creative zine

Stepping Stone Studios – Maidstone – Kent

Creative Communities and Inspiring Websites, Creative Opportunities

Stepping Stones Studio is a community interest company set up and driven to promote aspiring and established artists in Kent.

Their vision is to encourage and enable visual artists by providing:

  • An affordable studio space in which to create work, and attend/ hold your own workshops
  • A cafe in which to connect and collaborate with other artists
  • A gallery and shop to showcase the range of emerging talents
  • A subscription to the studio granting incredible opportunities and discounts

Their space will stay affordable for artists and – unlike most studios and galleries – will favour applications from those without previous exhibition credentials. The aim is to keep the studio neutral, to play host to a variety of artistic groups in this area, and to showcase under-represented artists.  Through the central location and overarching love of visual arts, they aim to create a centre of art activity for the artists and art enthusiasts of the Maidstone and wider Kent district.

This opportunity offers a professional environment in which to gain indispensable experience in the organisation and publicity of ones own exhibitions, and brings local artists together as a collective.

The studio encourages artists to hold their own classes, workshops and open studios for the public.

This unique artist’s venture is run by artists, for artists, and the only space in this area promoting local untapped talent through a collaborative voluntary effort.

To find out more visit www.steppingstonestudios.co.uk

Area – South East

West Sussex Opera Return With Cosi Fan Tutti – July 2012

Creative and Art Events

Following their successful productions of ‘Hansel & Gretel’ (December) and ‘Dido and Aeneas ‘(March), WSO return with Mozarts most popular comic opera ‘Cosi Fan Tutti’. WSO will bring a night of sheer delight not to mention Fianceé Swapping under the baton of renowned tenor Jon Grave.

Two rascals decide to put their lovely fiancées to the test and pretend to be conscripted and go away to war. Secretly they return in disguise and try to woo each other’s girl with hilarious results – this great opera is up their with any Whitehall Farce. But Whitehall farces don’t also give you the Mozart’s wonderful music.

The company was formed by Artistic Director and tenor Jon Grave, who performs worldwide in famous concert venues; on major film soundtracks, Radio, TV and solo recordings. Classic FM said ‘one impressive tenor’. Through his work lecturing at the University of Chichester and Prebendal School, the company has formed strong educational ties, providing opportunities for local talented musicians to perform in the chorus and alongside the professional orchestra.  
Principal Guest Conductor Rachel Grave is an exceptional cellist, film composer and has conducted the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Her award winning work has lead to her music being heard in cinemas all over the world.

Soloists have performed at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and with other top international opera companies.

‘Cosi Fan Tutti’ takes place from 7.30-10.00 (bar opens 6:30pm):

Fri 13th July at West Wittering Memorial Hall.

Sat 14th July at the beautiful Assembly rooms, Chichester

Tickets cost £5-20 at West Wittering and £6-£25 at Chichester Assembly Rooms. These prices include concessionary discounts and half price for under 16’s.

Tickets are available online at www.wsopera.com – book in advance for special ticket offers.

Disabled access is available

Area – South East

Wigmore Arts Weekend – 30th June to 1st July 2012 – Wigmore – Kent

Creative and Art Events

St Matthew’s Church and Community Centre will be holding an arts weekend on the 30th June and 1st July. Over 100 artists and crafts people will be exhibiting and demonstrating their work. Paintings, crafts, dance and live music feature throughout the weekend. Entry is free to the general public and the event will be start at 10.00am (to 4.30pm) Saturday and 11.00am (to 4.00pm) Sunday.

The art show will be held in St Matthew’s Church and the demonstrations and workshops in the community centre and grounds. About “100 metres run” of art will displayed in a variety of media, including poetry, ceramics, and all paint media. The art show will fill the church. Also on Saturday as the art show is in progress there will be some live music entertainment. Outside, there will be demonstrations of Morris Dancing, Fire Breathing, Fire Poi, Belly Dancing and some Bollywood Antics!! A lot of fun for everyone.

Children are well catered for with puppet making, face painting, lino cutting and plenty of other activities to keep them interested.

There will be a Variety Show on Saturday featuring many of Medway’s talented people and on Sunday a recital by David Griffiths (accompanied by his wife Christine). They are internationally acclaimed musicians from New Zealand and they will perform Schumann’s Dichteliebe (Op 48) and a range of songs from New Zealand.

There will be art workshops taking place and a few places are still available, but be quick and book a place.

We hope you will agree that there is something for everyone. Do come along and put Wigmore on the Arts map!!

A full programme is available, so e-mail wigmore.arts@hotmail.co.uk, sae to 42 The Goldings, Rainham ME8 0AX or telephone 01634 372508

To book a place on a workshop e-mail wigmoreartsworkshops@hotmail.co.uk or sae/telephone as above.

Picture:

Paul Warren of St Matthew’s Church, Wigmore.
Wigmore Arts Weekend organiser

Area:   South East

Hansel Of Film 2012 – Travelling Film Screenings

Creative and Art Events, Creative and Art News

A ‘hansel’ is a Shetland dialect word meaning a gift that marks an event such as the launch of a new boat, the birth of a child or the creation of a new enterprise. John J Graham – The Shetland Dictionary.

Shetland Arts is taking a UK-wide part in the London 2012 Festival celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  ‘A Hansel of Film – Shetland to Southampton and Back’ is a relay of screenings of short films made by the public in each of the nations and many of the regions of the UK.

It will be launched in Shetland on 10th June with the arrival of the Olympic Torch in the isles as it reaches its UK most northerly point. The films will be relayed between participating venues by ‘runners’; that is, creative and energetic individuals who will employ whatever means of transport they can devise to get the right films to the right venue on time. This will culminate in a marathon screening of over 100 short films at Shetland’s annual film festival, Screenplay 2012, between 4th and 9th September.

The project will take films made by Shetlanders and others to twenty one venues around the country and will form a celebration of ‘home made’ short films similar to that which takes place annually at Screenplay. 

Acclaimed film critic Mark Kermode and film historian Linda Ruth Williams, who are the curators of Screenplay, will be very active in promoting the project across the country, although they will not be able to attend all the events. They will be greeting the ‘runner’ at The Harbour Lights Cinema in Southampton at the project’s half-way point, and will visit some of the other participating venues in between.  

The Hansel Team is delighted to be launching this exciting, nationally inclusive film relay, spreading the spirit of the London 2012 Festival from Shetland in the north to Southampton in the south and back again, and taking in many points east and west along the way. We are looking forward to partnering up with cinemas, arts centres, film societies and film-makers across the UK who are as enthusiastic as we are about watching films, about people making their own films and about taking movies on the road.

The project also comes at a very exciting time for Shetland Arts in the opening year of Mareel, Shetland’s new £12.2m music, cinema and creative industries centre. We will be inviting representatives from the participating regions and nations to come and join us back in Shetland for Screenplay 2012, making it a truly celebratory event.

The London 2012 Festival is the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements.  Spread over four years, it is designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.

Medway filmmaker Mdhamiri Á Nkemi will be having his short film “String Theory” shown on the following dates:

              Kino Digital, Hawkhurst                            Monday 9 July

                Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury                 Thursday 12 July

              Harbour Lights, Southampton                    Sunday 15 July

 

“String Theory” follows a couple of school boys who invent the world’s first cup and string telephone, which gets popular as more and more people find out about it. Their playful existence is threatened however, when a business-man makes an unexpected appearance.

To find out if there are screenings in your area please visit:

 http://hansel2012.org/get-involved/attend-an-event

@hansel2012

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Billy Childish – Frozen Estuary Exhibition – Review

Editorials

Cult labels can obscure the viewer’s perspective of the artist’s work, with associations of niche celebrity given meaning by sycophantic fans and media observers. Childish is touted as a ‘cult’ figure in his latest exhibition at Chatham dockyard. This could scream popular or ‘cool’ to the ‘right’ people or celebrate an alternative and underground status. Childish’s character(s) loom large, set on pleasing themselves before courting the crowd, perhaps at the risk of eclipsing his work. In a 2010 video for the Tate’s ‘Sound and Vision’ series, he dons the costumes of painter and musician to playfully interview himself, with respectably awkward questions. When the artist asks about his influence on the musician, the answer is ‘no’ followed by a wistful smile.

The frozen estuary series offers something pleasantly different. The dockyard exhibition gives some space to history and personal mythologising – displays of album covers, books and memorabilia to greet the audience. Maybe this is a triumphant return to a place he left with little love lost.

13 oil and charcoal on linen paintings cover the main walls, some with the paint still wet. Despite featuring friends and family, the subject seems less personal, the focus is the river itself, depicted in vivid blues and whites and frozen in time and canvas. Inspired by photos of the winters of 1895 and 1947 when both estuaries froze over, Childish captures a stark landscape, where workers pose with boats locked in ice, dominated by blue skies and glaring white. Details run in earthy browns, a muck upon the landscape, as wet paint dribbles down many of the canvases, forming icicles of dirt and snow.

Here is something about place rather than person, escaping the ‘cult’ cliché and exploring the relationships between time, place and identity. A full size nude stands by the entrance, leading visitors through the memorabilia to something else entirely. Something brave.

