News
January 2012 - Comic Club is Back!
The kids have decided that they want comics to be at the heart of Hackney Children’s Art School’s second term of classes, so Comic Club is back! We aim to produce a collaborative book for the end of term exhibition containing work from each child that cumulatively illustrates their journey exploring the discipline of graphic art and narrative. Kate has been working very hard to help them understand the difference between perceptual and imagined drawing, and how a combination of the two can create something new, and I have been busy coming up with ideas for generating stories and helping them develop style. I look forwards to showing the results soon!
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December 2011 - HCAS Christmas Exhibition
We proudly had our first exhibition as Hackney Children’s Art School this month, and all the children’s hard work over the first term was revealed to parents and friends, with original paintings, prints, sketchbooks, gift cards and portfolios all on display. Chocolate biscuits and glasses of wine (for the grown ups!) where plentiful and we even managed some quiz questions covering what the children had learned over the term. We would like to thank all the parents for their support and feedback over this first test term, all of which has been invaluable learning for the future of Hackney Children’s Art School. We would also like to thank all our first Art School pupils: Linus, Billy, Alice, George, Mia, Joseph, Ben, Alex, Teddy and Hardy. Kate and I have learned a lot from them!
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December 2011 – Bags For Sale!
We have just got our first Hackney Children’s Art School product hot off the press: 100% cotton bags with our ‘More Art For More Children!’ slogan, fantastically coloured by our first class of kids – they’ve had as much fun as us trying to remember who coloured what! Hopefully we will get them up in our online shop soon, with proceeds going towards helping us to connect the creativity of practicing artists and the children of Hackney.
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December 2011 – Ready For Anything
The book ‘Ready for Anything: Designing Resilience for a Transforming World’ by Anthony Hodgson has just been released by Triarchy Press. It introduces the World System Model as a holistic methodology for dealing with our complex world predicament, and is a perfect example of how the visual design of the World Model can find what I would term the ‘Profound Simplicity’ that allows us to develop the resilient and adaptive solutions we so badly need to achieve ‘one-planet living’. Anthony Hodgson, the founder of Decision Integrity ltd, and co-founder of the International Futures Forum is also my dad and I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity of helping him with the graphical development and application of the World Model, some of which can be seen in the book. ‘Ready for Anything’ also discusses the Calthorpe Community World Game I was involved with designing back in April 2010, and how the World Game can be used to help communities improve resilience. For more information on the book please click here.
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November 2011 – The Gane Trust
I have kindly been awarded an arts grant from the Gane Trust to produce and exhibit some work of my choice. The Gane Trust was started in 1954 by the Bristolian Crofton Gane (see above), a pioneering furniture designer and advocate of forward thinking creative design and craftsmanship. He was also known for working along side the Bauhaus designer Marcel Breuer while he was a refugee from Nazi Germany. I have plenty of work in progress waiting to be developed so I’m looking forwards to putting the money to good use!
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October 2011 – More Art For More Children!
With the present economic issues the arts are always high on the list of cuts and children’s art is especially venerable, particularly at primary level where there is no dedicated art teacher. Financial and time pressure means there is little budget for teachers to get outside art organisations in to help, if they can find them at all. I am therefore excited to reveal the latest social enterprise I have been involved with setting up: Hackney Children’s Art School. The project is currently based in the London burgh of Hackney, and is a collaboration with my sister and fellow artist Kate Hodgson. It’s purpose is to connect the creative educational needs of children to the skills of practicing artists, and to also provide lesson plans and opportunities to help primary school teachers. We believe helping to empower children to use their inbuilt creative abilities is beneficial to all, plus it’s fun! You can follow our progress and weekly classes on our website, we have some exciting developments planned and we’d love to hear from any interested parents, teachers or artists so feel free to get in touch!
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September 2011 – Out of this world!
What does it mean to be a human being? Who do we share our universe with? What is reality? What are we doing to our world and how would we like to live with each other in the future? These are just some of the questions touched on at the ‘Out Of This World: Science Fiction But Not As We Know It’ exhibition at the British Library in London. I went to visit the exhibition which is full of fantastic books and artwork, old and contemporary, curated to provoke new ways of looking at the genre and it’s influence on exploring new paradigms of politics, science, society, ecology and reality itself. This has been one of the main reasons I have been inspired by the creators of science fiction and I believe these artists and writers have always paved the way for pushing the boundaries and inspiring the world to think about the bigger picture.
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July 2011 – Fragments
My spare time in the past 6 months has been spent on the collaborative development of a graphic novella titled Fragment. The project, conceived and curated by Edinburgh based Lucy Dixon, is about collecting and translating peoples dreams into short stories, then getting selected artists to turn them into a graphic form. The story I have been asked to work on is loosely based on a couple of warring Gods and their relationship with the inner and outer worlds.
