Uncontacted Tribes

I have been designing quite a bit lately, for myself and for work which has been fun but it has also given me little opportunity to be on here blogging my inspirations. I am sorry to say that my Facebook wall has become my quick release of leaving inspiring images or links. However this one I love, this one I wanted to share on my blog. I will be back shortly with a new website and with new blogs soon.

In the meantime here is a link that is stunning and please sign the petition it would be sad to see this part of our world disappear. There is something so magical in knowing that there is a small section of humanity that don't know or live with the modern world most of us are all too consumed with. That money, celebrity status, the car you drive etc. it all means nothing to them. It's such an amazing thing to still have existing on this planet.

Tribal Paper

You know when you are having one of those days and you open up your email inbox just to see what's there, what you need to deal with? Yesterday I had one of those days and was more concerned with reading about the invoices I needed to put together, bills to pay as I went about logging in to my Gmail account. Then I came across a forward from a friend. These are the forwards you love to receive they literally stop you in your tracks and make you take a fresh look at what you love to do rather than what you have to do. This email introduced me to the work of Allen and Patty Eckman and their Tribal Paper sculptures.

The method is lengthy in time but the results remarkable. They are made using the following method:

'Cast paper sculpture has been around since the 1950's but should not be confused with papier-mache'. The two mediums are completely different. The artists first mix an acid free paper pulp in the studio hydro-pulper from two raw stocks, cotton and abica. Then the pulp is cast into molds which were made from original clay sculptures. The paper is then pressed under vacuum pressure or by hand in the mold where most of the water is extracted at the same time. The drying process is completed by evaporation while the paper is still in the mold'

They are astonishing and the extra fine details which are added towards the end really finishes them off. They look like they could break if you touched them and it's that delicate nature that makes them so inspiring.

This lead me to look up further paper sculptures and i came across this video with the work of Peter Dahmen and his pop-up designs. These are more simple than the work of Allen and Patty Eckman but in their simplicity is their beauty. The simple white paper casting shadows and shapes is what makes them so inspiring.

So from this simple email forward I have now started to search for other paper works of art and it has turned light bulb on in my head. I never thought of paper as a medium to create a sculpture from, more a tool that you use to help as you start to create your sculpture, something to sketch on, make notes on. How wrong I was.

Pre-Conceived Views

I haven't been here for a while, I'm sorry. I am still finding inspiration on

a daily basis and I really do want to come and share but I am self enforcing a time out. I am putting my head down and trying to get my portfolio website up and running. This is taking some will power because all I want to do is look around me for inspiration and then to design. Bare with me though as I can see an end in sight and I should be finished soon.

However if I am to be here for just a moment, here's something quick but inspirational. See the images below....how stunning is this country...can you guess what country?

This is Afghanistan!

Welcome to SallyLock.com

Hello. I have arrived at this new location for blogging and I'm in the process of moving everything over here from my old blog space. I have been blogging for about a year and like to blog to inspire, I want to inspire myself for my creativity and to share what inspires me with others. So I should be up and running shortly and I hope you come back and visit then.

See you here soon.

Cheerio,

Sally

Video Killed The Radio Star

During the week I have been introduced to a new Facebook video viral, with more friends than I would like to mention sharing the link with me and telling me how amazing it was. OK GO have a history of showcasing songs with very inspiring videos and are previously known for their choreographed dancing on treadmills in the video for ‘Here it goes again’. This got me thinking about other One Shot video's and what it takes to set these up. It seems like it should be easy without a schedule of filming, action & cutting, but it is the opposite and the preparation is intense. On something as complex as the recent video ‘This Too Shall Pass’ it is a one-time thing only. Of course parts have been rehearsed but the visual stimulation is in enhanced by the feeling that this is the first time anyone, even the cameraman, has seen this as a complete performance.

Looking at other examples I came across Feist ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ which I admit has always stopped me and hypnotise me to the TV screen whenever it comes on. I think the colours draw you in initially but then the dancing, while it is not perfect, is fun to watch and everyone seems to be having so much fun within those 3-4 minutes. Without doubt I think this song would not have had as much airtime if it wasn’t for the video.