The exhibition is on at the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, until 30th September 2012. Details are available at: http://www.thedockyard.co.uk/NetsiteCMS/pageid/1023/Billy%20Childish.html

By Roy Smith

@roy_smith 

www.royalansmith.co.uk

Guest Writer

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands  

Tracey Emin – She Lay Down Deep Beneath the Sea – Margate Exhibition Review

Editorials

Like most people my earliest memory of Tracy Emin’s work and most prominent is the unmade bed from 1999.

As time went on I discovered she studied in Medway at what is now known as UCA, and in the last few years she has held various exhibitions in the South East. On a recent visit to Margate I felt I couldn’t miss a walk around the Turner gallery to check out her current exhibition.

Something that I love is Emin’s neon writing work as it shows her variety of creativity. Unfortunately only two neon pieces make an appearance in this exhibition. Reflecting very much on her life’s history the work on display is very expressive with some containing text that gives extra input into the concept behind the piece.

My favourite piece was called furniture. It was part of a series of paintings that were of the same theme, but I felt they had an added depth to them compared to the other pieces in the exhibition as a whole. I do really like the blue ink on canvas, and this is the form of most of her pieces in the exhibition.

The majority of work on display were inspired by Turners female nudes, but personally I felt they lacked the warmth of an artist trying to capture the bodily form of a female. Of course Emin is often very open about her sexuality and this is nothing new, but I felt from the work that she captured an element of disappointment within her own sexuality, which of course was not really Turners aim in his erotic paintings – his nude paintings were often termed as beautiful. If you want an interesting read on that subject see “A Censorship story Goes Up In Smoke“.

A painting by Turner.

She Lay Down Deep Beneath the Sea, Tracey Emin.

There are a lot of repeats in the exhibition, which unfortunately I feel shows a lack of imagination in regards to a theme, and baring in mind 3 large rooms of the Turner gallery are taken up with repeat imagery until September, I can’t help but feel disappointed for the local art scene. I realise that a big name will attract numbers but I wonder how other artists will get to reach a big name status if so much space is taken up by one artist in what I feel should be a gallery for creatives no matter how big their audience.

I would be interested to hear how others feel about the exhibition…

Natasha Steer

Area: UK Britain East of England East Midlands London North East North West Yorkshire Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands

Somehow Education-like – By George Langridge

Editorials

We Don’t Need No Education

This week I went to my local country park to meet with a fellow photographer. However, she wanted me to teach her to shoot in manual. So my theme was ‘Education’.

 So here are a few of my favorites from the trip. The rest are on my Flickr in beautiful full resolution.

One of mine.

We went walking around some huge wooded areas and fields looking for some good shots. First of all I took some sample images, this one was hidden amongst some leaves and branches. This is the first time I have consciously looked for small insects, I actually am amazed by the idea of these little creatures going about their day hidden away from us. I think this ties in well with the next picture.

This is one from my ‘pupil for the day’.

This picture actually amazed me this morning when I -finally- got to editing. The only thing that let the RAW file down was the exposure, which was changed during post. This is one of those shots that if you blink you miss, which I guess is what drew me to this particular image. I think Kudos go to my ‘pupil for the day’ on this one. I’d love to get your opinion on this photograph.

Another from my ‘pupil for a day’.

The origional RAW file seemed almost pointless, until I imported it in to Lightroom, where I had a play with the levels. This shows that my ‘pupil for a day’ can really think outside of the box and through to post production. I am excited to see what she does with it in her edit. This was another one which was a little ‘iffy’ as regards exposure, but I really ‘dig’ the feel of it.

My pupil for a day was – Hanna Havoc

Next weeks theme is ‘RoadTrip’, another friend and I will be riding along the A20 towards Ashford via villages such as Pluckley, Kent.

@georgelangridge

Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike (CC-BY-NC-SA) George Langridge

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Working For An Indie Record Label – Part 1 – By Luke Crook

Editorials

As some of you may know, I work for an Indie Record Label. It’s a blast, but not what everyone thinks it is. So, I thought it would be interesting to do a little blog about what the day to day is like working for an Indie Record Label because as much as I make it sound like gigs galore and nights out in reality, it’s really not!

Paperwork. Data entry. There’s lots of it.

 Before this job I thought getting a record made meant going to the studio, getting the tracks done and then sending them off for mass production. If only.

So, we’ve got the music. Great. Then you need to get it Mastered. Which is fine. So long as you remember to deliver the relevant ISRC codes (Unique, trackable numbers for each track) with it. Oh, and the correct track listing for the Redbook/DDP (final format for delivery to manufacture). Forgot to write “feat. Blah blah blah”? That’ll be an extra £40 to get it amended.

Then, you enter the lovely world of Metadata, or the spreadsheet of doom as I like to call it. You enter ALL the track/album info into a spreadsheet. Title, artist, feature artist, release data, catalogue number, publisher, composer, producer. Everything. 10 track album? Not to bad. 5 formats? Not so easy. CD, LP, Digital, iTunes Exclusive, German Exclusive? Yup, need to write a separate one for each. And make sure you get a new barcode for each. And the right catalogue number. Did you know Scandinavia can’t take iTunes videos? So an exclusive with video means a separate entry all together.

 Oh, and the price. Easy you think? “We’ll sell it for £xx”. But then you have to talk to separate countries about their price, and if you don’t, it wont show up on their system. And they don’t tell you till the last minute. Handy.

And between all that, you’ve got the Label Copy. Label Copy is a document that holds all the information about the release. Contributors, publishers, copyright holders. 9 guest artists? Better get all the separate publishing information for them, ASAP!

Whilst all this is going on, you’ve got artwork. Pricing for artwork. Working out the unit cost of each product. Did you know you can’t release a CD in Europe if it’s not shrink-wrapped?

 *Breathe*

That’ll do for now I think. For me, its fascinating to see what goes into actually getting a CD released to the public, and how it works. Above is just a teeny part of what goes on. There’s also marketing, sales notes, picking singles and remixes, track ordering and much more. I will be back with more about what it is like working for an indie record label soon.

By Luke Crook

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands  

Whatever Floats Your Boat – Open Air Family Theatre – Medway – June 2012

Creative and Art Events

Taking place during Medways Fuse Festival “Whatever Floats Your Boat” is an open-air family theatre show presented by Students of Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (DATE) from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.


Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Introducing A New Creatabot Contributor – Luke Crook

Creative and Art News, Editorials

Luke Crook works for indie music label “Sunday Best” and he will be writing about what it is like to work for an indie label as well as what is going on in the world of indie music. We knew you would like to know some more about Luke so we asked him some questions so that you can get to know him better.

So whats your creative background?

Creatively my background has more or less always been musical. I found my Dads rock vinyl, told my Mum I wanted to play guitar and ended up learning piano for about 3 years! Then I went on to teach myself guitar, and after that a bit of bass and drums. Jack of all trades!

After that I got into sound engineering, mixing and the like. From there I did my A levels in Music Technology then trotted my way up to De Montfort University in Leicester to do a BSc in Audio Recording Technology. Maths, Physics, expensive mixing desks and general madness. Lots of fun!

What made you get involved in the indie music field?

I’ve always been a fan of local music, and Medway has always been a hotbed of musical talent. I spent most of my early teenage years getting down to Bar M and the Rafa Club to watch bands, or trying to get gigs myself. I played in a variety of bands myself, and I had a pretty eclectic musical upbringing, so it varied from heavy metal to pop to bluesy bands. I loved and still love the ethos behind local and indie music. Trying to make it, doing it for the love and fun.

The journey at local level is beautifully organic and frustrating.Out of Uni, I wound up working in my local indie record/guitar shop, Sound & Image, for a year which was an education in genres! From there, I was finding myself looking more into independent record labels and independent artists, and how their popularity can vary. People forget sometimes, I think, that Adele goes out on the label XL, who are an indie, not a major, and just look at her success.

Then, from there, I sent a very innocent e-mail to Sunday Best inquiring about a job, and on a Sunday at about 9pm I got an email asking me if I’d like to start as intern! That was 10 months ago, and now I’m neck-deep in the indie industry!

Who inspires you both locally and universally?

Locally, my biggest influence has to be the wonderful Manny Rossiter. Long standing supporter of local music and also my mentor, what the man doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing! Also, when I was younger local bands like Innersense and Back To The Drawing Board were favourites of mine and they probably helped start my musical bug. There’s also an old boy who regularly comes into the shop called Pat. He’s probably one of the best guitar players I’ve had the privilege of knowing. He played with a lot of great bands back 60-70 years ago and watching him play has been a big game changer for me.

Universally, it’s not limited to music. Musicians like John Martyn, Jeff Buckley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nina Simone. Composers like Tim Burton and John Williams. Music that breaks the mold and makes you go “Wow, how did he/she do that?!”. Writers like Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams who take wacky ideas to the extremes. What’s more inspiring than one man who’s written nearly 40 books about a turtle that flies through space with 4 elephants on its back, or another who wrote about a robot with depression and a restaurant at the end of the universe which recreates the big bang over and over?!

What would you like to achieve in the future?

Good question. I’ve only just started out in the career path, but I’d like to take it as far as I can. I wouldn’t mind heading up an indie label one day, that would be amazing! I’ve got a few musical projects in the pipe line that, personally, I’d like to get done and have some fun with.

I guess I’d like to be known as someone who influenced or helped others. It’s a nice way to be remembered I think. Plenty of people have helped me along the way. Soppy, I know!

