The Flaneur Zine by J P

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

May 2012

SPONGEBOB IN ROME

Charlotte Hopkins Hall ARTIST INTERVIEW

@flaneurzine

Cristea Cornel ART BLOGGER INTERVIEW

Subscribe free at www.flaneur.me.uk

THE FLANEUR ZINE For the cultivated stroller of city streets

The Journalism Film: Read All About It!

Newspaper journalism seems to be having a mid-life crisis. Gone is the sure strut of its youth, encapsulated by the newspaper boy’s call of “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” as the crowds form around him to devour the latest gossip and global crises. Today we are faced with older, but not necessarily wiser, media outlets. Flashy websites and a desperate attempt to master Twitter are the newspaper’s equivalent of the middleaged man buying the obligatory Harley Davidson. Perhaps that is why all the best films about the business were made long before the advent of the web, when the profession had a more stable identity.

Kristine Schomaker

by Melissa Steel

Living a Second Life by Kristine Schomaker A few years ago, my aunt and uncle read an article in Spin Magazine about musicians who play concerts to people all over the world from the comfort of their homes. They are able to do this by creating avatars and logging into the virtual world of Second Life. It didn’t take long

for my aunt and uncle to join. Within a couple weeks they called me up. “You have got to check out Second Life. We have met so many artists and musicians. You will love this place.” That day I joined Second Life, created an avatar and started exploring this vast new world.

Continued on page 3

Join our Facebook fans...

Continued somewhere inside...

What is The Flaneur Zine? The Flaneur Zine is a free monthly sample of some of the great reviews, articles and pieces of art that can be found at The Flaneur. Check it out!

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 1

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Art blogger interview: Cristea Cornel No.

What have you discovered about the art world since you started

Do you think readers value blogs

blogging?

enough?

I do not surf other blogs.

No.

Are you an artist as well? How

Do you encourage interaction and

does blogging complement your

comments?

practice?

I would like to.

As part of our series of art blogger interviews The Flaneur is pleased to spend some time with Ortaku, a street artist from Romania .

Yes I am an artist and I only post on the blog what I do. Since I paint indoors and most of what I do ends up in the stash somewhere, the only place where someone can enjoy it is on the blog.

What is the address of your blog?

Which artists do you admire?

What are your aims for your blog?

http://un-otak.blogspot.com/

There are few artists I admire – mostly friends from the same niche . I am quite a narcissist.

Advertise my art.

Which country are you based in? Romania

How do you choose the topics for How long have you been blogging?

your posts?

On Blogger since June 2008

It is the same topic always.

How often do you post updates?

Do you write the blog entirely

It depends on my activity. Recently I yourself or do you have guest tried to post daily. Some months ago posters? weekly … It always varies. I only post Only myself. what I draw so … Do you post mainly images or

Do you have a niche or do you

text?

cover all of the arts? I have a niche – urban-art – stencil How did it all start? Why do you do it?! I started with graffiti 10 years ago and I always take a photo of what I do and I had to post it somewhere. I tried a lot of platforms before this blog – www.fotolog.com, deviantart Do you also use social media? Yes, Facebook

Images. I try to put also some text. How important do you think independent blogs are? Not too important. Do you run advertising? No.

What computer set up do you have for blogging? Do you blog on the move? Only from my computer.

What blogs do you read? I search for photos on fffound and similar sites.

FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the latest edition of the Flaneur zine. Fu ll of exciting articles and reviews from The Flaneur, this is a pla yground for art and culture from around the world. The Flaneur zin e is only a small selection of the hundreds of contributions from wr iters and artists that you can see at The Flaneur, so check it ou t and why not consider contribu ting yourself? Enjoy the zine and make sure you subscribe to get the next issue free!

Thank you very much for your time.

Do you make any money from the blog?

Do you blog about art or culture? If so and you would like to be featured in The Flaneur please contact interviews@flaneur.me.uk

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 2

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Continued from front page. Take

His Girl struggling in a recession? After all, The rise and fall of the newspaper Friday (1940), for instance. Sexual these are the same people who tycoon has entranced generations. tension holds this picture together, stare out at us hopelessly from Whether you believe the hype or which is a good thing because the poor preservation of the film means nothing else is, sadly. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell (pictured above) play divorcing reporters brought together for one last case. They spend most of the film exchanging tongue lashings and looking at each other like they would much rather be swapping saliva. If you can get past the muffled soundtrack and grainy footage, this is one of the best showcases of verbal wit you will ever encounter; when someone remarks on how charming Cary Grant’s Walter is, Rosalind Russell

every newspaper’s front page. Likewise, Meet John Doe (1941) sees Cooper get caught up in a newspaper-induced quasirevolution. Barbara Stanwyck’s desperate journalist creates a fictitious man threatening to commit suicide because of the ills of society. Cooper’s tall, dark and handsome ex-baseball player fits

