A time when films were all about the magic

During the Christmas season I do tend to find myself feeling little nostalgic and after a little film sesh with one of my dearest friends I re-discovered a film I always refer to as a childhood classic; The Labrynth. If you haven't heard of it, it is a magical story directed by Jim Henson in 1986 and it stars none other than David Bowie! I have always believed that it is definately a film you have to have been brought up with to love it to the extent I do, however don't let this put you off giving it a go! You just have to allow for the terrible graphics, it was after all made in 1986! The costumes are rather outstanding, David's indeed may make your eyes wander! It is fascinating also to note that the fashions of that time have now made a radical come-back, worn by Sarah, the main character played by Jennifer Connelly. My favourite scene has got to be the clip I've put below, it is one of my all time favourite film songs, I can't help do a little jig when I here it!



After watching Labrynth I felt the urge to experience all those films that I was brought up with, all those films that people who weren't raised with them just don't understand. One of these was Willow. Made in 1988 (the year I was born) and directed by Ron Howard it stars val Kilmer, Warick Davis and Joanne Whalley. Its a film with adventure and magic, crazy little brownies, unexpected heros, ugly monsters and happy endings.



Next on my list is Dark Crystal, made in 1982. This film was also dircted by Jim Henson, but in conjunction with Frank Oz and Gary Kurtz. This film takes you to another world where there are strange plants and wierd creatures, where there are Gelflings and evil skeksies and peaceful mystics. You may have noticed a theme with these films, they all take you to different realms of fantasy, magic and adventure and I guess that's where my love for it all began. I absolutely love being taken out of my own reality and taken somewhere where anything is possible and where magic and friendship overcome the nightmare.



The next magical adventure is Legend, made in 1985. It stars Tom Cruise in a teeny tiny skirt and Tim Curry as the Darkness. There are unicorns, the devil, fairies and many oter fictional beings to take you into another magical world. I find that there is a darkness to these films, but that this only makes them more exciting to watch. Even Disney really has an alterior side that you only come to understand when you grow up.



And I think I will end this blog with a true classic; The Goonies. This film was made in 1985 and is a tale of friendship and lost treasure. It was directed by Richard Donner and the story was written by Steven Spielberg. It stars Sean Astin, who plays Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when he was a young boy. Below is a classic scene; The Truffle Shuffle. If you haven't seen the film then I definately recommend it. I hope I haven't put you off with my ramblings and I hope you too will re-discover, or perhaps discover these films for the first time. Let me know what you think!

Newton Faulkner "Badman"

I love Newton, I truly think we would be friends if we were introduced. I've seen him live a couple of times and I find that the small venue, in Sheffield, was far better than in Manchester, less commercialise. He seems to have a really down to earth nature and also seems like he would be a hilarious friend to have. What I love about this music video is how his personality seems to come across, with the silly faces and simplicity of the video itself.

Cy Twonmbly

Cy Twombly. Isn't that just a fantastic name?! I really like these images because of their primitive and childish nature. They are wonderfullly unpredictable and messy, really encompassing spontaneity. The freehand writing make the images inviting and personal and the use of colour is soft and gentle.

Claire Coles creates delicate images using vintage wallpapers as well as other surfaces to create new original designs. Her work is very feminine and has an intricacy about it. I have found her work interesting mainly because of her use of stitch in her designs. The quality of the stitched line is shaky and open, and yet structural and tight within the stiiches themselves. The layered papers and surfaces create soft, subtle textures, and the stitch creates a sense of movement. The use of the continuous line and the stitch line quality are both things that have always interested me.

Kevin Laylock

The important elemets within Kevin's work are the stuctural abstraction and use of colour and form. These works provide harmony in their use of a variety of tone, although based on a very limited colour palette, and the structure of line and shape, which creates a very subtle sense of texture.

William Turner

William Turner is a very well known painter from the Impressionism period. During my current project I refered to his paintings as my main source of inspiration for colour. His ability to blend, and merge colour creates a great sense of movement and rythm. Each of his paintings seem to radiate strong emotion. In 'Snowstorm' for example, the intesity and direction of the brush stroke make me feel like I am going to get drawn in to the storm, lost in elements like the subject of the painting.

'The Snowstorm'

Maki Kahori

Maki Kakori is a Japanese artist who creates beautifully intricate illustrations. The designs have a focus on contrast between light and dark and look like they are from another world. The amount of detail within the images is amazing.

Sandra Backlund

Sandra Backlund is an exceptional knitwear designer. Her knitwear is more like a manifestation of fantasy than real life. I love that the knitwear doesn't have to have any sense of functionality or even practicality, it is simply something extravagant, beautiful and incredibly complex. As I am currently specialising in knit she is a great influence in my work. My current project is nowhere near as experimental as Sandra's work, however her use of structure and the contrast of tight, dense and almost heavy knit with the open structures that give it lace like qualities was a strong influence.

I absolutely love the above image. The dress is very sophisticated and almost has the appearance of a ball gown or dress that would be worn down the red carpet. Being a knitted dress, and because of the way that it hugs the body, I feel like the dress would be incredibly cosy and comforting, rather than restricting. The dress has a very organic look and appears as though it could have grown from the ground, shaping itself around the model (Tilda Swinton).

I was in the knit room at uni the other day and, while I worked away like a mad woman on a mission, I found I had created something rather exciting, although really quite mundane. As I kept changing the threads on the machine to create my masterpieces I kept tying off the loose threads to the leg of the machine. I found that the layering and knotting of all the threads created a very textural and intriguing little oddity. I decided to photograph it for my own amusement before I hacked away at it.

The Launch

My first post, how exciting, and scary! I hope that anyone reading my posts and having a nosy at what I include enjoys the ride! Let the blogging begin!