Launching his solo career as Lowb, Andy Barlow (one half of UK pair Lamb) releases his debut EP Inward Outburst on Distiller Record on the 27^th May 2013. 

A teaser track from the EP is currently out, and has already been remixed by Synkro, renowned UK electronic artist. The tune is eerie, languid, and filled with female vocals that somehow remind us ocean foam. Ethereal chords fly hand in hand with synth patterns. Midway between Hammock and Helios, Lowb’s new track is not fearful of emotions, it is enchanting. The beat adds a slightly powerful pace to the track, while percussions intensify with the crushing sound of windswept chords – or rather, waves of tranquillity coupled with peculiar dream-like echoes.

The tone is set for the album: it is big, dramatic, and shimmering with low beats and high vocals.

Running from the 24^th-29^th of May at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, this exhibition of the work of brothers Aho & Soldan promises to showcase some interesting footage from the fairly unpopulated archives of mid-20^th century Finnish film.

Pioneers of documentary making and photography in their home nation, in fact the first of their kind in Finland, they produced over 400 documentary films.

On showcase will be a selection of films including Finland Calling, which was essentially a propaganda piece of sorts, commissioned by the Finnish foreign ministry showcasing the attractions of the nation to an external market. Other films being screened include Atlas which demonstrates their ability to take what many would have considered to be fairly monotonous processes, such as the work of a garment factory, but capture it in such a way as to provide visual interest.

Their films, shot between an expanding urban Finland and the vast unsettled spaces, convey the power and sense of space in a nation entering the 20^th century in its own unique way. Relegated to the Northern periphery of the European collective Finland has the ability to provide a different insight into the passing of time during a century which is generally seen through the eyes of more southerly nations.

Full list of screenings .The institute can be found at The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH.

By Suzanne Zhang

‘…or you can actually get people to touch things and make them more tangible’: Alexandra Plesner on interactive art, creativity, romance, living life in the moment and ice cream.

Alexandra Plesner is the founder of I Scream Factory, an art collective that explores perceptions of life through the medium of ice cream. Colourful metaphors and surreal worlds delve into meanings of life and death through her project, through which she screams: ‘life has an expiry date, live in the moment’. Suzanne Zhang met her over lattes and cappuccinos to discuss dreams and fears, inspiration and aspirations, and of course, romance and ice cream. Have a scoop, it tastes good.

You started I Scream Factory for an MA project back when you were at Central Saint Martins. What was your initial thought process when starting it and why through the photography medium?

I was partly inspired by my family, who run an ice-cream business, but the project really started because I wanted to remind people of their dreams and desires in life. There are so many times when you rush through life without even thinking about what you want to do and achieve. I guess I just wanted to remind people that life has an expiry date and that you should live in the moment. I experimented a lot with photography back at CSM, and it’s a medium that I adore: it’s easy, quick and has a lot of impact.

Tell us a little bit about the funny twist on the name I Scream Factory.

I got the name from this film, Down by Law by Jim Jarmusch. There is a scene where Roberto Benigni is screaming “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream” and I just loved that. Apparently there is also a horror film running in America with the same title. I don’t want to be mixed up with it but I just love the idea of screaming for life. I used to feel locked up a lot, and part of a monotonous routine… I mean, you get up every morning, shower, have coffee, run to work, you go home, you’re tired and try to squeeze in some grocery shopping, you’re always in a rush, especially in cities like London… I just want to grab people’s attention for a second, and realise that life is right now and passing by. People forget that easily and they need a reminder from time to time.

How did your time at Central Saint Martins  shape you, your ideas and your projects?

CSM doesn’t give any guidelines, so I had to get a grasp of that freedom. I studied ‘Applied imagination for the creative industry’, it was crazy, I mean the name says it all, right?  I didn’t go there to study – I went there to be free, to experiment, to find myself and what I really wanted out of life. People at CSM are great because they push you to your full potential; they encourage you to go out of your comfort zone. You can only progress if you do things you are scared of. The same goes for improving your personality.

Series by  Kim Selfridge

The ice cream is a metaphor for life in your project. Tell us more about that…

Yes, it’s melting away, reminding us that life is passing by. You have to enjoy it one lick at a time, and it is always fading. I have always been fascinated by life, death, and the in-between and I think this really translates into the project. I try to live for the moment, but I also like security. I also think you should figure out what’s important for you in your life, and I strongly believe in being considerate. It’s very important not to hurt people you love, so you should never live without caring about others. Take care of yourself and take care of your friends.

Your contributors are all very different and original in their own ways. How do you choose a contributor?

If people are passionate, good, and have room for progress (and are eager to), I take them. Sometimes I decide to publish a few pictures from a series on the website, and a few others on the Facebook page, just to keep the project to a certain standard. It’s a very hard decision for me, I am exposing them to the whole world. But then again, I am the worst person to judge their art. I am not a curator, and not a photographer… I also have contributors that I totally admire, like Sara Mautone. I met her by accident in Florence; I had just seen a snapshot she took of a model, and was completely fascinated, everything was perfect! I talked to her and she agreed to contribute to I Scream Factory!

Ideally, through which medium and installation would the I Scream factory project be viewed?

I like installations and walk-in video projections a lot, so I would love to have it in a bigger room like the Hoxton Gallery Space. Or have people walk into the pictures. I don’t really know how to make it happen, though. Oh, and I’ve always dreamed of having my own gallery space. Maybe in twenty years (laughs)…. with a little ice-cream shop inside!

Photo by Anne Barlinckhoff

Oh and you could taste the ice cream that is displayed on the picture!

Yes, exactly! People are not usually allowed to drink or eat in gallery spaces but I would love to have this interactivity with the audience. I mean, you can look at art hanging on the wall, and everyone thinks what they want about it, or you can actually get people to touch things and make them more tangible… I think people are always scared to touch objects of art and design because of its sacredness, but once you do it there is a totally different connection.

Some of your pictures feature young girls in rather suggestive poses… What is your take on that?

I had actually never thought about it until some illustrators contacted me with contributions that were always so damn sexual! However, you can have sexual content and still make it interesting, intelligent and sophisticated, rather than in a cheap and obvious way. It upsets me when people go for the obvious, they should be more innovative.

Yes, because your concept was originally a return to childhood, right?

Yes, it’s about how ice cream connects different people. I was just back home working in the family business, and I saw kids and old people, all having ice cream… So, yes, ice cream does have a sexual connotation but then again you can sexualize any food or any girls. For instance, I really like how one of my contributors, Nicoletta Cianci, approached it. I thought about her work for a long time, and saw it develop, so I hope she will do some more. Also, you underestimate ice cream. It’s extremely hard to shoot with it! People hold it wrong, it’s melting… It’s horrible! (Laughs). 

Photo by Ting Cheng

We have a lot of girls, soft and textured colours, and women in kimono in fields of flowers… Everything is quite romantic. Are you a Romantic at heart?

Yes, apparently… I’m a hopeless Romantic, that’s my tragedy. And I have to face reality every now and then… I’m not a blind illusionist. I don’t see candy colours to be that Romantic to be honest. I’m a very black and white person when it comes to composition, and for me, at the core, a Romantic can be very dark. It’s just a philosophy of life. All things end. Why are we living, what is the purpose of anything? Why do we give up on people and dreams? It’s like searching for the blue flower. And it’s even more interesting when your longing is unreachable…

What are your definitions of beauty and romance?

I like clean and tidy spaces, minimalism, but I also like real things like an old library with a hundred books and an old chair. I also love silk, linen, cotton, marble and wood, and I love real things as well as real food. I have worked in fashion for a long time and I just cannot help but love beautiful things that are pleasant to the eye.

What was your childhood dream?

To be both a princess and a pirate… Pretty and edgy (laughs). Or a panda bear care taker, I love them. Also, revolutionize the world.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? And which advice would you give to young creative minds? 

‘Just chill’, from my brother. If it’s meant to be it will happen, if not then accept it. And one of my professors used to tell me ‘Hang in there’. To young creatives I would say ‘Don’t hold back’. I used to do things I didn’t want to because I had this belief that this was the conventional path set for me and that I had to follow society’s rules… Don’t. Travel a lot. Meet new people. Be spontaneous. And once in a while, take a step back and look again.

What are your biggest fears?

My restlessness. Always wanting more.

And finally, what is your favourite ice-cream flavour?

Rose ice cream, my father’s vanilla ice cream, and stracciatella. And all the others!

Photo by Pun Sarasas

Alexandra Plesner is the founder of I Scream Factory and is currently performing as the project manager for TANK Magazine’s creative agency Tank Form. The I Scream Factory has already been exhibited at PROUD Camden and at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

www.iscreamfactory.co.uk

www.facebook.com/iscreamfactory

By Samantha Coombes

The Southbank Centre brings you an Art and Illustration Evening of inspiration with renowned duo Kai and Sunny.

It isn’t often an artist, yet alone two, can say they have worked among the gods of the fashion world, but Kai and Sunny are almost accustomed to it. Their intricate, naturalistic designs, embodying the symbols of British wildlife, started as a fashion label called Call Of the Wild sold in the likes of Liberty London and Selfridges. It then gained them recognition from Alexander McQueen, countless awards and international exhibits with work shown in the Haunch of Venison London and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

They have now been invited to the Art and Illustration Evening as part of Migration South at the Southbank Centre, from May until August. This will be an opportunity to discover the inspiration behind their unique pieces which exploded from a childhood connection between two original country boys. So expect birds scaling the walls and butterflies creating unique silhouettes said to give spectators a new perspective of natural beauty.

