Among an array of exceptional and disparate images for sale at the upcoming Philip de Pury & Company Photographic Auction, a considerable number emanate from the milieu of fashion photography.

Highlights include Sie Kommen, one half of a diptych taken by the late and provocative Helmut Newton which depicts four naked models in high heels as an erotic metaphor for the changing status of women in the Eighties.

In addition,  the print A family One Evening in a Nudist Camp by Diane Arbus utilises her intuitive sense of otherness not only to expose peculiarity in the mundane, but also to reveal the beauty and integrity of her subjects.

The sale will also showcase a myriad of eclectic and larger scale work from contemporary Twentieth Century photographers such as Vera Lutter, Thomas Ruff and Dan Holdsworth, which are collated with epoch-making images created by classic artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Richard Avendon, Horst P. Horst and Irvin Penn.

Phillips de Pury & Company May Photographic auction begins on 17 May at 4pm.
phillipsdepury.com

Words by Dawn Daniels

Tags: Diane Arbus, Helmut Newton, Phillips de Pury

For the past five years, London-based photographer Jo Metson Scott has been travelling back and forth to America, photographing and speaking with US marines who spoke out against the invasion of Iraq. The resulting project The Grey Line combines photographs and words in an attempt to examine the personal struggles of men and women grappling with doubt on the frontlines of the “War on Terror”.

Below are some exclusive previews taken from Jo’s scrapbook, where she’s documented the journeys, stories and testimonies of men and women who spoke out about their doubts at varying consequences.

The Grey Line will be published and exhibited in 2013 to coincide with the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq a decade ago.

For more information go to jometsonscott.co.uk

Tags: Jo Metson Scott, The Grey Line, US Marines

Washing up on American shores for the first time, the Frieze team are pitching for a slot in the New York art market. The art fair that gave London’s contemporary art scene a festival buzz has brought the same showmanship state-side by pitching a luminous white tent in Randall’s Island Park, Manhattan and building a sculpture park by the East river.

With art from over 170 galleries – 60 of which are American -and focusing on work from international living artists, established and emerging, Frieze New York is a visual and aural art feast. Cecilia Alemani curates the programme and the Frieze special projects featuring artists such as Uri Aran and Virginia Overton are sure to be spectacular’s not to be missed.

With all art eyes already on NYC following the record-breaking £74m sale of Munch’s The Scream, Frieze New York can’t fail to be an inclusive event, with something for everyone.

Frieze New York runs from 4–7 May 2012.
friezenewyork.com

(*) Keltie Ferris, Oil, acrylic and pastel on canvas, 2012

Americans #3, Collier Schorr, Archival pigment print, 2011

Asian discount, Ryan Gander, Neon, curtains, 2011

#328 Drawing (Tracings… Ingrid Calame, Color pencil on trace Mylar, 2011

Director’s Cut, Carter Mull, Ink, gouache, and pasted paper on paper, 2012

Double expired portrait… Matt Sheridan Smith, framed screenprint and digital print, 2011

Tags: Cecelia Alemani, Frieze New York, Randall's Island Park

Lizzie Garrett Mettler’s blog Tomboy Style is a Mecca for lovers of brogues, fedoras, and blazers. With its mix of images from icons of mannish dressing such as Jane Birkin to modern day tomboys opening up their enviable wardrobes for us to see, Tomboy Style is a stylish vindication for every woman whose ever shunned a dress in favour of a sharply tailored suit or a heel in favour of a flat.

After two years of documenting her tomboy style, Garrett Mettler has published a delicious book of her favourite images from the blog. Twin caught up with her to ask a few questions of our own…

When and why did you start your blog?
May 2010, right after I started to notice a shift in the word. It all of the sudden seemed to be attached to good style all over the place.

What’s your earliest tomboy style memory?
Throwing all of the dolls out of my room at age two.

Who is your go to designer for tomboy style?
Oh man, just one!? Today I’d say…Margaret Howell.

What item of clothing wouldn’t we find in your wardrobe?
An ‘it’ bag.

What’s your default tomboy style uniform?
Skinny jeans, a men’s button-down, smoking slippers.

