Less Common / More Sense Less Common / More Sense
Contents
04 – 05
16
Against The Tide
Christoffer Skjott
06 – 07
17
The Inexplicable Disappearance And Triumphant Resurgence of Music Events At Central Saint Martins
David Fulford
08 – 09
18 –19
Dodeckahedron
Ethical Fashion: The Fairest of Them All
10
20 – 21
The Weather Club
Portrait
11 (F) art Degrees
12 –15
22
Club Class
Colophon
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Against The Tide José González told me three years ago that he has problems finding words for his thoughts. This hasn’t become easier, he just hasn’t confronted his problem. He compares giving interviews with washing up after dinner. Something you just have to do – or don’t? José is an experienced musician whose influences range from classical guitar to bossa nova and from flamenco to the Beatles. All of these influences shine through and make his music extraordinary. It feels very intimate in that Elliott Smith way, that kind of closness so few musicians manage to pull off. They share a linear way of singing – but unlike Smith, José’s music relies solely on his voice and spiralling Latin guitar play. There are no drums, no bass and no backing vocals. It feels intense and even a bit hectic, although it’s totally not. José has said he never improvises when he performs and compares it to driving in traffic; “you have to be concentrated”. At the time of this interview José was undertaking a three - month tour of the States. He was sitting in a car from New Orleans when I called. He told me about how you could see black lines on the top of the houses from where the water had been during the tornado. Apart from that, he thought everthing was normal. But then he’d only been playing and eating in restaurants during his stay. The European release of his debut album Veneer was in 2003. After that a busy year followed with talk shows, UK hits, a sucessful Sony advert and endless touring. But despite all of that he’s yet to become a ubiquitous or typically mainstream figure. He hasn’t been using any cheesy marketing strategies and his music videos and album covers remain plain and beautiful.
Please tell me about your music videos: My band member Elias Araya, from my other band Junip, directed the Stay in the shade video. He has also designed all of my album covers. We are childhood friends and he was the drummer in my old hardcore band. He started to draw and went to Art College, so I asked him to do the video. I basically gave him free hands. ( The video is very contemporary and atmospheric. It’s hand drawn and very abstract ). My other video Hand on your heart is made by Andreas Nilsson. He’s a member of the Swedish band Silverbullit and has made videos for The Knife. I had the idea that I wanted the video to be fable - like with lots of animals. It generated from my screensaver of a Japanese bird that I’ve always been very fond of. So I gathered twenty to thirty pictures from the Internet and sent them to him. The result is a collage made movie of José in a Japanese wonderland.
José González’s album got the name “Veneer” because he likes the symbolism of something that shows itself differently on the outside than it appears on the inside. I think this reflects him very well. I don’t believe he’s that quiet sad guy that he looks like on stage. He seems to be a life - loving person that takes most things pretty easy. He even had problems thinking of something he disliked. Eventually I found out it was gristly toothbrushes. Another thing that goes against the lonely and melancholic singer songwriter’s image was his choice of his favourite film. Although he hadn’t seen it yet, he thought Ali G’s [Sacha Baron Cohen] new movie Borat would definitely be his new favourite.
Text: Rosanna Tuvhag Central Saint Martins BA Graphic Design
Will you continue making music with Junip? I’ve been so busy touring lately that I haven’t had time to do much. But when I get back home, probably in November, I will start making music again. It feels like Junip is an everlasting project. Because of all the attention I’ve got from my solo project, it seems more natural to continue with my own music instead. Do you still dislike writing lyrics? I’m more of a musician than a storyteller. I get the same sensation when I’m on stage. It never really feels right. My song texts are very abstract and short. But that’s mostly because I like repetition in music and that I want to leave something for the imagination of the listener. Would you call your music melancholic? Yes, I would call it quite dark. My lyrics are dark and about the hard times of relationships and life. But it’s totally up to the listener how to understand it; nothing is really right or wrong.
Photography: Jonathan Leijonhufvud London College of Communication Professional Photography Practice (images used with kind permission from Imperial Recordings)
WWW.JOSE - GONZALEZ.COM
Do you have any secrets you’d like to share? I used to nick money from the others pockets while we where on tour. We get pocket money every day, but mine usually finishes so quickly because I eat so many sweets. So when they are not watching I have a look for some coins.