Be sure to catch the pair’s distinctive work soon, as they will be jetting off to showcase their work at Shepard Fairey’s gallery in LA, Subliminal Projects in September.

The show begins on Thursday 23 May 2013 6.30pm, buy your tickets here.

www.kaiandsunny.com

…

 “All synth, all the time”pretty much sums up the focus and flavour of the Electronic Rumors music blog and label run by Bristolian Clive ‘Crash’ Lewis, now operating out of London. We caught up with Clive and asked him the all important and delving question: Why do you do what you do?

So tell us about your blog, what inspired you to start it?

I honestly don’t know why I didn’t start the blog sooner than I did as it seems like the logical extension of what I do normally. I’ve always been involved with music – being in bands, DJing, running music nights, or writing. I tend to talk about music, a lot, so I guess the blog was just a way to express that, and to save my real life friends from having to hear me going on and on about such and such new artist! I knew of, and was inspired by, other music blogs like Big Stereo, Discodust and Sheena Beeston, but it wasn’t until our third year, when I started connecting with other blogs on Twitter, that I realised just how many there are out there.

How do you discover new artists and what sort of music captures your attention / encourages you to write about it?

I prefer to discover new music naturally, on my own. Even before I was blogging I would be scouring MySpace (it’s SoundCloud now), following link trails discovering ever more obscure artists. Now when I do get the time, getting lost in finding new music myself I still love more than anything.

How and when did the transition from blog to label begin?

In 2011 Ninthwave Records, contacted me saying they wanted to put together a compilation, and did I have any suggestions. Over the course of putting the compilation together I took over most of the project management and contract negotiations, overseeing the album and basically delivering Ninthwave a fully realised release featuring the likes of Ronika and Queen Of Hearts. It was a process I really enjoyed, but there was so much stress come release day, once the CD was out I was heard to comment “I’m so glad I never have to do that again”. Within 24 hours I was missing it so much I had backtracked, set up Electronic Rumors the label and signed our first artist.

What is your vision for the Electronic Rumors label?

My initial vision for the label, is that we’d release anything electronic. As long as it interests us we’ve got no strict genre constraints, aside from “get some synths in there”. Of course, we can’t release everything, so the label tends to lean towards electropop, indie-electro and nu-disco. I like dance beats and disco grooves, but I also love pop hooks, so right now I think we’re covering that well. We’ve got an electropop duo from New York called ‘She’s The Queen’ – a guy who can deliver million-dollar studio production from his home set-up and a little white girl with a massive motown voice who together write irresistibly catchy pop songs. Then there is ‘Ride The Universe’, who are like a supergroup of some of the leading lights of the Nu-Disco and Dreamwave scenes.  There’s ‘Let Em Riot’, a synthwavey indie-electro artist from California who make gloriously nostalgic and heartfelt electronic pop, and our most recent release came from a collaboration between Canadian Chillwave producer Box Of Wolves and London singer/songwriter Christa Vi, called ‘Boy’ and has just the right balance of catchy pop and interesting alternative electro that it’s starting to make some waves.

Do you run the label on your own or with others? How you find enough hours in the day to run a blog and a label?!

Nope, just me. I occasionally consider getting in help, especially now the label is up and running, but Electronic Rumors is my baby, and it’s tough to let go. Time management’s the key. People familiar with music blogs will probably notice that I’m not one of these that has to be the first to write about whatever big new release has just happened  - partly because I like to actually listen to music and consider my opinion before I put fingers to keys, but also because I have a very specific window in the evening to write articles to be published the next day. Generally though, and this applies to both the blog and the label – I find that if you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s not that hard to motivate yourself. And if I didn’t enjoy it, I would stop.

How important is the visual element of the music you release – do you get involved in the artwork?

As far as Electronic Rumors branding, visuals are very important to me. We have the logo, and we have a mascot (the Keytar Axeman) that I try to feature prominently on everything we do. When it comes to individual release covers, I tend to let the artists have the reins and give them any support the need. Mostly the artists I work with already have pretty set ideas of what they want to see, and who am I to argue?

What’s next for Electronic Rumors? Any future exciting happenings or plans?

Recently we’ve had the Box Of Wolves & Christa Vi release, we have records from New Arcades, Beaumont (Feat. Elle Pierre) and The Sanfernando Sound & Kid Kasio, and then going into the summer a couple of new singles from She’s The Queen and Let Em Riot. Possibly a label showcase night in London at some point too. Basically a lot of music with dance beats and choruses you can sing along to. Stuff that’ll be stuck in your head for days.

By Samantha Coombes

The Dark Lights, Cleft, BTWN and UKIT DJ’s make for a night of revels at The Silver Bullet on May 31^st with their indie-rock and electro beats personifying the up rise of fresh talent in the UK’s underground music scene.

Looking for a break from this so called British summer weather? If yes, then a night out at The Silver Bullet might be exactly what the doctor ordered. With a fresh line up of new UK bands and DJs, The Smash It Party! on Friday 31^st May looks to be a knockout night. Set up by UK Indie Touring, the evening will see live performances from indie, post-punk electronic sensation The Dark Lights, punk rock band Cleft and alternative blues rock band BTWN. With The Dark Lights on the brink of releasing their second EP and tour whilst Cleft and BTWN creating a storm with their edgy take on traditional rock music, the night is for every music hipster out there. Plus, if that wasn’t enough, UK Indie Touring have bagged a monopoly of UKIT DJ’s to see you dancing until the late hours with music spanning across indie to nudisco.

Photo by IamKarmaB.com

Photo by Ali Cordrey

The party runs from 8pm-3am with presale tickets priced at £3 and can be bought here or £5 on the night

To keep up to date and get more information on the event and the bands visit the Facebook page

Motor Neurone Disease Global Awareness month is taking place throughout June 2013.  To raise awareness you can show the film ‘I am Breathing’ which is a hard hitting documentary telling the story of Neil Platt, who was diagnosed with MND just after his son was born. To find out how see HERE

I am Breathing: Within one year, Neil Platt becomes paralysed from the neck down. As his body fails, he tries to make sense of his life in order to communicate who he is in a letter to his one-year-old son. The film was prompted by Neil himself. He wanted to communicate about his experience with MND in the last months of his life.

Supported by
Creative Scotland, Danish Film Institute, Channel 4, Wellcome Trust, MNDAssociation World Premiere in IDFA Competition for Feature Length Documentary, Amsterdam 2012 Nordic Premiere at DocPoint – Helsinki International Documentary Film Festival

www.iambreathingfilm.com

“I never had enough time to create.” Meet the man behind the enigmatic envelope portraits: Mark Powell talks to Suzanne Zhang about his work. 

Mark Powell is an illusionist who requires nothing more than an old envelope and a biro pen to draw portraits so realistic you almost shy away from them. Inspired by history and beauty in age, he delivers stunning and fascinating stories through an original and innovative medium: old envelops and letters. His drawing style is reflected through his answers; it is succinct, daring and concise. Portrait of a man of few words but thousands of pen strokes.

Your biro portraits are impressive and fascinating. Are the faces strangers or people you know?

The people I draw are strangers that I meet; I wouldn’t want to know too much about them so as to keep a level of mystery.

How symbolic for you is the act of drawing strangers ?

The ‘canvas’ that I use is an original one off piece in itself and so are the individuals that I draw. I want to keep it as exclusive as I can while trying to maintain a sense of familiarity with the subject.

Does your art and reality ever blend into one?

I hope that I am able to create something that is beautiful and a step away from the convention that beauty has become. Beauty in age. I often see people that I would love to draw but I wouldn’t say that anything has blurred with reality.

Art and drawings are, after all, about stories and beauty. When bringing these portraits to life, do you feel like you are telling their stories or yours?

In using the combination of old documents and old people, I show a life that has been lived. Both carry the scars of time and hint at a story of life. The interpretation of my work is unavoidable and essential, like all artwork I would say.

I read that after completing an illustration, you were immediately dissatisfied with your work, like all artists, which is a trait that pushes you to start another piece…

I imagine I will always dislike each work I finish, pushing me to do better. I don’t think I would like to do a piece of work that I would be happy with.

What is your definition of beauty?

Beauty is a strange thing, maybe it’s something that you want to continue getting to know more about.

You are one of the few artists lucky enough to live from your craft. In retrospect, what are your happiest moments as an artist? And what are your darkest moments?

The happiest is each time I complete a piece despite my dissatisfaction and the darkest moments are numerous and important.

How did you know that you wanted to draw as a job and not just a hobby?

I never had enough time to create.

What is the strongest emotional response you have ever expressed in front of a work of art?

Anytime I see a piece by Jean-Michel Basquiat I am amazed. The best response I have from looking at other work is to be inspired to go and create something yourself.

What are your plans for the future, apart from the Ben Oakley Gallery show?

After the two man show I have with David Bray at the Ben Oakley Gallery, I have a group show at the Bankside Gallery and a solo show that will be at the Hang Up Gallery. I am also in conversations with other galleries for future shows.

Mark Powell will be exhibiting at the Ben Oakley Gallery alongside David Bray. Show opens on Thursday 16th May from 6.30pm. 