Kane; when all the adoring groupies are gone, where does the self-made man turn in his twilight years? At least Murdoch has his spry wife to defend him, Kane was only left with crumbling towers of

memories. the bill to pose as this ‘John Doe’ to milk the ruse and keep paper sales It is striking many of these films up. What follows is a sort of 1940s have so much relevance to life version of ‘We are the 99%’ as today, but it is dismaying that so ‘John Doe’ begins to believe his hype and embrace his growing role as the

quips “He comes by it naturally, his nation’s moral saviour; ‘John Doe’ grandfather was a snake”. It is clubs rally and protest for better hard to imagine many actresses economic opportunities. Sound today pulling off the droll sexiness familiar? On a side note, there is of Russell in this film. Indeed, also one particularly Freudian cumbersome lip fillers probably spanking scene between Stanwyck mean they have clauses in their and Cooper that I will probably contracts against two-syllable or have to explain to a therapist one more words. day. Before becoming known for his It Happened One Night (1934) is grizzled cowboy roles, Gary Cooper also quite risque. Spoilt heiress, actually plied his trade playing hapless small towners exploited by Claudette Colbert, is hunted down by Clark Gable’s rakish reporter in the newspaper biz. Mr Deeds Goes a bid to get a scoop for his to Town (1936) sees the newspaper. Noted for its eponymous country bumpkin pioneering on-screen nudity inherit a fortune and become the (Gable doesn’t wear a vest target of award winning journalist underneath his shirt (gasp) and Louise Bennett. As she falls for Colbert flashes her gams in order him, she begins to regret to hitch a ride), It Happened One portraying him as an inept Night is actually a very sweet love eccentric in the press. If you can story, filled with sparkling dialogue suspend belief and embrace the to stop you reaching for the sickfact the film has a Pulitzer Prize bag. Plus, any film featuring an winner still rooming with one of extended metaphor for putting out her best mates, it makes gripping involving a trumpet and shouting viewing. Accused of madness due about the Walls of Jericho is worth to his extravagant philanthropy, it for that alone. Mr Deeds has interesting implications for our own times; is it Of course, I couldn’t finish without really so insane to help those mentioning Citizen Kane (1941).

not, this is another film that resonates with our own time. Rupert Murdoch’s recent fall from grace echoes the lonely demise of

few nowadays can boast the same. In an age of new technology where celebrity rules, it is hard to tell a news story apart from a reality show. Perhaps that is why more recent, well-crafted films concerning journalism also focus on the past. The Lives of Others (2006) managed to be an original exploration of writing under Stasi oppression and the all-consuming desire for celebrity. A far cry from the current parade of Carrie Bradshaw knock-off films that are more about an all-consuming desire for shoes than anything else. The Devil Wears Prada, anyone? Nevertheless, maybe all hope is not lost. The interesting times our media faces could kickstart a revival of the newspaper film- though I doubt the euphemism ‘the Walls of Jericho’ will ever catch on. You can watch His Girl Friday free (and legally) online here: http:// archive.org/details/ HisGirlFriday-1940 And Meet John Doe here: http:// archive.org/details/meet_john_doe

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 3

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Prague Flea Market, Kolbenova, Jan 2012 Prague Flea Market, Kolbenova, Jan 2012 by EMILYH

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 4

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Wild Mushrooms: An autumn fungi foray by Rebecca Davies I set off on a bright sunny afternoon and walked through the church yard towards the nearby woods. Amongst the graves I came across a beautiful tree covered in red fruit, like jewels in the sun.

Further on I walked past a pond, small waves blowing in the wind towards the shore. Through a gate

the woods. I had high hopes I might even find a Porcini, known as Cep in France or Penny bun in

I spotted something growing at the base of a tree.

Britain – one of the most highly prized mushrooms. There were lots of little fungi and poking in the undergrowth with a stick I saw the

‘It’s a puff ball!’ Lycoperdon perlatum, the common

top of another.

‘Crab apples!’ I shouted excitedly and started to pick the fruit off the tree. I took a bite into one of the

puff ball. I cut into it with my penknife and revealed the creamy white flesh which was fresh and

‘Could that be an ink cap?’

tiny globes. It was nothing like I expected, actually juicy and sweet. A bonus find, I started collecting

clean. It has a marshmallow texture and is edible when young, delicious sliced and fried in butter.

not actually eaten these as they are extremely toxic if eaten within 48 hours of consuming alcohol.

the apples from a branch broken under the weight. It would make some delicious wine.

Some of them were past their best, I stepped on one and big puff came out. I picked a few of the best specimens and put them in my

The shaggy ink cap on the other hand is very good to eat. Into my basket it went for identification later. The older ones certainly had

basket.

some black substance like ink on their gills, hence the name. Deeper into the woods there was a tree

I continued on my mushroom hunt through the graveyard and came across a group of mushrooms, wavy at the edges with a tan coloured cap and lilac gills. I picked one and examined it. Lepista nuda or Wood blewit. Over

Up the hill-track and there in a five-foot diameter semi-circle were at least thirty mushrooms! ‘How exciting! Look at them all they’re amazing!’

