Absolute Perfect Cure for the Winter Blues

one of the best songs ever ever ever. need to learn this dance sharpish.

makes me want to sit in a field

Constellations

instructables

the soundtrack to attempting to write

FINALLY

i got to do letterpress yesterday. So so fun, i was in the room from quarter to 10 to quarter past 4 with no venturing out and hardly any sitting down. A lot of ink on paper i must say. Nothing too difficult, but it was nice doing the same repetitive motion until it felt comfortable and i fully got to grips with the furniture and amount of ink and the hand press. A friendly group of first years surrounded me with expectant faces waiting for me to give them an induction in the afternoon... although it was more likely that it was that i was covered in ink and the only one in the room than me looking like a pro. but i can pretend. Scans to come, and all day screen printing on friday. cue celebratory music:

Ivor Brown

I gots an Ivor Brown book, 'I Give You My Word' for £1 today in Leicester Square. Boom. It's beautiful and full of words like ambuscade, cargozoon, inveigle and potwalloper.

A lovely end to a lovely day wandering around the Tate on the last day of the 'Rude Britannia' exhibition. Altogether an ok show; i was particularly fond of an H.M Bateman print on show (The Lost Stamp) and the satirical drawings of the fashions of the day by Philip Dawe et al. By far the best thing was Mike Nelson's Coral Reef exhibition, a beautiful labyrinth of corridors and rooms with unmarked doors reminded me a bit of being in a ship and left me in a curious discovering mood...

Tico Tico

Legends on BBC 4 had an episode on the Andrews Sisters this week (it's still on i-player so WATCH IT). I've liked them from a long long time but had no idea how influential they were, enlightening stuff people. Plus there's this amazing bit at the end where they have a friendly sing-off with The Supremes on The Sammy Davis Jr. Show.

I wish i was her friend.

I discovered Donna Wilson on my first year of a level and her makings literally made my life and influenced so much of my work, explicitly at first and now subtly inching its way in. I found her when i was doing a project entitled freedom and armed with a matchbox of buttons i could make anything. i decided upon these fabric creatures that were my favourite things for a while, until they were dubbed 'silly little creatures' by a teacher and i got a bit put off. They probably are a bit, but now i don't see that as such a bad thing.

I feel it's mainly the core idea of making and crafting that has developed in my practice for the past 5 or so years. With her work i found that whimsy and charm that imperfections have and embracing that rather than forcing my hand to do something that generic and perfect.

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/toys-kids/donna-wilson-creatures-063732

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Unrelated but my friend Dulcie told me about the Dum Dum Girls and i've pretty much been listening to them on repeat.

James Houston

I saw this yesterday at 'Pick Me Up' at Somerset House as one of the videos shown in the It's Nice That cinema . So so so nice, it made my tummy do that nice swoopy thing like when you hear something beautiful (skip to 1:10 if you have no patience).

In his own words:
"Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" I grouped together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a situation where they're trying their best to do something that they're not exactly designed to do, and not quite getting there." http://1o3o.tumblr.com/

Cover Versions

While trawling through numerous websites to find inspiration for this seemingly neverending project i stumbled across these INCREDIBLE 'cover versions' of classic albums if they Pelican books in the 1960's by Littlepixel. They look so authentic and beaten up, and are simply delightful. The Strokes, Hup and Au Revoir Simone's are also favourites. Have a gander at Littlepixel's flickr:

www.flickr.com/photos/littlepixel/sets/72157594269138651

How nice is this?

I've been listening to it on spotify for the past few weeks now but this is the first time i've seen the video. the spinning tops! magic.

After freaking out a bit about the industry report, i put myself to work last night and this morning and sent out emails to 5 practitioners with my first response a couple of hours ago! what a nice man.

Childhood Flashback...but a bit better

The Dot and the Line

It's Perfect.

The Epic of Gilgamesh or The Unnameable Little Broom

I saw this on Sky Arts a few days ago and thought it was the best thing i'd seen in ages. I found it really hypnotising. And the organ that swells every so often makes it so chillingly lovely.