Then there are the video’s by Michel Gondry who is infamous for his unique approach to shooting music videos. One in particular is The White Stripes- The Denial Twist. The tricky that is played on your eyes is intense and also admittedly slightly disturbing. You find yourself shifting in your perspective, not understanding the connection that scenes have, however this is a one-time shoot too. No cuts and not edited together, it is camera, prop and actor trickery. I think the video is amazing and a short glimpse into the abilities of Gondry and the genius work he creates.

The job of a music video is to create visuals as a backdrop for the music, it is about satisfying our visual sense while the music is stimulating our hearing. The two have to work in harmony and bounce off each other. I think we all have music videos which stick in our minds, some more recently and those that we still remember from 5, 10 or even 15 years back. The impact a video has on the success of how a song is perceived is huge. However don’t think that huge budgets are the only way to make a creative video. I will leave you with ‘The Get Out Clause’ who went around Manchester, England playing in front of 80 CCTV camera’s and using the UK Freedom of Information Act to then have the video footage released to them, simply done and on editing all this footage they had then created a very unique and inspiring video.

Manipulating Everyday Objects-は日用品を巧みに操作し

Sometimes there is so much pretentious confusion in the world of art and this often means the message that is trying to be conveyed and the true quality of a piece of work is lost amongst it. I also think that this, in part, is a reason why people shy away from showing an appreciation of art, especially when first starting out. You can find yourself being involved in an elaborate conversation about a piece of art where others around you feel that to 'truly' appreciate the work you have to try and find a deeper meaning and to comprehend this meaning they need to study and debate the artist's frame of mind, cultural persuasions and take the art beyond what it is. I have to admit that I find this side of the art world pompus annoying and am glad that artists like Banksyare breaking this mindset. Within his work there are some statements of modern culture and politics that show through at a very basic level. I think that this is where Banksy's popularity lies, in his direct and uncondescending connection with the viewing public. Of course there will be those who still feel the need to be accepted into this 'artsy' world and leave a wake of others feeling belittled by their conversation, which is a shame. I prefer to not talk gobbledygook just to impress and I am happy to appreciate the work for the emotions it creates within me, the thoughts it provokes and the visual and sensual stimulation I gain.

Yuken Teruya is a refreshing artists where this does not apply and I admire his work because of it's simplicity. The statement is also very clear but gentle and serene. It doesn't need to be shouted at you and cannot be over debated, it is what it is. Teruyas work has so much strength in conveying an important message so quietly and also it is gentle enough to allow you to reflect.

'He manipulates everyday objects, transforming their meaning to reflect on contemporary society and culture. Cutting trees out of paper bags and from cardboard toilets paper rolls he creates meticulous and intricate art works, small and enchanting worlds which relate to broader concerns.'

It's as simple as that, and with this simplicity and ease of understanding the appeal can reach a wider scope of viewers. It is not confined to those who like to have a deep discussion about hidden meanings in art, it's about interacting with you and I on a level which we understand. I don't feel stupid viewing his work, I don't feel like I missing the true meaning, I understand it and it makes me think. I also like how clever it is and that from rubbish that has been dropped in the street, found on a coffee table or thrown out of a house, Teruya created something that emits such a tranquil feeling. It is symbolic of what originally occurred, it becomes more than just a discarded bag that once held a McDonalds 'Happy Meal' it changes into a story that shows the journey that was required for the natural material to be transformed into a usable entity.

There is such beauty in the intricate detailing of Teryua's work, the 3D effect created by the small cuts, the small world that has been created inside a small bag. It is microscopic origami which is stunning. Teryua is still a young artists and I think there is a lot more to see from him and the more rubbish that is thrown away the larger his supply of art material becomes, so I am looking forward to seeing where his journey takes him.

I'm Late, I'm Late For A Very Important Date!

