Battersea antiques and Textiles fair

Last Sunday I visited the Antiques and Textiles fair run three times a year in Battersea Park, after seeing it advertised I went along with the thought it would be full of old and new textile, with upcoming designers and new, innovative designs, oh how I was wrong.

It was an experience to see but it was all very commercial, with stalls of upclass interiors and a main target audience of over 50's. it was very design, some displays and stalls proved very relevant to my current table theatre, all with a very large price tag though!

The fair was a place for potentail buyers to source a nice lampshade for their dining room or special plates for the kitchen, not something im particulary interested quite yet.

Some pieces were quirky, interesting, a taste of european design as well as British, there was even a walking stick made out of a stingrays tail- well what do you buy a man whos got everything?

"Neighbourhood colour" exhibition by Stage 2 BA Textile students

A viewing of the second year's students work, briefed to a "neighbourhood colour palette" of two contrasting London neighbourhoods and to capture the essence of both places.
After viewing the second years work it gave a good insight of what was to come for us, it seemed like an imaginative and interesting project which let the students really explore an area and different aspects of a place, much like our 'rough guide project'.
Everything was professionally displayed and fully mounted with all different varieties of medium and materials used throughout the specialism, it also helped me to realise the vast amount of materials and the boundaries that could be pushed within a set brief project.
Work I found which was most different to mine was that of Anjali D'Souza with her pixaleted boys work, she had taken inspiration from the glossy doors in Notting Hill and used print to create a series of Ties and Shirts, all in various materials and vibrant colours, it differed to mine in that her colour palette was so bold and bright and really captured the eye when first entering the room. Her use of print was also heavily emphasized on, something I have not used much of myself in my work.
Work more similar to my own style was that of Harriet Callingford, she had a piece named "Flock me" which featured a set of fabrics with her "addiction to rock steady Eddies, a far black fineliner, an idea of layering, and love of textured fabrics, a dream of merging digital and screen printing to an illustrative obsession". Her flocking and devoury onto fabric and different printing methods made the piece very interesting and different, with so many parts to a project Illustration is something I feature in my work, her style, with repetitive pattern and more "fun" Laura Mccafferty type textiles featuring real people and real objects interests me, the ability to work mixed media and experiment with different affects, I also like having different perspectives and meanings to work, to look at it one way and have it mean one thing, then to completely turn it around so it looks like something entirely different is very appealing to me.
I believe sustainability has been approached in the work, the students think more carefully about where their materials are being sourced from, but it may not be as noticeable or campaigned as other artists. It is not immediately obvious what has been recycled or sustainable from all the work.
On talking to current student Helen Truran, she explained that there was great freedom in the second year, anyone can pretty much do whatever they need to, and its good to experiment and use mixed media and cross over into different specialities, stage one is a time to learn alot in the blocks, its a good indicator of whats to come. She used different photographs and began to explore through photoshop to create a digitally metallic collection of menswear. Her timetable is flexible and second years mainly have long More progressive projects to go in depth and really get to grips with it, wastage is also kept to a minimum and sustainability always thought of! Looking around the show really helped to put work into perspective and make the realisation that no speciality is restricted to one area or way of working.

Visit to Blythe House

Blythe House is the current home to the V&A's vast collection of textile sample books and catalogues of past displays, all are archives, used for reference to the public and specially stored in room upon room of the history of (mainly) British textiles from the past.

Some of the books have been on display in the South Kensington Museum itself and others have been restored back to former glory after suffering damage, some were used in shops, haberdasheries and upholstery shops in previous years.

The books and catalogues have been donated and all are handled preciously.

We got the chance to view and read the books, looking at some of Liberty's original prints and Heal's furniture coverings. The trip was insightful to how important British textiles was and is, some of the patterns were inspiring and used age-old techniques, it's a rich resource to collate the history of the V & A and past textiles.

It all seems very secretive when your there, with the winding long corridors and unnamed doors filled with past history, it was definitely useful to know of Blythe House for future research and influences.

Fair Trade- what is Fair Trade?