Can you recommend a creative website you love?

Tricky! There are so many!

http://fd2d.com/ is a great website/magazine I found at Uni for Midlands based creatives.
http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/ is great for music.
Also, check out http://amazingradio.co.uk/ It’s a great online radio station for unsigned and new music. It should be back on DAB radio soon too.

Thank you Luke for bringing some news and information from the indie music world to Creatabot!

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

SureShotFilmsUK Launch New Video

Creative and Art News

SureShotFilmsUK are a small production company of 10 film makers lead by Director Cameron Ward with the assistance of Henry-Ashton-Ward. Set up in August 2011, the aim of the Blackpool based crew is to create special effects videos through limited means. Launching their new video ” Sentinel 22″ they hope to create a bigger, more consistent fan base and continue to bring out high quality videos on a weekly basis.

Using just a Canon 600D, tripod and a homemade fig-rig they have managed to create short films with special effects, which is something they want to make people more aware of in the UK. FreddieW (YouTube) has made this genre popular in the US  and they would also love to create their own series of shows based on a storyline.

The video was made in Poulton-Le-Fylde near some abandoned buildings, it took about 5 hours to shoot and 25 hours to edit.

Follow Cameron on Twitter

@cam_ward

along with

@sureshotfilmsuk

Cameron Ward

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands  

Bikeminded Launches ‘Cycle Shorts’ Filmmaking Competition – Closing 15th June 2012

Creative / Artist Wanted, Creative and Art News, Creative Opportunities

Bikeminded, a cycle campaign run by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has launched ‘Cycle Shorts’ a filmmaking competition open to anyone interested in the filmmaking process from raw talent through to the more experienced. 

The entries, which need to be submitted by Friday 15th June 2012 at 5pm, will be judged by award winning film director and bicycle enthusiast Richard Loncraine.

The shortlisted films will be shown at an exclusive viewing at the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill. The winning entry will be shown at the Portobello Film Festival and the Olympics Festival on Exhibition road, and the winner will also receive £1000 for their next film whilst the people’s choice winner will receive £500.

To bring the competition to life, Bikeminded has launched its own animated film to be shared among the filmmaking community and to encourage entries: 

Entrants can let their creative talents run wild by submitting a film of any genre, be it for example, humorous, gothic horror or romantic comedy, and it can be shot with a pro-camera and crew, on mobiles, or could be animation or stop-motion.  The end result must be a short film of just 90 seconds which challenges people’s barriers to cycling in the city, and inspire them to get back on their bikes or take up cycling for the first time.   It must also reference the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in some way.

Richard Loncraine, judge of Bikeminded ‘Cycle Shorts’ says: “Everyone has their own idea of cycling and in particular what cycling in a big city such as London is like.  Through this competition we want to tap into the incredible creative talents of filmmakers throughout the UK and through their films inspire people to dust off the bike and get back on two wheels and enjoy the city from a different perspective.  As a passionate cyclist myself and with so much untapped talent out there, I’m very much looking forward to judging the entries.”

Councillor Nick Paget-Brown, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea says: “There are many people across the borough who love cycling and exploring the local area on two wheels. However, there are some who have never considered it for a number of different reasons.  This competition aims to show people just how much fun cycling can be especially in such a visually beautiful and well-known part of London.  We hope that film-makers are inspired by our streets, and that, through their films our residents and visitors will be inspired to start cycling.”

 To see full competition and entry details and Bikeminded’s own short film please visit: http://www.bikeminded.org/2012/04/bikeminded-launches-cycle-shorts-filmmaking-competition/

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A Medway Vision 8: Monster Ambition

Editorials

Taken by Phil Dillon

It’s so often not just about the talent.  It’s about work rate too.  The distinctive artistic blossoming of the Medway Towns, that vibrant feeling that something special is happening, the ‘Medway Vision’ as I call it, can’t merely happen from wanting it to happen.  Work goes into it.  A lot of sweat needs to be leaked if you are going to get your art seen or heard.  If hard work brings rewards then up-coming Medway band Crybaby Special and the Monsters will be reaping heap loads very soon.

The band only came into being in September last year but have already played in virtually every venue the Towns have to offer culminating in the release of their first ever EP ‘Man in the Woods’.  And let’s not forget all their London and other Kent gigs.  Starting out as an acoustic two piece (Josh Carson, Jason Stafford ) they wrote a few songs and spent one day rehearsing (yes, ONE day, these boys want things done fast) before debuted them at an open mic night.   In the words of Josh Carson “it’s been non-stop ever since, with Lewis Crennell joining the band on drums at the end of January 2012”.  Before this, the band was just one man, singer Jason.  He performed solo as Crybaby Special for the best part of a year before deciding he wanted to play as a band.

And so, endless gigging led to their first EP ‘Man in the Woods’  The EP was recorded in February 2012 with Mik Whitnall (Babyshambles guitarist) and Adem Hilmi (who also records Babyshambles and Peter Doherty solo). Mik even plays on three of the 6 tracks.  Their sound has been described in a number of ways.  As Josh points out “Bob Dylan on Crack…Creepy, Eerie, Spider, Jiggery…Folk Punk sung by Fagin…our favourite though is probably Exuberant Garage-Folk-Punk from the Medway Delta from Bug Bear promotions who put on gigs in London” Oddly enough those descriptions sum up their sound pretty well.

However, seeing as Mik Whitnall from Babyshambles produced the EP you can’t help but hear the Pete Docherty influence too.  Add to that, if you will, a bit of ska as imagined by Midnight Oil and you’re getting the picture.  But, as cute and cool those Babyshambles/Ska tracks are it’s their most original sounding work that excites me most. The almost middle-eastern tinged title track feels most vital.  It’s not only the best track on the EP, but, if there is any justice, it will be on repeat play on radio stations throughout the summer.

Judging by the continuous cycle of gigs then the EP seems to have cemented their following.  But you know full well that these lads are not going to be happy with that.  There is an ambition here, a desire to get to the top.  This is already a touring band, a band that develops its sound the more it interacts with its audience.  Josh confirms “our plans for the future are to too just carry on as we are by playing at every given opportunity and anywhere we can”

It’s ambition; it’s hard-work; it’s about having a vision.  A Medway Vision.  Crybaby Special and the Monsters will carry on growing and adapting and reaching out to whoever wants to hear them next.  I think it was Paul Weller that said something like the people who ‘made it’ are the ones that didn’t give up.  If true then you can be sure that sometime soon, Crybaby Special and the Monsters will have ‘made it’.

‘Man In The Woods’ EP is available to buy from iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/album/man-in-the-woods-ep-ep/id525040739

http://www.facebook.com/crybabyspecialandthemonsters

http://crybabyspecialandthemonsters.tumblr.com/

Mr Young

Independent Filmmaker

www.themoontheeye.co.uk

www.twitter.com/Mr_Young

www.facebook.com/themoontheeye

Area  South East

Fuse Festival Programme Released – Medway – 15th to 17th June 2012

Creative and Art Events

The timetable for Fuse Festival 2012 has been released and you can now plan your  inspiring weekend!

http://fusefestival.org.uk/festival-programme/

Area   South East

Call For Illustrator – Single Artwork

Creative / Artist Wanted

James Colah requires help from an illustrator to design cover art for his new single which will be available to download through iTunes. The track entitled ‘Cha Cha Chiwawa’ requires artwork of a Chiwawa dog dancing the Cha Cha Cha. 

James is a very successful Smooth Jazz artist and record producer with his music being played all over the world. He has also just won the ‘Coffee Talk Jazz Radio International Songwriter of the Year Award’.

James is looking for someone who would like more exposure of their work as the song will be released on all major digital music platforms including iTunes, cdbaby and Amazon. He has a huge fan base around the world which will add to the illustrators publicity when the single is released. There is no budget available so he hopes that the amount of promotion the illustrator will gain through the opportunity will make up for this.

For more information about James, please check out his website here:

http://www.jamescolahproductions.com

If interested please send examples of your work or link to your website to jammy.c@hotmail.co.uk

Area: UK Britain East of England East Midlands London North East North West Yorkshire Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands

Artists & Illustrators launches the 2012 Artists of the Year competition – Closing 16th August 2012

Creative / Artist Wanted, Creative and Art News, Creative Opportunities

For the fifth consecutive year, artists of all abilities are being invited to submit their best artworks for entry into the Artists & Illustrators Artists of the Year competition, in association with the Victoria & Albert Museum.

 Last year saw a record number of more than 3,000 works submitted from around UK and abroad and this year is set to be even bigger.

 Artists from around the world are encouraged to send in their very best artworks for consideration for this year’s prizes and, to further encourage creativity, there are no categories for this year’s submissions to fall into. Participants are free to submit their very best artworks, whatever the subject or medium may be.

 “We are very excited about this year’s competition in particular as the new ‘open entry’ system will pave the way for all kinds of interesting and imaginative works to come through,” says Artists & Illustratorseditor, Steve Pill. “Since its inception in 2008, the competition has steadily generated more and more interest, both among our regular readers and also the general public. Remarkably, the standard of work also seems to get better and better with each passing year.”

After the 16 August 2012 closing date, a shortlist of works will be drawn up by a panel of expert judges, lead by Royal Watercolour Society’s new president, Thomas Plunkett. Readers of Artists & Illustrators will also have the chance to vote for their favourite works online.