the style into the field where the farmer seemed to be growing a big I didn’t immediately know what crop of rapeseed, swinging my they were. The mushrooms were wicker basket in anticipation of the brownish grey, quite large, with a other mushrooms I’d find. 11cm diameter dry, smooth cap I breathed in the smell of the autumn freshness, the damp smell of the trees, kicking up the red and orange leaves underfoot as I went. I love this time of year with the beautiful colours everywhere. I followed a stream and suddenly spotted, nestled on the bank, some familiar shaped leaves. ‘I’m sure that’s wild watercress.’ I bent down to pick the dark green leaves. I tasted them – they definitely had that peppery taste. Another ingredient to add to my salad later.

and a 12cm length stem. However as I was unable to identify them I put them in a separate bag. This is vital when you don’t know if a mushroom is poisonous, because if poisonous spores fall on edible mushrooms they can make these poisonous also. They had a perfumey turnip smell. Later I identified them as Clouded Agaric (Clitocybe nebularis). They had creamish colour gills, which were crowded and slightly decurrent.

Was it a common ink cap? I have

that had fallen across the path and a huge clump of glistening yellow mushrooms. Definitely Sulphur tuft. They looked beautiful but unfortunately were poisonous. Just a little further were some more mushrooms growing on dead wood. Grouped together similar to the Sulphur tuft, could they be Honey fungus (Armillaria mellea)? The stems however were wider and than the Honey fungus. I later identified them as Bulbous honey fungus (Armillaria bulbosa), similar to the Honey fungus but with a more swollen base on the stem. Delicious just the same. This mushroom had a brown cap, very convex at first becoming flatter. The young ones had a darker area

in the middle with hair-like scales. Dirty white gills becoming flesh However I was disappointed to find coloured with age. Note that Honey out they weren’t edible and could fungus is extremely destructive cause digestive upset. and kills trees and shrubs so keep it away from your garden. I continued along the path, the dappled sunshine following me into However the Armillaria bulbosa is

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 5

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

not parasitic and simply rots dead wood.

yellow as this would indicate the Yellow staining mushroom (Agaricus xanthodermus) which

As with all identifications it is essential to do a spore print to be sure. To do this cut off the stem, place the cap gills-down on a piece of paper with an upturned bowl on top and leave overnight. The spores will drop onto the paper and leave a coloured print which is vital in the identification process.

is poisonous. However it did not. I put it to my nose and smelled aniseed. Turning over a young one I saw the pale grey young gills and instantly knew it was a Horse mushroom (Agaricus arvensis) owing to the distinctive cogwheel pattern underneath. When this opens into a full-size mushroom it becomes the ring on the stem. It’s very tasty indeed.

From afar looking right across the field I spotted something white. It could easily be a stone or a piece of wood but I went to investigate expectantly. As I got closer I saw a number of white mushrooms, quite large. I picked a fully grown one including the root (which is needed for full identification). I scraped my nail in the base to see if it stained

Quick recipe: Horse mushroom and Bulbous honey fungus tagliatelle Don’t wash mushrooms as they soak up the moisture and become soggy. Wipe them with kitchen roll to remove any dirt. Note – Horse mushrooms can be infested with maggots, check for any holes. Slice then boil the Honey fungus in slightly-salted water for three to four minutes. This removes any toxins. Cook

Back home with my numerous mushroom books, a ruler, pen, paper, and knife I started the

the pasta until al dente. Drain the Honey fungus, add to the sliced Horse mushrooms and fry gently in butter and garlic for five

investigation process for those fungi I wasn’t sure of already. Eighteen different varieties from

minutes. Then toss in the pasta and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and parmesan.

one foray!

Eat with wild watercress if you have it.

We need you! Be part of The Flaneur!

Yes

4. 20 years with no parole With a clarinet

The White House

BBC 2

Quick Quiz Answers

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

Taunton.

Voltaire or Ken Dodd

Many thanks to all the people who have contributed to The Flaneur and If you think you could be the conduit helped make this issue of The for news and reviews from your local Flaneur zine available. You can read art scene then please email about all out contributors at The newwriters@flaneur.me.uk with a Flaneur: Contributors sample of your work and a short

•••

Only on Saturdays

We also publish poetry, short fiction and fine art images, so if you are a writer or an artist who would like to be featured please email editor@flaneur.me.uk with a sample of your work.

•••

£1.22

WRITE FOR THE FLANEUR!

statement about yourself and the sort of work you would like to cover. Please put NEW WRITER in the title. We love enthusiasm more than experience so give it a go!

The Flaneur is a discussion point for independent art and culture from around the world. The zine is a precis of the website at http:// www.flaneur.me.uk that looks at contemporary culture. Please visit the website for lots more reviews and articles. If you are interested in contributing to The Flaneur website or zine then please get in touch. We need writers and reviewers to help us bring news and reviews of culture worldwide.

flaneur.me.uk

Page 6

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Within 2 weeks, I had a little condo, became an art collector, started my own art gallery and had a wardrobe to die for. Today, I am a celebrated artist and have made a name for myself. Well, another name anyway. Continued from front page…

Evolution 2006-2012 by Kristine Schomaker When I created my avatar, Gracie Kendal, I had no idea I would be looking so deeply into identity, both on a very personal level and publicly. At that time, I was suffocating in my life. I was working on my Master’s Degree, had a full time job, I was living with my parents to save money and hardly creating any art. My life changed the first time I logged into Second Life. Second Life offers people the freedom to explore changing identity dynamics. Experimentation is welcome. It is a safe environment which allows unlimited freedom to express oneself and consider boundaries/barriers that aren’t readily accepted in the physical world. Michael Gibbons in an article Avatars for Art Monthly wrote, “Computer screens are becoming the new location for our fantasies… The immateriality of cyberspace dissolves not only space and time, but our identities as well. For some this is a frightening prospect, for others perhaps the beginnings of a new empowerment.”

