Galas to Public: Eat it bitches!

We saw this at the Barbican at the weekend. The staff all seemed a little embarrassed at the intensity of the sounds, especially as it was elsewhere a beautiful sunny day, but it was pretty much what it said on the tin. I didn't know what to expect, but it was certainly meant to get you right in the ears and eyes. This interview from Run Riot explains the work and Diamanda's outlook pretty well - sample text:

LD (Run Riot): Are you working on anything new at the moment? What else is coming up for you in 2011?

Diamanda Galas: A large work dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia in the very old and the horror of that ignominiousness as it is experienced. Yes, for those who laugh, more unpleasant subject matter from Ms. Galás, and eat it bitches, you too boys who laugh in the pubs. When you die you will cry alone and the smell of your own shit will be your only best friend. Have a nice life, pansies!

Image and video from Run Riot/Diamanda Galas

Milan 2011 - Tokujin Yoshioka at Moroso

Tokujin Yoshioka delivered a beautiful installation at the Moroso showroom - with the beautiful lighting and the smoke, it wasn't quite like being inside at all.







Sadly though the rain earlier that day wasn't a good friend to the beautiful white chairs or floors.

Ah! The Duomo

Like a mountain of pure God dropped from the sky, the Duomo dominates the centre of Milan through its sheer size and scale. It's hard for even the most heathenlike of the heathen not to be impressed by the decoration, the statues, the marble - there isn't a single square inch that doesn't have some kind of ornament. This year we went up on the roof - which like the rest is covered in marble - to see how everyone looked from so very high. Like ants it turns out.

Milan 2011 - Design Academy Eindhoven

Bike Porn at Design Academy Eindhoven

We saw these sexy gold and copper bikes dotted around Milan the few days we were there - imagine our surprise at finding their source nestled in a quiet workshop space in Porta Romana...

Sestosenso by Paul Cocksedge

Paul Cocksedge created this installation in conjunction with BMW and Flos- celebrating the new LED only BMW lighting. Lamps designed by Cocksedge conceal their light source - in the same way his blue room concealed films on the walls only visible once you step into the red Sestosenso lights positioned in the room - take a look at the film to get an idea of how it worked.

Milan 2011 - Rolf Sachs

We love Rolf Sachs, and were looking forward to his installation at Milan 2011 more than most.



Clearly indebted to Edgar Allen Poe this time round, the disembodied heartbeat in the one room is joined in a kind of hideous chorus by a series of breathy sighs chasing around a darkened room next door - the sounds in this case emanating from caged pillows scattered around the floor.



Turn the sound up for this strangely eerie installation for Rolf Sachs - the reflective red pool pulsates in time with the heartbeat.

PRINT CLUB!

Once in a while you just need to get away from your computer and do something dirty with your hands. Heaven knows we know at WLTT. So it was with great excitement that we all trooped down to Print Club in Dalston for their one day screenprinting workshop. After an interesting pocket history of screenprinting as craft and artform, we got down to preparing our screens and images. Daunting at first, we quickly got the hang of the intial painting and preparations.

After a quick Turkish lunch down the road, we got down to choosing our colours and printing - and the results I think speak for themselves.



Highly recommended and highly enjoyable - and thanks very much to the Print Club club for being so patient and, well, patient.

RIP us

Well it's official - we're dead. Or at least we look it. Last night we hopped along on a spare ticket to the One on One Festival at the Battersea Arts Centre - which we also visited last year. It was one of the most intense nights we've had out in a long time - literally being rushed from one awkward and stressful situation to the next - they like to test your mettle at these one on ones that's for sure. Nothing could have prepared me for the 2 Free experience with artist Ansuman Biswas - though sadly I wasn't nearly a match for the circumstances. It was fantastic in a very humbling way though to be forced to really have a good look at your own behaviour - impossible to avoid in a one on one situation. Being hung out of a window on a board was strangely relaxing in comparison. And as for being put in a coffin and sung to (thanks Hanneke Pauuwe) - I guess it's good to be prepared for both of those things?

Dinner with Designmarketo!

We jumped at the chance to go to dinner with Designmarketo last night - luckily booking tickets in advance to this as it was completely sold out when we got there. Not only are they super friendly and clearly passionate sbout what they do, but they always put on a good spread. And as the saying goes, they didn't disappoint. After demolishing our bread 'volcano' courtesy of designer Olivia Decaris,


we moved on to a succession of light spring and shoots inspired courses - pink grapefruit and pomegranate salad, shots of different fresh soups (the carrot, coriander and coconut was the winner in our table popularity stakes),

haddock for main, and an incredible pannacotta with rhubarb for afters. Coffee was served on an edible sesame seed brittle saucer (designed by Hina Thibaud)


which also went down a treat. All utensils, water jugs, glasses and lighting was on show either for sale or promise of some future development. All in all a lovely evening with good company and set of course in the strangely alluring concrete maze that is the Barbican.