Evolutionary Endeavours...

Every so often, we stubble across a new designer that gets us very excited, and we want to work with them immediately! So today's graduate showcase is of Duncan of Jordanstone Textile graduate 

Claire Corstorphine.

Claire specialises in digitally printed textiles, which enables her to manipulate her photographs, and vintage finds to create an explosion of colour, and quirky imagery in her range of silk scarves.

For her graduate collection entitled 'Molluscs, Microbes and Mutants', she took inspiration from Darwin symbolism to create her own hybrid of the natural world. 

Although she presents a palette of bright zingy colours, on peeling back the layers of silk, a darker undertone of progressive natural selection is revealed, and her patterns show an abstraction of the core of life itself, fragility and strength seem then, to work in harmony...

Regarder, Aimer, Amour...

Ok, so the title is quite possibly the extent of my French which has departed my consciousness since the age of 16, (and I'm sure grammatically I'll get pulled up on it). However, experiencing Paris for the first time with an old friend who spoke the language fluently, and who used to live in the city, made it one of the best trips for quite a while...

The week-long trip was a heady mix of tourist must-sees and back street markets, and all neatly rounded off with some of the best food, which for me, and for most, is the key ingredient of any holiday. Now, I don't want to write a city break guide necessarily, but simply want to share some of my highlights, some of which will be pretty obvious, (The Eiffel Tower), and maybe some less so, (Place D'Aligre market). But the hardest thing to do is really condense it down so as not to share every photo I took along the way.

With that in mind, I'm going to be brutal and simply give you my top ten moments from the chicest city on the planet...

Nombre Dix

Jardin du Luxembourg

Park Life - Parisians don't do parks like we do parks. We're all about lazing on the large expanses of lush greenery that we are lucky enough to have in abundance. The residences of Paris on the other hand want to keep the grass green and untouched, so parks consist of tree-lined avenues, and lakes to sit by, to take in the scenery, and of course partake in some serious people-watching from behind those big Dior sunnies...

Nombre Neuf

Image courtesy of looksharpsconnie.blogspot.com

Vintage Finds - Of course no trip would be without a bit of vintage, and as we were strolling down on Boulevard Beaumarchais, I say, "what we need now is to stumble across a little vintage store..." and as if by fashion magic, Little Box Vintage appeared in front of us! A tiny little clothing and accessory store, its window filled to the brim with vintage Chanel. Inside, a treasure trove, and such a lovely lady helped us play dress-up in our new Parisian walk-in wardrobe!

For a bit of fresh air and a proper rummage, then you have to go early to head down to Place D'Aligre, it had a mix of bric-a-brac, clothing and hidden treasures, all of which you can haggle over prices with the seasoned stall holders...

Nombre Huit

Carousel near Palais de Chaillot

Spinning Around - Something that no doubt will turn into a bit of a tradition on return trips, and please do have a go if you're there, is the classic and beautifully painted carousel poised half-way on the walk from the Place du Trocadero to the Eiffel Tower. Away from the seriousness of the historical legacy of the city is a cheeky fairground ride which couldn't go unnoticed...

Nombre Sept

Piece by Nick Walker

Grit and Glamour - Paris has a reputation of being the city of glitz, but it's as much about the gilded statues and elaborate architecture, as the rawness in a similar vein to London, expect Paris is much more condensed so these juxtapositions literally jostle on every corner. From the Moulin Rouge on Boulevard de Clichy to the Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, both iconic and both within walking distance of one and other. 

I loved this piece by Nick Walker, perfectly positioned next to the classic street sign...

Nombre Six

A good gossip in Place des Vosges

People-watching - I had anticipated seeing glamorous Parisian's at every turn, but like New York in August, the locals tend to head to their holiday homes throughout the month, so there was much more tourist-spotting than  Parisian chic going on. This did have it's advantages though, as people you may not have noticed on a visit during Paris fashion week in September, came to the fore. I had to capture these four ladies sat in Place des Vosges, on one of our many pit-stops. Deep in conversation, with some definite gossipping thrown in, these life-long friends have probably been meeting here for years...

Nombre Cinq

Merci - Boulevard Beaumarchais

Merci beaucoup - As a designer, there were a couple of stores that were a must for me, and pretty well known by the creative industry. Namely, Merci and Colette. Merci on Boulevard Beaumarchais is a hybrid of all the best design stores, a touch of Habitat, a sprinkling of The Conran Shop and Muji. It's chilled, it's a meeting place, and with it's iconic entrance, this lofty space should be on the to-do list. 

Having a slightly different vibe, and more akin to Dover Street Market, the concept store Colette is like walking into a bar, but with no alcohol. The music is cranked up, but just enough not to interfere, and the all white space highlights its wares perfectly. A shopping experience not to be missed...