The creator of the overall winning artwork will be crowned the Artists & Illustrators Artist of the Year 2012 and will receive gallery representation from a leading London art dealer and a practical art course of his or her choice at Newlyn School of Art.

Three additional prizes will also be awarded to outstanding artworks of our panel’s choosing. These are The Maimeri Watercolour Prize, The Society for All Artists (SAA) Prize and The West Design Prize. All four winners will also take home a £200 voucher to spend on Canson products and receive a free year’s membership to Artists & Illustrators online art community, Portfolio Plus.

To find out more about Artists of the Year visit www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/artist-of-the-year

Or, for further information, please contact will.delmont@chelseamagazines.com

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Summer Arts Carnival – 14th July 2012 – Maidstone – Call For Artists – Stepping Stone Studios

Creative / Artist Wanted, Creative and Art Events

Stepping Stone Studios are holding an Arts Carnival on Museum Avenue , Maidstone, on the 14th of July. They are joining up with local businesses and want to involve the town’s art groups.  This is the call out to get stall holders and performers involved. 

They are thinking bunting, hot food, arts and crafts stalls, performance. If anyone has any suggestions simply pitch your ideas in!

Here are some things to get you started:

1. Pitches and Stalls going for £6! Be one of the 15 stalls taking part.

2. Ideas for entertainment / food / performance. Know any awesome musicians or street performers? Pass the details on – the more acts the better!

3. Exhibit over the week! With all the fuss of the carival, increased footfall and a summer of exciting events it’s pretty good exposure in town centre.

4. Fabric donations required! For bunting workshops to start in June!

The event will kick off at 12pm

Please get in touch via bookings@steppingstonestudios.co.uk

www.steppingstonestudios.co.uk

Area – South East

Half An Hour At The Beach – Photography Feature By George Langridge

Editorials

Every Friday I go out and take some photographs, usually based around a theme. My original theme this week was ‘anti-fun’, however this week I found myself at the beach with my camera, and no tripod. This is a far cry from the ‘anti-fun’ theme I was supposed to be basing my shooting around. So here are a few of my favourites from the trip. The rest are on my Flickr in beautiful full resolution.

Half An Hour At The Beach

By George Landridge

As I was walking along the path just off of the shingle, I noticed this little plant growing from the cement. I was almost amazed at how out of place this little group of plants looked. Just after I took this photograph a gentleman stood flat on the plant which must count as anti-fun, no?

Further along the beach I saw this sign, instantly it was ‘anti-fun’. Also further back I had seen a dead fish so it was almost ironic. I love the way that the sign points down along the length of the beach, and as you look further down the beach it looks ever more out of focus.

As we were walking along my sister found this little shell, which I instantly stole and took a photograph of, in that way that I do. This image shows everything to love about abandoned beaches; the wood, stones, sand and shells. The warmth of the photograph also makes the beach seem nicer than it actually was. In that half an hour the light changed very quickly.

Next weeks theme is “Education” – in which I will be teaching a fellow photographer how to use manual mode on a DSLR.

All full resolution photographs from “Half An Hour On The Beach are here.

By George Langridge

@georgelangridge

Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike (CC-BY-NC-SA) George Langridge

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Win Tickets To Weald of Kent Craft Show – 7th to 9th September 2012 – Penshurst Place – Kent

Creative and Art Events

The Weald of Kent craft show returns in September for another weekend of showcasing creative talents from across the UK. There will also be a stunning show garden and delicious food and drink.

Over 200 skilled craftspeople from all over the UK will bring you the very best in handmade gifts and treats. With unusual wares you wouldn’t often find on the high street, there’s something for everyone from ceramics to glass, and jewellery to paintings.

Following their success with an award winning garden at the 2011 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, “How Green Nursery” along with “Chilstone of Tunbridge Wells” will be returning to the Weald of Kent with ‘The Chilstone Ice Garden’. This stunning show garden will house some of the fantastic ‘ice’ sculptures from the renowned sculptor Jane Robbins and showcase a sumptuous selection of plants and flowers that will whisk you off into the Garden of England.

Brand new to this year’s show, the Informed Design Graduate Marquee will showcase the work of the best newly qualified designers and makers from across the UK.

The Good Food Live area is a must-visit for foodies and you can match the perfect wine to your feast at the Tutored Wine Tasting. With a selection of wines from around the world, it’s your chance to pick up tips from the experts and leave ready to impress.

If you have always wanted to see a hawk, eagle or peregrine falcon in action make sure you visit the Birds of Prey Display where The Hawking Centre, based in Doddington, Kent will bring this thrilling experience to life. Two of the UK’s most famous falconer’s and television presenters, Leigh and Jo Holmes, will be bringing their favourite birds along to wow the audiences and give both young and old an unforgettable experience.

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

All winners have been notified.

Show Details

Weald of Kent Craft Show

Penshurst Place

7-9 September

Open 09.30 – 17.00 (17.30 Saturday)

Tickets:

Adult £6.50 (Advance £5.00) Senior £5.50 (Advance £4.00)

(Advance tickets need to be booked before 5:00pm on 3 September 2012)

Child under 16 free if acc by parent – otherwise £3

BUY 10 ADULT OR SENIOR TICKETS Get One Adult Free (In advance only)

Combined Weald of Kent Craft Show & Penshurst House & Gardens

Adult and Senior £10.00 (In advance only)

Buy tickets online at www.ichf.co.uk or phone Ticket Hotline 01425 277988

*COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

  • Closing date is 12th August 2012
  • One entry per person.
  • There are 4 pairs of tickets on offer, a total of 8 tickets.
  • Employees (and immediate family members) of any company involved in the Competition or, if relevant, any advertising agency connected with the competition are not eligible to enter the Competition.
  • In the event that any entrant is disqualified from the Competition, in our sole discretion we may decide whether a replacement contestant should be selected. In this event, any further entrant will be selected on the same criteria as the original entrant and will be subject to these Terms.
  • You must not sell the tickets. If you are unable to attend the tickets may be passed on to another creative or returned to Creatabot so another winner can be selected.
  • Competition entries must be made in the manner and by the closing date specified on the Competition Notice. Failure to do so will disqualify the entry.
  • We reserve the right to disqualify any entrant if we have reasonable grounds to believe the entrant has significantly breached any of these terms and conditions.
Area:   South East

Call For Artist / Creative – Exhibition In Orpington – July 2012

Creative / Artist Wanted, Creative Opportunities

Chloe Robinson is a young composer from Orpington in Kent who is currently planning an exhibition involving her recordings at the ArtStyle Gallery in Orpington.

Chloe plans to use a collage of voice recordings that reflect the way we discuss our life through social media and how we share  information about our private lives. She is looking for a creative person to collaborate with from any field – priority being that the space of the gallery is used in the most fulfilling way.

The gallery is already booked for 6 days from the 10th of July so all costs involved for hiring the gallery have been catered for. This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative to gain exposure of their work and experience the productivity a collaboration can bring.

If you are interested please email Chloe Robinson on chloepiarobinson@hotmail.com

To find out more about Chloe visit www.wix.com/chloepiarobinson/colonies

Area   South East

Putting the Spark Into Education

Editorials

As we move into the future more engaging ways are needed to educate, support and inspire todays youth. Enter Sparky – a puppet from another planet. Originally created for the project “Imagination Our Nation” Sparky takes a unique role in encouraging young people to actively engage with their creativity.

With the direction of co-producers Ciaran McKay and Charlie Ralph, a team of creatives take Sparky to visit schools in the Medway area and run workshops with the pupils. The goal of the workshops is for all the pupils to collaboratively hold an annual event involving Sparky for the local community in Medway.

The workshops begin with teaching pupils how to animate Sparky in a way that mirrors their own movements. The class then develop their ideas for the theme of the community event, often using various art mediums and creative writing.

The way Sparky engages with children is unique and this impresses the teachers as much as the children. Discussing the positive effect Sparky has, Ciaran responds by saying “Sometimes you go into a class and there are children who lack so much self-confidence, but by the end of the workshop these quiet children are the ones most involved! Sparky puts so many smiles on children’s faces and I really love the joy that brings to all involved”.

The theme for the 2012 event is “The River” and this year it will take the form of a parade that will be held during Medway’s “Fuse Festival”.

Sparky and his more recently created brother Magma are just two of a family of 20 puppets that were created to represent different regions of the UK for “Imagination Our Nation” – a project devised by international carnival design group Kinetika.

If you would like to find out more about Sparky, Magma and the rest of their puppet family please contact:

Ciaran ceem@live.co.uk or Charlie charliecookdesign@gmail.com

By Natasha Steer

Trace – Call for Artists and Contemporary Craft Makers – Closing 1st June 2012

Creative / Artist Wanted, Creative Opportunities

Covered By Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) Creative Commons Licence – Credit http://www.creatabot.co.uk

Background and Concept: The exhibition will explore the boundaries between art and craft, creating an environment where each are the same and each deal with the idea of a Trace.

Dates: 24th & 25th Hanging the exhibition, 26th to the 29th Exhibition Open, 26th Private View – July.

