Fantasy Houses

Alamo Square, 2004

I came across these brilliant photo galleries when looking at unusual dwellings. Check out this sumptuous San Francisco in Jell-O by Liz Hickok… a jelly cityscape which eventually decays - Jell-O Shots gallery, (First Post).  I also love David Trautrimas’ collection of fantasy houses, All Mod Cons, (First Post).

Stand Mixer Mews, 2008

Hot Rods, Hairy Beasts and… Cinderella

 

With 800 new book titles on UK shop shelves this week, (which promise ’something for everyone’) my choice of stocking filler would be a jewel-like ‘Cinderella’ painting from the Illustration Cupboard by Niamh Sharkey.      

Sharkey and author Max Eilenberg attended the launch on Thursday night, where they actually met for the first time, after many exchanges of manuscripts and roughs before the final draft of ‘Cinderella’ was published. Editor David Lloyd, (Walker Books) gave an intriguing speech about how he and Sharkey arrived at this version of the popular fairytale – the Grimm’s storyline was deemed unsuitable for their three year old audience.     

A couple of tube stops took me to ‘Hot Rods & Hairy Beasts’ at the Coningsby Gallery, which was still crowded. I missed out on a grab bag, but the ever-talented Rod Hunt slipped me a copy of ‘Robot Love’ which answered all my questions on what happens when robots get busy. Check out the website if you can’t make it to the show – these guys do it well. Down to the postcards.

I really enjoyed meeting some recent C’well grads there – I’d seen all their work at the MA show in July, so it was good to put faces to names. Yann of Handwash Studio gave me his uni library copy card, (with credit!) …how lucky am I?!! 

Some of my contemporaries were also there – it was really nice chatting to them. They’re all European, (so English is usually about third or fourth down their language speaking list) and I admire their determination. They were off to The Joyful Bewilderment private view at Brick Lane, however I headed home. Having had the day off, (work closed for Eid… even tho’ it ended up being a couple of days earlier) I’d managed to fill it with reading (LCC library), and a visit to the Wellcome Collection. A good day in London, and I even saw some sun.

 

Photo: ‘Robot Love’ by Rod Hunt

Belonging

Yesterday I dropped into House for an essential coffee on my way to Camberwell’s Wilson Road site for an informal meeting with some of the other new ‘part-timers’ on the MA Visual Arts (Illustration) programme. 
 

It was fortuitous to catch the last day of Carolyn Lefley’s exhibition of photographs titled ‘Belonging’, inspired by the tale of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, and the search for a home – somewhere to belong. 
 

At the moment I’m interested in exploring the way fairy tales have been told and illustrated over time, and like all good fairy tales, ‘Belonging’ is enchanting – visit Lefley’s website for a close-up look.