Clutch Purses we L♥︎VE

What should we tell our daughters?

 I had the great honor of attending a debate with Melissa Benn (author of what should we tell our daughters), Kat Banyard author of “The equality and Illusion and founder  of UK feminist, Nimco Ali from daughters of Eve (dofeve.org) working to protect and empower girls and young women chaired by Zoe Williams author, journalist and columnist for the Guardian.

As a mother of two girls, all so many times I question myself ,in what world they have to function ,in what they have to find acceptable and how they are treated as women.

The evening made me feel part of a bigger movement happening out there right now  the audience a wonderful mix of older women, young women and even some male presence in the room.

This movement called feminism thanks to pioneer women laying the foundations in the past (gaining my fullest respect and admiration)to fight our rights and we are still fighting , campaigning standing up for the unacceptable.

Never before have I had these strong feelings of the objectification of women in our society and feel I should have, for my own good in the past, and not just now where my girls are growing into women here I am.

So this morning over breakfast I was telling my 11 year old that 87 years ago we were not allowed to vote that we had no voice etc…and she could not believe this. I said it was down to amazing women creating a movement and standing up for our rights and there is still plenty to stand up for at which point my husband hands me a magazine (he forgot to give it to me for my birthday last week) entitled “The Gentle Woman”.

First ,30 pages of  high gloss ads then one page of info another 13 pages of ads some interviews thank god for Vivienne Westwood’s article and then this….

A photo shoot about the liberating sensation of naked yoga .

The first image, I am perplexed, thinking : “Oh good they used a disabled girl without legs “,but sadly realized that was not the case ,she was in the Simhasana pose and her legs were folded in just a very weird angled photo.

I turn the page there she is with legs and her bottom up in the air obviously no hair showing as hair on our vagina’s is now totally unacceptable after men indulging into too much porn where no hair is the norm. I am sure there is a reason why we have hair ,it protects our delicate parts, no???

Here some images altered by my daughter …..enjoy

Inspiring People-Anna Dziczkaniece Photography

We did a little interview with Anna the other day...hope you enjoy

How old are you?

I am 21 years old and am now in my second year at Nottingham Trent University.

How did you get into photography?

My passion for photography began with my love for film; I loved the idea of creating narrative through different technical elements such as cinematography, actors, make up, clothes, and props. Everything that goes into the production of the film and collaborating a crew of dynamically creative people. I wanted to explore this and this lead me to study a BTEC in Media Production at Cirencester Collage along with a Photography AS level . As a result, through experimentation with both still and moving images, I developed a broad range of creative skills.

The media course is the best thing I could have done as a starting point, in that it covered every aspect that goes into the pre-production, production and post-production of making a film. This interlinked with photography in learning to organise a cast and crew, time manage and oversee every aspect that goes into each frame. I then went onto studying an Art Foundation course at Stroud College which made my final decision in University choice after specialising in photography. This has helped me now in my Degree with  coordinating models, studio and equipment hire, make-up artists and stylists (if collaborating with Fashion Students) and it generally gave me a basis of structuring and organising a photo-shoot in a quick and professional way.

Inspirations

Photographers who I admire would have to be Kirsty Mitchell, Gregory Crewdson, Cindy Sherman, Tim Walker, Lewis Hine, Man Ray, Dorothea Lange, Edward Western and Bill Brandt. Each have individuals styles that appeal to me and have been relatable to my own projects.  

What camera do you use?

I use a Canon 50D, Mamiya and Hassleblad

Advice on how to get started

A good place to start would be to visit as many exhibitions as you can and to find out what exactly interests you. Not just photography exhibitions but also other art forms, such as indie films, fine art, sculpture, design and illustration. I would also suggest setting up an online profile, such as Flickr. This will allow you to network with other people in the industry and you never know who may see your work!  

What other art forms are you into?

Other art forms which I am interested in include moving image and fine art work, such as 19^th Century portrait paintings, along with illustrators and mixed media work. When I was 11 I used to take Charcoal lessons which is where my interest in lighting started, this medium enabled me to hand draw shadows and lighting and to do it with detail.