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August 2010 – Relocation!
A lot has happened in the past few months and I’ve re-located from London to the West Country! Next to the sea and close to Bristol, there’s a lot of interesting things going on here with design and environmental projects, although I’m in London (and hopefully Scotland!) regularly to keep an eye on what’s going on there. Watch this space to find out what’s next!
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July 2010 – The Poundshop is back!
Organised and designed by the wonderful Sara Melin and Household, the second instalment of the Poundshop appeared at the Shorditch Festival in East London this weekend. A pop-up designer shop with everything on sale for just £1, a couple of my products including the RecessionEze tea bags made an appearance – guaranteed to sooth away those money blues!
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May 2010 – Gaza Beneath the Bombs
Organised by contemporary jeweller Claire Pouget Wright, ‘Gaza: Beneath the Bombs’ was a fundraiser event held at Goldsmiths in London to raise money for her MA project in partnership with the participatory media initiative Voices Beyond the Walls, providing partnership with youth centers in Palestinian refugee camps. It was a great night featuring readings from ‘Gaza: Beneath the Bombs’ by Sharyn Lock and Sarah Irving, and a performance of the Palestine Monologues, as well as an art raffle which I was invited to contribute a couple of my prints to.
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May 2010 – Felting
I have recently been experimenting with felt making as a new media for mark making. This is my first attempt and I have been making a series of images based on my research on network theory and interconnectivity. The pieces are made from 100% wool and a combination of dry and wet felting techniques.
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April 2010 - We Are The World!
Thursday the 15th was the unveiling of our first pilot version of the IFF Community World Game hosted kindly by the Calthorpe Project, London. A collaboration between Nazreen A. Subhan, Jennifer Williams, Rebecca Hodgson and myself, it was a family day for people of all ages, a day of play and stories for exploring our worlds and how they connect. Alongside the actual World Games we played in a circle, we also ran a World Game themed treasure hunt and drawing competition. The day was an opportunity for participants to discover and learn how we all depend on each other and the natural world.
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April 2010 – The PoundShop
April Fools day saw the opening of the PoundShop in its first venue at 253 Hoxton Street, London. A project by Household and Sara Melin, the PoundShop is a pop-up designer shop selling everything from cutlery to jewellery for just £1. I was invited to contribute to the enterprise and came up with some recession themed products including tea and notebooks. The shop will be open from the 2-5th of April from 12-6pm so if you’re in the area go pick up a bargain!
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March 2010 – Climate Impact Patterns
I have been doing some more information design, using the IFF World Model to depict possible impact patterns that climate change could have on different parts of the world. The work is part of a larger project that is being done in an attempt to understand how these impacts will affect the UK and the subsequent policy development required to deal with these changes.
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January 2010 - MagTies
I have been busy the past few months working for MagTies, a bespoke men’s label specialising in neckwear. The brief was to completely re-brand the company from the logo right through to the website and clothing labels.
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October 2009 - The Teach-In
The Teach-In kicked off this month at the V&A in London, with the aim of embedding ecological and sustainability literacy in design education by 2012. The event was broadcast live to Universities across the country and the event itself was attended by both students and tutors from a range of different design disciplines. Organised by Jody Boehnert of EcoLabs, speakers included John Thackara (Doors of Perception), Richard Hawkins (Public Interest Research Centre), Andrew Simms (nef), Emma Dewberry, Jonathan Crinion, Stephanie Hankey (Tactical Tech) and more. Videos and more info on the event can be found at the Teach-In website.
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September 2009 - Hats at Highbury Estate
The second Neighbours Fair held at Highbury Quadrant Estate was a big success – and to help the local community celebrate the restoration of the statue “the Neighbours” by Sigfried Charoux on the estate, I ran a hat making workshop for the children throughout the day.
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August 2009 – The New Website!
The new website is up – hope you enjoy it!
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July 2009 - IFF World Model Graphics
For the past few months I have been working on a development proposal for the International Futures Forum on possible applications for their IFF World Game in a community setting. For part of this I have been developing possible graphical applications for the IFF World Model and created a visual representation of Herman Daly’s Future Scenario: ‘Life in a Land Without Growth’ (from Issue 2678 of New Scientist Magazine). The idea behind it was to push the ideas in the article though the World Model to give an instant visual representation of Herman Daly’s proposal.
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June 2009 - Here Comes Trouble
Here Comes Trouble is the fantastic video created for Ill Ease (Parlour Records) by George Wu. It tells the story of Mr. Peg and his dreams of buying a house and the trouble he had getting a steady job so he can afford it! I have been helping with the puppetry and it’s been a hectic few days but I think the end result makes it all worth it - you can watch the final cut here.