Venue: Motorcade/Flashparade Gallery, Bristol

Other details: This is a free opportunity to exhibit in Bristol at one of the leading galleries.We’re looking for Contemporary Craft Makers, Visual Artists, Film Makers, Performance Artists, Sound Artists and Text Artists that create work with an idea that there is a Trace – a Trace of something that once belonged, a Trace of something that once happened, a Trace of a suggestion.

The title can be taken literally or ambiguously as we invite a variety of ideas and art forms to create a collaboration between artists, ideas and mediums. The brief is open so as to hopefully inspire and conjure recognition in the subject. We welcome all applications.The exhibition will be curated by Context, a project led group that aims to create opportunities to provide support and provision for both artists and audiences. Within the exhibition held at Motorcade/Flashparade there will be a Private View which will include a short introduction to the exhibition, those exhibiting, and a debate about the differences and similarities between art and craft.

How to apply: Applications are invited from all who find this brief and exhibition relevant to their work, geography is no boundary.To make an application please submit a covering letter introducing yourself, your work and a proposal for the piece(s) you’d like to exhibit, along with documented examples of your work.Applications will be considered by Emily Bull, the project manager for Context and the Curators at Motorcade / FlashParade.

Please send applications by email to context.arts@googlemail.com
Should you need to post applications please send them to 15 Sidmouth Road, Bristol, BS3 5HT.
Deadline for applications:The deadline to receive applications is Friday 1st June.
Contact details:Emily Bull, Context Project Manager07720646314
Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Introducing A New Contributor – George Langridge

Editorials

George Langridge is a creative from Kent. He will be writing about various subjects that inspire him as well as talking about his own work, including photography.

So you’re studying media at the moment, specialising in what area? 

I am studying creative media production, which covers most areas. I personally specialise in development (including pre-production) and production. What can I say, I am full of creative ideas.
 
Do you plan to study any other creative subjects?
 
I would love to study photography, but my focus at the moment is finishing media at college and going to university to learn even more about media. One day you could be calling me doctor.

Who inspires you both locally and universally?

Inspiration… If I am honest, every single person I walk past inspires me in some way. Every single conversation inspires me to do something. For example the other day I wrote a comedy sketch based upon a conversation and a short film based on a passer-by.

What would you like to achieve in the future?

Provided we are still here after 12/12/12, I would like to make a couple of films or documentaries. After that I wouldn’t mind teaching media at college level. I like writing too so let’s see what happens. 

Can you recommend a creative website you love?

Actually, I think I can recommend about three. I love to read a site called Froknowsfoto , also Creatabot is almost a staple for me as it is crammed full of loads of cool content. Finally, I really like DigitalRevTV, the presenter, Kai, is really funny.  

We look forward to reading your articles George! Thank you for writing for us!

George has his own blog at www.stylefortyfour.wordpress.com and is on Twitter @georgelangridge

and Flckr http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgelangridge/

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

My Favourite Things – Building Confidence In Speaking – 1st June 2012 – 7PM

Creative and Art Events

“My Favourite Things” is an opportunity to discuss your favourite “things” to other people in a relaxed atmosphere over tea. Talk about things that inspire you! The aim is to strengthen your public speaking skills so that you can express yourself better as a freelancer. Or you can just listen and learn something new! If you are happy to present your favourite “thing” then just pick one “thing” and discuss it with others in the room. Be prepared for others to ask questions (you can always Google 😉

Subjects could include books, films, music, art, food, animals, people…anything you love talking about.

The event will be held at 161 High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1EH on 1st June at 7pm

After the workshop many  local creatives will be going to “Moogie Wonderland” at the Singapora Lounge on Rochester High Street. Moogie Wonderland is an artist run club night.

  • Please note, our venue (http://coFWD.org) is a very old bank building that is being slowly shaped by a community of individuals for long-term Community Interest. Sadly the startup project is in its infancy and being run on limited funds so the building currently has some accessibility issues. If you have specific access or disability requirements and would like to participate in an event or activity please let us know at least 5 days before the event date so that we can do our utmost to resolve any potential problems to accommodate.

Medway Open Studios – 7th to 13th July 2012

Creative and Art Events

Medway Open Studios and Arts Festival is a community arts festival celebrating the wealth of creativity in Medway. The event will take place throughout the Medway towns between the 7th and 13th of July.

The festival will include work from a full spectrum of artists, including jewellery, sculptures, print, paint, photography, and performance. Over 70 local artists in total will open their doors to visitors displaying their work in various venues, including 26 artist studios and 11 creative spaces.

Guide available HERE

The festival aims to highlight the quantity of artistic talent in the area, promoting a positive opinion of Medway as a creative hub. In the future the festival hopes to become an established annual event.

Heather Burgess initiated the festival, and with 2012 as the first year, the response has been enthusiastic, turning an idea into a full time project.

Speaking about the event Heather says “In the past I’ve managed open studio events in London and have always thought Medway was a perfect place for such a festival, with so much going on in a comparatively small area. If you’re an artist, there’s a whole other world to Medway that you’re involved in which can go completely unseen by others. I wanted to open that side of Medway out to the general public and show more of what Medway has to offer. I hope that no matter if you are a regular customer or a complete novice to an open studios event, everyone can learn something that they didn’t know before about their community.”

Open studio festivals are successful across Britain, with the same central framework to each – local artists and craftspeople open their doors and invite the public into their homes, studios and workshops. It’s a great opportunity to learn first-hand how different art forms are shaped, talk to the artists about their craft and see the creative spaces in which art is made.

To view images from all of the 2012 participants please visit www.medwayopenstudios.co.uk

Free festival guides can also be found at various venues in Medway and surrounding Kent.

Twitter @MwayOpenStudios or ‘Like’ the Facebook page and be entered into a raffle for £20 voucher to spend with any of the artists – www.facebook.com/MedwayOpenStudios

Area: South East

Garden Poetry Party – Launch of Rochester Literature Festival – 22nd July 2012 – Rochester – Kent

Creative and Art Events

A brand new festival for Rochester will launch in July under the banner of the Rochester Literature Festival.

With the inaugural Festival planned to coincide with National Poetry Day in October 2013, a number of fringe events will take place beforehand, the first of which is The Garden Poetry Party, on Sunday 22nd July, at Eastgate House Gardens.

Celebrated Medway Poet Bill Lewis will be joined by storyteller and founding RLF (Rochester Literature Festival) member Philip Kane, The James Worse Public Address Method and singer songwriters Abigail Zeiring-Delmado and Didi Bergman. Comperes for the afternoon will be stand up comics CO Jones and Mat Wills.

Among the entertainment will be at least one open mic session and a children’s creative corner, with more activities available for visitors to join in with.The event will take place between 12 noon and 4pm and there will be refreshments available to buy, courtesy of Dot Cafe, Sonya’s Cupcakes and The Cocktail Club.

Should it rain, the event will be held inside Eastgate House itself. A Medway Archive exhibition entitled ‘Metal Men of Medway’ is taking place inside at the same time, which looks at the stories of the art and memorials of Medway’s streets.

A number of book and craft stalls will also be in the garden. Enquiries on how to secure one can be made to rochesterlitfest@gmail.com

Promotions Director Jaye Nolan outlined the aims of the festival: “The Rochester Literature Festival wishes to bring writers, performers, directors, producers and film makers together, anyone, in fact, whose work has creative writing at its heart.

We’ll be looking for challenges and events, and the chance to collaborate with likeminded folk.

Rochester has a fantastic reputation for festivals incorporating dance, music and art, and, of course, our most celebrated author, Charles Dickens. We’re sure he would approve of a dedicated literature festival, especially one that will bring Medway’s huge variety of writers, old and new, to the fore.”

To keep up to date with all the news from the Rochester Literature Festival, visit their website here http://rochesterlitfest.com/ follow them on Twitter @RochLitFest  and like their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RochesterLiteratureFestival

Area: South East

Billy Childish Art Exhibition – Historic Dockyard Chatham – 1st June to 30th September 2012

Creative and Art Events

Billy Childish is a local cult icon, internationally celebrated painter, writer and musician who was born in Chatham, Kent.  He has spent the last 35 years developing an impressive body of work that is staggering in both scope and scale. 

As a young man Billy Childish spent six months in 1976 working as an apprentice Stonemason in Chatham’s Dockyard, and in 2011 he returned to the Dockyard as its first official Artist in Residence. The culmination of this residency will be an exhibition of new paintings, drawings and prints at the Dockyard’s gallery – No.1 Smithery: The Gallery, whilst other work made during this period will be sent around the world and shown in solo exhibitions in London, Seoul, Berlin and then Los Angeles. 

Curated by London based Steve Lowe, the Dockyard exhibition – Frozen Estuary and Other Paintings of the Divine Ordinary – will also show a selection of Childish’s recorded and written work along with other background material relating to his life and times in the Medway area. 

The exhibition will be displayed in the NO.1 Smithery. For opening times please visit http://www.thedockyard.co.uk/Opening_Times

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

The Art Of Publishing – By Emily Foster – Entry 1

Editorials

I’ve been working in publishing for eight months now and one thing I’ve learnt is that there are lots of potential authors out there. It seems like every event I attend there’s an author in the making to meet, and every week I receive new emails from people pitching their prose.

Take last week for example – I was at a networking event chatting to the host when she introduced her friend, who just happens to have written a book. He launched into his spiel about a how-to guide to get into the games industry.

