WESTWORLD 001 / DEC 2013
FREE
Exploring Arts / Culture / Music / Film within Bristol
WestWorld
INCLUDING
Sofa Surfing Campus Style Loot Vintage Cath Love Wildlife Photographer 2013 FEATURED ARTIST
Jessica Johnson
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WESTWORLD 001 / DEC 2013
Editorial – Christmas Shopping
EDITOR’S LETTER
SO FA SURFING
Jill Alger & Dulcie Horn
Hello and welcome to WestWorld’s new home! A place where all things creative assemble – whether it be photography, illustration, poetry, fashion or anything else we deem suitable! We envision this section of your student newspaper to not only be informative, but to also be a means of acknowledging and showcasing the works of professionals and students alike. We want to give you the chance to share your creativity with others across the university, so if you would be interested in getting involved please submit your ideas to the email at the foot of this page! Is it just us or is this year passing at double speed? Summer feels like yesterday yet before we know it Christmas will be upon us. You don’t need to worry about present buying this year though as we’ve put together a handy guide to online shopping. We also checked out Loot, the new vintage store in town, so if you’re in need of new, or should we say old, clothes then it’s definitely worth checking out! On top of all of that we’ve also thrown in a few examples of your artwork. We hope you’ve enjoyed your first term at uwe and embraced every opportunity!
Article / Jill Alger
One Man, One Hundred T-Shirts / Paul McQuay
Students are notorious for being ‘lazy’. Despite what you may say to defend yourselves against the media’s slams of students being slobs 365 days a year, there’s no denying that when it comes to occasions such as Christmas shopping, we do tend to opt for the easier, and often cheaper, options. Last year sdl surveyed 2,000 adults across the uk about where they planned to do their Christmas shopping and discovered that 54.2% of the overall spend was online. They also revealed that the majority [54.8%] of those who claimed they prefer physical shops over online shopping were over the age of 55, meaning most of the revenue being made from online shopping is coming from the younger generation (i.e. students). Trading through ecommerce has become incredibly popular over the last decade; in fact online retail giant, Amazon, reported an increase of 263% in online shopping on 25th December over the past five years, which is a number predicted to continually rise in the forthcoming years. With the ability to visit several stores without walking a single step, to leisurely browse at your own pace without other customers pushing past you, and with many sites offering free delivery and further discounts to their physical stores, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that online shopping is the more painless option. So whether you’re on the hunt for the perfect Christmas outfit, or are in need of stocking fillers, here is a list of some of the best online stores — handpicked for your every need. Five Pound Gift Shop www.fivepoundgiftshop.com
Student living can be hard at the best of times, making Christmas a wallet-wrenching nightmare. If you’re strapped for cash after a term of heavy drinking, check out the Five Pound Gift Shop – where everything’s £5 or less. LilyLulu www.lilylulufashion.com
Gifts aren’t the only thing you have to budget for around the festive season. For all those Christmas and New Years parties you’re bound to need some new clothes. Lily Lulu has it covered for you girls with dresses from £14.99! Not on the high street www.notonthehighstreet.com
Bored of giving your loved ones socks every year? For something more original head to notonthehighstreet.com and browse through their endless pages of novel gift ideas. Lavish Alice www.lavishalice.com
Treat yourself this Christmas. With the likes of Millie Mackintosh, Ashley Roberts and the Faiers sisters all being papped in their stock, Lavish Alice allows you to look like a celebrity even if you’re on a student budget!
If online shopping really isn’t your thing, don’t get caught up amongst the masses in mainstream chain stores — take advantage of smaller independent shops in your local area. You’re spoilt for choice in Bristol, so don’t waste it!
Would you like to contribute to WestWorld? We are looking for artists, writers, photographers, critics, editors, fashionistas, linguists, designers and general culture vultures To apply as the next WestWorld featured artist / to direct all
Iota
feedback and comments
It’s important to support your local boutiques, especially when they’re as charming as Iota! Located on Gloucester Road, this little gem is brimming with beautiful homeware and gifts that your friends would be lucky to receive.
artsandfashion@westerneye.net Editors
Creative Direction & Guest
Jill Alger
Graphic Designer
Dulcie Horn
Matt D Woodman
Fox and Feather
Also located on Gloucester Road, Fox and Feather brings ‘a breath of fresh air to the stale state of the high street’ with their chic clothing pieces and accessories.