WWW.IMPERIALRECORDINGS.SE
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The Inexplicable Disappearance And Triumphant Resurgence of Music Events At Central Saint Martins Back in the 70’s, so I’ve been told, the institutions that now make up CSM hosted bands playing every week – a colourful part of our institutional history that today is barely even a memory – all that remains of it being that dubious plaque in the lobby at Charing Cross. Music events have been rare, and, when they have been going on, have been generally off limits to the rump student body politick. However, these exclusive events have been a necessary evil, apparently. Everything is now set to change with the concert by the band Clinic on the 14th of December, hosted by the up and coming Domino Records label. For the last 18 months, Peter Cleak, the driven, multitasking young Events Manager for CSM, has been leading a concerted effort to reintroduce live music events into the collective student experience. The last two major events have been private things — The Clinic gig; however, will be the first in which tickets have been reserved expressly for the students. This concert, therefore, marks a pivotal moment – having demonstrated the feasibility of the campaign to the college authorities with the previous two events, this one will indubitably mark out the next stage in the process. All of this is very exciting. If it is a success, then the path is open for many more future events, and riding along with them, plenty of opportunities for students from all the various disciplines to become involved in one way or another, either in the gig’s themselves, or in the nefarious task of ‘networking’ with the wider world. In brief, this is something that requires our interest specifically, our short - term financial interest. And the ticket is well worth the investment. I first heard about Clinic two days before interviewing front man Ade Blackburn via telephone on the 1st of November, and listened to their new album that morning. I’m not sure what I was expecting – in their reviews and clippings, Clinic get compared with pretty much everything under the Sun from the Velvets to David Lynch. I found, instead of or in spite of this, a group with their own distinct, focussed sound and style, which is also in evidence in the videos on their website (they make all their own videos ) and artwork for the sleeves of their albums ( bassist Hartley produces all the album covers ). Pretty much everything is made for themselves. Their work is eccentric and independent, in a world of over – stylised and postured Indie, and exemplifies a DIY ethos ( a term which Ade was happy to self- apply ), which has a lot in
Ade, in person ( or disembodied voice ), is soft spoken and unpretentious. His conversation ranged over an hour from the latest book he’d read (“The Tokyo Montana Express by Richard Brautigan[…] Surrealist style and humour[…] mish mash of ideas[…] one of my favourite writers, yeah.”), to thoughts on the contemporary importance of community (“now it seems like everyone is pushed more towards being just more isolated[…] I read recently of a band who when they travel to and from gigs, [they’re] listening to their own MP3 players. I think that idea of people gradually withdrawing from communal social situations[…] I just don’t see the benefit from that at all. That more people can share seems completely logical to me”). It seems that every major decision the band makes, including what festivals they play (Clinic recently headlined at Audioscope Festival, Oxford an event in aid of the charity group SHELTER), are taken against commercial considerations. On this, as on all things with Ade, the basic thing is to be as independent as possible; “Whenever we make things, it’s kind of got the freedom within it, its not about the mainstream or to get played, it’s just something very English”. When I asked him about how the group consider their music in the context of today’s big issues and the sensitive global climate in which we live, his response was similarly geared towards the importance of providing an alternative to the mainstream trends. “The way it functions, if you are doing something then its an alternative to that negative vibe[…] I don’t mean to say that lyrically it deals with it directly[…] more with philosophy and outlook on life[…] looking at possibilities rather than things narrowing” he said, adding that “It’s far too grand to think of doing anything directly[…] I don’t feel at home with sloganeering, like Live 8 for example[…]I’m sure that type of things got its place but I think that music and politics has generally been done badly”.