By now, this kind of conversation is nothing new to me. Usually I give some advice, but the response is always the same: “Will you publish me?”. Now, these are not unwelcome asks. At Limehouse Books we try to be as open as possible. We’re a very small, independent publishing house, a start-up and fully self-funded. We can’t publish everyone, but we try to help where we can. So, this time, I decided to offer something different.

I pitched him right back. I told him about our imprint, Limehouse Tower, how it’s a new outlet for writers to self-publish, whilst taking advantage of all the benefits a publisher can offer. What this means to us and the author is exceptional design, production standards and worldwide distribution channels.

It’s also the first time a trade publisher has openly created an outlet for people to promote their work that’s integrated with the running of our own Limehouse projects.

I gave him my card. He said he’d think about it and went back to the bar. Maybe I’ll hear from him. Or maybe I’ll wait to see what budding author the next event brings…

By Emily Foster

@emilyjayfoster

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/emilyjaynefoster

Emily Foster

Area: UK Britain East of England East Midlands London North East North West Yorkshire Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands

Review – Blackbird Blackbird – 15th May – Brighton

Editorials

One man, one Macbook and one Akai controller. The sounds of Blackbird Blackbird leave you imagining a full team of sound engineers with various decks and controllers, but Blackbird Blackbird is just one man, Mikey Maramag, and a whole bunch of musical artistic talent.

Demonstrating what can now be achieved through a small amount of modern technology, Blackbird Blackbird’s work can only be described as art in sound version. Creating layers of audio using electronic, drum, vocal and keyboard samples along with various other sounds (including owls on the track “Heartbeat”)  this gig left me inspired, and brought to my attention real sound engineering talent.

Watching Mikey “perform” is unique. Similar in some ways to a live DJ using various decks to remix audio, Blackbird Blackbird adds to the set by adding some live vocals and by becoming part of the music visually. You feel while listening to his creations that you become part of the sounds that he hears personally to himself in his mind. Like the greatest artist that visually expresses what he see’s in his mind so perfectly onto a canvas for all to see, Mikey Maramag does so with sound into a room for all to hear.

This was Blackbird Blackbirds first gig in the UK and he brought something quite new with him from his home of California. Inspired by the likes of M83, he sets out to add his own touch to the genre of chillwave music and express himself personally through what you hear.

Personally I think chillwave is a genre that is going to grow extensively in the next few years with access to the tech needed to create this type of sound becoming more and more accessible. Each artist will set out to express themselves through their own samples and sounds. What is great with Blackbird Blackbird is that through hearing the music you get to hear Mikey expressing his personal edge of creativity. Seeing Blackbird Blackbird perform live adds an extra layer to the sound that you don’t get through headphones, so I highly recommend that experience.

Details of the Blackbird Blackbird tour can be seen at 

www.blackbirdblackbird.bandcamp.com (right hand side of page)

and you can listen to his music through Spotify.

By Natasha Steer

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

New Creatabot Contributor – Emily Foster

Featured Creatives
Our new contributor Emily will be writing short diary type articles for Creatabot that discuss her recent experiences working for small independent publishing house “Limehouse Books“. Her aim is to give writers a little more insight into how things work behind the scenes and also provide ideas and suggestions as to how to progress in the publishing world. I spoke to Emily to find out more about her and how she got into working in publishing.
 
So Emily, whats your creative background?
 
I studied Graphic Communication at Bath Spa university, and graduated last summer (2011). At university I got involved with the student magazine and interned at local magazines – publishing was always a focus for me. But I’m originally from north London – it’s good to be home. 
 
How did you get involved in Limehouse?
 
I was a design intern at Limehouse Books just after I graduated, and started my part-time job here in October. The company is very small so I work in lots of areas as well as design, like organising events and press. 
 
What other career paths have you taken?
 
None so far – but as well as working at Limehouse, I also work part-time as a Junior Designer at a company called Informa. I work on some of their healthcare magazines. 
 
Who inspires you both locally and universally?
 
People with drive and determination inspire me. Working at a small start-up and watching it struggle is hard but you have to keep motivated and keep going in order to succeed. 
 
What would you like to achieve in the future?
 
I’d just like to keep doing what I love! 
 
Can you recommend a creative website you love?
 
I like the It’s Nice That website, I think they do a lot for us creatives!

Thank you Emily for telling us more about yourself!

You can find out more about Limehouse Books at www.limehousebooks.co.uk

By Natasha Steer

Area:   UK   Britain   East of England   East Midlands   London  North East   North West    Yorkshire    Scotland South East    South West    Wales   West Midlands

Join a French Theatre Company and be part of the Fuse Medway Festival 2012

Creative and Art Events, Creative Opportunities

 

As part of the annual outdoor festival’s commitment to the local Medway community, it is offering a very unusual opportunity to anyone up for a new challenge.  French theatre company Houdart-Heuclin is bringing their new piece of theatre to Medway and Fuse would like to bring a group of people together with the company to produce a stunning piece of outdoor entertainment.

If you’d like to try something new (you never know, you may discover a hidden talent) then do read on.  Fuse and Compagnie Houdart-Heuclin are looking to develop a ‘roving’ piece of theatre called ‘The Padox’, which will perform at the Festival during the weekend of the 15-17 June.  Workshops will take place at Gillingham Adult Education Centre from Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th  June (9.30am to 2.30pm) in preparation for the big weekend.  Participants will learn new skills from the renowned company such as theatre, singing, use of puppetry and other animation techniques. Best of all, they will play a crucial role in this year’s Festival.

The Padox have been developed by Compagnie Houdart-Heuclin and are an incredible collection of characters never seen before in the UK.  They perform everyday acts within the crowd, but they stand out and make us see our surroundings as never before.

Padox participants will appear at the Opening Parade on Friday 15th (4.30 – 5.30pm) will stroll around Chatham town centre on Saturday 16th at the Street Arts Day (12 noon to 5pm) and then wander through Rochester Castle Gardens on Sunday 17th (12 noon to 5pm) There will also be an opportunity for the group to work on a full show of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Participation is free and all those who fancy a challenge should contact Fuse’s Artistic Director Lélia Greci by emailing Lelia.Greci@medway.gov.uk or by phoning her on 07594 578 646.  Places are limited, so please call by Wednesday 23rd May at the latest.

About Fuse

Happening over the weekend of 15-17 June, Fuse Medway Festival brings the very best artists together, taking the colourful and unusual onto the streets of Chatham, Rochester and Gillingham, bringing people together for fun and celebration. Events are free and no tickets are required.  For more information go to the website at www.fusefestival.org.uk or join them on Facebook or Twitter.

Area – South East

Nucleus Artists at Nucleus Arts Centre – Medway Open Studios – 7th to 8th July 2012

Creative and Art Events

Nucleus Artists will be opening their doors and studios to the public for one weekend running 7th – 8th July 2012 as part of the Medway Open Studio & Arts Festival. 15 resident artists and craftspeople will be opening their studios, and up to 14 associate artists, designers and craftspeople will be displaying their work in the conference room of the art centre.

With artists ranging from painters, photographers, sculptors and jewellers this event will present an unequalled opportunity for art lovers, gift hunters or just the curious.

An affordable art deposit scheme is available by arrangement so why stick to the “high street” when you can have original art by original local artists.

Nucleus café will also be open both days for delicious cakes, tea, coffee’s and cold drinks.

Nucleus gallery will also be open with an exhibition by Val Weller 

(see www.nucleus-arts.com for more details).

Event address – Nucleus Arts , 272 High Street, Chatham, Kent ME4 4BP

There is partial Disability Access across the Nucleus Art Centre & Studios (details available on request)

Resident artists open studios:
Katie Blench Photography
Sian Bostwick Jewellery
Alex Cooley
Jon Gubby
Marissa Mardon
Maggie Osborn
Pete Reeds
Christopher Sacre
Deborah Saunders
Sophie Jongman
Anne Taylor
Donna Chapman
Angie Berkley
Alexandria Welch
Sarah Langstone

Area – South East

A Medway Vision 7 – Broken Genius

Editorials

What’s in a name?  A mask?  Identity?  Hailing from Rainham, Medway musician and painter Lupen Crook is, quite simply, captivating.   Lupen Crook is not his real name of course.  It’s Matthew Pritchard.  But, if it’s a story about being driven to create that compels you – the Medway Vision if you will, then Lupen Crook is all we need to know about.

Lupen Crook is a prolific painter and musician.  Oh, and his makes his own animated music videos too.  Flirting with fame and being one of the NME darlings for a while, he is one of the jewels in Medway’s creative crown.    But if it wasn’t for that name change it might never have happened.  Lupen explains his early days, “I played with Chris Garth (now of UPCDOWNC).  Later, when the Tap n Tin hey-day was in full swing I was performing initially with Bonzai Reservoir (whose members included Chris Austin of Tape Error), and when that imploded I started out as Lupen Crook.”  It was this ‘implosion’ that began a new chapter and it was here that his artwork also took root, having to cobble together band posters with little materials or money, and the same went for his DIY album releases.  Lupen Crook became an artist just trying to do the best with whatever was to hand.