Mollie & Fred
info@mdwoodman.co.uk Contributors Jill Alger
Typeset
Dulcie Horn
Brandon Text
Jessica Johnson
HVD Fonts
www.mollieandfred.co.uk
BS8
Klara Foreman
If you’re stuck for gift ideas this Christmas then head on over to Mollie and Fred for quaint homeware, stationery and accessories, all with a vintage twist.
If vintage clothing is more your style then BS8 will be right up your street! This Park Street wonder has an entire section dedicated to re-worked items.
Beth Randall
Calluna
Chaneen Salako
Exljbris
Kiki Ogilo
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Featured Artist – Jessica Johnson
Featured Artist
Jessica Johnson
Level 2 Illustration student hailing from Bedfordshire
When and why did you start illustrating?
Why did you choose UWE?
Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated by images and have always been interested in creating, making and drawing. Throughout school I found myself with a pencil in my hand whatever the lesson, always finding a way to bring art into the subject. More recently photography has become a great passion and it’s a rare occasion to find me without a camera these days; my photographs often become a starting point for my illustrations. I started to focus more on illustration alone during my Graphics A-level course at Sharnbrook Upper School and then specialised in it for my Art Foundation Degree at Bedford College.
Because of its print room mainly. Before I came to UWE I hadn’t done a lot of print but I loved what I had done and wanted to carry this on. I also liked how Bower Ashton is a small building that doesn’t feel too daunting and almost feels like a college more than a uni. I love Bristol as a city as one minute you can go from being in the middle of a bustling city street, to the next being in the middle of the country side, to then being by the calm of the water at the harbour. It has everything and I knew this would be a fantastic place to draw.
What and who inspire you?
Everything and anything. I know this is a typical answer but I get inspired by the smallest of things but mainly buildings and people. Artists who inspire me is an ongoing and growing list. Ronald Searle, Gerald Scarfe and Jon Carling have inspired me for years, as well as Phlegm, Pat Perry, Luke Pearson (he’s a part of Nobrow press), Sandra Dieckmann and the list goes on and on! Recently I have become a massive lover of zines and comics and my recent discoveries are ‘An ABC’ by Philip Harris, ‘The Tiny Pencil’ and ‘Rum Lad’.
where I would sell my cakes (I love to bake and get very creative on the decorative side of course), in the middle there would be my shop/gallery where I would sell my personal work and at the back my open studio where people can watch me work. I have been lucky enough to have already been employed to illustrate. A month or so ago I drew 7 small illustrations for the BBC – a show which will be aired next April. There was a very demanding short deadline and the whole thing was very professional but I loved it! Now I am starting to want to illustrate for television. There isn’t any dream job really – the more I can do the better!
What’s your style and what media do you work with?
I feel I haven’t settled on a style yet; I’m still experimenting. I love working with fine liners and doing detailed line drawings as well as exploring different materials and mix media using fabric dyes, bleach and ink. I am currently fascinated with the thought of controlled and uncontrolled work and have been playing with this idea. What would be your dream illustrating job?
I have had the dream of becoming an independent freelance illustrator with my own shop for a few years (there is a small quiet road in London … yes I have already chosen the spot!) At the front it would have a small cafe
jessielouillustration.tumblr.com facebook.com/JessieLouillustration Would you like to be our featured artist in the next WestWorld? Email / artsandfashion@westerneye.net work is accepted in absolutely any medium
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WESTWORLD 001 / DEC 2013
Fashion – Campus Style
Hannah’s scarf is FCUK and her socks are Huff
style spotting
Klara Foreman
Alice’s hat is handmade and real velvet, the rest of her items are collected from places like St Nicks market
Ca mp u s St yle
Everyone’s got an excuse for some kind of snuggly accessory, from slouchy velvet hats and tartan scarves on the girls to a plethora of beanies on the boys.