9 Turnpin Lane, Greenwich Market, London SE10

BMW Tate Live Performance Room and Beijing based artist and curator Liu Ding are organizing a unique event featuring Baroque music and Chinese voices, 2-D reproductions of Tate Artworks and a spinning disco ball. The recorded voices are from the interviews with Chinese artists. The event is created especially for an online audience and will be performed live on May 16th. The audience is encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussions via social networks.

Liu Ding talked to us about his new work Almost Avant-Garde; his expectations for this event and future projects.

N. K.: You use your artistic and curatorial practice to reflect upon your surroundings. Tell me a little bit about your artistic work, how does that fit into your curatorial practice?

Liu Ding: I tend to consider both the making of artworks and the making of exhibitions as a creative practice and a medium for creative expression. Both practices keep on expanding my understanding of art and allow me to examine and contemplate the very conditions for my practice.

One of my ongoing projects, “I Simply Appear in the Company of…” involves making frames and plinths for works of other artists I have collected over the years, signing my name on the frames or plinths.  These works, amateurish works, crafts, decorative fare, were never recorded in the art history or recognized as masterpieces but they are part of our experience of art and culture and they exist like shadows to the main narrative of art history. When I collect and present them, I engage a younger artist to look at and hang them together with me. We discuss our respective perceptions of the works and debate where to put them, then I stage conversations with fellow artists and art historians against the backdrop of such a display. In a way, this project is like an exercise in curatorial practice, in that I try to establish different ways of seeing these works and relating to them.

N. K.: You’re  due to perform your new work Almost Avant-Garde made especially for the BMW Tate Live Performance Room on May 16. How did that come about?

Liu Ding: I participated in a one-day symposium at the Tate Tanks in which I was asked to present an artist talk. Within the artist talk, I created something that I described as “a weak performance”, by which I mean that it was planned and performed while being imbedded in a given situation and a prescribed mode of action. Instead of appearing on stage as expected, to give a straightforward presentation of my practice, I had my partner announce that I was running late for the event, so on my behalf, she did a short presentation on my works. It became a conversation about my work without my presence but with the presence and the perspective of Mr. Liu, supposedly a friend of mine. The audience were not aware that I was actually there as Mr. Liu who carried out a conversation with the curator about Liu Ding’s practice.

I was very interested in seeing what happens when an artist appears as a third-person in the discussion of his own thinking and practice. What kind of insights and criticisim can one gain by disappearing from his/her own work and appearing as someone else to address it? It was after the performance that I was invited to make a proposal for the BMW Tate Performance Room. In this proposal, there will again be a lot of switching of roles for the participants of the performance, who are all colleagues involved in the making of this piece.

N. K.: Part of your new work are the interviews you’ve conducted with the artists and art critics active in the 90s. How are the circumstances different for artists now compared to then?

Liu Ding: These interviews were more like conversations that I conducted with artists and art critics who were active in the 1990s in China, during our research for the 7^th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale. The thoughts revealed in these conversations are very meaningful to us in the present. I do not think that our uncertainty or understanding about art has necessarily changed dramatically or fundamentally over time. Maybe there is a better-developed infrastructure in place for art in a more physical sense, but in terms of the anxiety and internal motivations of artists and practitioners to keep asking questions, nothing has changed much. Trying to learn more and reveal some of the historical specificity in terms of the concerns and approaches in art from the 90s in China, provides liberation and intellectual strength for me to pursue my own thinking.

N. K.: I like the way art develops alongside technology and this event is the perfect example, made especially for the online audience allowing people all around the world to interact with artists and ask them about their work. What do you think about this type of an event?

Liu Ding: I am not someone who is sensitive to the specificity of a certain medium, but rather the art system as a whole is a very attractive medium for me. I like examining and exploring every aspect of it.

I always feel that the awareness and application of medium in art is behind that which is in applied sciences. The development of technology has indeed been having an impact on artistic practice, and like you said, this event is an example of it. Working on this project makes me start to look at how the role of “live broadcast” is affecting our perceptions and experiences of things that happen simultaneously, yet are elsewhere.

N. K.: What do you expect from this event and its international audience?

Liu Ding: It will be the first time working with a live broadcast project. There are many uncertain elements, which I will only experience and comprehend when it happens. For now, I have to rely on my limited experience to imagine and shape it. When I was first invited to submit a proposal, I was excited about the challenge of working with such a means of communication. We are exposed to and immersed in live broadcast on a daily basis (on twitter, TV and radio)  and receive all kinds of information – from wars to celebrations, from accidents to variety shows. Live broadcast generates a sense of being present and simultaneously involved, supposedly closing the gap between our experience of the “real” and the real. But there are still two layers of reality in such a concept and set up. Sometimes the two spaces of the reality can be mismatched too. In my proposal, I want to visualize and underline the two split live sites that still operate and exist in a situation such as a live broadcast setup and the two sets of experiences and emotions that cannot really be shared despite our desire to close the gap. The two sites in this situation is the one that I am in, and the other one where the audience is, in front of their screens.

N. K.: Do you have any plans for future projects?

Liu Ding: I am working on an exhibition project in which different kinds ideas of being contemporary (originated from various time periods and social situations) are addressed and simultaneously present. Their presence will be mediated through works and other forms of creative practice that bring forth their own process of thinking and developing.

You can see the live performance here: youtube.com/user/tate/tatelive on May 16th at 20.00 hrs in the UK and exactly the same moment across time zones on the specified dates – 15.00 hrs on the East Coast of America, 21.00 hrs in mainline Europe and 23.00 hrs in Russia.

We’ll be watching, and you?!

Following on from the release and success of their debut single Shelter Song back in November, self proclaimed ‘Neo psych’ band Temples have revealed a new video for their next track Colours to Life.

Directed and produced by Ed Miles, the video (and song) is like an hallucinogenic trip down a Lewis  Carroll portal.  Lead singer James Bagsaw woos our auditory senses with his vocals, while the combined efforts of  Tom Walmsley (bass), Sam Toms (drums) & Adam smith (keys) equally entice.

Having recently performed to a sell out crowd at London’s Lexington, as well as supporting bands such as Kasabian and The Vaccines,  Temples are proving to be a refreshing injection into the current music scene.

*Colours To Life will be released through Heavenly Recordings on 24th June

Catch Temples live on the following dates:

MAY
17- The Great Escape/ Brighton
18- Stag & Dagger/ Glasgow

JUNE
19- Hare & Hounds/ Birmingham
20- Boston Arms/London
21- Deaf Institute/ Manchester

JULY
6- Hyde Park (with Rolling Stones)/ London
7- Beat Herder Festival/ Clitheroe
21- Latitude Festival/ Southwold
26- Secret Garden Party/ Huntingdon
27- Stockton Weekender/ Stockton

AUGUST
17- Beacons Festival/ Skipton
23rd-25th- Reading / Leeds Festival

SEPTEMBER
13- Festival No.6/ Portmeirion

Yhonnie Scarce is a glassblowing artist form Australia who has been selected to feature her work in this year’s Venice Biennale as a part of an exhibition called Personal Structures: Time, Place, Existence. She is now preparing for the exhibition, but still found the time to have a bit of a chat over Skype and answer a few questions about her work, cultural background, upcoming exhibition and love for the glass.

Nermina Kulovic: You completed your undergraduate studies in 2003 as the first Aboriginal student with a major in glass. Why did you choose glassblowing as your major, it is a bit uncommon?

Yhonnie Scarce: It is, yeah… I’ve collected a couple of hand-made sculptures from second-hand shops and things like that, so at the time I was interested in how they would be made. I was working as a receptionist at the time and wanted to go back to study so then I found out that the University of South Australia offered glassblowing as a subject. So purely I just wanted to learn how to work with glass. A lot of people that work with glass tend to tell you, you either love it or you hate, and I fell in love with it. It seemed to me like a perfect medium to create the work that I make now.

NK: How much of the things you feel and want to share with the world can you actually share through this fragile medium? Is that part of its charm?

YS: Yes, it’s hard work. Particular pieces like the bush food are quite organic, so I find that with glassblowing I can get an instant result from it. I think I’m quite impatient, I find frustrating to go through that process of getting the moulds made for casting glass, whereas with glass blowing you can have a really good session, quite instantaneous for me. I don’t see myself as a really skilled glassblower, but my skills suit these things that I make because I’m open to it being a little bit off centre, a little bit organic and all different sizes. A lot of glassblowers are perfectionists and you have to be, but I’m a little bit different I think, for me it’s more of an expressive medium for my work.

NK: What’s the process you have to go through to make one glass piece?

YS: Once you get into the rhythm of making the yams it can actually take less than five minutes to make, and that’s with gathering the black powder, so it depends on the piece. The Bush bananas take quite a little bit more time. For my workshop at the University of Virginia, US – as part of my residency at the Kluge Ruhe Museum – I worked with Sculpture students. It was mostly me working alongside the students, to give them a little bit of a taste of what it’s like, because you have a long day, you work all day in a hot shop and it is quite extreme, tiring and physically exhausting on your body as well, so I’m lucky my forms and pieces can happen very quickly. It’s an interesting process.

NK: And where do you work?

YS: I hire people’s studios. Usually you get the furnace and two or three burners and you work from a bench. To be honest, I wouldn’t have my own glass hot shop. If you’re making production work it’s more feasible that way, but because I work in the hot shop intermittently it’s not feasible for me to have my own, I’m happy to hire.

NK: Where do you find inspiration for your works? How much did the fact that you belong to the Kokatha and Nukunu peoples shape your art?