Initially signed to the Tap n Tin label, the EP ‘Petals Fresh From Road Kill’ was released as 500 vinyls all with hand-painted sleeves. In true independent style, he has since self-released via his own label Beast Reality, the most recent being 2011’s ‘Waiting For  The Post-Man’.   Describing the process Crook states, “Beast Reality started out much the same way as everything else, having no one else to do it for me, so I did it myself. My good friend, web-designer and writer Stuart Hardy ended up getting on board and together we’ve honed the self-release approach over the last few years, experimenting with each release and thinking on our feet.”  It might have worked out differently.  In 2005, NME got behind Lupen Crook and featured him on their 2005 Cool List compilation.  A star was surely born?  Well, yes and no.  Lupen decided to go it alone.  Using his own record label, using his own vision.  Fame eluded him but his art was intact.

Lupen Crooks’ music defies category.  How many times does an artist say that their work doesn’t fall into a musical category, only for you to listen to it and then realise that it’s about as generic as a Rom-Com.  Lupen breaks the mould.  Try as I might there is no chance of me being able to tell you what ‘category’ his music fits into.  Take his latest album, ‘Waiting for The Post-Man’  It starts off sounding like Bowie, takes a strange neo-gothic u-turn, shuffles about near the area labeled ‘folk’, then heads off to 80’s electronics before getting all World Party-ish with it’s pop melancholia.  If there is one thing I could describe it as, it’s just singer/songwriter pop.  Brilliant pop.  Rarely have I heard the sound of a record with so many tunes on it not to have hits.  But then maybe that’s part of the problem.  The record industry does like its categories and my guess is Lupen Crook’s genius for writing from the hip will be admired for a long time without anybody actually being able to pin his sound down and sell it.  Lupen confesses,  “musically, it’s eclectic. They are folk songs in the sense they are stories, but then it has always felt very punk in spirit. Basically, it’s free.”

As for his paintings, they capture an essence of Medway as much as the music and lyrics.  They show the beauty and majesty of Medway but always with the knowledge that the heartbeat of these Towns is often the rough-around-the-edges social chaos that we so often see on a Saturday night.  Looking at his paintings I keep thinking of something he said and it makes sense; “my influences have always been my surroundings – people, places, shapes, sounds – the mistakes I’ve made, the people I’ve hurt, the things that have hurt me – everything that makes an impression on me inevitably ends up becoming an influence.”  As an artist I understand that, as a fan of music and painting I can see that ethos clearly in his work.

Last year Lupen had exhibitions of his artwork in London and Medway (at Rochester’s Deaf Cat Café). This year he is continuing to paint, although he does promise that there are some new musical projects in the pipeline. While Lupen is holed up creating we can catch a glimpse of his work in and around the Towns.  Currently Nucleus Art Gallery in Rochester is exhibiting his work. Aside from that, he is performing a one-off gig at London’s The Borderline on 9th June supporting Jim Bob from CARTER USM and the video he made for the song ‘Chasing Dragons’ is set to be shown at London’s Progressive Art Centre. The show is called ‘DIY POP VIDIO’ and it’s being curated by Medway artist, poet and musician Sexton Ming.

Where next for Lupen Crook?  When you have come this far down the road, when you have worked hard to create the output of ‘Lupen Crook’, where does the next stage take him?  “As for actual goals in my life, keeping my head above water and the wolves from my door whilst continuing to create things; be that music, art, videos – whatever feels inspiring at the time.”  Listening to Lupen Crook, you get the impression that these sounds could ONLY have been written in and about Medway.  His paintings, the same.  If any artist can be classed as the ‘voice’ of Medway’s dark underbelly then Lupen Crook is surely it.

Lupen Crook plays The Borderline, London on the Saturday 9th June supporting Jim Bob from Carter USM.  Tickets £12 http://theborderline.co.uk/listings/date/2012/6/9/

‘Waiting for the Post-Man’ is out now on Beast Reality Records priced £10  http://www.lupencrook.com/

For more information about Lupen Crook’s paintings visit:  http://www.brokenarts.co.uk/

Mr Young

Independent Filmmaker

www.themoontheeye.co.uk

www.twitter.com/Mr_Young

www.facebook.com/themoontheeye

Area – South East     London

Featured Creative – Mark Richmond – Sculptor

Editorials, Featured Creatives

The amount of creativity Medway has to offer still amazes me and it was refreshing to meet another artist who fits so well with the ethos of Creatabot. I had seen Mark Richmond’s work at the Nucleus arts shop in Rochester, but had not met the person behind the work until recently when I went to find out more about him.

Marks father, Michael, was a carpenter who owned Kent Joinery in Cuxton and restored a house in South Green over a 12 year period. Often being in these surroundings and seeing his father at work was a strong influence on Marks creativity. As well as making wooden carvings and sculptures other artistic talents include painting, sketching and working in the band “Saferoom Studio“. It was through working in the band that Mark met other local creatives who were involved in Nucleus artist studios.

Mark was also commissioned to help create buildings within “Dickens World” at Chatham Maritime. “I had a friend that was working there and he told me they needed a carpenter. I was helping out with general work and then one day someone just said to me “we want you to build a house here please”. I loved it, being able to build such a structure from scratch was brilliant” Mark told me.

Looking around Marks living room there were many of his unique wood carvings and sculptures. I asked whether like most artists he found it hard to part with his work “I do get used to something I have made being around, but it is nice to pass on my work so that someone else can enjoy it”.

I brought up the controversial subject of how much you charge for creations, something as a creative I realise is always hard to work out. Mark said “when someone asks me how much I charge per hour I say  “when I am working fast or slow?” . Because you work at your own pace when your making something and you can’t look at it in pay per hour way”.

I notice that unlike most households the TV isn’t the centre of the room. “Do you watch much TV?” I ask. Mark looks at the TV in a discontent way “There really isn’t much on, I prefer learning, I really like watching TED, there are some great things on there”. I agreed with him and it reminded me how many people don’t realise there are so many more options around now to help you learn new things. I’ve found there is a real connection with creative people and learning, we are inspired by new information and connecting the dots.

Mark made in clear whilst we were talking that he isn’t motivated by making “a quick buck” with his work, and that he genuinely enjoys doing anything artistic. I find it inspiring to be around people who do what they do because they enjoy it and have no ulterior motive. When asked about his future plans, Mark simply says he just wants to carry on making sculptures.

You can see more of Mark Richmonds work at www.uniquewoodcraft.com

By Natasha Steer

Area – South East

A Medway Vision 6 – Elusive Images

Editorials

Rochester is beautiful.  We all know that.  The historical buildings, the river scene; it’s all been photographed and painted so many times and rightly so.  There is a photographer in Medway, going by the name of Obee, who continues this tradition but adds a new twist.  Obee’s images have a traditional feel but, by using a variety of techniques such as time lapse, creates a more surreal look, making those images that we have all seen so many times suddenly feel more mysterious and elusive.

And yet Obee still makes the pictures fun and easy to enjoy.  Obee explains that he decided to quickly document the Medway towns “my goal was to set a day three times a month where I would take my bicycle and camera out and archive towns and events recommended by friends. By 2010 I had amassed a small archive of Medway and surrounding Kent and found I had developed an avid following by the local community, so much so that I started to publish a weekly blog of my fun adventures and where I was heading to next to keep people up to date”

Previous to this Obee started out in 2004 photographing unsigned bands in the London metal/rock scene.  He soon discovered the 

potential of Photoshop and began to manipulate the raw images.  Obee then began to take advantage of the myspace band promotion movement by providing visuals such as online banners, EPs, Tshirts, flyers, gig photography and album covers.  Early 2008 Obee left London and moved to Medway, where he began to meet other artists found what OI too have noticed; a growing hive of creative activity and a varied music scene.  Obee soon developed his very own ‘Medway Vision’.  No doubt inspired by the beauty and interesting features of the area Obee decided to concentrate, so far at least, on landscape shots.  He explains “I wanted to try and get some good old fashioned photography back into my portfolio and capture some of Medway purely for its grand history.”

His style is warm yet haunting at times.  Obee explains “photography of landscapes are currently my signature style with full clear broad colourful spectrums pushing vivid imaging to the max. Another technique I define my works with is infrared and time delay, a skill that was more used on pre-digital cameras. To allow 6 minute exposures with only the furthest end of the light spectrum can produce some of the most haunting images. Human traffic vanishes into a thick fog leaving just the buildings and the camera as witness.”

Obee seems to believe in the ‘Medway Vision’ I have been noticing, this desire to create, this special creative time we seem to live in.  His attitude to his work is refreshing, honest and modest too, “I have a firm belief art is by no means hard if you are genuinely open and passionate about your environment and those you share it with.”  Seeing Obee’s work, those views we are all so familiar with but shot in a different way, is like seeing yourself in a mirror but with a new suit on.  You know it’s you but it looks fresher, more relevant for the 21st Century.

The goal of Obee is to keep shooting events and places in Medway and he hopes that there is a possibility of an exhibition of his work.  If that happens and you want to see Medway with fresh eyes then you will want to be first in the queue.

For more information visit:  obi3380.wordpress.com

Mr Young

Independent Filmmaker

www.themoontheeye.co.uk


Area – South East

Call For Artists – For London Luton Airport’s Gateway Gallery (Deadline 6 June 2012)

Creative / Artist Wanted

London Luton Airport is looking for talented local artists from Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to display inspirational artwork in their Gateway Gallery in 2012 or 2013. The Gallery, delivered in partnership with Luton Culture and advice from Arts & Business is located in the main terminal building adjacent to the Onward Travel Centre. London Luton Airport is the fifth busiest Airport in the UK and expects to see over 10 million passengers in 2012.