Some films come and go without anyone noticing, some come and create a buzz and you might even recommend them to friends to go see and some even win an academy award and then there are films that come along and blow all of these out of the water. These are masterful pieces of work for the film screen. The films where the acting is intense, where the work on the scenery, cinematography and the CGI pushes more boundaries then we ever thought possible. The next in this line is from the talented Tim Burton and his Alice in Wonderland. From the clips and trailers which I have already seen this looks to be such an awe inspiring film that will captivate you regardless of where your regular film interest lies. The 3D nature is also compelling on the eye and the mixture of subdued colouring and cartoon effect is mesmerising. Sometimes the colour is punchy and then in other scenes it is almost washed out with subtle tones, but this helps in depicting the emotion that is needed for that scene.

From these working drawings you can see how Tim Burton had the complete concept in his head already and his amazing skill is that he was able to put what he saw in his imagination onto the screen for all of us to enjoy. This is about having those who work with you all reading off the same page at the same time. A film is a collaboration of great skills and creative people but you do need a leader and Tim Burton is perfection in this. Burton has always created films that were full of strong imagery from Beetlejuice, toEdward Scissorhands and more recently Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He has his critics and a common complaint being that he uses the same lead actors but I think if you have the quality in acting of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter to hand and then to not use them and maybe degrade the quality of your work just to appease those who criticise because of this, well that would be a travesty. So Tim Burton just keeps creating in his own style and the films become more impressive and maybe slightly more weird but even more compelling to watch. So on the 5th of March you know where you can find me.

Not Everything Is Black And White

There is something about photography which is thrilling, on a personal level for me it's not the task of taking a photograph but to see the work of others which i find so enthralling. The ability to capture a moment in time and for a photographer to see this shot and know what they want and then to be able to set out to achieve this is an amazing skill. We all have at some point taken a scenic shot of a sunset on holiday, the mountains from a distance or a city lit up at night and sometimes these have turned out to be lucky photographs which are visually stimulating. Or we've set our cameras up against a scene where the essence of what we were photographing was so strong that it was hard to fail at capturing a images of some quality. However a great photographer knows the picture they want to achieve, they have researched effects, and through trial and error and with a good level of experience they set the scene, they have their camera settings just perfect and take the photo of that moment knowing exactly what image they will capture, this is a great photographer. It's not just a lucky shot but an exhilarating image that shows a sophisticated and delicately refined skill.

Nicholas Hughes is such a photographer. He has captured some amazing effects which I find so compelling because most of us would have at some time seen these scenes ourselves and may have tried to take a photograph. However camera technology would have pulled us further away from achieving an image of what we see-through our own eyes and created an image which was taken over by the camera adding in stronger contrasting and light definition from automatic focusing on specific points rather than across a wide landscape of what our eye would actually capture. So with this we lose the emotion of the moment, the true sense of the environment and its creation of shade, light and colour. These moments Nicholas has captured and has found superb imagery through the lens of a camera.

His first series of photographs The Edge- Verse II are showing the slight differences in contrast when all surfaces are white. Those moments we recognise in snowy conditions where we've ended up moving ourselves or shielding our eyes in order to see something in the distance, the few seconds of recognition as our eyes search for some difference in light and shape in order to pick out an object, those moments we search for tonal differences to see anything beyond the blinding white. Nicholas has captured this perfectly and he has created the same feeling where some photos do take you some time to make out what they are and there is a relief found when we have a tree on the horizon to define the rest by.

His next series of photographs In Darkness- Verse I & II go to the opposite end of the spectrum and the moment when things become too dark to see. He has captured moments as the sun is setting and the landscape is just visible but about to disappear into darkness. He has used the natural landscape of the forest to show the shapes the tree's have and then start to lose as the light fades. And in another set within the darkness series he has also shown how the light fading can on a waters surface add more definition and highlight the rippling surface textures which are not normally so visible. Nicholas has brought a depth to his photographs, he shows how subtle the landscape can be and where it can lead to misinterpretation with fading light and minimal colour.

Merry Christmas

There have been many adaptations of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' since it was published in 1843 and here we are over 150 years later and there is a new version out. It has Jim Carrey as Scrooge, with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins helping out on the other characters. The films CGI looks amazing and so I will be taking a little niece and nephew along to watch it over the Christmas period. Although most of us have seen and heard the story many times before I think this version will surpass all others as the quality and attention to detail is amazing. However I do have a love of the versions that have gone before and I will share them with you below. The Disney version, The Jim Henson version and the Alastair Sim's 1951 version which has such a different quality to it and is very magical all in it's own right.