YS: A lot of my work is inspired by personal experiences and particularly from family stories of what my grandparents went through as well. Looking at those effects of colonization and how it has affected Aboriginal people in Australia. Even though it’s 21^st century we’re still having to deal with a lot of issues relating to how the first settlers viewed Aboriginal people when they first came to Australia and that’s to do with the issues of identity, racism, genocide and things like that. So, I tend to do a lot of research if I’m creating a work that is about the issues relating to Aboriginal people in Australia. It does affect me quite emotionally, it’s something I feel quite strongly about and it comes out in my work.

NK: My favourite piece is Burial Ground. There are 224 pieces of blown glass, what do they represent and why are there exactly 224 pieces?

YS: I won an art award a few years ago and part of that award was that I got to travel overseas. I went to Berlin because my interest at the time was about genocide, so I wanted to go to Berlin to visit a concentration camp and go to places where people were victims of genocide, particularly those of the Holocaust as well. I was really intrigued by the fact that Berlin has quite a number of monuments or memorials to the Jewish people and to the victims of the Holocaust, so I started to think about whether Australia has any memorials to those who have been killed or as I would say murdered as a result of genocide during the settlement of Australia. So, I started creating a Burial Ground as a memorial to those who have passed away, the 224 yams represent every year up until 2012, because the first fleet came in Australia in 1788 so it represents 224 years, every yam represents every year that someone has died as a result of colonization. I wanted to pile them together as a mass burial ground on top of the box which was inspired by the memorial to the murdered Jewish people in Berlin, so the measurements are actually the size of the autopsy table; it’s the length of a human body. I wanted to have that scientific element to that as well and not have the yams just sitting on a box, it had to be clean and crisp as well. It’s one of the largest works to date.

NK: You’ve been selected to participate in this year’s Venice Biennale, Personal Structures exhibition, with a piece called Blood on the Wattle. How did that come about and what was your first reaction when you found out about it?

YS: I was actually overseas doing the residency at the Kluge Ruhe and when I got back to Melbourne my gallery told me that Global Art Affairs has been in contact with them about doing some work for Personal Structures: Time, Place, Existence. They were quite interested in my work, particularly Burial Ground, so there was the process of putting in a proposal about what I would intend to make if I was selected. I knew that I had been shortlisted, but we found out earlier than expected that I had been selected so it was quite a big shock to me, I still can’t believe it! I think it’s pretty much the most artists’ dream to be exhibiting in Venice Biennale, so for me to be selected I sort of couldn’t decide whether I was going to laugh or cry, but I knew that I couldn’t breathe properly! I’m incredibly honoured to be one of the artists representing Australia in that exhibition, it’s exciting.

NK: What are you presenting for this exhibition?

YS: Because the curators were interested in Burial Ground that I made last year they wanted something very similar, so it [Blood on the Wattle] will be another large work, but this time it will have close to 300 yams in it and it will be encased in a perspex coffin.

NK: This exhibition is a huge opportunity for every artist, what do you expect from it?

YS: I’m hoping to create other opportunities to be working with other curators internationally. I am excited about meeting other artists from other parts of the world, just to have that cultural exchange happening. You never really know what’s going to happen, but you’re going with that hope of creating something out of that, because it’s such a great opportunity to be exhibiting in one of the biggest art events in the world. I’m happy to go with the flow and see what comes of it.

NK: How do you feel about artistic competitions?

YS: I am nervous every time I exhibit any work, but particularly with this one, it’s like the whole art world is watching, so it brings on another level of nervousness, but I think having that nervousness is a good thing as well; I’m proud of this work. No one else has seen it yet, it’s going to be showcased for the first time at the Palazzo Bembo. I think if you’re not nervous there’s something wrong.

NK: Do you have any plans for the future? Do you plan to explore any new medium?

YS: I will always stay with glass, I think. The one thing I love about my work is that I use other mediums with glass, so it could be wood, fabric, twine… But, glass will always be my main medium; it will be there to express my thoughts. I’m in love with glass.

From current events to Instagram to Mexico’s drug cartels to fashion to Al Qaeda, VICE shows it all, and this time through illustrations at an exclusive show taking place at Pure Evil Gallery in East London.

After years of showing the world their most trendy and provocative illustrations on paper, VICE have finally decided to reunite their most visceral and incredible artwork in a show which will be taking place at  Pure Evil Gallery in Shoreditch, from the 17^th May to the 2^nd June 2013.

The VICE Illustration show will be their own ‘essential guide’ to the magazine’s original and tongue-in-cheek content, with previews of what is to come. Archives, originals and exclusive artwork will be displayed, along with ‘raw’ drawings featured in VICE, prior to their scanning and digitalisation.

Art, humour and absurdity are integral parts of VICE’s visual content which will all be honed through the likes of Johnny Ryan, Cei Willis, and Daniel David Freeman’s artworks. Tipping unapologetically over the edge of good taste and social commentary, the exhibit will show some of the best-loved illustrations while opening dialogue and debate.

The VICE Illustration Show takes place  at the Pure Evil Gallery, 108 Leonard Street, Shoreditch, from May 17 to June 2nd.  www.pureevilclothing.com

This time last week (2^nd May), The Vaccines were getting ready to perform at the 02 Arena, with support from Temples, Toy and The Walkmen. It was to be their biggest indoor headline gig to date,  and would draw in an eclectic crowd ready to rock to the band’s Indie Pop/Rockabilly /Punky sounds.

Coming Together
Back in the summer of 2009, two disillusioned friends joined forces and begun to play music together. Both had been involved with music at some level before, but the two’s mutual appreciation of music and shared enthusiasm for creating, sparked off a new artistic motive.  The two friends became three and then eventually four. With a strong desire to live a life more worthwhile and challenging, Justin Young (singer-songwriter/ guitar), Freddie Cowan (guitar), Arnie Arnason(bass) & Pete Robertson (drums), set out and became The Vaccines.

2010
- After some quality time playing together as a foursome,  The Vaccines upload a song ‘If You Wanna’ via YouTube

- Shortly after, Zane Lowe praises music and cites track as ‘Hottest Record in the World’

- [October] Due to a growing interest in the band, The Vaccines play their first London gig at The Flower Pot pub.  The show was a sell out and saw 200 people turned away.
- [November] The band release 1000 copies of debut double A-side single Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra) / Blow It Up.
- Wreckin’ Bar  becomes critically received and is named ‘Track of the Day’ by Q Magazine.

2011
- The band begin the year by appearing on the cover of NME.
- [January] (24th) The Vaccines release second single Post Break Up Sex, the track debuts at #32 in the UK charts.
- The Vaccines are nominated for an MTV Award for ‘Best New Band 2011′ as well as a critics choice Brit Award.
- The Vaccines energetically embark on the first of many tours.
- [March]- (14th) Debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? is released via Columbia Records.
- The album reaches #4 in the UK charts and becomes the best selling album of 2011.

‘Essentially, the principal of the band is quite simple, we strive to find the perfect pop song.’ Arnie Arnason

- [June]- (10th) The Vaccines support The Arctic Monkeys for the first time at Don Valley Bol in Sheffield.
- The band make their t.v debut on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing If You Wanna.
- The Vaccines embark on an intensive road trip performing at *45 festivals including Reading and Leeds.

Behind the music…

2012
- The Vaccines work with Stevie More and cover his track Why Should I love you? In return Stevie Moore covers their track Post Break Up Sex.
- The band embark on another epic road trip performing at various venues and festivals worldwide.

‘I think Reading just topped everything off for us… It was a big achievement for the band and this was the point that we knew we had made it!’ Freddie Cowan

- In gratitude of their succes, The Vaccines pay tribute their fans with the video for the track Wetsuit.

-[September] (3rd) Second album ‘ Come of Age’ produced by Ethan Johns is released. The album reaches #1 in the U.K charts and is certified gold.
‘It’s got an urgency about it (the album), which kind of reflects where we are at in our lives‘. Pete Robertson

- The Vaccines play to a sold out Alexandra Palace.

2013

-The Vaccines announce forth coming shows such as the 02, Glastonbury and a gig in Hyde Park supporting The Rolling Stones.

- [March] (17th0 Tthe band release track Bad Mood

The Vaccines at The O2 Arena (2nd May) Amongst the crowd are adoring teens, couples, young men of a similar age,  men and women of no fixed ages, photographers, workers, teachers, a bunch kids from St Anne’s Primary School Choir (who Freddie Cowan spotted on YouTube and invited) and Tom Cowan (The Horrors)… The energy is vivacious and The Vaccines… delivered.    

‘None of us are naive enough to think we are going to be benefactors forever… If we haven’t lived up to certain people’s expectations then we may be judged as failures, when in actual fact we have already exceeded in any of our own expectations‘. Justin Young

What is becoming of The Vaccines? who knows?but there sure is magnetic show to be enjoyed while the answer pans out.

TBC…

www.thevaccines.co.uk

Beginning with some bright ideas and a concrete barn, Supremebeing has made the transition from street-wear underdog to a global indie brand in record time – though not without some interesting anecdotes to tell.

I chat to Joe Lipscomb, Creative Director and Co-Founder, about the journey, the team, the clothes, and why he does what he does.

What was your role in the birth of Supremebeing?

