Vogue Blog - Knit Wit

Last week Friday 19th, a lady from Vogue approached me at the Hospital club. She asked me if I would like to feature on the Vogue Blog. There is a article about my window display titled Knit Wit.

The Hospital Club - window and inside display

I have just created a window and instore display for the Hospital club. I spent about 7 hours creating the display on Friday, most of the time I was making the knitted letters of london fashion week.

The Hospital Club is unique because it’s the only club designed specifically for the creative industries. We are set up to support and entertain people who make things and the people that help make those things happen. As part of London’s creative community our role is to discover and feed the best creative talent, and produce, publish and celebrate their work. The Covent Garden club is the place for members to meet, work, create stuff or simply enjoy themselves. So we offer everything they need to do so: bars & lounges with wifi, a members’ restaurant, cinema and a gallery, alongside state of the art music and television production facilities.

The British fashion council use the venue throughout fashion week. Running from Friday 19th - Wednesday 24th February. The display consists of the window, and part of the foyer in the entrance to the left of the reception desk. It was exciting when the vinyl guy came and put my name on the window.

My concept for the display is Guerrilla Knitting

For this coming London fashion week, the hospital club window display and foyer will be taken over by Cherry Hurren textile artist and fashion illustrator. The thrift shift trend and guerrilla knitting inspire the display. A new contemporary craft form is emerging, of knitting being used to manipulate existing architecture within city spaces. For example, knitting over a lamppost. I first came across some guerrilla knitting in Brick Lane, see photo. East London is known to be ahead of the trends, and an artist playground. Facebook groups promote, people uploading photos of their own yarn bombing, such as knitter please. There has just been a book released in the V & A bookshop about the movement.

Cherry Hurren Window and instore Display

Hospital Club
Endell Street
Covent Garden

Display open 19/2/10 - 24/2/10
Nearest tube Covent Garden

Future Form

On Thursday 18th, i took part in the future Form exhibition. At the boutique trafalgar hotel, on trafalgar square. Organised by Jotta, run by the University of the Arts. About the exhibition:

Like a strange constellation forming on a distant horizon at dusk, London Fashion Week is taking shape, and is ready to hit the city in under two weeks. To celebrate, jotta brings seven exciting young artists and designers together for an interactive exhibition at the Trafalgar Hotel, on Trafalgar Square. Launching alongside London Fashion Week, the show will feature a stunning array of film, fashion and fine art.

Kathryn Ferguson’s fashion films adorn the window, Cherry Hurren's lifesize dolls, featured in Vogue and Harvey Nichols, are dressed in designs from Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion students, while Rita Parniczky’s sculpted textiles and magical paper-cut accessories create an immersive entrance into our temporary fashion wonderland.

My work consisted of two life size dolls in chunky knitwear dresses from the fashion designer Emilia Bairamova. Emilia showcd her collection yesterday for London Fashion Week in Piccadilly Circus. My work was situated on the square framework of the wall beneath the windows, and along the staircase into the exhibition.

Future Form

The Trafalgar Hotel, 2 Spring Gardens SW1A 2TS

Exhibition Open 19.02.10 – 23.05.10

Nearest tube Charing Cross

The Lowry and Tate Liverpool

This week I went up north, out of the London area. I visited the Lowry Gallery in Manchester & the Tate Liverpool. At the Lowry gallery I went to the Art and Advertsising exhibition. Asda canvas shopping bags used as material to create a trench coat. I thought it was a really invoative piece, as it was a piece of recycled clothing that actually is wearable. Designed by Fiona Oakes and Richard Thorner from Salford University.

I also visited the Tate Liverpool, situated in the developed docks. The current This is Sculpture exhibition, was really intresting. Some of the pieces I had already seen in the pernament collections in the Tate Modern. Two pieces really stood out to me, the first is the Condition of Woman by Arman. A mixed media piece consisting of tampax, smashed mirrors. Fragaments of a woman's life, it gave the impression of a female without actually showing a person.

The other piece I enjoyed was the Beverly Edmier by Keith Edmier. Looked like the figure was made out of wax. A pink woman, exposing her foetus, with the skin transparent. It really spoke out to me, the maternal instinct. It was a Sensory experience, as that room had headphones to wear whilst walking round. The music was from Alextronic the hive collective dingle 2am.

Art & Advertising A Creative Fusion
The Lowry
Manchester
23rd Jan - 11th April

Dla Piper Series: This is Sculpture
Tate Liverpool
1st May 09 - 1st April 11

Valentines Windows

The current windows at the French Connection store next to Selfridges have a Valentines theme. With men made to be bunnies, with automaton ears. Oatmeal colour thick fluffy ears. In the other windows are women mannequins in flowery dresses, with trench coats. The females turned away from the male figures. Connotations of males chasing the females. Obviously the brand wants to portray that if you wear French Connection garments you will attract the opposite sex. Quite good display for Valentines.

Mulberry Carousel

The current Mulberry windows, in Knightsbridge are carousel themed. With vintage horses, given a fresh coat of glossy paint. An aesthtically pleasing display, which ran through the windows, and foyer.

Upcoming displays

I am quite busy at the moment, getting ready for London Fashion Week. I have a few upcoming displays:

For February

- Currently I have an Instore display in Harvey Nichols Birmingham Mailbox store.

- Future Form exhibition at The Trafalgar, opening night of London Fashion Week, Thursday 18th.

- Window display at the Hospital club, Covent Garden. For London Fashion Week Friday 19th - Wednesday 23rd February.

For March

- I am taking part in the exhibition Arae at the 10 Gales gallery, Bethnal Green.

Post on Leona Clarke's blog

On Leona Clarke's blog, she has posted about my work, titled 'Raggy dolls'. She is a fellow lover of fashion, illustration, art, dolls and london. I like her illustrations, particularly the Luella influenced ones. I also found on her blog this ice cream pencil drawn image. I have a fondness for art work that has a handmade quality to it.