As we come into November and the weather is getting decidedly colder unfortunately we’re saying goodbye to bright summer hues and the autumnal festive colours of burgundy and forest green are coming back in strong force.
text
Dulcie Horn Joe is wearing a Geo coat, which he found in a lost property bin Beth wears a men’s shirt from Urban Fox
Tanya’s clothing was all found in Bristol charity and vintage shops, apart from her shoes, which she bought in China
Beth Randall
We’ve also seen some prime examples of student thriftiness this month with clothes being sourced from across Bristol charity shops and vintage stores … One coat even being found in a lost property bin!
Ben is wearing a Barbour coat and a Quiet Life hat
photography
For this month’s ‘street style’ feature our lovely photographer Beth and style spotter Klara looked no further than the students on Bower Ashton campus for some inspiration.
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Bristol Store – Loot Vintage
Gimme the Loot! Loot Vintage Menswear
Loot Vintage Womenswear
Article / Dulcie Horn & Chaneen Salako
On Wednesday 6th November we were invited to the press preview of Loot, a new vintage shop opening inside the Bear Pit
Loot Vintage Team [left to right] / Joe Morris Promoter, Janine Parkins Store Manager, Louise Dooley & Richard ‘Rocket’ Emerson Owners
The Loot project is the brain child of Louise Dooley and Richard Emerson (aka Rocket). They opened their first store just two years ago in Leamington and this Bristol store is only the second location. We were lucky enough to have a chat with Rocket who said that though they looked into many locations across England, Bristol kept being recommended as the perfect fit; “As a City I feel it has only progressed as the cultural pulse of the uk”. Rather than buying in bulk, as many other vintage stores do, all of the clothes are painstakingly handpicked from cities across America and Europe: New York, Texas, Miami, la, Barcelona, Copenhagen and Berlin. “You sometimes do 10 hours a day, of sorting and picking, just to find those hidden gems, those beautiful things from all different decades, and for it to be as cheap as chips”. Rocket also co-owns a boutique menswear shop and this is shown in the fact that Loot, refreshingly, actually caters more for the boys! Rocket was passionate about his anti-consumerist ethos and what that means for Loot for example: unlike many other vintage and retro stores Loot is surprisingly affordable. As a prime example we were shocked to see a Ralph Lauren men’s shirt for only £23! Another fantastic aspect of their make-do and mend attitude is that they ‘rework’ items to bring them up to date while still retaining their character. The in-house seamstresses will shorten hems, bring in waistlines and add embellishments for you as well as adjusting sizes so your ideal individual piece will be perfect you. What is really appealing is that the sewing and customisation machines are visible, so you actually see the seamstresses at work! Affordable and gorgeous vintage clothing isn’t all that Loot’s got up its sleeve though. They have many other plans in store; “We believe we can generate a real community scene for people with an interest in fashion, art, music and health.” They are always keen to push the boundaries in order to integrate with the local community. Firstly as a platform for local artists who will be able to display and sell their work within the store. Secondly with ‘Loot Live Sessions’ as a way for local musicians to get their sound heard regularly. Further to this there are plans for the 2,500 square feet space to be turned into a yoga studio for evening classes. Louise and Rocket do have plans to open more shops in different cities but not before 2016. Until then they plan to spend time on our Bristol store as well as launching their new website ‘Gimme the Loot’ where customers will be able to shop by decade and city. Loot Vintage Clothing 6-9 Haymarket Walk Bristol, bs1 3ln
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International – Wildlife Photographer 2013 / Cath Love
r E e F I h L p R D A a L E r I Y g W o E t H o T ph OF
WESTWORLD 001 / DEC 2013
queen of the graff
Cath Love Article / Kiki Ogilo
The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is once again returning to Bristol and will be open to visitors from Saturday 30th November 2013 to Sunday 23rd February 2014. For the first time, the popular touring exhibition will be displayed at Mshed, on the city’s harbourside. Visitors will encounter the rich array of life on our planet with this touring exhibition from the Natural History Museum. Now in its 49th year, the competition provides a global showcase of extraordinary images celebrating the drama, beauty and splendour of the natural world around us with astonishing, creative and sometimes humorous wildlife photography. The annual competition is owned by two uk institutions - the Natural History Museum and bbc Worldwide. Each year, tens of thousands of entries are received. Judged by an international jury of photography experts, the images, submitted by professional and amateur photographers alike, were selected for their creativity, artistry and technical complexity. The winners were announced back in October and the winners, runners up and highly commended entries will all be on display. Chair of the panel, Jim Brandenburg, says: “These talented photographers have made capturing wildlife on camera a true art form. They have given us a rare glimpse into moments in nature and places on our Earth that are constantly changing but, through their photographs, can be