I was asked in while the idea was first forming. David and Ian were planning a shop in our hometown of Cambridge, which would sell clothing, art, records, skateboards and even coffee. I was into that stuff and I knew them from school, so it all just fit. Yoc had these tee designs to print and sell, so to start with he taught me to use Illustrator and Photoshop. I worked in the shop and we printed tees by hand – all that good stuff.

Tell me about one of your happiest moments at Supremebeing.

I remember being at a huge trade show years ago, that cost a lot for us at the time, hoping to find European distributors. It went amazingly and our stand was packed for the whole three days. We were exhausted by the end, but I remember collapsing on a huge pillow thing and thinking “we did good”.

And your darkest moment?

We used to work from an old barn. Not a posh refurbished one; a barn on a farm outside Cambridge with a concrete floor. We got trapped in a blizzard one night; people had to sleep in their cars, but we turned round and spent the night huddled up at work. It was snowing indoors.

Wow, hard times! What is your role like now? How has it changed?

For a while I did jackets, but now we have waaay more talented people to do that than me. Over the years we met more talented people and moved into apparel proper. These days I still do a lot of graphics and illustration, and I design footwear and accessories. We work very much as a team though, meaning I get a lot of design help, but also an input into other aspects of the business. We do almost everything in house, so I’m often working in Photoshop, on shoot or editing video.

What do you love most about your role?

It’s incredible to be able to make stuff! Not only for the creative aspect, but also getting to wear the stuff. All I do is design what I want. I also love seeing the brand grow, and how an idea can come from a lunch time chat into beautiful fruition over a few months of playing catch with it. I never get tired of that.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Hmm. Depends what we are talking about. Probably a mix of grudging compliments, thinly veiled complaints and perhaps some excited swearing at times. I think I can be a bit of a nightmare because I have a habit for loudly declaring the elephant in the room, but then again I think somebody has to do that sort of thing.

Haha, you sound like a fun character! What mischief do you get up to outside of work then?

Well, I’m also a rapper. I’m called Skuff and I have an album out called Destroy Everything. I do a fair few shows and I’ve had some stuff played on Radio 1 recently, which is pretty insane! I make videos, design album artwork, and produce beats too. I also do some writing and voice acting stuff, which all keeps me pretty busy and well travelled.

What makes Supremebeing’s creative approach special?

We’ve always worked from the ground up to design what we want to wear, really. We allow ourselves to be influenced by all the things we are into, but without exploiting or over doing it. We work really hard on bespoke materials, colour palettes and details before even starting working on a new season – then we make sure every product has real thought put into it, right down to the functionality. We don’t try to follow trend prediction, but instead look at every season afresh.

What makes you most proud about the company?

I’m very proud that we began from really humble beginnings, and now have our product in shops all around the world. Aside from that, and our team, I’m proud of our output! I really enjoy seeing the final collection hanging in the showroom, along with the lookbooks, campaign images and seasonal videos. When it all comes together, it’s one of those ‘smell the roses’ moments.

What setbacks has the brand experienced?

It’s always a laugh when the exchange rates go for a Burton. We’ve also always been an underdog; we’re independent, but essentially in competition with much bigger companies for sales and shop space. But we’re happy with that. We prefer to have our freedom and be our own brand – it allows us to explore what we want, rather than chasing the dollar constantly.

I know a few budding entrepreneurs trying to make it in the industry. Do you have any advice?

Don’t try and second guess what people want; work on what you would want yourself. Always hone your skills and never be lazy with them. Always try to employ people who are better than you.

What future projects has the brand got coming up?

The White Canvas Project is a series of street artist jams and gallery events. We are planning on another one soon, possibly in Maccau or Dubai. We also have an amazing project with David Walker where he will design a limited edition shoe along with his next art show. I don’t want to say too much yet, but it will be amazing.

From time to time you get a crazy idea in your head about starting up that creative project you’ve always dreamed of, but then that idea fades or you just write off as unrealistic. For most of us that is the response, but Tom Baker has made a name for himself by taking those ideas and turning them into successful music organizations.

Tom Baker has been running music events in London for the last ten years. This began through his work at Eat Your Own Ears, which he started in 2001 putting on nights to showcase new artists in East London with a number of independent labels including Domino and Rough Trade. Then as the co-founder and programmer of the music festival Field Day, which has been running for seven years—there is a lot of blurring between the two roles.

What does your job consist of?

I work with a small hardworking team from our office in London Fields. I’m responsible for booking the Field Day line up and also the marketing and promotion of all the events we put on. A typical day involves about 300 emails relating to offers on artists, booking venues, ticket sales and so on. I also present the Field Day online radio show so do interviews and prep for this, plus tweet out about new acts I’m excited about and great music generally.

How are the hours?

Relentless! but fun. Living in London and working with acts from across the world both upcoming and established means there’s always more I could be seeing and doing, that’s an exciting position to be in.

What’s the best thing about it?

Love of music… and working with a brilliant team of people who are passionate about music as well, and doing a fantastic job.
Seeing talented acts that rarely perform in London get amazing receptions, such as Toumani Diabate Field Day 2011 as well as being a part of seeing once unknown acts gain stature and success over the years such as Four Tet , The XX, Florence and the Machine, Caribou, Hot Chip, is pretty hard to beat!

Your least favourite?

When bands we love don’t find the audience we think it deserves. Thankfully this doesn’t happen that often – sometimes it’s just not the right time or something. Also as independent promoters, we’re always working to tight budgets to make things work. Booking international acts means paying for expensive flights and fitting around touring schedules and new releases so sometimes dream line ups just can’t happen because of practicalities unfortunately.

Why did you create Field Day? When did you originally get the idea and how did you put it into motion?

Me and my girlfriend Natalie put together a free event a few years back outside the Griffin pub in Old Street for around 1,000 people a day called Return Of The Rural; a village fete with live acoustic acts, James Yorkston and Beth Orton alongside acts like Clinic and Four Tet. Marcus, who ran the Griffin, was really involved in making the event happen, so after the success of this we all thought we should do something bigger and on a grander scale. A year later Marcus confirmed the use of Victoria Park and I drew up a list of people I thought should be involved – promoters like Adventures In The Beetroot Field, Bugged Out, Bloggers Delight and Homefires – so we have a strong network to promote the event through. I then started drawing up all the bands I wanted to play, started talking to agents and Field Day was announced!

What’s unique about Field Day’s creative approach and ethos, in comparison with other festivals?

We think Field Day is unique in the fact that it’s a day festival in East London and that the line-up is a sum of the parts – every act on the bill has been thought about and the day is full of over 90 acts ranging from Djs to live acts to a brass band, it’s not a festival that’s just about that one or two massive headliners, camping for a weekend and selling loads of beer and programmes. Field Day is a great day out and has a loyal audience of genuine music lovers and the atmosphere and audience response there is always brilliant whatever the weather!

Who is headlining this year’s festival?

Headlining Field Day this year are two amazing acts that I personally love: The ground- breaking experimental psychedelic Animal Collective and the beautiful and magical Bat For Lashes, who played the very first Field Day in 2007.

How do you pick the acts?

A mixture of bands I am working with and promoting via Eat Your Own Ears and artists I would love to work but don’t promote on a regular basis. But at the end of the day has to be music I am into and am excited about seeing live.

What have you learned over the years from organizing the festival?

Attention to detail is always key across all elements of the festivals and take on board all feedback and employ the right people for the job in hand, those that have the best experience, knowledge and understanding of their specific area, be it the PA company to the head of production… You are always learning every year and always try and improve elements every year.

What have been some of your highlights from the festival?

Seeing Toumani Diabaté play a packed tent two years ago was amazing! A true highlight, the audience singing back his Kora playing…

How has it changed since the beginning?

It’s a lot more competitive now with more and more festivals and live events, so it becomes harder to book. But at the same time Field Day has expanded from 10,000 to 20,000 and is now in its 7th year at a 30,000 capacity with 9 stages.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I think it’s a really exciting time for music, with so many great bands around now than ever before. The Internet and social networks have really helped bands get their music heard and enabled them to build fan bases quiet quickly. It’s amazing how a brand new unknown band can very quickly get a buzz and sell out the likes of the Shacklewell Arms 250 capacity room just by the likes of a good Facebook and Twitter presence, and of course strong tunes on Soundcloud or similar.

I guess now that people perhaps don’t spend so much on buying albums, they can afford to see live music and go to festivals and concerts more often, so obviously that’s a good thing for the live music scene. I guess it’s just a matter of getting the balance between an over saturation of festivals and the free platforms to hear music with bands earning enough money to continue to make music for us all to enjoy.

FIELD DAY 25-05-13

Victoria Park, London

fielddayfestivals.com

At 7 PM tonight, Campfire’s storytelling by ditto will host a talk from one of the most inspiring pioneer musician, Thomas Dolby, featuring a private screening of his most recent short film The Invisible Lighthouse. The screening’s musical score and narration will be performed by Dolby himself, in what is to be a one-of-a-kind interactive show.

The screening of The Invisible Lighthouse, directed and produced by Dolby, is the opportunity to dive in deep into his childhood memories, which were an inspiration for the film. The short film has already gained critical success in America, where it won ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Documentary Short’ at the 2013 Los Angeles DIY Film Festival.

Thomas Dolby is best known for his unique vision of art, technology and science, all expressed through innovative new wave synthpop during the ‘80s (with tracks such as She Blinded Me With Science and Hyperactive!), and for being TED’s Musical Director during 12 years. He has worked with great musicians such as Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, his work bringing him international recognition and awards.