The G Crew at EID by Kristine Schomaker

How cool is it for people to actually get a second life? For those who have been residents of the amazing world of Second Life, whether for a few hours, weeks, months or many years… we ‘get it.’ We understand what it means to don a persona, an identity – a mask – and become someone else, either to explore another aspect of ourselves or find our true self. Avatars are amazing inventions. Just like Halloween, Carnival or masquerades, we can be brave, open and imaginative without judgement or criticism.

Most people in the real world spend their lives in hiding. Hiding behind TV screens, reality shows, plastic surgery, diets, make-up – ‘staying in.’ Second Life allows us to come out. We can escape the bonds of everyday life and the mundane tasks that we dread and enslave us. We log into this amazing world full of hopes and dreams.

In October 2010 I started shooting photographs of avatars. When I finished year later, I had shot 2000 portraits. Each of the avatars who participated in this project is a person. A brave, creative, fabulous person who found their way to Second Life for whatever reason, and they ‘get it.’

Balance by Kristine Schomaker Gracie Kendal at the 1000+ Avatars installation in Second Life by Kristine Schomaker One of the ideas behind the project was to capture the essence of the models. I wanted to show their humanity, energy and personality. Their character and attitude stood out so innocently, yet poignantly. I took a shot of both their front and back sides. My plan was to hang the portraits of their backs on the wall so they would remain anonymous. Their faces would be hidden. They would be unrecognizable. Are they men or women? Who are they? Does it matter?

I have always believed that the avatar was a mask that we use to hide ourselves in order to truly show ourselves. While I was shooting your avatars, I saw so much life, so much humanity, so much reality – from smiles to gestures to dancing to hair and hats, to the smallest details of steampunk, dragons, and goth – I wanted to share this with everyone.

I have met many people here with physical disabilities who log in and walk, swim, ‘talk’ and ‘hear.’ How wonderful is it that we can communicate with people all over the world through the easiest of translators. We can collaborate without borders or boundaries. I can’t wait to see the evolution of second life and its impact on society in the future. After shooting 2000 Avatar portraits, I published a 2 volume set of the avatars and I’m putting together a mixed-reality performance/installation that opens in May 2012 in Los Angeles. You can view a selection of portraits at www. 1000avatars.wordpress.com.

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 7

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Artist interview - Charlotte Hopkins Hall 7/8pm (if I have a show on I will work late).

Location: London Website: http:// www.charlottehopkinshall.com/ Brief artists statement:

How did you become an artist? Did you

Do you have a quotation that you keep coming back to and that keep you going? Have you a motto that gets you through? Louise Bourgeois “What’s in this space is under my control.” I have a very deep commitment to my work and I am strong headed. Which historical artist do you think is Parallel Minds Which historical and contemporary artists do you refer to most often? How

world? I have no memories of this but apparently I always was one. At the age of 15/16 I decided that this was the route I wanted to take. My mother, supportive but cautious, patiently sat me down and explained to me that it would be a very hard and difficult path. She was right, but I have no regrets.

are you influenced by their work? I have a very eclectic taste and most of the artists that I love have nothing in common with my work. They trigger a thought. I integrate the energy more than the aesthetic, if that makes sense. Matisse, Manet, Duchamp, Bacon, Kirchner, Byzantine icons, Louise Bourgeois, Thomas Hirschhorn, Neo Rauch, Banks Violet, just off the top of my head.

How has your education helped your

What are the other influences on your

career? I had a fantastic education and it helped my career by setting a rigor that remains with me today. Do you work as an artist full-time?

work? Books are a vital component for me in understanding and directing my work. I read a lot of theory. Otherwise, everyday life, the news, small incidences, anything will trigger a thought process.

Yes, when possible. I do part-time work when the money runs out.

What was the last exhibition you

always dream of a life in the art-

Describe your typical day. Do you have a routine? I work best in the mornings and my most productive timeframe is 10am and 4pm. I do have a routine and if it is changed it upsets my day. I wake up early, take an hour to read the paper with a coffee and set off to the studio. Once there, I have a cup of coffee sitting in my 1930’s club armchair looking at the work, thinking about the next steps. At this point I will start work. At about 4pm I start to crave another coffee and food. I have a 20 minute break and then start work again to about 6pm when I start to get tired. At which time I either stop or push on to

wish you had known earlier in your career? To be less naïve. The gallerist is not your friend, he is merchant and in the end will only have his interests at heart.

