wanna start a club night on the roof of your apartment building? Cool, sounds great! Wanna open a little shop and sell your customised vintage dresses? Yeah, go for it! I never felt that sense of adventure in Dublin, particularly when it came to fashion or retail, but I think that’s slowly starting to change. From Melbourne I did the obligatory jaunt through Asia and that sealed the deal for me! In Bangkok and in Tokyo I saw so many little shops, so many small businesses, so many people doing their own thing, putting it out there, making it look exactly as simple as I had imagined it to be. I knew that that was exactly what I wanted to be doing too!

How would you define the style of your work? One word: girly! I’m a sucker for pretty details. My basic approach revolves around keeping a hand-made and limited edition quality to everything, so I’ll mix and match different jerseys with printed fabrics and trims to ensure limited quantities per combination or style. The focus is on comfortable, flattering shapes with girlish details and vintageinspired styling: puff sleeves, in-set collar details, lace inserts, appliqués, buttons, bows, hearts and ruffles! Who and what would inspire you? Anyone with a strong and fearless sense of their own style, be they a person walking past you in the street or a celebrity, Japanese street fashion for it’s utter madness and inventiveness, beautiful fabrics, crafts and quilting, people who make things, other designers, costumes, vintage clothing, movies… Many, many, many things! What are the key rules you live by when creating pieces for others? I don’t think I consciously create pieces for others, or with others in mind, and therefore I try not to stick to any rules. Mostly I make things for myself and just hope that other people will like them too, but since I launched my Topshop concession last October I have had to change this approach a little, I have to be a bit more aware of trends. You name all your dresses different names but does this seep into other parts of your life where inanimate objects in Casa Tokiki are now sporting new names of your creation... In a word, no, I have a hard enough time constantly coming up with new dress names! I do have a hot water bottle named David Norris though. The name thing came about purely for practical purposes to do with stock-taking and price tags and so on. Rather than say “Peach jersey tunic with shoulder yoke, draped pockets, elasticated waist with patent belt & perspex heart brooch” it’s much easier to say “Lana - Peach”. However, practicality aside, I have fully embraced the naming process now and it’s not unheard of for a new dress to sit on the dummy for days waiting to be christened! They seem to develop personalities and their names need to reflect that. It’s nice, I like the way it personalises both the dress and the experience of buying the dress . >>

The ultimate collaboration you have yet to do... I’ve never really collaborated with anyone and I’m possibly too much of a control freak to actually consider a collaboration! I do work closely with David Donohoe http://www.Studiomime.com on all things brand related and he produced some appliqué designs for the spring summer collection, which look great. It has us thinking about the possibility of collaborating on some print designs for fabric somewhere down the road… working with my own custom-designed prints would definitely be the ultimate! How would you describe the Irish fashion scene at the moment... I’m not hugely excited about it right now to be honest, but I do think that there are potentially exciting things starting to happen. We’re finally catching on to the whole “market” idea. In any other country that you can think of there’s a long tradition of weekend markets where young designers can cut their teeth and start selling, maybe it’s a weather thing but we in Ireland seem to have had an aversion to that concept for years! I think it’s great that that’s changing, both for the designers and the customers, because there really is no better way to get to know your customer than to see your clothes on them, talk to them, hear what they think. I think it’s great that there are more Irish fashion magazines, more photographers and stylists, but I think they could be a little more receptive to young Irish designers. I think it’s great that Dublin Fashion Week has become a regular event, even if it is passing somewhat unnoticed. The main hurdle that we need to overcome is that we’re still a small country with a small country mentality and we have a tendency to want our designers and our artists endorsed by something or someone we consider bigger or more knowledgeable than ourselves before we’ll take an interest, for fear of making a mistake. There’s definitely people out there embracing a more fearless and creative approach to fashion and abandoning that peculiar logic, but for every one of them there’s a dozen more becoming ever more conformist, more uniformed, more label-obsessed... people who think they’re looking for something “different” but when you give it to them they go, er, no actually I meant different in a way that’s a bit more the same as everyone else…

How would you describe your prospective customer, what do you hope they are like... Who would your dream client be and why? I don’t really see Tokiki becoming the type of label that has clients, for me this has always been about creating unique or limited-edition, hand made or hand finished, boutique-style pieces and offering them to the girl with the high-street budget. With that in mind, I hope my customer isn’t the conformist I just described, I hope she’s the fearless girl! I hope she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her new dress as long as she likes it. I hope she embraces a look and works it. I hope she has at least one pair of vintage shoes. I hope she wore her purple Kimmy with thick black tights and wedges. I hope she has a moderate to strong dislike for Paris Hilton. I hope she doesn’t own anything by Juicy Couture. I think she’d gladly sacrifice her little finger for a Marc Jacobs Stam bag. Do you think that your location is a help, a hindrance or of no real significance to you doing business... Why? It’s a hindrance! It’s a huge, massive hindrance!! On a purely practical level making clothes is all about the fabrics, and it’s nigh on impossible to get decent fabrics in Dublin. It’s a source of constant frustration for me and there’s so much time and traveling involved in sourcing just a simple, nice jersey or the elusive great print. It’s exhausting! What’s rocking the Tokiki soundsystem at the moment? I’m a Radio 1 fiend, so mostly it’s Pat Kenny, Joe Duffy, Derek Mooney… peppered with a little Archie Bronson Outfit, The Supremes & Sufjan Stevens. What can we expect from Tokiki for 2007... Dresses! With bows on! And the official launch of http://www.tokiki.com complete with online store.

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