If you were wearing a dress, what would it be?
I wear dresses a lot actually, but they’re usually more architectural or masculine, like Helmut Lang and Phillip Lim, more of a Roitfeld-inspired look.

When it comes to your style heroines, who makes the final cut?
Jane Birkin, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Charlotte Rampling.

What have you learnt from doing your blog?
That there’s quite a few other women that feel the same way I do about the intersection of style and tomboys.

What’s on your wish list?
I am moving into a new house, so right now, all I can think about is furniture.

What’s next up?
Research for the next project!

TOMBOY STYLE: Beyond the Boundaries of Fashion by Lizzie Garrett Mettler is published by Rizzoli New York.
tomboystyle.co.uk

For Bethan Cole’s celebration of tomboys inspired by this book see Twin 6.

Marina Muñoz / © Sebastian Kim

Osa Johnson / © Martin and Oja Johnson Safari Museum

Ali McGraw – 1971 / © William Claxton – Demont Photo Management
Top Image: Susan Ford – 1976/ © Gerald R. Ford Presidental Library

Tags: Lizzie Garrett Mettler, Tomboy Style

Jeweller Noemi Klein has collaborated with maverick artist and tattooist Liam Sparkes to produce a bold collection inspired by Sparkes’ distinctive ink style.

Emerging from a shared love of medieval imagery and religious iconography it’s a richly illustrated collection that fuses Sparkes’ drawing with Klein’s artisanship. Their choices of imagery, such as feudal castles and pagan ram’s heads, hint at a pre-industrial age of artisanship where metal work had a raw quality and items such as signet rings, practical significance.

Noemi Klein X Liam Sparkes collection is available at No-One, 1 Kingsland Road, London

noemiklein.com
liamsparkes.blogspot.co.uk

Tags: Liam Sparkes, No One, Noemi Klein

French photographer Estelle Hanania is a past winner of the prestigious Hyères Festival photo prize and has used her distinctive primitive style to great effect for brands such as Maison Martin Margiela and Opening Ceremony.

Her latest exhibition features work from her ongoing creative collaboration with artist Christophe Brunquell. A creative relationship that began at a shoot in Berlin in 2008 has continued in Paris and beyond.

Blending art, photography and theatre, the images from La Guerre du Feu – the quest for fire – recall primitive communities through body paint, nudity and inferences of cannibalism. Brunquell used old portraits of his models to make masks, for their real personas to break through. The effect is disorientating and savage and surely is some of the most arresting imagery Twin’s seen in a long time.

La Guerre du Feu by Hanania & Brunquell is at 12MAIL, 12 rue du Mail, Paris until 1 June
estellehanania.com

hananiabrunnquell.com

Tags: 12 Mail, Christophe Brunquell, Estelle Hanania, La Gare du Feu

Today is the last day of the Hyeres 2012 International Festival of Fashion and Photography. Each year over 800 entrants are sifted and sorted through in order to glean the most talented young creatives from photography and fashion design.

Presided over by an eminently qualified panel of jurors such as Yohji Yamamoto, Paolo Roversi and Carla Sozzani, the winners exhibited are sure to be names to watch and watch.

All the winners’ work will be on show until 26 May along with exhibitions featuring the work of Yohji Yamamoto and Van Lamsweerde and Matadin amongst others – so if you aren’t already lucky enough to be seeking out the sun in the South of France, get moving.

hyeres.com

Tags: Hyeres Festival

Ever since she first picked up a camera several years ago Norwegian born photographer, Mariell Amélie, has been fusing the lines between fashion and art through her whimsical and often eerie approach to photography. Describing herself as an introvert, Amélie’s pictures reflect a similar sense of solitude and silence that she experienced whilst growing up. Now based in London, her lens continues to capture precious moments inspired by memories and dreams.

