ART: THIS IS NOW

Very much looking forward to the ‘THIS IS NOW’ exhibition at ™51 next month. A collection of some my all time favourite illustrators and designers brought together by Oslo based Oh Yeah Studio. I will be bringing an eclectic crate of records old and new to play out on the opening night so came say hei and check out the art if in the area.

Poster design for 'THIS IS NOW' exhibition by Oh Yeah Studio, 2012

DESIGN: Leslie David

A lot can be made of a name, sometimes. After first catching a glimpse of her creative talent on the Its Nice That site, Leslie David had me conjuring up the image of a witty veteran New York illustrator with years of wisdom and life behind them (possibly more to do with the proximity in name to a certain comedian) - how wrong could I be. As dashing in physical presence in front of the camera as much of her oeuvre of work, David is graphic designer and illustrator originally from the South of France and now based in Paris collaborating with clients such as Surface to Air, Nike and Colette - when not exhibiting her own personal projects. Her patchwork of elegant styles, often intertwining a strong sense of colour and hand illustrated elements catches the eye immediately. There is a great depth in the variation of output as well - digital and  analogue realities are mixed with cheeky psychedelic, amazonian or even Futurist overtures. Watch out for her work in the years to come.

Photo of Leslie David © Carol Burri / All other images © Leslie David 2011

PRESS: DPI MAGAZINE

A few months ago Taiwanese graphic design and illustration magazine DPI featured my work and an interview as part of the 'Keen Creative Generation' issue. They were particularly interested in my collaborative work using graphics and music in events such as the DO IT! night I have been running with friends since 2008. Was an honor to get so many pages and be asked about my projects. Thanks DPI, be sure to pick up the mag online or a physical copy if you are visiting or live in Taiwan.

Images from DPI magazine issue 141

ROJO affiliated film: Nova

On the rare occasion when I had more than 20 crumpled Euro notes nestling in my pockets while living in Barcelona, the lure of ROJO magazine was often too hard to sway from. From the reassuring Mook (magazine/book) weight of the publication to the inviting documentation of journeys, processes and finished works from artists synonymous to the streets of cities like Barcelona, Buenos Aires or Berlin. Alongside other Spanish publications such as Serie B, Neo 2 and Pasajes Diseno - ROJO played a formative part to my years in Barcelona, inspiring and introducing artists who did not define themselves as solely a product designer, a graphic designer or an architect. Some great news then that they are about to release a film introducing some of these artists. Check the Nova trailer above, directed by Isaac Niemand and featuring music by the excellent Bradien.

Above: Vimeo trailer of Nova. Film directed by Isaac Niemand 2010.

DOing IT! craft style

Had a couple of weeks back in the UK before I return to Norway for la vie Oslo so suggested to my DO IT! collaborator Sio that I could design this months poster. It was also to be the first time I was DJing in Scotland since January earlier this year and had booked Brian D'Souza to come up North for a live set and Oslo based French designer and VJ Julie Arrive to do visuals alongside our residents. Regarding the poster; problems arose when I remembered the baggage handlers with idle hands that had left me with one mac charger less while returning from Sonar festival, Barcelona this year. With no workmates to borrow from and a distinct lack of mac shops or anywhere with a mac charger in Aberdeen I had to knock together a 100% craft poster with the aide of hands, pen, paper and scalpel. Came out quite nice in the end and I actually really enjoyed being away from my computer for those few days. Going to be working a lot more with hand illustration and collage on a couple of artsy projects coming up so keep an eye out. Also worth noting is the expansion of our DO IT! brand to Oslo where we will continue to host artsy guests from around Norway, Scotland and beyond. DO IT!

Poster: by Alexander Horne (me!).