So to all my blog readers, wherever you are this Christmas have a lovely inspirational time.

Questioning Reality

I have been absent for a few weeks on this blog, but although there's been little time to write I've saved the links of things I've come across during my busy time and I now have an abundance of inspirational things to post. I will start with the amazing mind of Leandro Erlich.

As a child most of us would have found a sense of wonderment walking round a funhouse, a fairground of attractions or have even been lucky enough to go to Disneyland or some place similar. The work of Leandro reminds me of that fun experience of testing what you see in front of you, it makes you questions what our reality is. He makes rooms and objects that you normally see from only one perspective look completely different and bizarre from a whole new angle. The Shattering Door is what first brought Leandro's work to my attention as it feels like he has captured a moment in time, a freeze frame where you don't see the aftermath of the door falling into a thousand pieces on the floor. However this then makes you question how the pieces can stay in this frozen state without falling, you wonder what would make enough of an impact to create this, you understand that it must have been considerable so where is the rest of the destruction? However all these thoughts makes you forget the reality and for me it was not until a few minutes later that I remembered that wooden doors don't just shatter, only things more delicate like glass or ceramics do. It is an amazing piece of art which takes you on a journey down a revealing thought process which is more about what you see and what you know to be real. You can actually hear the penny dropping as people start to work it out.

Some of Leandro's other work have a sutler statement attached to them, some are pointing out parts of life which we accept to readily without question, such as The Smoking Room. What if the room was transparent and you could see the smoke contained in the room. Without the walls hiding what's going on it makes you realise what is produced in a room dedicated just for smoking. Or when we look down a staircase we give ourselves a view of the steps below, people already a few floors lower than us decending down the stairs. But what if this was turned vertical on us, it is recognisable but yet we feel our position is in question for the angle we view it from.

This work is genius, Leandro Erlich has a very clever mind and this is my favourite type of art, where I question what I see but then by looking further and closer at the piece the statement being made becomes clear and I then question my own perspective.

Commercial Advert Inspiring Prime Time TV

This is a simple blog from me, just wanted to show a few adverts which I've seen lately and found impressive. Posting them to share and hope they inspire.

Agent Provocateur

Adidas

Keira Knightly- Women's Aid

Brylcreem

Lift- Marc Isaacs

I thought I would tell you about this short film 'Lift' by Marc Isaacs it is great and shows some amazing relationships between the cameraman and the people using the lift on a daily basis. You get to meet some weird and wonderful people all living in one tower block. It made me laugh as I come across these types of people most days around London, for me there's Fred the 80 year old guy who shouts and shouts "Oi..Oi" at you until you say hello back and then he says "what a beautiful day today". I always wonder what the rest of his life must have been like and what makes him sit on that wall everyday. This short film shows you some amazing personalities very similar to Fred, although you'll need to watch it in full to see how the characters change or to learn more about them as the days pass.

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The Mojito Shoe

I've mentioned Julian Hakes and Hakes Associates before in my blog and I probably will keep mentioning him as I find his work stunning and I am in awe of what he creates and continues to create. I am lucky enough to have him as a neighbor and a friend, so I get updates on what he is working on and I see him outside crafting things, holding things up to the light to see a different perspective on a model, I even spent an evening helping him sculpt a bridge in the snow. The pure passion of design is what drives Julian and this clearly results in some amazing creations. Most recently The Mojito Shoe. I have seen this come together over the past few months and it was initially hard to get my head around how it would work without seeing an image. I need not wonder anymore though as Julian has now had the shoe fabricated and photographed. So I thought I would share it with you on the week of it's release. I love the shape and colour, the form is divine but yet it is still functional. I think the only problem I would have is that I think it's too beautiful to wear and think that it should take centre stage mounted on the wall of my living room so I can sit and admire the shapes it casts from different angles.

