Culture Night

Tonight is Culture Night across Ireland. As I mentioned before I am taking part in the celebrations in Derry by showing some work in the Culture Offices just beside the Guildhall.
I have created a new papercut based on the tale of a local Derry legend called Half Hung MacNaughton.
The story goes that MacNaughton was a down at heel part of the Irish gentry, who claimed to have fallen in love with a young heiress, Mary Ann Knox from Derry. However, her father did not give consent to their marriage. In November 1761, an attempt by MacNaghten and his followers to abduct Mary Ann from a carriage on a journey to Strabane and elope with her failed, when he shot and mortally wounded her by mistake. A court found MacNaghton guilty of murder and he was sentenced to execution by hanging. So distraught with grief was he by the death of his love that MacNaghton is alleged to have hurled himself from the gallows with such force that the rope broke. Some versions say that this was divine intervention and MacNaghton could not be hanged for a second time; others say that he could have used the cover of a sympathetic crowd to make good his escape but he chose not to. Instead John MacNaghton freely re-ascended the gallows to be hanged successfully.

This is the first in a series of paper cuts that I am planning to do on this subject.

So if your in Ireland go  enjoy the nearest event to you and if you in and around Derry then please pop in to the Culture Offices and say hello!

Friday Photo

Gally, France 2008

More heartbreak…

Just a quick mention; if your around Shoreditch in London next week and your about to split up with your significant other then you'll be happy to hear that the Pika Pika patented Break up Card  is on sale at the Design Diversions Pop up Hub, as part of the London Design Festival.  There are lots more wonderful designer goodies on sale too so pop down and have a look even if your not planning to break someones heart!

Friday Photo

Child's play, Northern Ireland, 2004

Culture Night – Derry 2011

It's been a little empty round here this month. This has been down to the fact that I have been busy creating some work for Culture Night .

I will be showing a mix of work I have already created and some new stuff in the City of Culture Offices just beside the Guild Hall. Exactly what I am going to show has yet to be finalised but one thing is for sure; I know there will be a few long ,frantic, cafe infused nights ahead, that said I'm really looking forward to it. Time to get my head down again…

Friday Photo

4 things, Pair sur Mer, France 2011

Heartbreak at the Hayward

Just a quick note to say that the break up cards will be available to buy at the Hayward Gallery in London in their new 'this is not a pop-up' shop. Also featured will be the paper cranes folded by fellow Pika Pika partner Miho Aishima to raise money for the Japan tsunami appeal. Also there is friend and fellow CSM alumni, Tina Tsang who will be showcasing and selling some of her beautiful creations for her own company Undergrowth Design and for those not lucky enough to see her at the Hayward, no worries Tina will be appearing at this years Maison Object in Paris.

Friday Photo

French Alps, Summer 2007

Green Man projections

Just got a few photos through from the Artic Circle team (who are all recovering in a darkened room!) of their adventures at the Green Man festival. Here are a few pics I'm sure there will be more to come. All photo credits go to Diana Jarvis, pop over to her site and check out some of her other work!

Penguin Inked

Cover designed by Russ Abbott

Paul Buckley over at Penguin publishing must have one of the best jobs in design, not only has he some of the greatest books ever written at his to design jackets for, but also an almost unlimited ability to commission new illustrations! Personally I think we are living through a golden age for book jacket design at the moment, almost everytime I walk into a bookshop there are at least 6 titles which scream "BUY ME!" just on their book cover alone, Paul Buckley and his team at Penguin have played no small part in this consumer compulsion! Penguin covers are innovating and always engaging with the reader to pick their books off the shelf and to take them home. Well they have done it again, this time commissioning Tattoo artists to give their take on classics such as Angela Carters The Bloody Chamber to Helen Fieldings The Diary of Bridget Jones. This new series is collected under the title of Penguin Inked and has been running in America since 2010 but only just came to my attention when I was in a bookshop during my summer break in Ireland.

Cover designed by Gonzallo

Most of these are based in the new wave of old style sailor tattoos, I wonder if any literary fans out there will get inked with their favourite authors sleeve?

Cover by Tara McPherson

Cover by Duke Reily

Cover by Bert Krak

Cover by Jen Munford

Cover designed by Duncan X

Cover designed by Valerie Vargas

Cover designed by Han van der Sluys

Cover designed by Lynn Akura

Friday Photo

YMCA, North London, 2005

50 shades of blue

Edwyn Collins is a walking marvel! Not only has he been busy recording a new album, producing a multitude of and putting on a growing number of exhibitions of his drawings. If that hasn't been enough he has been working with Liberty fabrics to create a range of printed fabrics featuring his beautiful bird illustrations, that are part of their Liberty Rocks range that also features Blur's Graham Coxon.
Edwyn has also been working with Elli Pop who has again taken his ornithological illustrations and applied them to a range of tableware. So what's next a Jaguar/ Collins car colaboration? I'm just hoping for a new album. As edwyn says 'Keep on chooglin'!!'

An American Icon

OK, 16 August is the day where people of a certain age wonder what the world would be like if 'The King' had lived.
So in true blog tradition I went off trawling the internet for a suitable image to mark Elvis's passing and to muse on his impact in Northern Irish culture when I came across the work of an artist and illustrator call Bob Kessel.
I don't know if it is the power of an icon in the collective imagination, (the on going sitings of Jesus, Elvis, Jacko in everything from cornflakes, tortillas and clouds may attest to this!) but his series American Icons which reduces stars like Marylin Monroe and Marlon Brando to bold cubist shapes and primary blocks of  colour are all immediately recognisable. If you want to see more of Kessel's work then click here to explore his landscapes and other paintings. So instead of a post on Elvis, you get a post on cubist painting! The King moves in mysterious ways!!

Friday Photo

Saorsie, Northen Ireland, 2004

The Lost Type Co-op

I came across this type house a little while ago while researching some vintage type for a project and was amazed by their model. As they explain in their own words:
The Lost Type Co-Op is a Pay-What-You-Want Type foundry, the first
of its kind. 
Founded by Riley Cran and Tyler Galpin, originally in a whirlwind 24 hour adventure to distribute a single typeface, Lost Type has blossomed into a full fledged foundry, distributing fonts from designers all over the world, with its unique model.

Users have the opportunity to pay whatever they like for a font, you can even type in '$0' for a free download.

100% of funds from these sales go directly to the designers of the fonts, respectively.

Lost Type takes no cut of sales, and holds no funds.

I think this is amazing and the quality of the typefaces are perfect for those projects that need a typeface with a certain look.  Also if you have half an hour pop over to their blog to see some of their typefaces in action and where they draw inspiration from. Long may the project continue!

Friday Photo

Donegal Beach, Ireland, 2011

Penguin Cinema

If your not festival-ed out already and have room to squeeze another in this year then I recommend the Green Man Festival which features our friends from the north; Arctic Circle who will be putting on a weekend of cinema and sound and creating an island of calm to rest and relax from the rest of the festival's shenanigans with artists such as Emily Barker, NSRO and Paper Cinema!

I created a paper cut illustration for the occasion which I'm lead to believe will be projected in the cinema tent. For more information  pop over to the AC website, and if that wasn't incentive enough The Sleeping Years will be playing on Sunday, so don't put the tent away just yet!

Friday Photo

Bear mention

Just had the sleeve of BLK w/BEAR latest release featured in Design Week's News in Pictures.

Uncle Sam

I was up in Derry the other day having my first look at the new Peace Bridge, well worth a visit! The weather was a little over cast and wet but seeing this ice cream van made me smile! I have lots of happy memories of seeing this van on Benone Beach and sampling it's wares.