Nombre Quatre

Original detailing - Art Nouveau style

Metropolitan marvels - An iconic Parisian view, but unfortunately there aren't many of these beautifully languid Art Nouveau Metro entrances left in the city. A few were saved and remain one of the most recognisable details as much as the London Underground symbol is to London...

Nombre Trois

 

A little bit of Mona time - Now it can't all be quirky corners and cafes on this trip, it did need to be balanced with a touch of tourist activities. And aside from the Eiffel Tower, (we'll get to that,) seeing Mona Lisa was a must for me, and unsurprisingly for millions of people across the globe too.

The Louvre was actually our first stop, and I had no idea it was so big! Reliably informed by my good friend, and personal tour guide, it would take a week-long trip just to see the entire collection of art and sculpture that grace the various wings and rooms of the former palace.

Mona was on a wall all to herself, holding court from behind glass, not shy to the hundreds of cameras constantly capturing her rye smile. I suggest a good zoom on a camera is a must to try to edit out the sheer volume of people gathered...

Nombre Deux

La Belle Ferronniere - Brasserie Parisienne

Nourriture - Now down to the serious business of food! There's always been a bit of snobbery from the French that British food is inferior to their own, and as a lover of our British food, I have to say this statement isn't without warrant. We had talked about going somewhere 'special' and quintessentially Parisian, and after turning down a few along the way, we stumbled across this brasserie called La Belle Ferronniere. 

Typically, locals sit at small tables outside, and not facing their company, chairs are positioned facing outwards to partake in some good old people watching. Words cannot describe how incredible the food and wine was, all I can say is it was a good job we pounded the pavements from morning to night exploring the city in all its glory, and killing a few calories along the way...

Nombre Une

The Tower in all its glory

There's no introduction needed for my number one spot...of course it had to be the Eiffel Tower. I remember my first trip to New York, I loved every second, but it didn't feel like I was actually there until I saw the Statue of Liberty. The same is true of the Eiffel Tower. It's iconic stature is amazing, and whether first thing in the morning with the sun behind it, or as night falls, sparkling and twinkling on the hour, as a constant reminder its still there, it's amazing, and in my opinion, a beautiful beacon wherever you are in the world... Au revoir!

From blog to Plog...

In anticipation of the next issue of Plog Magazine, and our general excitement over being 'in print', we thought we would return the favour and find out a bit more about the publication, and its founder Son Emirali.

 

Still at University, amazingly, Son manages the design, marketing and distribution of Plog whilst studying Graphic Design at Winchester School of Art. And we complain about juggling our day jobs with running our own business, we cannot imagine trying to do something like this while studying for a degree!

We managed to catch Son briefly to answer of few questions about the magazine and his motivations after graduating...

What was your motivation for starting the magazine? Why now, why not wait until after graduating?

Well I started the mag in my first year at university, we were in the process of making a magazine cover for one of our briefs, throughout the project I was really getting into blogging and archiving all the students work that was inspiring me. I realised I didn't want this work to just sit in my bookmarks, I wanted to have a physical piece of it so I remembered it. I think that alone was the key motivation, to be surrounded and inspired by great work.

At the time, waiting until I graduated wasn't even something to consider. Being so passionate about others work I couldn't resist to start gathering it all, with the intention to inspire other students whilst we were actually studying, so we could feed of each others work.

  
What support did you get, if any with the initial set-up?

In terms of motivation to get the idea going, quite a bit. I got great support from the students I was selecting to feature, and a great deal from my tutor at the time, James Branch. He really helped to encourage me to follow through with the idea, and stressed how important side projects are.

When it comes to the technical stuff of printing, financing, websites and building a team - not much, just a few people to bounce ideas off were enough. It was mainly down to me to work out the kinks along the way. It was all pretty easy until issue 3 went nationwide, then it became a lot harder, finding a distributor and really stepping into the publishing industry.

  
Was there a quite a bit of research involved or was it something you felt passionate about and wanted to do regardless?

Initially, not much research involved at all. As I started the mag literally when I first stepped foot into uni, I still had a lot to learn about how to develop an idea, and how important research is. But I think this naivety and passion is what lead the magazine to take off so quickly, and for me to have so much determination to make it work.

Is this a collaborative effort? Friends, family or a solo project?

Indeed it is! Don't know where I would be without the rest of the team. Initially there were three of us, myself and two other friends, but as time went on it turned more solo until a few other friends of mine started to jump on board.

At the moment there's myself, Adam, who helps design and art direct the issue with me. Kieron, who takes charge of our online content, and Ben who helps go through all the submissions we receive. We all also do various other little jobs, as I'm sure you've guessed, we don't exactly have a marketing team, project manager or a PR assistant!