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June 2009 – Futures Analysts’ Network Seminar
This month I have also attended the Futures Analysts’ Network / UK Node Millennium Project Seminar held at the Royal Society, London. The seminar focused on recent developments in futures research methodology. Futures studies is the conceptually challenging but relevant practice that engages people to consider a range of interconnected driving forces that are changing the world – from globalisation to climate change. Through strategic and specialised techniques futures studies can help individuals, organisations and communities become more adaptive and creative at facing change. The futures field is underpinned by concepts of complexity and uncertainty and I believe visual communication has the potential to play a massive role in its development, use and accessibility.
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June 2009 – The Climate Roadshow at BASH Studios
We have been busy hanging the second stopping point for the Climate Roadshow at BASH Studios, with an exhibition running from the 18th to the 27th of June. Three bodies of work visualise possible futures through the perceptions of science, permaculture and economics.
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June 2009 – The Climate Roadshow at The Art Car Boot Fair
The Art Car Boot Fair at Bricklane saw the launch of EcoLabs’ Climate Roadshow, and issue 1 of EcoMag: Future Scenarios. The Climate Roadshow is a travelling exhibition, examining possible future scenarios (within the context of climate change) through the use of illustration. At the fair we where selling copies of EcoMag (also available through EcoLabs) and despite the heat it was a great day out!
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April 2009 – IFF City World Game
I have been involved with the production and design of the latest version of the IFF World Game, and its use at a three-phase workshop hosted by the International Futures Forum. The game was played by representatives from Learning & Teaching Scotland and Abertay University, with the aim of producing advice about strategic priorities for city resilience to an imaginary European council.
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February 2009 – The Methods Lab II
I have again been working with designer Selina Swayne to produce the promotional material for the second Methods Lab workshop run by the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the RCA. We produced flyers, name badges and a fold out poster to be used by the participants, outlining the sequence of design steps to be followed during the two-day workshop. I was also involved in some of the team activities during the workshop, which was focused on the challenges of living with Multiple Sclerosis.
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November 2008 – Christmas Art & Design Fair
In preparation for Christmas, I have collaborated with designer/maker Ann-Marie Faulkner to produce goods for a stall at the Abney Hall Christmas Art & Design fair in Stoke Newington. The event was organised by Oggleverything and we sold everything from prints and badges to cuffs and gloves.
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November 2008 – The Methods Lab
I have been working with designer Selina Swayne and the Helen Hamlyn Center for the past few months developing a new identity for their student program, now titled The Methods Lab at the RCA. This was unleashed at the first of the two-day workshops, where I was also joint-team leader for one of the four student teams. The interdisciplinary workshops for design students and tutors at the RCA where to encourage engagement with social change, and participatory and inclusive design methods. The conclusion of the workshop was the college wide presentation of the design solutions developed from the experience of working in partnership with a disabled artist or designer.
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October 2008 – Leeds Schumacher Lectures
This month I attended the Leeds Schumacher Lectures on ‘transforming the Global Economy: Solutions for a Sustainable World’. Speakers included Susan George, chair of the Planning Board of the Transitional Institute, Ann Pettifor, executive director of Advocacy International, and Andrew Simms, Policy Director for the New Economics Foundation.
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September 2008 – Hats at Highbury Estate
A community event on Highbury Quadrant Estate I was involved with running, culminating in a competition for the local children to make hats for “the Neighbours” by Sigfried Charoux. The event was the launch of a local history project and a successful campaign by the tenants and residents association to get the grade 2 listed statue, which is in a state of grave disrepair, restored.
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August 2008 – Clay Pride
Despite the rain, we ran a dough-based workshop at the Dolphinstock Festival in Lancaster, complete with life model and fig leaf!
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July 2008 – IFF World Game at the Big Tent
Version one of the IFF World Game, developed by the International Futures Forum and Decision Integrity Ltd, was played at The Big Tent festival, Fife. We encouraged participants to place a ‘pet project’ into the World Game with the aim of getting them to engage and internalise their project within the broader context of the world and its complexities through the medium of play. A 12-sided dice was then used to generate random combinations of trends, challenges and opportunities to strengthen the integrity of their ideas.
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July 2008 – New Views 2
I had the pleasure of representing EcoLabs and presenting a paper by Jody Boehnert titled ‘Design & Ecological Literacy: Part of the Solution’ at the New Views 2 conference. Held at the London College of Communication, it had the ambitious aim of defining graphic design for the future with emphasis placed on informal conversation and collaboration between participants.
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June 2008 - RCA Show
The completion of my final Masters project entitled ‘Endgame’ culminated in its unveiling at our graduation show at the Royal College of Art and winning the Design For Our Future Selves award for Inclusive Communication.