The Campfire ditto space welcomes you to this unparalleled opportunity to experience Dolby’s distinctive vision through a live performance tonight, Wednesday 8^th May at 7pm.

Complementing this exceptional event, the ditto doors gallery space presents Seascapes a stunning exhibition by Guy Edwardes.

Join us at 7pm, Wednesday 8th May at: The Lighthouse, Canonbury Yard, 190 New North Road, N1 7BJ.

RSVP: campfire@ditto.tv

Join us at 7pm, Wednesday 8th May at: The Lighthouse, Canonbury Yard, 190 New North Road, N1 7BJ.

RSVP: campfire@ditto.tv

Last night at the Islington Assembly Hall, Laura Mvula gracefully took to the stage and performed a collection of songs from her debut album Sing to the Moon.

The British soul singer whose popularity has endured a steadfast growth since the release of her debut single She, last November, was met and greeted by a sold out crowd.

Highlights of the evening included That’s Alright, which encouraged the sway of hips, Flying Without You, which Mvula dedicated to an ex lover and my personal favourite Father Father.

In between songs Mvula entertained and interacted with her audience with what seemed like a natural ease, but when she sang (and my, did she sing) Mvula’s focus switched as she stepped into her zone, reached into her soul and projected a voice so raw and powerful.

To end and as if to release the audience from her captivation, Mvula sung a gentle rendition of Michael Jackson’s Human Nature, while her cellist (brother) proved to be a complimentary accompaniment.

* To catch Laura Live see HERE
www.lauramvula.com

Conceived three years ago during a chat about gamebooks, ‘Time’ will finally be brought blinking into the world this Spring.

Formed from a fusion of words and illustration, the new anthology by indie publisher Lazy Gramophone is coiled around a central theme of time and growth.

Thirteen short stories, nineteen poems and fifty-eight pieces of artwork entwine and overlap throughout this remarkable collection, dancing around each other as they narrate the journey from childhood to old age. With tales of shipwrecks, circus clowns, thieves and murder, as well as fantastical art and a coat of old-time charm, ‘Time’ is a treasure box brimming with creativity and fresh talent.

The book launch is to be held at The Drink Shop and Do (a two minute walk from Kings Cross Station) on Sunday 26th May. Extracts from the anthology will be on display, and first edition copies of ‘Time’ will be available to buy from the Lazy Gramophone stall. There will also be a number of performances from ‘Time’ contributors from 4.30pm into the evening.

by Andrew Walter

by Jeannie Paske

by Kaitlin Beckett

The ‘Time’ book launch will be held from 3.30pm to 11pm on Sunday 26th May at The Drink Shop & Do, 9 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX. Free entry.

What is the sound of electricity? A monotone hum, a rhythmic whirr, the whine of white goods in the kitchen?

It’s hard to determine Haroon Mirza’s answer until seeing his artwork in the flesh, as he rarely records the eerie electrical melodies that accompany his visual work. Luckily, the artist has an upcoming show at Lisson Gallery, where he will exhibit a number of these audio-sculptural pieces.

Combining electrical goods into dishevelled arrangements, the artist uses trailing wires to form physical and conceptual links between the components. Meanwhile, newer pieces such as ‘Digital Switchover’ – a series of colourful textured slabs hung on walls surrounding a TV – depict technology in a more abstract style.

As a former DJ, sound greatly influences Mirza’s work. He was also brought up Muslim, and often explores Islam through his art. ‘Adhãn’ is one piece that brings both of these themes together, by highlighting what Mirza sees as Islam’s contradictory attitude towards music. The installation itself uses a looped clip of Cat Stevens, a singer-songwriter who gave up music for Islam.

A Sleek Dry Yell, 2008 Mixed media Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery

Preoccupied Waveforms, 2013 Courtesy the artist, New Museum, New York Photo Jesse Untracht Oakner

Elite Squeak Blue Mixed media Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery

Adhãn, 2008 Mixed media installation Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery

/o/o/o/o/ will run from  17 May to 29 June at Lisson Gallery, 52 – 54 Bell Street, London, NW1 5DA.

Hang-Up Gallery is hosting a new exhibition for the art duo kennardphillipps called Blue Murder. It uses materials such as newspaper, charcoal, and ink in partially ripped away images to examine social decline and conservative politics in Great Britain.

Kennardphillipps are known for creating art with a strong political message behind it. Cat Phillipps and Peter Kennard began working together after they decided to express their mutual outrage at the invasion of Iraq in art. They have since tackled a variety of political subjects, the latest being the decline of the British welfare state in the face of austerity, featuring decaying images of Prime Minister David Cameron’s head. The images are clever and sly combining easily recognized images like the face of the politician with numbers or a public protest. Their use of torn newsprint make the combinations more striking. They have the feel of current events, combined with political outrage.

They see their work as the visual element of international movements for social and political change. They write on their website, “We want it to be used by people as a part of their own activism, not just as pictures on the wall to contemplate.” Since 2002 they have taken on commissions for a variety of different environments including the street, galleries, the Internet, print media and demonstrations. Their work is included in the permanent collections at the Tate, V&A and the Imperial War Museum.

Blue Murder will be at the Hang-Up Gallery from April 27 to June 6, 2013. 

56 Stoke Newington High Street
London N16 7PB

Grass House are Liam Palmer, Steven Dove, Ross Hall and Nicholas Jones

London four piece band Grass House have now unveiled a music video to accompany their recently released single ‘Spinning As We Turn‘. Recorded at Monnow Valley Studios in Wales with producer Jim Anderson (Cold Specks, The Twilight Sad, 2:54), the track is the perfect follow up to last year’s ‘The Boredom Rose’ and a perfect teaser for their planned debut album due out in the next few months.

*Catch Grass House on Thursday 9th of May 2013 at the Old Queens Head where they will headline the ‘Best In Class’ night.

www.grasshousemusic.co.uk

By Rhiannon M. Kirkland

For the third time a Japanese architect will be responsible for designing the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion—following Toyo Ito in 2002 and Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa in 2009. Sou Fujimoto has been selected to design the 2013 version of the temporary structure outside the Serpentine Gallery.

Fujimoto was born in Hokkaido, Japan, and studied architecture at the Faculty of Engineering at Tokyo University. He has headed Sou Fujimoto Architects since its founding in 2000. Most of his architectural projects have been completed in Japan including the Musashino Art Museum and the library at Musashino Art University.

Fujimoto draws inspiration from nature and natural structures like forests, nests and caves. His pavilion is 350 square-metres large composed of lightweight 20mm steel poles that have a delicate and transparent feel. It is inspired by the greenery of nearby Kensington Gardens, and the merging of the man-made and nature. Visitors are meant to interact with the pavilion, which includes a social space complete with a café in the interior.

Fujimoto is the thirteenth architect to design the pavilion, and at 41 he is also the youngest. Past designers have included Frank Gehry and Oscar Niemeyer.

www.serpentinegallery.org

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013
Designed by Sou Fujimoto
Indicative CGI
© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Sons Between Guns is made up of Paul Trivett And Thomas Whitelaw, who currently live and work in East London. Their first EP Red 1 has received radio play on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6 music show. Red 1 is what happens when a songwriter with a passion for layering takes on electronic music. These songs may sound simple on the surface but are actually quite complex in their conception. I spoke with Tom over the phone about the band.

RMK: When did you two start making music together?

TW: We first started making music together about two and a half years ago, and properly under the name Sons Between Guns about two years ago. We started trying different things  with a couple of other people as well, and then about me and Paul started making music together as Sons Between Guns and sort of moving forward in the direction we’re now at and still moving. Yeah, that’s been a good two years, released our first EP last year and we’ll be releasing our follow-up shortly.

RMK: Do you have a name picked out for your EP yet or is that still in the development stages?

TW: The EP that will be released shortly is called Yellow 2 and that’s the follow-up to the one we released last year, which was called Red 1 but I think we’ll do one or two more EP releases along that sort of theme of colours and numbers.

RMK: How would you say that it’s different from Red 1, how have you guys changed as a band?

TW: I think we’re always just experimenting with new sounds, and where songs might be very multi-layered, others songs are very stripped back and just sort of finding what sound suits us. Really there’s only two of us in the band and we both write the music and produce music. There’s a heavy electronic influence in there as well as song writing,  in the way that songs are structured so we’re always sort of experimenting with different sounds and different energies and tempos. Where some songs might be quite heavy and might be influenced with sort of a bluesy guitar feel, other tracks are very stripped back and quite melancholy but I think we like that. We like bringing all those different influences of things that we like and also the backgrounds of where we’ve both come from, and then see what we can come up with!

RMK: What are you listening to at the moment?

TW: It’s electronic music that sort of is quite different from where it’s progressed in terms of what dance music used to be. It’s got a lot more song structure in the songs and really good sounds as well, so definitely a lot of new electronic music but always old stuff as well.

RMK: Would you say that Paul has a very different taste in music than you?

TW: I think our approach to music’s been very different. I’m essentially a singer songwriter, or have been anyway – you know I play guitar and I sing. Before we started doing this Paul was heavily involved on the drum and bass scene in London, so I think our approach to what we’ve been doing in music in the past has been very different but I think the wide range of things that we enjoy listening to and also the way that we’ve been recording music, there’s a lot of similarities there and we find writing music together really productive. You know, we’re always coming up with new ideas, some ideas will evolve into a full song, other ideas we’ll sort of leave on the shelf and come back to at a later stage and often those songs will start very different. Sometimes it will start with a vocal piece, other times it will start with a beat or maybe just with a base line and we’ll build on that and we’re never really sure what direction that song is going to go into, it might start out as something slow that I might have written on the guitar but ends up being something completely different.