One thing we do have though are a lot of guest contributors which I'm happy to say are contributing well to the mag! We've recently had Anneka French and Nick Reading writing for us, as well as a whole batch of studio guest bloggers, students who blog about the live work going on in their studios.

Can you give us a sneak peek at what we can expect in the next issue?

In the next issue we've been lucky enough to have a bespoke cover designed exclusively for us by KOKOMI, directed by Spiros Halaris. Something that we think will really pop off the shelves. Look out for a little preview of that soon!

We've got valuable interviews from artists within the industry, and of course a great catch up with yourselves which I'm sure our readers will be excited to hear about. As usual you can expect to see a wide variety of student and graduate work, from thought provoking photography to witty illustrations.

Biggest achievement to date?

That's a hard one! I would say the magazine, but I still feel like we could and will achieve a whole lot more soon. So instead I think I'll go with persuading my parents to let me completely redecorate my room to then have three people throw paint balls all over it as part of an art project. And yes it's still like that to this day!

  

What's the future plan after graduating, will the magazine take centre stage or be a side project to your own creative endeavours?

Another hard question! I'm a bit unsure at the moment, I think if the magazine doesn't take centre stage, then it'll be a pretty darn big side project. It's hard to say as I've got such a passion for many areas, whether it's publishing, design, technology or even creating installations, who knows where I'll end up!

The next issue of Plog Magazine is out in June...

Pause for Thought...

What's lovely about researching and showcasing different designers, is discovering their inspirational connections, and how they translate them into their chosen specialism...

Today, that unexpected collaboration comes in the form of Liva Cabule and Emma Walker...

Liva, graduated this Summer from The University of Bedfordshire in Illustration. She has always had an interested in a variety of artist styles and genres, but her real passion lies in screen print and creating hand-made books.   

One such book, The Fairy and the Seed, takes inspiration from Jack and the Beanstalk to explore the moral tale that warns of the dangers of GM plants, which she displayed at the recent Emerge exhibition as part of London Design Festival. 

As well as creating her own books, Liva was awarded second prize at the Penguin Design Awards in the Puffin Children's Book Category, for her illustrated design of James and the Giant Peach...

Moving from one 2D specialism to another, Emma Walker's photography is a continual exploration into the relationship between the Human and the Natural World.

A recent graduate from Arts University College Bournemouth, Emma's work investigates the concepts of beauty that surrounds the subject of nature, with an edge of sublime and surrealism.

"...the beauty of nature is but only a small facet of this fascination...the diversity, the state of being unrestrained from thought...however subtly they may be visualised..." says Emma, about her inspiration.

We have a selection from both Liva and Emma's recent collections available...just hit Shop to explore some more...

Irreplaceable Structure...

We've been excited to feature the work of graduate Amanda Hughes for a few weeks now, & thankfully after a couple of emails, Amanda has provided us with her beautiful collection of photographs called 'Remember Me'.

This collection was about keeping the memory of a past life alive, before this building is lost for ever. There is sadness & fragility, but absolute beauty at its core, the layers of a previous life, is just clinging on in ever peeling piece of paint & rotting door frame. They have a softness & strength, which is why we were so excited to showcase her stunning work...

A Bird's Eye View...

We start the week with a quick mention of one of our previous postings, Emma Walker. We showcased her beautiful work back in April in the post A Natural Photographer & she was kind enough to invite us to her degree show 'Paradalia' for Arts University College at Bournemouth, at Free Range last week.

It was lovely to see her work up close, & have chosen one of her other projects to showcase today, called Ave, along with the work of fellow graduate Sophie Mullins.

Sophie's unusual collection depicts a collage of found pieces taking inspiration from memory, fragmentation, absence & loss. We like the fact from a distance this pieces appear quite abstract, & then up close have a soft, patchwork effect, like looking over fields from the air, delicate & impactful...

Still Life...Part Three

We received an email from photographer Cormac McGloin last week giving us a bit more detail on the shoot we featured by Alex Cudby. Cormac was the photographer on the shoot, which features work by graduate fashion designer Yifang Wan, who graduated from Central St Martins, and picked up L'Oreal professional 'Young Designer of the Year'. 

Cormac has given us permission to show you some more stunning shots, highlighting not only these amazing pieces, by a definite one to watch, but also completing the collection of these breath-taking compositions...

Still life...part two

The second photographer in our Free Range round-up, is graduate Vladas Bijeika, also from The University of East London. He had a very different approach to still life, with a series of images depicting social contrast in the same environment. We love the fact he has found a beauty in the ordinary and everyday, to create this patchwork of real life...

Still life...part one

A couple of photography graduates really stood out to us at Free Range from The University of East London, one of which was Alex Cudby.

These stunning portraits featuring Ufama Itoje taken at Wapping Power Station, feel like old photographs brought to life, slightly unnerving, but with a modern relevance, and a definite fashion quality...we're almost speechless...