The company I have chosen to look at is named Artisan Life, after viewing their stall at the ethical fashion forum, their values and beliefs really engaged me.
Artisan life is a UK based company who set out to commercialise and represent Columbian based craftsman and artisans through selling unique handmade jewellery and accessories through leading distribution companies. Artisan life makes sure the message of where the jewellery originates and the materials used is made clear, they are all sourced on a fair trade basis using natural and sustainable resources.
The main benefits reaped by artisan life are that of fair-trade value and ethics, “fair-trade is a social and economic movement which promotes international standards of ethical production, labour and environmental policies”- www.tedresearch.net
There are now over 350 fair trade organisations working with the world fair trade organisation, many specialising in textiles and jewellery, but also many claim to be fair-traded when in fact only part of a product is, there are many boutiques which carefully evaluate their products and businesses to ensure they meet specific standards, Artisan life is one of them, a culturally influenced brand incorporating traditional techniques in high end design.
There has been a rise of around 50% in worldwide fair-trade products, it is an increasing popularity to consumers and with the involvement of high street traders to help raise awareness, and fair trade is on the increase even more. It’s with constant campaigns and charity funded work that supports workers conditions, pay and working lifestyle worldwide.
Fair-trade simply means a fair return on workers efforts, that they receive what they truly deserve from what they’ve committed. This can be from enforcing fair code of conducts to all workers, with fair pay and treatment in the hierarchy of a company, to monitoring workers and regular reviews to make sure standards do not slip, to collaboration with trade unions and manufacturers from the offset to ensure wages, working hours and working conditions are humane.
Artisan Life strives to create opportunities for Columbian craftsman, to ensure they receive fair wages and form trustworthy relationships to understand their determination involved in the crafting and manufacturing of their unique goods, the crafts provide an annual income for many of the craftsman, Artisan Life provides up to 50% of advanced payments to ensure continued development of communities and improved lifestyle.
Although artisan Life only focuses on one community, the niche market in the UK of genuine fair-trade unique products ensures that the Columbian craftsman will continue to receive the appropriate support and interest to help flourish and expand their skills, the money received from their products is fair and means the people can lead a better lifestyle from their talents.
A company whom I will also look at in the production of jewellery and accessories is Primark, in the past Primark has had a lot of controversy over its ethical values and the treatment of its factory workers.
Originating in the UK and Ireland and the U.K’S second biggest retailer, in recent years Primark has decided to publicise its new Fair trade and ethical trading values, this can prove to be risky to some companies as by highlighting the good that fair-trading brings to communities and workers, it can also highlight the bad in that Primark is not a total fair trade company “Primark is committed to providing the best possible value for our customers, but not at the expense of the people who make our products” www.primark.co.uk
Primark has been penalised particularly for disgusting factory conditions in India, where a worker may be paid as little as £1.13 a day, below the national average, the way the workers are treated is also unfair and can be inhumane, continually breaking the ethical trading initiative.
Primark has specifically bought in experts to help them increase their ethical trading, particularly with factory conditions, with cheap clothes come cheap labour. Primark employs more than 400 suppliers in 16 countries and aims to build relationships with all of them, and they have now published a full code of conduct which must be operated by all associated with Primark, this includes items such as working conditions are safe and hygienic and child labour shall not be used. But Primark is still under scrutiny, jewellery and accessories are still cheaply made, certainly not with fair-trade products but instead mass-produced, with factories still breaking Primark’s code of conducts, how enforced are the rules placed there to ensure fair working policies? They sell from huge, cheap-to run sites, with little advertising and relying on word of mouth for custom, it is a complex issue with Primark as many of their factories are in different third-world countries, where laws and norms are different.
Primark still very much has the “we’re trying but it’s hard to get there” attitude when it comes to fair-trade.

Telling Tales- V and A

On entering the gallery I found it mesmerising, I instantly thought the pieces were unique, cleverly displayed and beuatifully crafted. I found the pieces inspiring, particulary in the Forest Glade area. full of contemporary design furniture of fairy tales myths and fables, if only all furniture was built to appear so secret and full of stories. It looked like something that had just been taken from the set of the Lion Witch and the Wardrobe and that was priceless.



The Forest Glade:

"Fig Leaf" wardrobe, Tord Boontje,2008

This piece is like no other, I couldn't imagine the room it belonged in, it just seemed too precious and delicate to be able to be used, its a statue of a wardrobe. It makes you feel as though your in a fairytale, with delicate leaf imprints and a single garment hanging. It generates warmth, it's broad and heavy-looking but so delicately crafted, the viewer feels entrapped in the wardrobe, like you could stare at it for days and not loose interest, purely because its unlike anything else or anything I've ever seen before its truly a creation of deep imagination.