Like so many painters before me I have a very real curiosity of man’s idiosyncrasies and relation to reality. From this I paint a form of psychological drama, shaped by a desire for my paintings to interact with the viewer by creating a strange rapport between the two. It is as though they were eagerly seeking attention and desperately trying to put sound to their irrevocable silence. I achieve this principally with the intensity of their gaze. They may make direct contact by way of a look or quite the opposite deny with a refusal to acknowledge, lost within their own state of mind, within their own reality.

Do you have any tips or advice you

visited? Anslem Kiefer at the White Cube Bermondsy What is your favourite art gallery? Galerie Eigen + Art What are your experiences of the ‘artworld’ and the business of art? They were quite positive at first, but quickly became very cut throat. Bad payers, bad communication etc… Galleries sometimes forget that we, the artists, are the reason why they are making the money. It is a tough world with strong egos but when it works it’s great.

over-rated? Why? This is a difficult one because there are a number that I could state, but when I launch into justifying my reasons I find that I keep finding redeeming qualities. I do get bored. For example Modigliani bores me, but imagining a whole room filled to the ceiling with his work, an obsessive quality of repetition would become interesting that would distract me from his tame paintings. Do you or would you use assistants to make your work? No, and I don’t think I ever will, or maybe just to do the paper work. I am a perfectionist and in any case my work is very much my own painting technique. Do you use social networks? if so, how and which ones do you find most useful? No I don’t. I probably should but there are clauses on the Terms and Conditions that I am unhappy with. Which artist should we all look up immediately? What art magazines, blogs or sites should art lovers be looking at? Francesca di Matteo. I like Art Monthly. I’m tired with the glossies where half of the content are Rolex or Mercedes adverts although I quite like Art Review.

Are you an artist? Would you like to be featured in The Flaneur? If so, please visit the website for more details.

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 8

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Fresh Sounds from Eclectic Pop-rock Band by LADYKATE

‘Thunder and Lightning’ by Everything But Arms

harmonies and combined knowledge of music theory and practical experience provide the perfect recipe for the perfect album.

to put spring into your step.

Take my word – Electrify is one of the I got the chance to most beautiful pieces of preview an album of a music you will listen to new, up and coming this year. Keep your eye band which I believe As is the case with most out forEverything But could be pretty big this of the music that moves Arms as this spring is year. The Portsmouth me, their songs mean going to see them across based 5-piece is young, something. The lyrics the South of England talented and Will (the singer & (and maybe further contemporary. Going by bassist) creates are afield) as they tour the the name of Everything drawn from personal album. The talent this But Arms, these young experience, which for band holds deserves to men have only been a the most part the listener be spread and these five band officially since can relate to. Some young lads warrant June 2010, after they all speak out about the success for their efforts left separate semistruggles the band have on this album. serious bands to overcome as a unit. combine their mix of If you still don’t believe Unlike many bands talents and create a me you can listen to today, these songs draw committed band with their two singles So on real life, rather than huge potential. They are Peter and My Dad’s a telling generic love and primarily a pop-rock Superspy, taken from the break up songs. group who have been album. They have even described by newspapers They provide a fresh progressed significantly as eclectic and fresh. outlook on life and by since these two releases the end of the album you and I cannot wait to get This album – Thunder feel somewhat uplifted my hands on the album, and Lightning – is their and ready to take on the I can tell you it will be a first full length release year ahead. And just in fiver worth spent. and consists mainly of time too, with its spring rock songs, though they www.everythingbutarms release date its ready to throw in the occasional .com get you out of those soft-centred melody. winter blues and ready Their carefully crafted

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 9

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Spongebob in Rome

Rome, Ponte Casilino. Iaia Bell

Greed

You can call me Sir

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 10

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

Travels by Film – Roman Holiday (1953) by PHILIPPA BURNE

spontaneous, cooked up by Peck longer, perhaps more and director William Wyler. I

I’ve been to Rome a couple of times. Though I’ve never been there with Gregory Peck. And I’ve never been there with a wardrobe designed by that legend of film Edith Head. Or been there as a princess pretending to be a pauper. Mine is more the journey of a pauper acting like a princess. Rome brings that out in a girl. All those Roman ruins bring

scream like a banshee when city that is constantly growing scared; Audrey remains elegant new layers. to her core. She deserved Edith Head’s design-eye far more

than I do.

But Rome’s no mouldy relic; it’s

Saturday night by the waiter who served me coffee every morning near my hotel. His

If Rome is a city where anything can happen, Roman Holiday is its fairytale. From

iconic and death-dodging roundabouts, it reminds me of a

the beginning when Princess

taxi ride I once had through

Ann’s enchantment begins with a sleeping draught to the

Rome where I said to the veering, diving driver ‘Roman

Romans are free.’ (We made it through unscathed and I did indeed feel a renewed zest for life.) Princess Ann is arrested for erratic driving of a scooter –

The device is simple: to show an a little unfair considering innocent (our princess) a city, a Italian driving – but also world, a life. Joe takes Ann first begging two other questions:

how can a European princess Margutta, the artists’ quarter of speak all those many languages, Rome, not far from the Spanish but not speak Italian?, and how inept are the Italian police that Steps. This is where they do not recognise a missing Renaissance and Baroque

were not. He was not my Gregory Peck. I declined to steam in his bath.)

artists lived, drank and fought.

