design

How long is a poem?

Maybe it's 2+ years of tweeting, perhaps it's because I'm used to giving soundbites to TV cameras at protests and events, but whatever the reason, I've become increasingly drawn to attempting to convey deep meaning with few words. Not really slogans, a bit more personal or specific than epigrams, I guess the best way to convey their intent is to describe them as poems, so that is what I'm doing.

Very short poems do have a venerable history. I first met with them as 'nonsense' rhymes as a child, discovering Haiku, Zen Koan and Sufi sayings as I grew older. They also remind me of the phrases found on embroidered or woven hangings - stitched samplers.

exploring media

Since graduation I have been exploring different ways to create visual impact - through colour form and language. This has also led me to explore both traditional and digital techniques, and to experiment with combining the two. I find hand drawing an essential part of the design process - whatever the end result - but am increasingly drawn to including more of it in the finished result. Hey, how much more slick vector imaging can we take?

The gallery below shows images created using inks, watercolour, crayon and pencil, oils, monoprint, aquatint engraving, digital and mixed media collage, and pure digital imaging.

re-tale

Visual merchandising is the art of telling stories, public narratives that invite us to worship, to enter, to buy.
In this theatre, imagine that the characters are given lines that they speak to us, to each other. What would they say? What words could express their emotions, desires, and what could we offer them?

From 2004 to date, I have been capturing the retail personalities - mostly around Oxford St and Regent's St, standing in the street and using a small compact camera and natural or found light.

live to create

After 15 years of creative production, I’m fascinated by the process of discovering what projects need to succeed, and in developing and sharing tools to help communication, innovation and collaboration.

Live to Create grew out of workshops and talks given at festivals including The Big Chill and the Big Green Gathering. From 2007 the concept was expanded into draft material with seven key stages, developed and delivered through one day workshops and several series of standalone classes and events.You might find this review useful.

House of Fairy Tales

We love what we wear. Memories of items worn, loved and long lost are gathered by the mermaid in her secret grotto, underneath the arches, and exchanged for sea creatures and stories of her own.

The vaults at Shunt allowed for a complete installation with a clam shell for Lucy to sit in and a drift of candlewick and terry cloth scraps from which simple anemones and starfish were sewn. The lighting projectors and rechargeable pebble lights were sourced from Mathmos.

we all reuse

we all reuse is a non profit site that designed to be edited and maintained by the designers themselves. It was  founded in 2000 as a an online trading site for second hand goods called junkfox, which went through many research phases, user surveys, pilot stages and funding proposals with partners including LB Camden, University of East London and LCRN. The trading site was mothballed in 2007, with a community site running until 2001 as a pilot directory and resource.

 

we all reuse as it finally stood aimed to;

seraglia: vintage

Since 1994 re-present founder Lucy Wills has been trading in vintage accessories and jewellery, and in 2004 she launched glamourkitten.com to showcase the best of the finds. She also supplied jewellery and style stories to the Arcadia Group and other trade buyers. Many pieces bought were broken and yet too good to throw away. Using couture skills taught to her by a friend Lucy began to wire together new pieces from vintage components, beads, modern filigree, butterfly wing, metal objects and Swarovski crystal.

social butterfly

Recycled products are now appearing on the high street, and yet they are nearly all produced from industrial offcuts and waste rather than post consumer recyclates.

In this project, the dirty grey ABS plastic as used for PC and electronics will be reborn under vacuum gold plating and rhinestone embellishment as these low priced butterfly brooches. We have also toyed with laminates and kits for customers to colour their own – Quee style, and variations designed for rapid fabrication.

seraglia: Luminous

A growing range of one off large, bold and bright statement earrings and jewellery using predominately 80’s earrings and components re-worked and recombined into a riot of shapes and colours.

Inspirations have included the women of Star Trek, the 80’s jewellery made by Yves St Laurent and Gripoix for Chanel, and the fresh colours and textures of the French Riviera.

The collection explores the tension between the perceived luxury of couture, and the standard view of eco design, that though the pieces are unique, they are somehow is seen as less precious or exclusive than something from a leading fashion house.

The wearer is invited to choose a pair that reflect their inner light – and become a radiant superhero and reuse champion.

The look book shot on the left is part of a series shot by ‘uber pap’ Charlie Pycraft, with hair by Jerry’s of Mayfair. I art directed and styled the shoot , and also carried out the retouching and digital imaging.