Heaven and Hell:

"Storm" chair, Stephen Richards, 2000

The piece looks uncomforatble, thrown together but in a very strategic way. It's a piece of furniture that couldnt be used but still has an Ikea-feel about it,a chair for a small built person it could blend into a forst and go unoticed, its not particulary beautiful amoungst the other pieces but its different with a certain elegance about it. It suits the dark setting with an eiree atmosphere



The enchanted Forest:

"Heatwave" radiator Joris Laarman 2003

Again this is another intiguing piece, Cast white iron it looks like its climbing up the wall, its intricate and bold, a signature design piece in a modern environment. It makes you feel pretty but unworthy to have it, something that people would crave for, even a reflection of social status as it looks expensive.



The three rooms lighting has a lot to do with the dramatic effect it creates for the objects, the first two rooms are bright, lit well and inviting, as you are not allowed close or to touch the objects it gives a better view to feel like you get the full experience of the pieces, Heaven and Hell is dim and cut off by walls witrh cut through viewing panels, it makes for dramatic dark effects, you only see pieces in portions and have to crane round to get a good look, it creates mystery and interest.



The exhibition taught me alot about different compostions, how objects can compliment and relate to each other and how objects can be grouped together. Colour schemes is also an important factor and making sure my objects are drawn from all angles.

"The Enchanted Castle"- A place of mischief and fairytales, somewhere almost to be feared but has a spell to enter. It's mysterious, associated with teh 18th century where fairytales were real, you conjure up images of Princesses and Princes, but also evil witches and stepmothers, its all very Disney, "style and design are a visual language".
High status is displayed, mesmorising pieces of furniture literally taken from the imagination and created into real life, with seemingly inappropraite use of amterials and scale, everything has been taken and drawn out to be bigger or wider than someone would imagine, so its not quite as delicate but more real. You could stare at the pieces for a long time, drawn to them but purposelly not allowed to touch them which seems rather cruel.
"Heaven and Hell"- the Black sheep of the exhibition, possibly the unexpected in relation to the previous work, it is viewed last, in half light. It comes accross difficult to tell which is heaven and which hell, something so closely linked has been taken from being visualised to reality. Saintan and God under one roof, it all seems very religious and yet very confusing, it almost feels one with dread at what is being viewed, the title really indicates the whole of the exhibition, it feels scientific, at the end of th 19th century when anything was considered medicinal. It's about dream and interpretations but in a darker matter. Freud the famous if somewhat ludacris psychologist who had out of this world ideas and theories that to this day some say are crazy. Life vs death, good vs evil, a measure of mortality and the exploration of can we live forever? The Title reflects anxiousness and trouble, to be advoided?



Tord Boontje caught my attention, his pieces were like nothing i've ever seen before I thought them to be beautiful, they were carefully sculpted with alot of work hours been spent on the pieces, you could tell it took planning to exact detail and everything fits so well together. He completely encaptured The forest glade with enchantment, fables and childhood dreams turned into adult reality

My Three Objects

After receiving the brief I revisited my Rough guide area and chose my three objects I would be working with for this piece.

Object number One:

Found on a market stall in Piccadilly Market

An Old telephone:

Tall, Old, Victorian? phone, connects to the wall with a small plug, separate speaking/listening parts, round turn dial for numbers. Made out of metal and plastic, icon in old films. £90, wires have be redone, not original. The phones numbers are printed on paper circles with small finger holes, the ear piece is hand-held, would be easier to sit down when dialling/calling

Victorian,expensive,curvaceous,collectible, brass, unique, history-who used it? Old ringer, one setting, unloved, mundane object taken for granted

The phone is too plain to be taken from it's current place and put somewhere else, its purpose is to be sold more for humor than usage. Could be used on a film set or in antique shop. Visions of grandeur, it's no longer needed, used to show class, the rich. Wouldn't now be suitable for everyday use, suit old Victorian decor.

Object Two:

Fortnum and Mason

Piccadilly

Lara Bohinc bag, small, sold as concession £595

"Nadia" small Black patent handbag, deer leather with dark brass jewellery, made in Italy.

