As I mentioned in my previous post FIELD TEST – WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GIVE A VERY SMALL CHILD A CAMERA TO PLAY WITH? I mentioned that I batch processed about a years worth of films after having delayed so for lack-of-financial reasons!  On one of the 35mm films, I found some shots taken when being a “responsible adult” on a school trip to London.  First stop was the Victoria & Albert Museum for a general peruse, followed by a visit to the Design Museum to see Super Contemporary alongside a Javier Mariscal retrospective.

As always, I have little or nothing to say about the exhibitions – if you were interested in that, you should have gone yourselves

But I did take a lot of photographs that day, which is much more interesting.  isn’t it?

SCHOOL TRIPS TO LONDON AND THE PAIN OF COACH TRAVEL

Coach Window (2010)

Taking a coach to London is generally a rubbish idea.  Nobody does it, apart from 1) old people on a day out, 2) broke people who are using Megabus and of course 3) school trips.

It is slow, uncomfortable and ultimately frustrating.  Why anyone would choose it as a method of transport is beyond me – when there is another means, take it!  That’s what I reckon.

Anyway, as I was on a school trip, there was little choice – but at least I had a camera for company and being one of the “responsible adults” I got to sit at the front under the watchful gaze of the vast windscreen, which provided almost constant entertainment from its reflection.

If it wasn’t for putting the bus driver off, who probably thought I was some kind of coach spotter, I would have taken many photographs of it.

Desgner Curtain (2010)

Floor // Foot // Shadow (2010)

THE DESIGN MUSEUM, LONDON

To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in visiting the design museum!  I went on the trip as it was a day out, generally speaking – I find graphic design a bit of a dull thing to view in a museum or gallery environment.

Ignorant I am sure – but I see design around me every minute of every day and it does little for me in this setting.  I am sure it is because I am missing something and I get why good design is artistic, important and clever – but it usually leaves me a little dry.

But, where there is dullness – there is always interest.  The eye wanders and spots a line, shape, shadow or colour and the whole trip has been made worth it.  Luckily, photography means the whole world is your museum and anywhere you find yourself, something interesting will find you.

JAVIER MARISCAL & SUPER CONTEMPORARY

Jazzy Paintings (2010)

Come on then – lets mention something about the exhibits on display.  First up, I can remember little or nothing about the Super Contemporary show!  I seem to remember there was a few interesting pieces of design in there, but generally – I wasn’t that bothered by it (see above!).

BUT – Javier Mariscal, yeah that was actually rather brilliant.  Whilst I was aware of Mariscal’s work, I had no idea what his name was or who he was!  I had simple absorbed his illustrations in various guises and various mediums.

Perhaps one thing most people might know his work from is Cobi - a cubist dog that was adopted as the mascot for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.  Reports have it that Cobi soon became the most profitable mascot the games has ever seen.  Cobi went on to have his own cartoon!

All in all, Mariscal’s work was playful, colourful, highly diverse and highly prolific!  It was a joy to see and a bit like stepping into the mind of a slightly deranged child!  Brilliant.

Check out his work (http://www.mariscal.com/) as it really is worth some investigation and is colourful in a way only the Spanish seem to be able to pull off.

SKY V (2010)

Nice!  I love school trips.  Not only do I get to see art and get paid for it, it is also a great chance to go to our fair capital city and take photographs…and get paid for it!  Long live the rule of the technician.

Chubby Checker's Dancin' Party

I have multiple locations where I hoard the vast quantity of crap I find in the street.

I am a compulsive looker at any piece of paper or such like that I see on the floor – always worth a look in case its a forgotten gem.

Anyway, I figure the blog is an ideal way to share these finds with the general populous and so started the immense task of going through said found objects to put them in one place and see what I have actually got!

Whilst going through one drawer of stuff – this caught my eye.

Can’t remember exactly when or where I found it…and sadly there was no 7″ inside.  However, I strongly suspect that the cover art is better than any music that could have been contained inside!

However, I did take the liberty of checking out the tune itself, found a clip on YouTube of the Mr Checker performing this little number.  Click here to see Chubby Checker perform Dancin’ Party on YouTube

After listening, I still think the artwork is better than the track!  In three simple images they manage to portray the true genius of his dancin’ style and I can only imagine that any Dancin’ Party was improved by the his moves.

I particularly like his facial expressions…starting from the left:

1. Extreme concentration – Chubby is obviously aware that by putting his left leg and left arm forward at the same time, he is opening himself up for potential disaster.  He must use all his Dancin’ Party knowledge to pull off the move.
2. Smug and proud – His face and body language say it all.  Having pulled off the tricky dance move as described above – he knows he can do no wrong.  We see a more relaxed Chubby.
3. Pure ecstasy – It looks like he is doing a Cossack dance, which would bring joy to anyone’s face.  Either that or he has just ripped the seam of his trousers.

Thanks Chubby!

By the way, is it just me or was Chubby Checker not-so-chubby?

Kinswood Egg Man - protects you from salmonella

Bought some eggs the other day at a car boot sale – local and free range.  Nice.

They came from someone who had a small holding, so obviously collected and kept egg boxes so they could sell them at boot sales and alike.

After finished with said eggs, I was about to put the box in the compost heap when,  the incredible egg man that was featured on the front of the box caught my attention.

Check him out – he’s amazing!

However, what really struck me was what the point of the egg man was – what are Kinswood trying to reveal?

A muscle-man, athletic egg man is not the way I would choose to sell eggs!  I can’t work out whether his purpose is to show he is strong and fit and therefore salmonella free…or if by eating the eggs, you will become a athletic, salmonella free egg man!

If the thinking was the latter, then this raises a new problem – I am not sure I want to eat an egg that has bigger muscles than me and wears snazzy red trainers!

God bless designers!

Also reminded me of a comic book Hannah gave me at Christmas called ‘Egg Story’.  The simple tale of a simple egg that becomes a ninja.

Perhaps Eggs are an unexploited form of creativity.