enjoyed by future generations. I am honoured to be a part of such an important competition”. Also commenting on the exhibition, Julie Finch, Head of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives, said: “There is no doubt the annual Wildlife Photographer exhibition in Bristol is extremely popular. Each year these thought-provoking and stunning images draw visitors to the city far and wide. I’m sure this year will be no exception. In addition to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, visitors will also be able to discover ‘Bristol Wildlife’ and get wild about their city with a special display of rarely seen specimens from our natural history collections, celebrating the city’s unique wildlife. The is offering more than ever and we are proud to bring it back to Bristol, especially at a time when we are preparing for Bristol Green Capital 2015. With At-Bristol’s ice-rink and the addition of Wildlife Photographer of the Year at M Shed, the harbourside will be the place to visit this winter”. An intriguing range of public events will accompany the exhibition, from a romantic valentine’s event for lovebirds and bird-box making for families to special photography workshops for those wanting to perfect their techniques and an engaging talk by competition judge Roz Kidman Cox.
G O W ILD
Information from press release: Bristol.gov.uk Exhibition tickets / Adults £3, Concessions £2 For more information / mshed.org
Catherine Grossrieder, or as she is more famously known, ‘Cath Love’ is a graffiti artist of Thai and Swiss descent. Born and bred in Bangkok Thailand, Cath moved to Australia to study a BA in Visual Communications before moving to London to pursue a career as an artist. Living in East London, Cath immersed herself in the growing urban scene, using life around her to inspire the style of her art. Cath’s works are heavily inspired by hip hop music and the subculture that surrounds it. She uses cartoon style drawings to playfully convey the suggestive and underlying adult themes which run through her pieces. It is interesting to note that the style of her drawings can be linked to manga, a popular Japanese style of drawing now commonly used in comics and cartoons. Although her drawings are more developed and tailored to her personal style of drawing, it is fascinating to see her use of this style to convey themes of an originally western subculture. In one of her most popular works, a series of illustrations titled ‘Greasy Fried Dreams’, Love has chosen consumerism as her focal point and thus explores the relationship between the chicken shop and its appeal in the urban scene in a surreal, dark yet comical manner. These works formed her most recent exhibition, at Jaguar Shoes 2010, composed of a range of vast wall murals. Love highlights the different characters one is likely to find in the chicken shop such as but not limited to: chicken, scantily clad women with exaggerated curvaceous bodies and men dressed in a style that is popular among those in the urban scene, as well as other non-human characters imagined by the artist. Her works have featured internationally including commissions for Selfridges in London where she created the ‘So in Style’ Barbie mural for the Selfridges Launch in 2010, as well as a mural for the ‘All the Way Live’ photography exhibition at the Roundhouse, London. Cath’s works are synonymous to fellow French graffiti artist Fafi, who gained international fame after she partnered with make-up company mac, to create the limited edition ‘Fafi loves mac’ collection. Although commonly considered a graffiti artist Cath Love actually describes herself more as an illustrator and graphic designer and has founded her own graphic design outfit, Daily Dose. Through this medium she shows that her style is diverse, not only specializing in graffiti/manga style art but in other forms of illustration as well. Cath Love now resides in Hackney, East London where she continues to pursue her career as a graphic designer and illustrator. For more of Cath’s work, check out her site where you can view her completed works, and her blog where she takes you through her daily life as an artist living in London and travelling the world. www.cathlove.com / www.cathlove.tumblr.com