Smooth,small, fashion item, cold,brass decorative panel with double chain handle, bold, contemporary, simple, expensive, almost "chavvy" looking.

2. Tribal, contrast, sandwich box, delicate, nimble, symmetric, mirror image.

3. Could be sold in variety of upper class shops, replicated for the market-cheaper fakes, could be sculptural/metal piece if the plate on the front was deattached, could be sold in a department store, for a delicate day bag mainly for females, not particularly glamorous/big enough to be celebrity wanted yet but still glamorous.

Object Three:

"Allies"- Lawerence Holofcener on Bond street

Bench/sculpture, lifelike, one of artists most famous works, gift from bond association to commemorate 50 years of peace. Features Winston Churchill and Franklin D.Roosevelt talking. Made out of bronze and is lifesize. Big London tourist attraction, unveiled by Princess Margret in 1995.

Cold, bronze, life size, delicate, strong, crevice, detailed,posh, typical, intriguing, wet, unique.

If this was placed anywhere else in London it could face the chance to be vandalised for sure/pieces robbed. It blends well with the surroundings but does not go unnoticed, its part of London's memorial. Placed in a gallery it wouldn't make such an impact, its designed for outside environment, it looks permanent, it decorates the street and is supposed to be in its place.

Objects found for Rough Guide

The area given to me to discover in rough guide was the poshest area on map, Piccadilly, Bond street, Green Park and Dover street along with the surrounding areas, I knew it would be tough to find inspiration in such an affluent area, nothings too quirky or different. I thought every street would look the same, aligned with rows upon rows of posh shops and sushi shops, but I was pleasantly surprised.

My first port of call was Piccadilly and I decided to visit at night, after sketching the famous light corner by the fountain inspiration hit, I wanted to look at numbers, numbers are everywhere and can be taken for granted so I came up with the idea to produce my own number and have repetition in each photos/sketch i drew. I made my textile number and took it round with me photographing it in every opportune picture i saw and every area i went to.

Piccadilly:

Local area & Information:

• City of Westminster



• Fortnum and Mason, Royal academy and Ritz hotel



• Until the 17Th century the area was otherwise known as Portugal



• The name Piccadilly circus came from a local tailor known as Robert Baker and his Piccadilly stiff collars, a reason why St james's street is so well known for it's garments.

People who live/work in the area:

• Fashionable residential area



• grandest mansions in the North of the area



• Houses of affluent families that used to live in the area were known as Clarendon house, Berkely house and Burlington house.



• Offices, flats and the few houses in the area are very expensive



• Piccadilly is one of the widest and straightest streets in London

REGENT STREET AREA

Local area information/Guide:

• Major shopping street, known for Christmas illuminations



• named after Prince Regent



• the area is associated with architect John Nash



• The street was completed in 1825



• Every building is listed



• It features on the monopoly board

People who live/work in the area:

• Offices-small and large unit shops



• A new development known as the quadrant is currently underway to host new shops, offices and a five * hotel



• Home of BBC headquarters



• Hamleys toy shop there since 1906



• Liberty



• Area owned and managed by the Crown Estate



• All Soul's church



• No real residents

Short interview with Hamley's worker:

Luke is 25 and worked in Hamley's toy store for 5 years.

• He likes to work in the busy dynamic environment



• the area hasn't changed much since he's been working there



• the recession had hit hard, much money is relied on tourists



• It's crazy around Christmas time with the demand for toys going through the roof!

New/Old Bond street:

Local area information/guide:

• Another big shopping street since 18th century



• Upmarket area, the name arises from Sir Thomas Bond- the head of developers who built Dover and Albermarle street



• It used to be known for top art and antique dealers



• Sothebys is still around today



• It hosts as the leader of designer brands



• "Allies" is a local statue by Lawerence Holeflener



• Its a rival to Sloane Square for shopping



• It also features on the monopoly board

People who live/work in the area:

• The very affluent work in the upper class establishments, there are very few offices, mainly boutiques



• Very few residential properties, the area was founded in 1700, as a playground for the rich with eh worlds most prestigious retailers.



• There's no schools in the area.



• it hosts up market clients and most workers do not live near the area but commute in

Green Park

Local area/information:

• Was once Henry the 8ths hunting ground-now a royal park



• St Jame's church is famous in London and needs £3 million to save it



• Local Wren church features an abundant of history