RMK: What was background before you ended up getting into Sons Between Guns, were you making music?

TW: I was doing bits and pieces really, even doing some soundtrack work for theatre companies in London, doing everything from like song composition to designing soundscapes for post production which got me into how to record music and how to create sounds, and how to create atmospheres and arrangement as well. I think that’s something that I’ve taken into the stuff that I’m doing with Paul.

www.sonsbetweenguns.com

On melancholy, Charlie Chaplin and upcoming gigs… Suzanne Zhang talks to the South East London band Chaplin about their music and their influences.

Hello Chaplin! How are you doing? Could you tell us a bit about yourself? I hear you two are childhood friends above all. How did you guys start?

Hi Suzanne, thanks we’re well, only a bit cold – can’t believe that it is still snowing here at the end of March… Crazy!
Childhood friends, indeed. We’ve known each other for a really long time. I taught Dali how to tie his shoe laces when he was 4 or 5… That might give you an understanding of our friendship.
Looking back we started making music together in early 2000. Lots of songs, gigs, travels, break-ups. Later we decided to start a project with only the two of us. That was the beginning of Chaplin in 2011.

What is behind the name Chaplin? Is it a reference to Charlie Chaplin’s hats? You guys are often seen wearing bowler hats on your pictures.

There is quite an interesting story to that…Back in 2011 when we recorded our first EP we were looking for a band name and just couldn’t come up with anything (as Dave Grohl said in his keynote speech at SXSW) ‘finding a good band name is still the fuckin’ hardest part…’ Luckily our good friend Foy who recorded the EP with us said like from out of nowhere: ‘Why don’t you just call yourselves Chaplin?!’
He was right! At that time we were both reading Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography and the influence this book had on us and on the decisions we made at that time was huge.
We sold our belongings, emptied our flats and drove with our music equipment to London to start from scratch. That was definitely the second hardest bit after finding a good band name – or at least after finding a band name…

Your music seems to combine electronic pop and soul with melancholic and sentimental tones. Who are your major influences? I hear a lot of Depeche Mode and Radiohead inspiration!

We both grew up with a wild mix of influences. One of the reasons is our background. Dali’s parents are from the former Yugoslav Republic and I was born in Romania so we both grew up listening to some crazy, melancholic Balkan music while finding our own taste.

Depeche Mode and Radiohead are for sure major influences, but also people like Gil Scott-Heron, Stevie Wonder and John Frusciante just to name a few. It’s also not only the music that inspires us, it’s a lot about the personality, the story behind the music and the approach. That’s why Charlie Chaplin is a major influence as well.

You also take inspiration from artists with a softer tone, such as Yann Tiersen or Foy Vance. Are you willing to use xylophones, accordions and violins etc as well, as part of your tracks?

Sure! We’re open to everything when it comes to instruments and sounds, but picking the right ones is a different story. So whenever it feels like a song needs an accordion for example I’m sure we’re gonna use it.

Your music is extremely haunting, sentimental, and somewhat sad, even? In your Livingroom Session 1, you croon incessantly “My mother said ‘there will be days like these’, when my love is all over the floor”. Do you take inspiration from your own lives when writing the lyrics? Do you believe an artist should draw inspiration from their own presence or project experiences onto the world?

Music is a beautiful thing. What I love about it is that it feels/sounds different to you than it sounds to me. You know what I mean? We might feel the same if we listen to a song but… maybe we do not. I wouldn’t say that our music sounds sad. For me it sounds melancholic. That’s a very common feeling in music from Southeast Europe. It is really hard to explain if you haven’t grown up with it but there’s a good album by Goran Bregovic called ‘Tales and songs from weddings and funerals’. Title says everything, doesn’t it?

You played at the launch party of our issue 7, prior to releasing your 5-track EP, Momentaufnahme (translates as ‘snapshot in time’). It seems you are doing well overall; your video clip Controversy has even been featured on German television. Are you working on any new and exciting projects at the moment or just focusing on the ‘living room sessions’? (Livingroom session 2 Williamsburg came out on the 25.03.2013)

Oh yes, the launch party… that was good fun! Thanks for reminding me.
Last year was great and also this year things are going really well since we got back from our studio in Austria. We’re getting good feedback on the new recordings so we’re quite excited about the upcoming months.
We’ve got a couple of things we’re working on at the moment. First of all we’re planning to have some people around for our next “Living Room Session“ which is planned for the second half of April. It will be limited to 16 because of the size of our living room and another  bit more technical thing…we’re gonna do the session through headphones so people will have to bring their own headphones to be able to listen to what we play. We’re quite excited about that to be honest.
At the same time we’re working on our live set to go on tour and play more frequently in the second half of the year.

Can we expect any live shows soon? I know you had some dates in the UK some time ago, but do you have anything soon?

The next gig will be in our living room and then we’re playing at the Strongroom Bar in Shoreditch on the 8th of May.

I know you guys decide the visuals of your video clips. How would you perform your music in a live setting? Would you include visuals or some other kind of medium to accompany the music?

We’re thinking about that quite a lot at the moment and to be honest I don’t know yet. Ask me in a month’s time and I might have an answer…so I’d better go now and do some work!

And finally, what is your favorite Charlie Chaplin film?

That’s a tough one………..
The Great Dictator (Dali)
City Lights (Pippo)

Love Saves the Day presents Love Saves Sunday

Does the above video bring back memories of last year? Or are you a newbie wondering how you managed to miss out on this festival/ party? Well, the inaugural event was Love Saves the Day, a new dance festival, which took place in Castle Park, Bristol last June.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that after only 7 weeks of announcing this year’s line up, Love Save the Day has now officially SOLD OUT. However, to many people’s delight, the good news is that due to popular demand the team behind the festival have added an extra date to the bill (the next day) and called it Love Saves Sunday.

Conceived by the brains behind Glastonbury’s WOW stage, See No Evil and one half of the team behind the much laudedIn: Motion series, Love Saves The Day and the now, LOVE SAVES SUNDAY is a festival, which aims to celebrate musical pioneers and innovators by bringing together some of the finest DJ’s and live acts from around the world.

Love Saves Sunday are now proud to announce:

CHIC with NILE ROGERS and the CRAZYLEGS STAGE featuring:

Om Unit, Brackles, TRC, TOYC, Hodge, Shandy, The Kelly Twins, Spooks, Shaun P

As well as acts such as:

Kicking us off in style is Ben UFO, helmsman of the Hessle Audio label and one of those rare breed of young DJ’s that hasn’t strayed into production. His wobbly, percussive strains of dubstep are set to unite the LOVE SAVES SUNDAY in a climatic finale.

Last year Bristolian 70 year old DJ Derek was given the Lord Mayor’s Medal for his outstanding work! He’s a true west-country legend and enjoys his real ale almost as much as his beloved rocksteady, reggae, dancehall and Ska. He’s bringing his amazing show to the right place then!

Ghostpoet’s second album ’Some Say I So I Say Light’ drops in May and is set to be a more than worthy follow up to his Mercury Music Prize nominated ‘Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam’. He has many fans in Bristol and always brings the sunshine to his sets.

Montreal wunderboy Jacques Greene’s trademark blend of bass music, synth-heavy house and futuristic R&B vocals will be a welcome addition to LOVE SAVES SUNDAY in the form of his brilliant analogue live set.

Lulu James is finding ways to break down barriers between dance, soul and R&B, retro and futurist, pop and avant-garde. Live her icy-smooth performances consider the dance floor of clubs in the 1990s and yearning of old soul music in equal measure.

Cut ups, bootlegs, big bounding basslines and addictive vocal toplines both old and new intertwine Melé’s sets. Deftly chucking everything and anything in the mix, the 19 year-old Liverpudlian will be bringing some heavy bassbin action to Bristol’s Castle Park.

Winner of the Mercury Music Prize, two Brits and three Mobo’s, Ms Dynamite’s credentials as a legend are beyond doubt. She wowed the crowd with her recent performance at In: Motion and she’s set to do the same at LOVE SAVES SUNDAY.

MC Soom T is the Glaswegian wonder known to many for her eclectic vocal styling’s and mass collaborations having shared a studio and over 50 record releases since 1999 with the likes of The Orb, T.Raumschmiere, King Creosote, Miss Kittin, The Bug, Mungos Hifi,

Regardless of the weather, I know that Love Saves the Day and Love Saves Sunday will be one of my highlights this summer.

Get your ticket whilst you still can! 

Launching themselves into the live scene this year are psychedelic newcomers Gentlemen. With hypnotic refrains and languorous vocals, this band can induce wooziness with a single song, and a blissful stupor after three.

The Gents themselves seem immune to their music’s anesthetising qualities however, and have spent the past several months in a productive blur of shows, singles and even a new music video. Amazingly, they still found time to jam up new material, which they hope to release this summer.

I chat to Geno, the drummer, about musical influences, gigs and a mysterious astronaut…
How did Gentlemen form?

We have all worked together in various other bands; I fantasized about the magical combination of members and fortunately it has become a reality!

Describe each band member in one word.

