Sanctuaries Exhibition Competition

 

Call for entries to the Live Hazard Collective exhibition to happen at Rich Mix London in February 2014. Curators Guy Harries and I are aiming to have a mix of up and coming artists to be exhibited alongside more established names, in order to reflect the vibrancy of the area (East London Shoreditch) where the show is taking place. All selected artworks will be available for sale during the length of the exhibition, with no commission claim on the sale by the organisers.

Sanctuaries Exhibition and Illustrated Concert

I am curating with music professor Guy Harries this upcoming exhibition and performative illustrated concert for Rich Mix London to take place in February 2014. Supported by Diversity Art Forum, in partnership with Reportager, the Association of Illustrators and the University of East London.

 

My illustration in Resurgence & Ecologist

My illustration of green campainger Rob Hopkins can be seen in this month's Resurgence & Ecologist magazine.

Indigo Mag Interview

 

I have been interviewed for a feature for a soon-to-be-launched creative arts magazine named Indigo on the increased popularity of collectives and here are the answers to questions I was asked about collectives. As soon as I get the link I will post the online article.

1. Question: Would you say that collectives are the future of the illustration industry?

Answer: Collectives are no longer the future of the illustration. They have very much already taken hold of the industry. The concept of multi-disciplinary collaborations in groups is what I conceive as being the future, as it is getting harder and harder to make a living out of illustration alone and designers are asked more and more to be jack of all trades. It will be interesting to see what direction that format of pooling resources and skills will take.

Q 2: Why do you think they are so popular?

A 2: Collectives are popular because they are a great way to launch fresh faces, new blood into the public consciousness. There is always an an exciting vibe when attending group collectives shows or buying artwork where the talents of a few have produced outcomes that are often surprisingly refreshing in its audacity. Collectives fire its participants to try their best; people appreciate that DIY spirit and want to buy into that culture.

 

Q 3. Would you advise up-and-coming illustrators to think about joining a collective?

A 3: Yes, I would and as a matter of fact I do. Since working as a lecturer at UEL, I have encouraged my students to think of their class as a Collective. Every year, we have exhibitions where students think of a theme and title for their collective- the aim is to reflect what is going on in the industry, for them to think as a team, to create marketing, PR and manage finance in groups, ...all attributes that make great collectives work.

 

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Sonic Rituals 2 Images

These are the live drawing images I created while performing this Monday for the second instalment of Sonic Rituals.

Sonic Rituals is a live improvisation night between different musicians. A creation of Yumi Hara Cawkwell and Guy Harries, it has so far included a very diverse range of players from electronic musicians to more traditional instrumentalists. On Monday, we had Mark Hewins, Geoff Leigh and former member of Soft Machine Daevid Allen (now in Cong) come and join us.

My involvement is a visual one in that I react to the improvisation sounds by creating images that go with the moment and the music.

I am using now an IPad for these experimental nights as I feel such a device is more anchored for immediate and most effective broadcasting. I also like the IPad because it forces me to draw quite differently and not be so precious about doing nice pretty drawings- the idea of being freed in my expression of movement through the gesture of immediate mark making on a digital device is revolutionary for me. Last night I brought a clunky projector which in fact had great picture quality and everything went smoothly.

I had a good chat with the concert promoter and Jazz Servant Quarters owner (pictured above) who kindly agreed to pause for me for a portrait. All in all, it was a magical night; the music was excellent and the audience really enjoyed themselves. Feedback in my projections was really positive. There is much I want to do in terms of developing these experiments into a polished act and we will take out time and many more gigs to end up doing it.

Sonic Rituals 2 at Servant Jazz Quarters

I took part in this event last night at Servant Jazz Quarters in Dalston. I will post soon the live drawings that I made that night as well as videos. It was great fun!

 

Sonic Rituals at Cakey Muto

 

Last Monday, I took part in a live performance in East London entitled Sonic Rituals. The event, the first of many to come, was an improvisation night with five musicians playing experimental electronic sounds.

 

I was asked to come in and provide the visuals. I made my drawings on the spot allowing myself to be directly affected by the music and then draw what I felt.

 

What you see here are the fruits of these experiments in front of an audience. I like doing these because it feels direct, unmediated, and utterly liberating to try my hand at live experimental performance as a change from illustration. And as a complement to the more commercial pursuits.

 

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