Caravaggio may well have owed money to someone living in this

Two paragraphs in and I haven’t even mentioned Audrey

very building. Or fought a duel

with them. Ann and Joe are just Hepburn. Talented, elegant, and one modern layer on the beautiful in heart. I challenge history of this narrow street. you to find an analogous actress Layer upon layer, century upon now. When Gregory puts his century, civilisation upon hand into the mouth of truth civilisation, it’s difficult to (bocca della verita) and comprehend Rome in its pretends that it’s been bitten off vastness, both in space and and Audrey screams, her time. What better place to lose reaction is real, the moment yourself for a day, perhaps

traffic is chaos’ and he answered, ‘It is just free. We

to his apartment in via

name was Tal. His coffee was good. I’m sure his intentions

alive and well and buzzing with scooters. As Gregory whizzes Audrey through one of Rome’s

ending when Joe Bradley – our delusions of grandeur, fantasies tabloid prince – behaves with a of eating peeled grapes and moral code little seen in this scheming to overthrow an century, this is Fantasy 101 and Emperor while lounging by a I love it. steaming, mosaic-laden bath. (The closest I got was an invitation to a bathhouse on a

permanently. Reinvention in a

princess. (Scrap that last one; I think recent history with Berlusconi answers every

question about Italian policing.) Has anyone ever stood by the Trevi Fountain without being given a rose? It’s the place for bold romantic gestures and wishing on a tossed coin. Ann and Joe are falling in love with each other. Tourists are falling in love with Rome. When a

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 11

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

charming man with a smile

way. And any day out of reality

the pauper but evidently the

gives you a red rose it brings

has to include a party with

princess can not…

the city to bloom. When the same charming man names his

consequences. Although I wouldn’t recommend swimming

price for the rose, the bloom in the Tiber. Not even to elude fades. In true princely style, Joe the secret service. Well, maybe protects Princess Ann from the

then.

rose-tempters of the Trevi Fountain. But he indulges her in all the other joys of Rome. Buying shoes. Smoking a cigarette with an espresso.

It’s Edith Head who has the final word in Roman Holiday: Audrey begins the film dressed all in white: an innocent

In most fairytales, girls dream

princess in an engulfing nightgown, long

of becoming princesses. They find their prince and love,

unsophisticated hair, milk before bed. At the end of the

Gelato on the Spanish Steps. innocence and purity make (Just what does she do with the dreams come true. In Roman end of that cone? Is there a bin Holiday, the princess is nearby? Do not tell me that innocent and pure, she finds

film, our princess is wearing dark colours, her hair is short and sassy, her eyes have

secrets to keep. Perhaps after Audrey is a litter-bug, I couldn’t her prince and falls in love, but all the fairytale message of bear it.) Fighting the bad guys he is only the answer to her Roman Holiday is that we who in black suits at the danceprayer for a day – she must give can walk out of the palace at the barge on the Tiber River. Our him up: the prince can marry end of the visit are happier princess is scrappy in a good than those trapped inside.

Finding the Invisible Show By Anna-Marie Amato

seen and being admired seem to hold a powerful connection when it comes to the human condition. We

What guides us through an invisible show? The cubes, which make up the Brian Griffiths’ show, seem to have an intrinsic comment about revelation due to their size and the fact they are covered. And with anything ambiguous there is the invitation to question and therefore we are lead through the exhibition with the answers our inspiration brings us.

feel that when we are not valued, we are not seen; which, in a way, comes with an optimism since we are basically saying what is being rejected is what is not known.

This kind of covering with fabric seems to allude to protection and this style of wrapping is often positioned in the same way for so long that it fades of becomes

The large scale of the cubes are almost daring one to notice them;

discoloured in relation to its position. This fabric seems fresh. Something is over because it

but the colour is subtle as if it isn’t intentionally trying to obstruct, but that’s simply the way it is.

requires covering, but it hasn’t begun to fulfill its purpose and therefore it hasn’t begun.

The folds of the fabric and some of The notion of invisibility can be the the layout of the stitching, suggest practical implication of something there is some kind of system. The not being visually accessible, or it pattern of a tailored suit goes can be the more abstract idea that through an established process. something is overlooked. Being However this structure has been

manipulated for an alternative cause.

Perhaps the main element of the exhibition is mystery and the unknown and the presentation of something which, according to the title, is not exactly what we perceive.

