Alex Fowkes gives Sony HQ a new outfit, the brief was to make the office space live and breathe the legacy of the previous 125 years. A slightly wanky way to put it but the result is cool and charts some of the best audio talent. It is a nice way to remind everyone of the past in a cool and visual way, especially when the back catalogue includes Iggy Pop, Bowie, Tony Bennett, Who, Janis Joplin, Beyonce, Elvis, Wham, etc. etc.
Michael Clark. That is all
On Wednesday night SF had a treat, the closest we had been to dance was Saturday Night aged 13, throwing shapes in some dive club somewhere in Europe or Starlight Express. Now all of these have their merits but after seeing the truly mesmerising New Work 2012 by Michael Clark, a frustrated dancer has emerged.
Rhythmic blues
New Work 2012 is currently at The Barbican in EC London, and comprises of two 25 minutes pieces, the first a piece set to atmospheric music by Scritti Politti which was the sound track to a ballet come contemporary display of strength, poise and rhythmic dance. Four lean as feck male dancers and four supple female dancers moving together and against one another.
Orange wall of sound
The second act saw the dancers dressed in beyond skin tight lycra that luckily left nothing to the imagination, their lythe bodies springing across the stage as huge words shot across the black background, a wall of sound literally beating off the stage as the dancers shot across performing in pairs, threes, fours and all in unison to weave shapes on the stage.
Perfect balance
The wall of sound is interspersed by strange dark noises, which it emerges is none other than Jarvis Cocker of Pulp fame. Halfway through the performance, emerging from the shadows comes a 70’s glam rock rockstar come Worzel Gummidge. Suddenly the event is transformed into a creepy Electro rock show as Cocker prances and curls around the stage while the dancers perform to the high energy and rather filthy sounds. Cocker’s new band Relaxed Muscle pound out the sound track to an ever more charged performance, he even leaves the stage in true rock god fashion to greet the crowd… only this time handing out sweets. Odd and amazing
Never seen anything like it but now a confirmed dance fan, throughout the show Clark makes the odd appearance and add the end the 15 or so bows to rapturous applause were probably worth it.
The Lisson
Anish Kapoor is one of our most well known sculptors, regardless of what you think about that big slide at the Olympic stadium, he creates some pretty impressive stuff.
Rouge
Wall mounted
The sheer scale of his collections often make the work impressive, in this collection at the respected Lisson Gallery is not so much about the size but the form and the perception created using different shapes, density and colour tones. The senses are hightened by the distortion of the shapes, meaning that your eyes are tricked into misjudging depth, the tunnel balls outside reverberate you voice so it feels as if it is coming from behind you
Sand curl
Rusty balls
This exhibition is only on for one month until November 10th, a short a sweet run indeed.
Float
Back to back
Noble & Webster – I heard about this duo a little while ago so it was with baited breathe that I waited for the next opportunity to see their work in person. It arrived in the shape of Nihilistic Optimism at Blain Southern.
Shadow Chic
Many artists are too studious, too serious, too up their own fucking arse…. no names mentioned ahem. Tim Noble and Sue Webster are like the rock n roll version of artists, ones that you can well imagine living slightly in hedonistic debauchery. The now estranged couple were once married, married in fact by one Tracey Emin, the holy matrimony did not last however and for the sake of their creative partnership they had to split. Since then they still work together and thank goodness for that.
Solo Shadow
Through their Shoreditch studio designed by David Adjaye, the Dirty House, they have created some of the most visually striking pieces I have seen.
Shadow Man
On first site the constructs look like industrial piles, thrown together with abandon and with more of a maverick approach, but once shine the bright light through the shapes at the correct angle something beautiful appears across the wall.
Lone Shadow
Each of the pieces when placed together in a certain order with the correct spacing will shine a silhouette
Shadow Lands
SF does not own a big studio to house one their pieces but we are currently considering removing all the lounge furniture in order to house one of these creations.
Get used to one style, and you know I might switch
Somewhere in Brixton something quite delightful is occurring, the anti-gentrification of a building, call it the emancipation of bricks n’ mortar, call it whatever you like but it is worth checking out the results before it is raised to the ground.
Id-iom, the bro-duo based in Brixton hailing for an Isle called Man, have inhabited this paint sodden wasteland and called it their studio for 18 months. In a series of posts SF will outline some of the pieces and maybe share a story or two from previous nights of debauchery with these brothers id-iom.
Just a few random shots from the Eastend. As always the walls of Brick Lane change on a weekly basis so here are a few old and new pieces.
Broken Fingaz Crew do Rainbow Puke
Better out….
Brasilian flavour from Flip. A Jellyfish with a cat, of course
Ebor st
Cose Monkey…. no idea here? Can you help?
Who dat?
Could only be Paul Don Smith
What a door…
Unknown Bethnal Green Road
Parental animosity
Free art for all
Spotted this on PSFK and thought it was a great idea. Back in the day a certain popular artist preached art for all…. he then started selling to Brangelina and making films and in turn shed loads of cash. This feels like a bit of a move back in the original direction.
Nicole Bourgea, a Washington resident has embarked on a project where she goes out and paints everyday folk doing their everyday jobs that they perform every day. She creates her one day masterpieces and then returns the next day and places the finished pieces where it was painted with a note saying it is free for the subject of said piece.
Although Nicole is not your traditional street artist, this really is the essence of creating something on the street and leaving it there for all to see and for it to be taken away gratis.
Follow our artistic heroine here
It has been a while since SF took any street photography in the east end due to a hit n run bicycle incident. Well here is the first piece in a while and the first of many to come.
Pez dispenser
Pez in a can… a spray can that is
Some stuff that SF likes but just has no time to write lots about
Love a little optical illusion. Working either for a promotional campaign, a gallery, street art piece or a greeting card. Props to Fabio D’Altilia for creating Point of View
Look closer
SF loves Lego. I think everyone does. If you have little people in your family then you will know about building it and that it can takde up most of Christmas day therefore avoiding speaking to boring and / elderly members of your extended family. It is a god send…. and Nathan Sawaya is clearly a don
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach
It is the end of festival season pretty much as much as this is a small relief it is also the sign of colder times. SF spotted this pictorial Woodstock feast and it made SF want to get naked, drop LSD, bump uglies, listen to guitary music and wonder around a field. Thanks to Wall to Watch for this
Long hair and LSD
StandardFact loves a bit of creativity, is enamored by imagination, all about the convenience and partial to a pizza or two. Like many creatures of habit the order is always the same. Triple pepperoni in case you were wondering.
Well this idea takes all of the above, and then makes it into one technological yet uber simple solution to the age old problem of having to speak to the guy on the other end of the take out line who invariably is on a shite phone line, speaks only rudimentary English and takes an age to get your simple order wrong.
Dubai based pizza company Red Tomato Pizza came up with the ingenious idea of creating a fridge magnet that links to your WiFi, simply press the button on the magnet and it sends through your usual order to the restaurant. A simple text to confirm message is sent and hey presto! Pizza to your door and minimal effort used.
This idea is amazing because of it’s simplicity, the technology is there and it has been harnessed in a project that cost only $9k. The world coverage, SM buzz and kudos has paid this back many times over. On the back of this innovative solution numerous offers for franchises around the globe.
Just shows that a good idea does not need to break the bank
standardfact 