Live, the band are an engagingly bizarre spectacle, performing in surgical gowns and masks. The concept behind this is to refute “the outdated idea of ego”. The members of the band perform anonymously, often switching instruments during a performance and playing around with their material. Related to this is the peculiar nature of the shows themselves – Ade commented upon the connection with the audience; that, instead of the treadmill of releasing a record and an accompanying Big tour, they like to concentrate on making each one more of an event in and of itself – “Not something which is just a commercial exercise[…] Something which is new to an audience”. Essentially, it’s all about that rare, precious, primitive connection, playing on the divisions between band and audience – “a lot of people just dancing to the music, getting into the music, even just for an hour[…] Seems like you’re not just being there as a spectacle, but are actually involved in the whole thing” The key juxtaposition in Clinic’s work is one of Pleasure against Promotion. It’s an important and genuine ethos, and one which is well suited to CSM. The 14th promises to be a notable evening. — Clinic (Domino Records) play CSM Charing Cross Road on the 14th December Tickets £12.50 (www.seetickets.com)
Text: Charles Fulford Central Saint Martins BA Criticism, Communication and Curation
common with our own luminary Billy Childish.
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WWW.CLINICONLINE.ORG
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Photography by Bart McDonagh
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Dodeckahedron
Photography: Miranda Iossifidis London College of Communication BA Interactive Design
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The Weather Club Bow - legged, ‘fro-haired white boys mill around to soundtracks of motown and soul, while a girl in an oversized sweater and shin - scraping skirt serves beer in plastic cups from behind the bar. The sixth night of Fresher’s (Pathfinding) Week sees the return of Southampton Row’s Weather Club, a student - penned night of obscure 60s records, cheap booze and eccentric musicians. City lights bathe the cleared cafeteria, pooling in from the floor - to-ceiling window panels running along one side of the room. The audience chatter happily around the tables at the side of the room furthest from the stage, and, for a second, it feels like a 40s nightclub - come school disco. The Weather Club relaunch is entertained by bluesy, country punks Battle of Balaclava; St Martin’s drop-out and Vincent Vincent and the Villains drummer Alex Cox, and the geek chic of Tim Ten Yen’s Sinatra - esq electro. It’s refreshing to notice how obviously selective the organisers have been, opting for kitschy, innovative acts instead of the generic indie bands currently saturating London’s club circuit. Glassy disco lights run along the ceiling above the stage, pooling down onto the acts below and contrasting with the red stage light,
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while a single multicolour spotlight shines out over the crowd, bathing them in a hazy, intoxicating glow. It’s St Martins as it’s most relaxed: conceptual, fun - loving and inebriated. UAL has often been described as anti - social and pretentious, yet the intoxicated art school crowd mingle effortlessly, as students all over the world are supposed to. The only aspect which separates this from any other Students’ Union night is the level of effort and creativity put into appearances: Dancing is premeditated and varied- a girl in the corner is toe - stepping in a rah - rah skirt; a couple to the left are holding hands and swinging around each other as your grandparents might have done. Generally, movements are melodramatic and pronounced; outfits are thought - out and appreciated. — Arrive late for a slice of artschool student life at its best: sociable meet-and-greets, cheap alcohol and tastefully innovative acts and fashions.
Text: Abigail Outhwaite London College of Communication BA Journalism
WWW.MYSPACE.COM / WEATHERCLUB
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(F) art Degrees? You’re a student, right? An exam taker, library visitor and essay writer, according to your own statistics. A pizza eater, boozedrinker, night clubber – and a general debt hoarder, according to everyone else’s. Today’s students freely mix the traditional university debauchery of bygone days with the demands and needs of contemporary consumer society. The list of things to do and to own grows longer by the minute and not many students want to be seen without the necessary equipment required of the young and cool. For an art student this is especially so: the hip clothes and essential sunglasses in winter can be most costly indeed. And isn’t that what student loans are for – to get some cash and some lifestyle? It’s ‘play now, pay later’ - time, but later is later; by then you will have a degree ( at least if you managed writing the odd essay inbetween pub sessions ) and with that a job. You will be all right – at least that is what the newspapers and the government keep saying. The student loan advertising says it too:
of a degree can be measured in money alone is sad, boring and very contemporary – pointing to a society where knowledge and study has lost its true meaning. Education made accessible to the wider public has turned into a product rather than a broadening of one’s personal and intellectual horizons. It also totally devalues the importance of artistic endeavours and aspirations: historically the life of the Artist has been seen as something often obscure, luxurious ( and not seldom ‘unnecessary’ ) but at the same time committed and essential to making the lives of all other hard - working mortals, just that tad more beautiful. These days, consumer society has incorporated even the arts, and with that the artist, in the quest for universal entertainment. Consumerism relies heavily on the visual, the graphical, the musical stimulations of the mind. Artists can be employed within the wider context of the manufacturing space and do quite, if not very, well out if it. A fact that’s continuously being promoted at any self - re-
Students eat pizza and own i-Pods. Borrowed money can be your own money. And in a way it is – you just have to pay it back first. It might well be that you are one of those students, who actually spends their time at university studying, reading books and ‘investing in their future’ – as it is called these days. You might be very focused and motivated, knowing that the course you are doing is the right one for you – with a bunch of researched job options and opportunities awaiting after completed efforts, the whole world is your oyster. If you belong to this category it is very likely, however, that you are a ) ‘mature’ (i.e. over 21) or b ) foreign. — The fact of the matter is instead that most people have no clue why they are doing a degree. Not really. Not deep down. Mommy and Daddy thought it was a good idea, and you just had to do ‘something’ after A-levels; these are pathetic but not unlikely explanations. And after all – doesn’t society expect it? While
specting arts university. The more students that enrol, the more fat fees in the university’s bank account, naturally. And yes, it is still seen as romantic, somehow, with a financially fraught artist - and part
of the image too! And so it will remain — with today’s art degrees charged at the same standard annual £3,000 tuition fee as some of its meatier cousins, the pressure is certainly on once the art graduate has left the safe havens of schooling behind. Regardless of the perhaps increased opportunities for the creatively minded in today’s world compared with 100 years ago, the fact remains that a £15,000 debt for a degree with - still! - vague job prospects is nothing to take lightly. After all we live in a society where a return on investment is expected. As we have seen, however, things are not always that clear - cut; so why not use your borrowed money while you have it. Someone once offered me these words of advice: ‘For God’s sake, just spend it. You might not get any more in a looong while!” — No wonder so many students dance and drink the nights away.
Text: Sara Ritzen London College of Communication BA Journalism
doing my own degree in journalism most of my fellow students were completely confused as to why they had ended up on the course. They could not spell to save themselves and had no interest whatsoever in politics or media issues. Just the type of journalists the world needs. While students in other European countries sometimes do not start university until in their late twenties, Britain seems plagued with a sort of ‘now or never’ mentality. Money needs to be made and young people need to start earning – now! This obviously works out fairly well if the degree in question is of the money making sort, which might explain the general abundance of accountants to artists. The idea that the value WWW.SARARITZEN.TYPEPAD.COM / THE _ JOURNALIST /
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Club Class
Photography: Moira Lovell London College of Communication MA Photography
Course Director f tography Beverley Carruth
or speak to Mathe or even Head of M phy Anne Williams (the latt the office I spoke phone
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tor for BA Pho-
ruthers
Mathew Hawkins, of MA Photogra-
e latter is not in poke about on the
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Christoffer Skjott
The Adajle lightning concept came about when researching into health - care products. Cotton - wool ear buds resemble certain bacteria and can quickly be assembled to reconstruct bacteria forms. The clear plastic tubes that the cotton is attached to practically disappear when the light is turned on and only leaves the cotton buds visible. Their form is identical to that of bacteria, and the way they react to light, could not come closer to the bacteria samples found. The picture show various stages of the development process. — The “final proposals” are really just ideas to envoke further development rather then finished pieces, although they easily can be used as such.
The concept for the recliner is based on a scandinavian interpretation of ethnic furniture. My original aims were to develop designs that are based on Ethnic African pieces, which incorporate the aesthetic values of my Scandinavian heritage with the use of modern technology, materials and production methods. The idea was to design furniture that encompassed a different way of sitting than we are used to here in Europe, while encouraging the user to interact with the piece. The Semirecliner is a good example of this interaction, as the user shifts his/her weight the recliner responds by tilting up or down.