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 12

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

The not so wise owl by ALLYF Oscar had achieved much during his life. He caught more worms than any other Owl. He even helped the ‘cranky crows’ as they were commonly known in this neighbourhood and when father crow hurt his foot, he supplied a big enough food fund to erase anyones worries. But all is not as it seems and no matter how thoughtful Oscar may appear it was all a front because he simply wanted to be the most popular bird there is. The Owl that everyone knew and the real Owl, were two very different people, to the point that when one of the

clothing he was always the real Owl. Always thinking about what he could gain from a situation to improve his life. When the sad reality is he had gained nothing by taking what didn’t belong to him. The magpies had to work ten times harder without the gold chain to live off and by pretending to be nice to his so called friends he was merely establishing false friendships that only reflected on his character. However Oscar continued his collecting spree although he knew he was doing something wrong. Then one day which so happened to be a Thursday

old bats flew past his pent house tree lodge she looked twice, turned around and flew back for a

but felt like a Friday. The old bats elder sister, oldold bat flew past the penthouse and was nearly

closer look. She was so taken a back that she said

blinded by the glimmering lights. “What on earth is

out loud; “how very very odd, I’m quite certain Oscar lives alone and what ghastly clothing….

that” she said “why never in my life did I ever see such a thing!” Not knowing what to do she hurried

must be a relative!”

home in haste and told her sister at once. Who replied with: “why darling maybe he just keeps the

To paint a clearer picture the Owl that everyone knew looks like this. He wears a tweed waistcoat at all times. In the right-hand pocket there is a pocket watch, and a hanky in the left. Glasses on his head which bizarrely he never use’s and a pipe that was never ignited has a permanent place under his left wing. Now the real Owl wore a white baggy T-shirt with constant bean juice on it (strange really because Owls don’t eat beans) and not to mention the unsightly gold chain. When inside his humble abode he would often be wondering around wingeing about all the errands that he had to do for the less capable, all so that he could stay in his penthouse which had been awarded him by the council for his kindness and consideration towards others and with the written

sun in there.” They disputed but eventually agreed that either way it seemed very odd indeed and they decided to look together. This time not only did they see the bright shiny glimmer from inside the wardrobe but also Miss Magpies chain around an unfamiliar looking Owl who appeared to be admiring his riches. The old bats began tapping on the window almost immediately and shouting at the Owl demanding an explanation. He turned to the window in utter shock then in a desperate hope that he wouldn’t be recognised. The bats refused to give up and gnawed their way through the glass (they had frightfully sharp teeth for bats). Owl confessed all over a cup of PG stating; how he

oath of long may it continue. He took some

just wanted to be loved, and thought highly of but

bakewell’s around to Harriet the hedgehogs. The Owl that everyone knew would have taken

he never got anything back. The old old bat told him that appreciation comes in a variety of forms

four,however when purchased he was in his real Owl mode so only took three (well you’ve got to

and not always within immediate response to your kind hearted ways: “we all live and learn Oscar”.

look after number one). When he left Harriets he made sure not to leave empty-handed and took

Exactly a week later Oscar the Owl no longer lived in a pent house tree lodge but under a fallen tree

some delightful crockery that he might be able to

trunk with nothing but his tweed jacket and pocket

flog for a good price. Owl’s penthouse bore a striking resemblance to Aladdins cave. From all

watch for company. Maybe this Owl was now a little wiser and he could start becoming the owl

the errands he had taken part in in the last year although not physically but underneath all his

that everyone knew.

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 13

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

I wore my sneakers but I’m not a sneak. by HOLLY TAYLOR I am always ready to draw inspiration from anything, anywhere, at anytime. They say you can’t get blood from a stone but I think if you gave me time I am pretty sure I’d find inspiration in one…somehow. Each time I dress I imagine myself becoming somebody else, almost like fancy dress but to me, a bit more serious. Clothes can turn you into anything you want to be, and that may mean that sometimes I want to be an elderly grandpa with knitted jumpers and elbow patches or sometimes I may want to be an Ivy leaguer with my navy fitted, gold buttoned blazer, shirt and loafers.

Like many people, I also draw inspiration from the world of music and the musicians who live, breathe and play there. As I have grown, admittedly, the genres and era’s I’ve drawn from have

screen) like a stereotypical frustrated teenager. To think back, a phrase which sounds pathetic

ears, my mind and my heart but it began to saturate my wardrobe. I remember my first wage packet at

when I will only turn twenty-three this year (my memory is dreadful), I wouldn’t say I was a frustrated teen in the same way it

the age of fourteen and how it went straight on a pair of Levi anti-fit jeans which I had had my eyes and heart set on for weeks beforehand,

is portrayed in film and in literature. Even before hitting my adolescence I quite often had a

in anticipation. I had desired jeans that had ample room to fit myself and a whole other person in,

vendetta with myself but rarely at the world and thus, Morrissey to me wasn’t manna from heaven

incase; without meaning to sound crude, I ever felt the inclination. I wore Nike Dunks and Billionaire

that frosty, winter morning in late 2002 when I woke up to the sound of the postman delivering my thirteenth birthday.

Boys Club t-shirts whilst the recent and still unfamiliar feeling of my pocket burning holes flirted with basketball jerseys on

It makes sense, I get it, I can see the reason why people make this connection to the likes of The Smiths and why they are bound to J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye as if they were the book’s

pumpkin ready for halloween. This wasn’t always the case nevertheless, as in my early teens

I was white and I was female but it didn’t stop me. I wore G-Unit earrings to school, chose the history of hip-hop as my talking point for presentations in English classes and one day my friend and

purpose.

I even drew a teardrop on our faces with the closest Bic biro in sight.

