The Cinema Museum London

So today I went to the Cinema Museum hidden away in Kennington.

We were booked in for an hour and a half guided tour but ended up staying there for almost two and a half hours and were given a short film screening at the end in their little cinema.

It was such an amazing place. Even from a graphic design perspective there were so many signs from old cinemas with absolutely beautiful typography.

There was about six rooms purely dedicated to archiving print material - everything from magazines and books to photographs and film. It really was an Aladdin's den of cinema memoribilia. The tour guide told us that in one room they had images from about 75% of the films ever made!

Just when we thought the tour was about to end we were led up a flight of stairs and shown to the fairly recently acquired upstairs floor which is the chapel from the old workhouse. Boy, was it stunning. The space is available to rent out and is where they host events with actors and those in the film industry. Around the room there is so much cinema memoribilia - everything from sets of cinema seats to old film cameras.

Opening in April, which we got to get a sneak preview of, is a new part of the exhibition of the outfits the cinema ushers have worn throughout history. A majority were in a very military style which I never knew about and they had been preserved so well.

I would urge anyone to book on the guided tour you really won't be disappointed!

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is a poetic masterpiece that is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the ears.

Stunning visuals guide you through multiple worlds from our past, present and our future.
Some of the spoken language is so beautifully poetic it is just like listening to a reading of a book and paired with the visuals this film takes on something new - a heightened sensibility that in most films is shot down by the need to provide an action fuelled narrative. Questions about our own mortaility, what do we as humans live for and what is love rise to the surface.

It frustrates me that many people argue that they can't understand it; I think with this film you've just got to run with it. Don't ask too many questions and just accept the different worlds for the way they are.

I would also urge anyone to download the soundtrack to this film. The Cloud Atlas sextet is hauntingly beautiful.

You can't deny the amazing acting that takes place as one actor takes on many roles. In many occasions you are left wondering who played that particular person. The make-up is just so well done.

I think a second watch is definitely in order to have a closer look at the ways all the disparate stories are connected.

The only downside I would point out if one particular character I couldn't seem to believe as much as the rest which was the Vinnie Jones-eque gangster turned author played by Tom Hanks. I just felt his character was a little overdone perhaps.

Also the language spoken by the civilisation from the furthest future away was very confusing to understand and perhaps this hindered my ability to fully comprehend the story.

Other than these small factors I would urge people to watch Cloud Atlas. From the minute I left the cinema I could not stop thinking about it. It is a fresh break away from a conventional narrative and I strongly admire the directors for not being afraid to attempt something different and pull off, what in my opinion is, one of the best films I have encountered in a long time.

Gentletude typographic award - shortlisted

So our first project of term was to create an entry for the Gentletude typographic award which aims to promote kindness through the use of a mobile phone.

Yesterday I found out my entry was one of the 14 shortlisted and the finalists will be announced on Monday.

For the brief, I presented Gentletude as a fictitious elixir that could be given to people when they were in a bad mood. The type and colours of the design were based on the advertising and packaging of quack medicine from the victorian era.

My entry consisted of three images, the first which introduced the medicine, the second which gave directions on how and when to consume the medicine and the third, which is a GIF, shows the liquid in the bottle rising up and down so users of the iphone can pretend they are drinking the liquid.

Photography in Eastbourne Shop Window

A few weeks ago I entered some of my photography of the Eastbourne carnival into a competition to be featured in an empty shop in the town centre that was being renovated by the group Eastbourne Can.

Some of the photos made it into the window and here are some of the photos of the lovely display.

Saatchi Gallery London

Yesterday I went to the Saatchi Gallery. There were some really interesting pieces in there - I was really surprised by the size of some of the sculptures.

On my way to the Museum I went past Earl's Court for the first time and really loved the architecture of the building and the font on the front.

The strangest of the pieces from the Saatchi was a room filled with oil. At first you dont realise it is there until you realise you are looking down on a reflection of the ceiling and you being the see the top layer of liquid - so eery.

One artist who didnt have their work featured but had a print for sale was Berndnaut Smilde. He has created installations where he makes a cloud form inside a space. The first two images were taken from The Washington Post.

Environmental Rhythm

I Could Last Forever

One of the birefs for this term was an exercise in visual editing.

 We were asked to listen to one of the radio shows from the series 'in our time' I found a really interesting episode all about the history and concept of youth.

It spoke about how the idea of youth has developed through history; from people not acknowledging it as a separate entity between childhood and adulthood right through to the birth of the teenager.

 With my publication I aimed to explore a wide variety of media including poems, exerpts from books and quotes. I then compared these pieces throughout the book.

Open publication - Free publishing - More gap year