With an average of 25,000 passengers travelling through the Airport every day the Gateway Gallery provides local artists with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their artwork as well as giving Airport passengers greater access to local artistic talent. 
The Airport is looking to hear from talented artists who believe they can offer an original, impactful exhibition for the Gallery. This can be in any 2D medium.

For your artwork to be considered please visit and download an application form at www.londonlutoninthecommunity.com.

Applications must be submitted by 12pm 6th of June.

The winning three entries will win free display space for a minimum of two months during a period in 2012 or 2013. 

From www.artsandbusiness.org.uk

Area – London      South East

Space and Time – Photography Exhibition by Gemma Pepper – May to October 2012 – Llandudno – North Wales

Creative and Art Events

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The first time Gemma Pepper realized she wanted to become a photographer she was stood on top of a mountain in Zakinthos in Greece.

Born in Hertfordshire and raised in Switzerland, Gemma grew up in a creative family, her Mother is a keen watercolour painter and late Grandfather a photographer and painter, she found herself encouraged to follow her dream of becoming a photographer. In 2010 she moved back to North Wales to study for a HND in photography, now approaching the end of her final year she chose to stage a solo show as part of her assessment, the result is ‘Space and Time’.

Inspired by the likes of Francesca Woodman, Ralph Eugene Meatyard and Duane Michals, Gemma’s work explores ideas of representation and the self, with portraits of young females and self portraits a prevalent theme. For this body of work Gemma sought inspiration from surrealism and traditional darkroom techniques, using a 35mm camera and long exposures she began to question the notions of time and space.

Having used an old Village Hall in Dolgarrog and an empty Hanger in Beaumaris for similar photo-shoots Gemma experimented with both Digital and Film [both 35mm and large format] working through ideas for her final project responding to the buildings features and the models relationship with the space. It was through sheer coincidence that Gemma found her biggest inspiration for the project in the shape of an empty Edwardian Pumping Station in Rhos-on-Sea, thanks to the support of estate agent Richard Baddeley she was able to use the building as the location for the end photo-shoot, using long exposures and blurred movements to evoke the constant changes that affect and shape our lives.

In 2011 Gemma achieved both first and second place in two Focal Press competitions, and is currently shortlisted for the ‘Art, Design and Media Student award 2012’.

‘Space and Time’ will be touring from May at ‘CASC artist studios and project space’ to Zurich, Switzerland in October 2012.

The exhibition is the first public exhibition to be held at ‘casc artist studios and project space’ an artist-run organisation consisting of artist studios and a project space, founded with the mission of supporting and promoting both emerging and established contemporary visual artists from North Wales and beyond, by providing affordable artist-run studios and an exhibition/project space. Key to the groups’ ethos is the development and sustainability of local, regional and international initiatives, promoting research and community outreach projects.

Gemma’s exhibition is the starting point for the group’s mission to help support and nurture upcoming talent, providing them not only with an exhibition space, but invaluable advice, guidance and a kickstart to their burgeoning artistic careers.

More information can be found about Gemma on her Facebook Page and CASC artist studios project here

Written by Badgemakesart

Images copyright Gemma Pepper

Area – North Wales

Zine Reading and Zine Work Shop -12th May 2012 – Rochester – Kent

Creative and Art Events, Creative Opportunities

Come along and learn about the wonderful world of zine making & self publishing. zinesters Tukru (your pretty face is going straight to hell) and Emma (fanzine ynfytyn) will give you a lowdown on zine making, answer your questions and help you make your own mini zine and/or a workshop compilation zine! They will also read from their zines + some of their personal favourites.

LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE. PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACE IN ADVANCE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT AT http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/3389138003

Zine reading will be free to attend, but the workshop has a sliding scale of £2 – £5 suggested donation ON THE DAY for materials + space hire, however booking a space is free.

Unfortunately the space isn’t currently wheelchair accessible, but if you have accessibility needs and are interest please let us know and we’ll see if we can arrange an accessible place for the next workshop (if there is one).

Visit www.medwayzines.tumblr.com for more info!

BUT WHAT IS A ZINE?
A zine is a self published magazine (for the lack of a better word) zines are not just for wannabe journalist, but also a great medium for putting out pretty much anything you can think of that can be put on a piece of paper!

Area – South East

A Medway Vision 5 – Preserving Pop

Editorials

Some places in the world are defined by music labels that, somehow, managed to capture a moment in pop history.  Think Motown (Detroit), Sub-Pop (Seattle) and Factory (Manchester) and, well, you get the idea.  Medway could well be on the verge of getting its very own defining record label in The Preservation Society Presents run by Neil Burrow.

Neil, Artist Manager and Record label boss at The Preservation Society Presents, has worked in the music industry for 21 years as a manager and label boss. Having worked with likes of The Bluetones and Jesus Jones, amongst others he is used to hit records and fostering success for bands,

The label was started in 2010 initially as an outlet to release records by Medway band Theatre Royal; they have since expanded, signing Dead Lovers from Dartford and Medway hip-hop act Kids Unique.

Neil believes that Medway is a special place right now “there are loads of great bands in Medway & wanted to give them a way of releasing records. It brings a focus to the local scene which can only be a good thing”

“The acts on the label are quite eclectic. Broadly speaking, Dead Lovers and Theatre Royal are alternative pop bands, Indie I suppose, but they take in Psychedelia, Folk Punk and County. Kids Unique are a Hip Hop band, but as well as Hip Hop, funk and dance music they are heavily influenced by lyricists like Morrissey and Nick Cave as well as acts like the Beta Band”

In keeping with the ‘Medway Vision’, that feeling of independence and artistry that permeates the Medway towns, TPSP is fiercely independent but is not afraid to ensure commercial success too.  As Neil points out “we have an emphasis on melody and hooks and working closely with our artists to try and create an environment that allows creativity to thrive but we also utilise commercial angels. We do not want to be pigeon holed by genre, we’ll release anything as long as we think It’s good and believe in the record.  We are proud of our independence & what we are trying to achieve”

This year will be a busy one for Neil and TPSP.  Three albums are planned for release this year from Theatre Royal, Kids Unique and Dead Lovers as well as a whole host of singles and free giveaways. On top of this there is the, frankly, already legendary, monthly singles vinyl club where two artist release exclusive recordings on ltd edition 7” vinyl.  There is a feeling about these releases that remind me of early Sub-Pop records.  Vital purchases and will probably be worth a fortune in years to come.

And that’s not all.  Alongside plans to open a TPSP rehearsal studio in Rochester, Neil is also promoting a new event coming to Rochester on 28th July 2012. Based on the hugely successful SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, this new event called Music Event One (ME1, geddit?!) will utilize the main stage in the castle (capacity of 4600) as well having 10 other venues along the High Street putting on various music , literature and art events. Neil explains “this first year is 1 day, next year 2 days building up to a 3 day event in 2014” Neil sensationally announced earlier this month that the headline act is to be John Lydon’s PiL.  Quite a scoop and one that will give this new festival the exposure it richly deserves

When you live in an age of independence, as I believe we do here in the Medway towns, then you need people to support that.  Luckily, for the Medway music scene at least, Neil Burrow is one of those people.  For years to come expect bands from all over Medway to long for their music to be introduced as ‘The Preservation Society Presents…’

Kids Unique debut single ‘Seymour Evil’ is out now on digital download.

Vol 1 of the singles vinyl club is out now featuring Theatre Royal and Kids Unique

 

Volume 2 features Dartford’s Dead Lovers and Margate’s Pantomime Villains.   Both can be bought exclusively through the website: www.thepreservationsocietypresents.com.

Mr Young

Independent Filmmaker

www.themoontheeye.co.uk

www.twitter.com/Mr_Young

www.facebook.com/themoontheeye

 

Area – South East

South East Open Studios – 1st to 17th June 2012

Creative and Art Events

Open studio events have flourished in recent years and can be found in many regions across the UK. Participating artists open their studios to the public at certain times of the year, exhibiting their work and often their creative processes. Visitors enjoy the opportunity to meet the artists and glean something of the artist’s passion and dedication.They can also take part in workshops, view demonstrations, commission a piece of work, buy work on display or simply have a chat with the artist.

Open studio events provide an informal network for artists and are a great opportunity for member artists to meet like-minded people and showcase their work to a wider audience. SEOS (South East Open Studios) is one of the oldest and largest open studio events and encompasses the whole of Kent and the East Sussex borders. Numbers of participating artists continue to rise and now typically reach around 300. Membership is open to all visual artists and crafts-people in the region and includes many disciplines such as painting, print-making, ceramics, textiles, photography, illustration, jewellery-making and sculpture.

There is an annual fee to join but members benefit from group publicity throughout the year and are advertised on the group website and in the annual full-colour printed guide available in libraries, tourist information centres and art galleries throughout the region.There is also help and advice on hand regarding marketing and how to make the most of membership. Other benefits to artists include regular newsletters, information on opportunities/special events, and access to group public liability insurance.

As well as being a platform for regular members to connect with an established audience these events are often an ideal starting point for new artists looking to lay good foundations for their burgeoning careers.

For more information on SEOS please visit http://www.seos-art.org.

Image is of Dani Humberston 

Area – South East