Text and Photography: Christoffer Skjott Central Saint Martins MA Industrial Design
Dimensions: L 715 W 285 H 645 mm
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WWW.SKJOTT - DESIGN.COM
David Fulford
Untitled [2006]: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: W 850 H 1200 mm
Paintings: David Fulford Camberwell College of Arts BA Illustration
Harry’s Laugh [2006]: Oil on Canvas, Dimensions: W 330 H 450 mm
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Ethical Fashion: The Fairest of Them All To say that fashion has a conscience is like saying the devil can feel remorse or guilt. Okay, maybe that was too harsh. But fashion has not exactly been known to be one of the most principled industries. After all, fashion evokes visions of decadence, glamour, wastage, and conspicuous consumption. One does not, out of habit, go into a boutique, armed with a checklist, interrogating sales personnel if desired items may have possibly been manufactured in a sweatshop in Southeast Asia. The truth is, we buy because we’re drawn to something, be it a Chloe bag or a pair of Puma sneakers. Sad to say, shopping is not really propelled by logical or rational thoughts. Buying is motivated by emotional appeal rather than by where or how the clothing item in question was made. It’s human nature. We are not the way we are as consumers because we’re evil or because we have no sense of social justice. We don’t really morph into monsters every time we buy throwaway fashion from a not - so - ethical high street retailer. It’s simply that the concept of “ecofashion” has not been entirely ingrained into our social consciousnesses. For that to happen, iconic brands have to take the first step. And recently, that’s exactly what they’ve been doing. With mega brands like Emporio Armani, Converse, and Gap jumping onto the ethical fashion bandwagon, everyone is taking notice. Never has ethical fashion been so chic. Now, the question of whether these brands are embracing the concept of eco - fashion because it’s good business or because they’re really concerned about the state of the Third World and the environment is another matter altogether. The important thing is, they’re putting ethical fashion on the mainstream map. And that is, in turn, making
consumers more aware of the ramifications of rampant consumption on our environment and the working conditions of the people who make our clothes. This realisation helps form people’s buying habits and patterns. It also paves the way for smaller labels and designers to sell their clothes and promote what they’re most passionate about. CSM graduate and designer Davina Hawthorne explains, “Eco-fashion is fashion which takes into consideration the people behind the clothes we wear, as well as the environment.” But just because it’s ethical, doesn’t mean it can’t be design-conscious. Designers like herself and other brands, such as Ciel, Terra Plana, Enamore, Noir, Katharine E Hamnett, etc. are pushing the boundaries of ethical fashion in terms of style and design. Rosie Budhani of Terra Plana says, “[We give eco-fashion a fighting chance] when we don’t make a massive deal about the brands being ethical, and think of them instead as fashionable brands that just happen to be ethical as well.
Text: Trisha Andres London College of Fashion MA Fashion Journalism Photography: Davina Hawthorne Central Saint Martins MA Design for Textile Futures
— It could be that being stylish and being conscientious are not mutually exclusive after all.
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Portrait
Photography: Kate Potter London College of Communication MA Photography
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Less Common / More Sense # 7
Publisher
Contributors
Address
The Students’ Union University of the Arts London
Samantha Allflatt Trisha Andres Charles Fulford David Fulford Davina Hawthorne Miranda Iossifidis Jonathan Leijonhufvud Moira Lovell Abigail Outhwaite Kate Potter Sara Ritzen Christoffer Skjott Rosanna Tuvhag
Less Common / More Sense The Students’ Union University of the Arts London 65 Davies Street London W1K 5DA
Editor Ronan Haughton
Art Director Lars Laemmerzahl
Thanks To Nikias Chryssos Peter Cleak Matthew Graham Todd Henshaw Oliver Hogan Conrad Kaden Imperial Recordings Jens Janson Amanda Johansson Tamara Moore Adrian Mott Jenny Nash The Weather Club Jade Tomlin Guy de Villiers
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Printers Stephens & George
Get Involved Visit lesscommon.org or send examples of your work to Ronan Haughton: mediacomms @ su.arts.ac.uk
Disclaimer The views expressed in this publication do not in any way reflect those of the publishers, the Students’ Union of the University of the Arts London. The authors accept sole responsibility for the content of their submissions
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