Last weekend was our first Cooper's Yard Open Studio event. We chatted to many interesting folk including photographers, film-makers, students, art teachers, printers, subway enthusiasts, old colleagues and chums ... we even played a spontaneous game of balloon football with a two-year-old. Yes! We hope to see you again next time.
Join us. We're opening our doors for the Cooper's Yard Open Studios. Our thriving community includes fine art, architecture, dressmaking, jewellery, letterpress, luxury goods, make-up, personal training, photography and textiles.
It'll be great to see you!
It's a year since I completed artwork on the Lincoln Castle Revealed project, under the design lead of Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA). There was no scrimping on substrates - we worked in enamel, slate, cast bronze, etched bronze, plaster, vellum, resin, slate, scrim and oak. As you can imagine, the work was time-consuming and heavy on technical challenges - I worked on around 175 graphic pieces.
In a purpose-built vault for Lincoln’s Magna Carta is a 50m sq wall showing the full text of the charter - clauses used in current law are picked out in gold leaf. This could have been my most memorable typesetting experience yet… line breaks have never felt so crucial!
The bronze site model on the circular table was created by Loz Simpson of Topografik. What I really enjoyed about witnessing Loz's process is that not only did he consider historic and topographic accuracy alongside the visual aesthetics, he also controlled how rain will travel across and drain from the model… an incredible melding of technical and artistic skill.
Take a look at the map sample below – this is a small section of a much larger piece. At some point in its life it had been torn in two, was covered in marks and blemishes and was heavily annotated. My job was to retouch/redraw it back to its original state so it could be used over a 30m sq floor in two colour. It took many weeks of careful work which felt like digital restoration, if such a thing exists. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the final install but it was produced and laid by the wonderful Displayways who are, without a doubt, my favourite go-to guys for all things graphic.
Topografik:
www.topografik.co.uk
Displayways:
www.displayways.co.uk
Lincoln Castle:
www.lincolncastle.com
(post by Tanya)
Sometimes a wonderful job comes along that means much more than design. This is one of them. Deborah Tallentire approached me to create her a new brand and I jumped at the chance. Deborah - Debs to her friends - is a tailor and costumier with an impressive set of skills and a client-base to match. I knew I'd get as much out of this project as I put in - I've gained both an fascinating insight into her world and a new buddy.
Debs has always had a very clear idea of who she is – she coined her strapline while being interviewed for an apprenticeship at Angels the Costumiers. (Google them – they won an ‘outstanding contribution’ BAFTA this year). When Tim Angel asked why she wanted to work with them she said "because I want to put character into cloth". She carried this philosophy with her throughout her time there and it’s now at the core of her own business.
During the initial design brief, I felt quite strongly that we needed a visual representation of ‘putting character into cloth’ and, keeping in mind her client-base, it had to have movement, dynamism and a suggestion of ‘theatre’ in the broadest sense of the word. After much drafting, I came up with a needle and pin dancing together to create the letter 'D' – the idea being that she can use the icon as a stand-alone device and still keep her name firmly in peoples’ minds.
We’ve completed the first stage which is the website, digital presence and the embroidered labels - the latter of which I got a real kick out of. Next is stationery and work-wear and, with her eyes firmly fixed on the future, there are plans for more as Debs expands her business, including branching out into stage-ready.com, an exciting new venture that will see her and her team out of the studio and on location.
Take at look at her website - design and build by Gunpowder Studios:
(post by Tanya)
What Tanya has been up to:
• Early in the year Tanya retouched/re-drew the lead image for the current temporary show at Horniman Museum and Gardens.
• She's just finished a project for the Learning team at the Museum of London. The brief was to create designs and written guidelines for schools' activity packs. The resulting suite of resources can be pulled together by an artworker and adapted for any age and activity.
• She finally has an Instagram page! Her first post was an appliqué piece – her love of which has been revived while being dazzled/humbled by the needlework of our latest client Deborah Tallentire.
What Mike has been up to:
• Mike is pitching an illustrative product range to a client - we've got our fingers crossed and will keep you updated if and when things take off.
What we've both been up to:
• Having committed to an open studio event in June, we're busy building, drawing, cutting and sticking.
• We realised we've built up quite a portfolio of animated GIFs but we've never made one for a client. If you're a client looking for a playful, stylish GIF, take a look at our work and get in touch:
http://chutneychorus.com/gifs/
Enjoy yourselves.
After the thaumatrope adventure a couple of weeks back, we thought we'd try another early animation technique. This is a phenakistoscope ... another snappy name that's easy to remember.
The original phenakistoscopes were discs mounted on a handle, a little like a child's windmill. The idea was that you stand in front of a mirror, spin the disc and look through slits at its reflection, which all adds up to make the images appear to move.
Why ours ended up with a breakfast theme, we can't say ... sometimes it's best not to question these things.
Mike used paper, pencil, pen
It's no secret that we're fans of Horniman Museum and Gardens. After a recent visit to their African Worlds Gallery, we were itching to make some masks of our own. Mike was drawn to the Nigerian Janus-faced masks, while Tanya was influenced by the Kenyan initiation masks. As you can probably tell, the aim was not to replicate - the originals were a springboard for our own ideas. All-in-all a very satisfying Saturday afternoon project, which we hope will grow (stringy) legs of its own.
Tanya used cotton sateen, silk, wool, ribbon, pen and parcel string
Legs are model's own
Thaumatropes are a 19th century invention. If you watch two images on opposing sides of a disc spin rapidly, they appear to merge. Dazzle your loved one on 14th February.
It's cold and grey out there – put a bit of colour in your cheeks.
(Tokyo/Tokyo/Okayama/Tokyo)