Blast

Yesterday and the day before we were working on a project with Fallon for the BBC. Blast is an exciting BBC project designed to inspire creativity in young people. Part of the project is the Blast interactive studio, where users can control machinery that fires paintball guns, activates glue guns, lights up coloured strip lights which make sounds and prints mini-messages onto till receipts, all across the internet, from your own computer! All the action takes place in one crazy, colourful studio in London, designed by Fallon. If you missed us on the live webcam yesterday, when we were based there for the day, you can see the remnants of what we were getting up to here: www.blastgetcreative.co.uk. Here are some snaps from the day too:

Nation of Shopkeepers

Anna and I got back from Leeds today after installing the opening window display for Nation of Shopkeepers. The eagerly awaited cool venue of the North already has a killer line-up and will host a whole load of events unusual to a pub such as jumble sales. The brainchild of the team behind the Lock Tavern in Camden and the Amersham Arms in New Cross amongst others are bringing their quirky vintage style and laid back vibes to the North and we reckon it is well worth a visit after it opens on 23rd May. You can keep up to date with their happenings on their Facebook group. Here are a few work in progress snaps of us making bits and pieces for the window display. Who needs Kirsty Allsop to tell you that skip-raiding is one of the best pastimes! We've been doing it since day dot (plus finding things in front garden throw-outs and even just on road-literally like the bed headboard) As for flea markets, Deptford Market smashes it every time! Photos of the actual window to follow shortly.

Funny Little Things

Last week, Jess Bonham came over to do a photo story, documenting me and my room before I move out and disperse my belongings throughout my house. It was the perfect opportunity to properly sort my room out. I threw heaps on stuff away but also found many little things I had misplaced and now it is an absolute pleasure spending time in my room. Even clutter can find its own little place somewhere:



I also bought this month's Elle Decoration and was pleased to read the editor's thoughts on collections. The subject of Michelle Ogundehin's May letter was Obsessions and she writes about how "...a golden age of collecting is apparently upon us as 'baby boomers' rediscover childhood hobbies." She then goes on to state that "Individual obsessions are vital: they are the backbone of greeat design, good for business and essential for living well at home. After all they express our personal points of view and remind us what's really important to us as people."

I remember when we were first told to start keeping archives when I was in the first year at Uni in Brighton and I suddenly found a validity for numerous archives I had already compiled over the years; sketchbooks, folders and files full of postcards, magazine adverts, random images, packaging etc. I still collect stuff today, although I am more careful about only holding onto things that I love and making sure they are filed somewhere that I will be able to find them and refer to them in the future. They are such a valuable resource and get more and more refined the more I collect. It is 3D objects I am having trouble with such as these funny little objects I found in a thrift store in Kona:



I don't want to open them beacuse the packaging is integral to their inspiration but I don't want to put them in a box and forget about them. Maybe a three dimensional box frame, to display on my wall, will be the beginning of a new archive.

Other than this, Anna and I did a window display to celebrate the opening of the YCN library/gallery space in their new HQ at 72 Rivington Street, in Shoreditch. We had to collect an awful lot of different coloured books but we did it and no cheating took place!







Oh and since we're on the subject of collections, here is a market stall on Shoreditch High Street full of things that I will not be adding to my collection. Seriously mate, who is your supplier?!