Here's how Julian explains the creation of The Mojito Shoe

"One late summer night in the studio I was thinking about the design of shoes in general. I wondered why there was the need for a foot plate in shoes such as high heels. When I look at a foot print on sand it is very clear to see that the main force goes to the heel and ball. With a high heel providing the heel is supported, even by standing on a wooden block the foot naturally ’spans’ the gap naturally, with bones and tendons. The foot has its own inbuilt strength and support so why duplicate this. You would not have a jumper with rigid arms between elbow and wrist. So this raised the question, if the design of a shoe was an evolution of the early sandal and how can new materials and design techniques provide new solution?

So I set to exploring this question in a similar way to how I would design a bridge, examining the forces and looking at the most simple, elegant yet poetic expression of the forces at play within the materials used. With this approach I then set about wrapping my foot in tracing paper, then binding it up in masking tape and then drawings various geometries onto and over the form of my foot. The next stage was rather dangerous as I had to cut the shape off my foot with a scalpel and not damage the pattern or my foot. The design this produced is a single wrapped geometry which starts under the ball of the foot and then over the bridge, then sweeping down below the heel before then twisting back on itself to provide the support for the heel and ankle. This form felt light and airy on the foot. So we called it the ‘Mojito’ as it was rather like a twist of lime skin. The material choice is simple: The shoe is a laminate with Carbon fibre for the core which gives the shoe its spring and strength, leather on the foot side and rubber on the walking wearing side. 3 materials, each doing a specific job."

Mamma Mia!

I'm curious about other people. That's the essence of my acting. I'm interested in what it would be like to be you. ~ Meryl Streep

Normally I write about artists, designers & photographers, mainly trying to explain how fascinated I am by their work and what it is that inspires me. However today is a bit different because I found myself reading an article about someone who I hugely admire and as I am overwhelmingly inspired by her I thought I should blog and remind others about the amazing talent that is Meryl Streep. There is so much to her that it is almost impossible to know where to start, the quality of her work and the way she conducts her life in and out of the media spotlight, she is a true star.

Meryl has a wealth of work in her portfolio and her range of work is so varied. You hear other female actors complaining of the lack of roles for them when they pass 40, but Meryl has proved that this is not the case if you have quality in your work, Helen Mirren is another example of this. However Meryl has a lighter approach to her work which I love and she seems to embrace the challenge of playing a part which is away from her comfort zone. Recently we have seen her in Mamma Mia, not shying away from being in a small budget film and finding herself singing songs from ABBA it was amazing to see Meryl managing to inject so much feeling into her performance. It was funny, moving and light hearted, Meryl was magical and lit up the film.

Then you have her acting in deeper roles such as Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Bridges of Madison County and Doubtto name just a few, these types of roles are what have won Meryl most awards. As a leading lady she sometimes out acts her male counter parts and you cannot but find yourself in awe at her versatility and passion. She is the most nominated actor in Oscars history, she been nominated for 15 awards and won 2 and this is where Meryl Streep shows her class as she responds to this statistic by saying “Yes, but I’ve lost it 13 times!”.

There is something real about Meryl Streep which is easy for all of us to connect with. She isn't surgically altered and lifted, hoping to keep back the aging years to maintain a fake youth, in fact she is doing the opposite and embracing her changing looks and the new acting parts that this brings her. She fights for causes she believes in, she has a family life which most of us know hardly anything about as it's not splashed on the front of celebrity magazines. I am amazed to learn as a suffering actor trying to catch a break she ended up sleeping rough in Green Park in London underneath The Ritz hotel and making a promise to herself to one day stay there, then at the age of 28 Meryl took a year away from acting to be with her 1st husband John Cazale as he died of bone cancer. Then Meryl married sculptor Don Gummer and took time out from her career to have 4 children, this would keep most people busy enough but Meryl was so passionate about acting and on hearing about the role of Sophie Zawistowska in Sophie's Choice she got on her hands and knees and literally begged director Alan J. Pakula for the part. She is remarkable and I think what is most inspirational about her is that she loves her profession and purely for the love of acting and not the media hype or the glitz and glamour that so many actors head to Hollywood for. Meryl Streep is a true icon both on and off the camera and I will remain mesmerised by her talent for years to come.

