artsmart

I am delighted to have been selected to exhibit at artsmart - the University of the Arts London's first alumni curated art and design market.  A new collection plus some old favourites will be exhibited by Betty's Revenge in the Fashion and Textiles section.  Exhibitors will wholly include alumni from:


Camberwell College of Arts
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Chelsea College of Art and Design
London College of Communication
London College of Fashion
Wimbledon College of Art 


The market will be at Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art and Design (next to Tate Britain).  If you fancy going it's cheaper to book tickets in advance:

Advance tickets
One-day pass £5 (concessions £3.50)
Two-day pass £9 (concessions £5)

Tickets on the day
On the door: £6 cash only (no concessions)

Keep posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Istanbul

Istanbul (Sultanahmet) skyline

Just spent a wonderful few days in Istanbul.  After creating the Izniks Abroad collection I had to go and see the real thing! The Aya Sofya is my favourite mosque, last year I made a series of notelets from a painting of it (sadly from a photo in a book), to see it for real was great and the inside is simply stunning. It was wonderful to see some of the original motifs that inspired my designs.  Naturally I visited the 'must see' spots including the Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), Topkapi Palace, Spice Market, Galata Tower, Beyoğlu, took a Bosphorus boat trip and of course shopped at the Grand Bazaar where I acquired two beautiful scarves and a tile to add to my coaster collection.

Sketch of the Aya Sofya

Inside Aya Sofya

Topkapi Palace - exterior of the Harem

Fair Fares - Craftivist Collective

The Craftivist Collective are collaborating with the Climate Rush campaigning group to fight for fair transport fares and they're seeking craftivists!


They are seeking:
5inch x 7inches wide fabric train coaches (patches like their Mini Protest Banners) with stats, facts, quotes, views on the  effects these train fare hikes will have.  You can use cross stitch, hand embroider, write in fabric pens, or whatever you can.

* make your bunting coaches on the train as in individual or group
* make your bunting coaches in Train Waiting rooms together and talk about the issues with each other and the public
* make your bunting coaches on Train platform stations
* get local groups involved, get your MP involved
* send your patches in (preferably before 16th April) to Flat 2, Heron House, Searles Close, London SW11 4RJ


A few facts are listed here that you could use!


You can also join on Facebook.

All Stitched Up

Hi there, my latest post at Remedy Magazine (on the charity Fine Cell Work) went up today.

Some Like it Hip Hop

Balletboyz

I will be back at the New Ashgate Gallery in the summer, am looking forward to displaying a range of fun for the sumer purses. 


Several of Betty's Revenge designs are influenced by dance. An obligatory date in my calendar each year is the Sampled weekend in late January at Sadlers Wells. I have accrued a die-hard posse who accompany me each year.  'Sampled' is a night of samples from the forthcoming season for a very affordable price. The entire venue is also given over to fringe performances and interactive classes/visuals.  This year the Balletboyz stood out for me, beautiful contemporary dance from 'Alpha'  by Paul Roberts that allows you to switch off and enjoy the fluid movement, the warm brown satin fabrics worn were also very pleasing on the eye. 


The duet choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui allowed you to see just how many muscles these dancers use and the flexibility was amazing, almost unnerving!

Into the Hoods is one of my favourite performances. I saw it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a few years ago and again at Sadlers Wells. It's a hip hop take on Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Into the Woods'.  At Sampled, Zoo Nation performed an exclusive excerpt from their new show 'Some Like it Hip Hop'.   Geeky boys doing some serious popping, cheeky girls with attitude and fab singing plus some serious wit running through it. Oh and lovely outfit designs and colours, my favourites were the yellow tartan skirt and the ensemble of burnt orange chiffon blouse with purple leggings). So the cheap dose of dance is thwarted yet again as I'm now going to have to see the full show.


I would love to see a dance choreographed to Metallica or Faith No More next year...any takers?

Some Like it Hip Hop - Zoo Nation

Remedy Magazine - Issue 8

Just two more days at the New Ashgate  Gallery in Farnham, can't believe how the time has flown!


Meanwhile the new issue of Remedy Magazine is out, check it out, there are beautiful images, ceramics and handpainted wallpaper!

Remedy Magazine blog

I'm really looking forward to the new year and to start on a high note I'm delighted to have been invited to join the writing team at Remedy Magazine. The mag covers fashion, design, art, photography, illustration and ethics. I'll be a regular contributor to the Remedy blog.  My first posting is here. Happy New Year everyone!