All areas of hip hop interested me, it’s history and culture and not solely how the music sounded; although greatly important. I am slightly embarrassed but at the

same time proud when thinking I didn’t take the route of listening back to the extent this whole new to The Cure, Pulp & Leonard Cohen and at first, slightly hazy lifestyle (a soundtrack sitting, waiting, took over my existence. I wishing for Holden and his red submerged myself in it to the hunting hat to hit the silver degree that not only did it flood my

like the hip hop artists at the time.

spine, the poetic simplicity of their existentialist sentences talk directly to them as if they alone were the writings sole subject and

For me however, I found my youth developed into a place which I down a yellow brick road headed would think was more accepting straight for seventies New York. within society. These days I turn to Not to Bethel and not even to the sixties, to the summer of love Manhattan but to the Bronx and to and to the three days of peace and the birth of hip hop… music with the aid of flares and bell bottoms, crochet, fringing and tie dye, whilst at the same time trying to avoid looking like the last thing left for me to do is carve a

shopping trips and my baby blues eyed up my best friends pristine Air Force One’s all in order to be

Recollecting and seeing these memories compiled together on screen, it all seems a bit cringeworthy now and at times a bit too far fetched but that love affair with hip hop still remains, pumping through my veins, indomitable as ever but now more like an old friend, one who always welcomes me back with open arms. Make no mistake however, there is a forceful impediment and restraint on it ever coming into contact with my wardrobe again.

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 14

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

The Cinema of Ideas By Barry Bliss

this is the sting in the tail)

“What are we coming to? No

would take up your film,

although the many now rush then an outing at a festival to create their own slices of

would bring you notice and a

immortality, few of you have

deal. However through the

access to view the fruits of

pressures of the

A revolution in cinema has

their labours as the process

marketplace, or just an

taken place and most people

of production has now

inherent conservatism and

are blissfully unaware of it.

outrun the means of

resistance to experiment,

room for me, no fun for you.” David Bowie

This revolution is as great as exhibition.

most of the so-called “indie”

the French Nouvelle Vague

festivals are indifferent to

or maybe even the coming of sound, the discovery of montage and the invention of the zoom. But there is a paradox because although this revolution is all

We are still firmly stuck in the age of popcorn and multiplexes. Even the arthouse cinemas of my youth have either disappeared or embraced the machine that determines freedom of

encompassing, by its very

choice, but only from a

nature it also remains obscure, underground, and therefore inaccessible.

narrow bank on offer. The cinema chains may have become more diversified,

This revolution is a child of

however those who supply

the digital age – its midwife

the films for exhibition can

the digital camera that is

still be counted on the

both inexpensive to buy/hire fingers of one hand – and and equally cheap to service. they in turn often seem to

anything that doesn’t fit a specific criteria – a criteria I might add that has been developed by god-knows who (certainly not the industry practitioners). Cinema has always had its fair share of self-appointed arbiters of taste, but now this condition seems to have effected all platforms. This choice seems to me no choice at all. No choice that is but one. It has only been very recently that filmmakers

Advances in technique have

replicate what has already

have been able to

meant that these cameras

been offered by their

realistically show and sell

are no longer objects of fun

competitors. We seem to

feature-length films online.

or ridicule, but have now

have returned to the age of

This technology is still in its

created images that few

Henry Ford where you could infancy. Will it be the tool to

would dismiss as anything

have a car in any colour as

break the stranglehold the

other than beautiful. With

long as it was black.

mainstream industry has on

this revolution the many are once again enfranchised, given a voice, a platform to shout from – a luxury only enjoyed by the few until quite recently. However (and

Other avenues too seem to be ever-diminishing. Independent filmmakers were always given the sop that if no mainstream buyer

your access to watching films? It may be too soon to tell – technology has begun a stampede in filmic terms and at the moment we are all just holding on for dear life. What

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 15

THE FLANEUR SUBSCRIBERS’ DIGEST OF GLOBAL ART & CULTURE. READ MORE AT THE FLANEUR

is true though is that we are

made, ninety-nine will

It’s only with this attitude

no longer condemned to

probably be unwatchable,

that we can survive as a

make low budget horrors or

but it’s that single film of

filmmaking nation. That is

derivative gangster flicks.

note that will now be seen

indeed my hope – room to

The field is open – the only

that makes this all worth

experiment, room to fail if

restrictions are the limits of

while.

necessary. And it is in this

our own imaginations. At last we are free of the prescriptive process, which dictates what we make films about, and what you are able to see. Every skateboarder or base-jumper, every

films about something. Some of these efforts have been more successful than others – the point is we may now be in a time where we can allow the next generation the

wannabe Kurosawa and Lang can take up a camera and announce to the world that they are here. Of every one hundred such films

I have always tried to make

luxury to fail. Only through failure can you inevitably have a sort of progress, and

climate I embarked on a musical about a struggling artist. No car chases, no murders, not a single hardboiled cynical cop. Not your usual multiplex fare I’m afraid – but then again I’m not sure I want you munching on popcorn when you view it.

with it hopefully a cinematic future.

KL Street Art, Hostile Yeti

This zine is a small selection of what is available at The Flaneur

flaneur.me.uk

Page 16