Controversial Hitler AIDS Awarness Advert

The release of the new Regenbogen e.V. Hitler AIDS Awareness adverts, AIDS Is A Mass Murderer, have caused some controversy amongst several AIDS & HIV charities. They are pretty shocking and will be screened in Germany next week during AIDS Awareness Week and the advertising agency Das Committee have said "the shock value of the advert is designed to scare people into safe sex...the campaign is designed to shake people up, to bring the topic of Aids back to the centre stage, and reverse the trend of unprotected intercourse". However UK charity The Terrence Higgins Trust says "It is concerned the advert could be 'insensitive', by stigmatising people with the condition". Both are fair comments I however feel that anything that is shocking enough to make people talk about a disease that has in recent years become less of a media focus is always worthwhile. I remember when you couldn't walk down the street without seeing a poster or open a newspaper without reading an advert not so much now-a-days. There is also another generation who are now having sex and were not around or were too young when the world initially stood up and recognised the disease. I remember the media was engulfed with statistics about Aids related deaths almost 30 million have died from the disease worldwide.I remember learning that Freddy Mercury died with the disease and thetribute concert which had so many musical icons all campaigning to bring about an awareness of Aids was all part of my education of the devestating effects of AIDS, there is a younger generation that missed out on all this.

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The World Through A Lens

Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face - the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited; and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man. - Edward Steichen

I went to see The Press Photographer's Year 2009 exhibition last week. It was an amazing collection of photographs that have been taken over the past year and then published in newspapers & magazines around the world. While they are typically presented to us in a small printed format the true detail is so much more compelling when seen in a larger size under lighting. It is then that you see the beauty of the moments that were captured some showing the finer details maybe of lines in a face, the joy of adventure, emotions of those suffering life and death right next to each other. Journalism is without doubt one of the strongest tools in our modern society but a written paragraph can be received by the reader in many ways, edited to mean a millions things which is one reason why I love photographic journalism as I find it has an unquestionable strength in image, it can literally say a thousand words and is rarely doubted.

In recent weeks I have been looking at The Boston Globes 'Big Picture' website, it has some of the most amazing photo journalistic images. It is impossible to be everywhere in the world at the same time, to be watching every global event as it happens, so to be able to see some of it through the lens of a photographer is amazing. Seeing their photographs opens up different worlds to us, taking us outside our comfort zones, it is engaging and such a great thing for us to have access to.

Recent fires in California, Los Angeles have had a devastating effect of the lives of the people that live there. Through the TV news reports I now have an understanding of the impact that these fires were having, but other than stating facts the TV news did little to show me the true emotional devastation that was happening. It wasn't until I saw these photos Wildfires in Southern Californiathat I really understood the sense of helplessness that people were feeling as their homes were being destroyed, how devastating these ravaging fires were to the landscape of the towns, how close the fires actually came to the people and what it must be like for a firefighter to walk towards these towering infernos to trying and bring them under control.

At the same time around the other side of the world voting had begun in Afghanistan and on the same website they showed such mesmerizing images which were captured during one of the most highly charged and emotional times in the countries recent history Ballots, bullets and bombs in Afghanistan. To capture these moments as they happened is a skill, to show what it's like to be there to get inside the lives of those voting, in the homes of those fighting and to get a sense of the fight for a democratic right to vote that people were prepared to risk their life to achieve is masterful. Photographs show so much of the human impact created by war and also in a way that the news on TV just can't, it is that split second freeze frame that captures the true emotion. I have an increasing admiration for photographic journalists, I am realising more and more that the photographers put themselves in increasingly dangerous situations, leave family and loved ones to head to foreign worlds, feeling threatened and scared, feeling drained of emotion after seeing so much devastation. I am however so grateful of the sacrifice they make so they are able to capture these images which are so important in helping to spread the news of events happening around the world and to make these captured moments available globally for all of us to see and to understand. They are as powerful as a man who holds a gun, as the politician making a speech, as nature unleashing it's might and as citizens fighting for freedom.