Paul: Alchemist

Edward: Trickster

Phillip: Zio

Simon: Seer

I will leave the drummer without [a description], as it’s not fun to describe oneself.

Gentlemen is a band of few words – at least in terms of self-publicity. Not a single ‘about’ description to be found! Is this deliberate?

I suppose it is deliberate. We prefer our music to speak for itself, so people can make up their own minds, as opposed to us telling them what they should think.

Who are your influences?
This is a hard one to answer, as we have influences across a wide range of genres – from prog, kraut, glam, and psych to afro beat, pop, soul and jazz fusion. But we do all love the obvious classics like Eno, Bolan, Bowie, George Duke, ELO & Wagner.

Tell me about your music video for ‘Sailor (Of The Cosmic Ark)’. How was the idea developed?

Sailor was thankfully easy to picture a visual representation for, and then luckily Mother Nature played along, providing the majestic snow on the week of the shoot. So it was a case of planned chance in some ways, which fortunately worked in our favour. Not so favourable however for the cosmic sailor in the space suit, who almost lost his toes to frostbite!

Ouch! Now that’s suffering for your art. Who was in the astronaut suit?

This is a closely guarded secret that may never be revealed, just like the moon landing.

Tell me about the most enjoyable show you’ve performed.

I would say the show we played at Scala supporting the Sea and Cake was the most enjoyable so far. Great room, great sound, great stage and a fantastic audience response, a perfect show really.

How do you come up with music as a band?

There is no one rule with Gentlemen. Some songs are developed as a band, some fully formed before being presented to the band, but some develop out of jams and those are usually the most magical.

What else do you love to do, apart from music?

Music seems to be the biggest passion for all of the Gents, however most of us do share a love of film, art, nature and badminton…

What is your favourite Gentlemen song to perform, and why?
Personally I love to play ‘Gentle Duke’ live. It has become our set closer and could go in any direction, which is always interesting for both the audience and the band.

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

We are constantly working on new recordings, and we’re also developing a few new video ideas. Oh, and our culinary skills.

What’s coming up in the band’s calendar?

We are playing Land Of Kings Festival in Dalston on May 5, which should be a lot of fun, and we are preparing our first proper release (hopefully in the summer) so look out for that soon!

Cherry Blossom Creative is made up of a pair of graphic designers and illustrators in Torie Partridge and Marcella Kriebel. Their work is colourful and vibrant, ranging from branding to web design, to sketches, to prints of local neighbourhoods. I sat down with them at their studio in Union Kitchen, a community kitchen and studio space, and chatted about what Cherry Blossom Creative is all about.

RMK: So what made you decide to start Cherry Blossom Creative?

TP: I was not doing anything at all related to art for the first three and a half years of my professional life. I’ve always painted murals, I did that all through college to make money but that was pretty much the extent of my creative life. And I was doing a lot of defense work, I was working doing kind of like counter explosives, counter terrorism work, so I then ended up spending the entirety of 2010 in Baghdad, Iraq, working for  basically a group that tried to help bring more cultural competency to soldiers, and was like an army department. I got so burnt out from that, and halfway through I just realized that I wanted to do something completely different with my life, I wanted to do something that was creatively focused, I had just been totally neglecting that side of my life.

MK: The cool thing is that it’s all really founded in the hand made, which I think is what kind of sets Cherry Blossom Creative apart from a lot of other graphic design studios because our process starts with the hand, it starts with a sketch book and you know the pallet is generally quite colourful.

TP: Pretty colourful, pretty expressive like when people look at our stuff it’s supposed to be fun to look at, like it’s supposed to make you smile you know.

TP: Being away so much, and especially like being in Baghdad and being like really separated from like a lot of different things that I loved all I wanted to do was come home and stay in one place and actually live in that place and get to know it, and contribute to the stuff that was going on here. I got really tired of globetrotting and started to kind of question my motives for spending that much time basically running away from where I was from and going.

MK: Our immediate environment really lends itself well then to that, this concept of contributing to a space and being a part of this community, Union Kitchen where our studio is, it’s quite a growing community.

TP: It’s full of entrepreneurs.

RMK: And even your prints, they give me the feeling of this is a community and you’re expressing a community.

TP: Yeah, I mean like Petworth, I’ve lived there since I moved to D.C. and I really give a shit about the neighbourhood and I think that it’s important to do that, part of the fun thing about creating the Petworth print in the first place was that Petworth didn’t have anything, you know, nobody was making art about us, nobody was doing anything about us, people didn’t really give the neighbourhood an identity and people really attached onto the print because of that, weirdly enough.

RMK: People who aren’t from D.C. can you explain your logo to them?

TP: Oh yeah the D.C. flag is, you know the D.C. flag, but when I give my business card to people who are outside D.C. they’re like, ‘what are the red stripes?’ and I’m like, ‘what are you talking about ?’ like ‘what are the red stripes?’ like ,’it’s the D.C. flag.’

RK: You see people with tattoos of it.

TP: I know, everywhere. Tons of businesses in D.C. use the D.C. flag and modify it to make it their logo so when I first did it I didn’t even think about it, I was just okay, ‘let’s do this, let’s throw some cherry blossoms on it’ and since then every time that I give out my business card I’m just like, ‘ugh so cliché!’ and it’s so like everyone’s doing it, but then as soon as I hand it to the person they’re like, ‘this is so cool’ and I know that I’ll never be able to change it just because I get that reaction from everyone.

‘Be Glamorous’ is the new single by modern day NYC punk fused south London band Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs, due out May 20.

Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs, have certainly been busy since supporting TOY on their UK tour late last year. In addition to preparing for the release of their debut album, the guys recently performed to a sold-out crowd at the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen days before releasing their second single ‘Things We Be.’

To catch Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs LIVE, check out the following dates in MAY:

03- Sound City/ Liverpool

04- Live at Leeds/ Leeds

05- Sumday/ Newcastle

17- The Great Escape/ Brighton

21- Soup Kitchen/ Manchester

22- Spanky/ Nottingham

24- Paradiso (London Calling)/ Amsterdam

25- Field Day/ London

28- Start The Bus/ Bristol

29- Jericho/ Oxford                                      

*Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs, are set to release their new 11 track debut album ‘Clarietta’ via Heavenly Recordings on Monday May 27th 2013.

Charlie Boyer (vocals & guitar), Danny Stead(bass), Sam Davies (guitar), Samir Eskanda (drums) & Ross Kristian (keys).

David Rohn is an artist of many faces. He moves between roles and characters seamlessly, inhabiting and portraying each character with an undeniable truth. Rohn empathizes with each character and develops the respective men as individuals with their own emotions, experiences and place in society.

Rohn engages in themes like gender identity and examines various notions of masculinity. He wants to know how men integrate their feelings into lives dictated by their respective roles in society and he wants to explore the softer side of men, which is often suppressed in American society, Rohn’s primary frame of reference. The point of departure is the fundamental and rigid ideas that define masculinity.

For his fourth solo exhibition at Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art in Miami, entitled “Reigning Men,” Rohn presents a series of 12 self-portraits of male characters distilled from performance. Rohn develops each man like a literary character, meant to mirror reality. He summarizes each of the characters in a short written text before he performs them for a second at a time to capture the images. He has to capture the essence of each man through facial expressions and the eyes as he cannot rely on movement and the spoken word for the portraits, as he does in his performance art.

The “Reigning Men” all make direct eye contact with the camera and the audience. They do not want to be merely observed. Rohn wants the characters to be living men with their own histories and connections to the people around them. We read the facial expressions and connect with each man through his eyes which offer a glimpse of true feelings ranging from strength and power to care, weakness and vulnerability.

Each character in “Reigning Men” has a distinct role to play in society. Based on the photograph the audience assumes the characteristics of each man and creates a life story based upon those assumptions and influenced by their respective values and standards. Our own experiences guide our perceptions. The man with facial tattoos and an orange jumpsuit is a criminal, a prisoner and the weather-beaten face of someone who works outdoors probably belongs to a farmer in the countryside while a crisp new suit suggests success.

Rohn develops some of the conventional characters further as he reenacts parts of their lives. For the opening reception he chose the character “The Bureaucrat,” an archetype of the office worker everyone can relate to. We are him or we have met him many times. Rohn duplicates an experience and is asking his audience to consider the man as an individual. How does he deal with frustration? Can he show and express anger at his often boring and tedious tasks? How can he express his personality in an office environment?

For the performance Rohn set up a real office cubicle, which are fairly identical around the world. He even included a potted plant, umbrella, spare shoes under the desk, paper work on top of the desk, and photographs on the walls. Within this traditional office environment the bureaucrat conducted job interviews with potential employees who had filled out and submitted applications. Fully in character the artist became a man whose life is in stark contrast to his own. Rohn’s facial expressions and even his walk when he got up to get coffee in his break were expressive of a man who functions within an ordinary office environment. By involving his audience he was able to observe how others treat this man based on his job, standing in society and perceived persona.

Rohn wants to gain insight into what it means to be a man in America in 2013. There are as many answers as men and the 12 archetypes in “Reigning Men” offer some of them. Each man, each face has depth, complexity and a range of emotions he has to adjust depending on his job, status and societal norms.

With “Reigning Men” David Rohn explores definitions of masculinity from many angles, from traditionally masculine dominance to vulnerability and weakness. In order to examine other characters more closely and research the responses they evoke from others the artist is planning to perform “The Prisoner” and potentially “The Care Giver” in the near future.