Lighting is one of my many fascinations with photography and film. The way you structure the light on a studio or set can distinguish the difference in the subject matter and the emotion that can be expressed. I have experimented with natural light (street photography/film stills) to studio lighting (performance/fashion). I hope to explore in my next term on location lighting.

What’s your favourite colour?

My favourite colour is blue

What’s your favourite place?

My favourite place would be Prague, I went there when I was little and I remember how beautiful the place was- I'm sure I would appreciate the place a lot more now if I was to go back.

Tell us about your latest project

My most recent project is based around the four elements – air, fire, water and earth. It has been an experimental project using different fabrics, make-up, hair, lighting and backdrops to aesthetically represent each element. Throughout my project I looked at 19^th Century portraits, Greek Art, Elizaveta Porodina, Erwin Blumenfeld, Ryan Doco Connors, Ekaterina Belinskaya, Joyce Tenneson and Kirsty Mitchell. I also looked at other projects based on the four elements such as Rachel de Joode’s work, absurd and surreal she intends to depict human existence through the use of overlooked and banal objects of our everyday lives.  This project enabled me to develop my skills in the studio and in post-production (Photoshop), technically and creatively.

To see more of Anna's work check out our website Chalk&Wild

A Pastel Dream

Oh for a kiss would my heart resign

Those pastel sketches I have dreamt
Those same dreams which filled my days
Told of a great love and romance kept
A gallery of portraits I have seen
Pictured my soul became revealed
I saw the beauty of which I desired
Inspired by a greater beauty to life
And all of this I have surveyed
The pastel landscape of a world imagined
Soft, softly drawn with tender care
The heart, the soul did bring to view
A passionate desire gentle in its nature
All of which created this picture
This pastel daydream I have dreamt
I would surrender it all, I would resign
To feel a kiss from her lips touch mine 

Matthew Holloway

Toxic

For teenagers friendships become everything, they need this to establish the seperation from their family nest.

They become separate and the sacred vibe , which surrounds their relationships hard to get through, as sometimes these friends don't always treat them right in return.
So not an easy subject to embark upon Florence from Pirouette found Doctor Ben Kim's approach a very good reference to start opening the subject on how to detect toxic behaviour.

1. Attempting to intimidate you by yelling or becoming violent in any manner (slamming a door is a violent act).

2. Consistently talking down at you, sending the message that he or she is just plain better than you.

3. Regularly telling you what he or she thinks is wrong with you.

4. Slandering others behind their backs i.e. trying to engage you in gossip that is hurtful to others.

5. Spending the bulk of your conversations complaining about his or her life and others.

6. Discouraging you from pursuing your interests and dreams when you are capable of doing so without hurting or burdening others.

7. Attempting to take advantage of your kindness and resources, and trying to make you feel guilty if you don’t do what he or she wants.

Stand up for yourself, don't take it personally as it is their issues not yours, be strong and believe in yourself !!!!!

Inspired by Pirouette BLOG !!!!!

FASHION-Ryon Lo

We L O V E him ...
Ryon was born in Tokyo and is self taught by watching "Youtube Videos"
Yes where there is a will there is a way.....
Here some images of his work

Art Collective- Winnicott Wednesday

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure to be invited to the private view of
Traces: the Unthought Known exhibition

Winnicott Wednesdays formed in 2010, when a group of artists training to become art psychotherapists at Goldsmiths University began to meet most weeks (usually on a Wednesday) to debrief on their personal and collective experiences of the course; to try to make sense of psychoanalysis and art; and to attempt to reconcile the ongoing, often conflicting nature of the dual roles of artist and art therapist. As we negotiated our quite often baffling emotional reactions and responses to the subject matter of the training. we began to form friendships... these regular meetings became known as ‘Winnicott Wednesdays’. The group is an open collective of like minded individuals working together to create art and continue our discourse.

Here some snaps we took…..

Fight or Flight - Helen Omand

Saudade-Deba Salim

Sasha Price

 

Tiger- Beth Hoyes