Currently housed at Notting Hill Arts Club, Forget Me Not / Forglem Meg Ei is Mariell’s debut solo exhibition, presenting an assortment of self-portraits from her extensive archive. Last night Twin joined Mariell for her opening night to find out more about the girl behind (and in front of) the lens…

What initially attracted you to photography?
When I was younger I stumbled across a drawer full of Polaroid pictures of my mum and dad from the Seventies. I found it so fascinating that a particular moment from their history had been permanently captured in a single shot so I bought myself a camera and began playing around and experimenting with photography. I grew up in a small island, Andøya, in the polar circle of northern Norway with just my mum and dad… I had to learn to entertain myself and enjoy my own company so being on my own was something I got used to; I guess that’s why I primarily focus on self-portraiture.

Who/what inspires you?
My Grandmother. She was the most creative person I ever met yet no one really knew it.  Moving to a big city like London from my small Norwegian home was a bit overwhelming but I knew branching out was something I had to do; she taught me to take risks, challenge myself and never give up. I decided to call this exhibition Forget Me Not (Forglem Meg Ei in Norwegian) referring to the flower of the same name that I have tattooed on my wrist in memory of my grandmother.

Describe your photographic style in three words:
Isolated, cold, eerie…

Females are often the subject of your pictures (in this case, yourself) would you say you were a feminist at heart?
I definitely like to make a statement with my work to express that you don’t have to be a male to have power and freedom. Also there’s simply something about the female form that I find to be more interesting, but ultimately I like people to see my subjects as individuals without casting any stereotypical or preconceived views.

You split your time between Norway and London – where do you prefer shooting?
Well the majority of the pictures in this exhibition were taken in Andøya. It’s just such an amazing place with such beautiful and untouched landscapes. I work with a location scout back in Norway who helps me to find some incredible settings for my shoots. I think everywhere in London has already been discovered and overdone so it gets a bit tedious.

What’s next?
I’ve been really busy the last year on various commercial projects: I’m not saying that I haven’t enjoyed them but I now want some time to really focus on projects that I am truly passionate about. I’m going back to Norway in a couple of weeks so I am planning on shooting a lot when I’m out there and hopefully creating a brand new set of images for my next exhibition.

Forget Me Not / Forglem Meg Ei is on at the Notting Hill Arts Club, now until 11th June 2012.
mariellamelie.com 

Words: Sarah Barlow

Tags: forget me not, mariell amelie, notting hill arts club

Looking for the next fashion-art-film fix in London? Then get yourself to the V&A this Friday for the next installment of their Friday late programme called Britain is Making It. The event coincides with the  British Design 1948 – 2012 exhibition.

Kathryn Ferguson is collaborating with video artist Weirdcore to create a live site-specific video sculpture in the Hintz Sculpture Galleries. It is the public premiere of Kathryn’s film Máthair which will be screened amongst the religious iconography of the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.

She has also curated a UK fashion film reel that will be looping throughout the night in the main entrance hall featuring work by Quentin Jones, Cassette Playa, Ruth Hogben, Julie Verhoeven and others.

Britain is Making It, Friday 27th April, V&A, 6.30 – 10pm

Victoria, Victoria Beckham film by Quentin Jones

Tags: British Design 1948-2012, Kathryn Ferguson, Máthair, Quentin Jones, Ruth Hogben, v&a

Right now there’s one opening ceremony that we’re excited about. Yep, innovative retailers and purveyors of global cool Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Opening Ceremony are opening a pop-up shop in London’s Covent Garden, days before the Olympics are due to begin.

While it’s a more than apt moment to launch the brand into the UK, we’re simply happy to have the store on this side of the pond. Having already produced collections lusted after by fashionistas the world over, the store is set to boast wares by Proenza Schouler, Chloe Sevigny and Pamela Love, as well of course as Kenzo, whom Opening Ceremony recently took over design duties for. For those keeping it strictly sporty during that month, they’ll also be Adidas X Opening Ceremony.

Hot on the heels of the pop-up store will come a permanent space opening in Autumn, but right now, the buzz building up for July just got louder.

openingceremony.us

Tags: Carol Lim, Chloe Sevigny, Humberto Leon, Kenzo, opening ceremony, Pamela Love, Proenza Schouler

With London’s inaugural menswear week set to take place in June, the spotlight is firmly on the talented young designers making clothes for the men for a change. Martine Rose is one such menswear designer who stands out from the pack.

Whether its turning the humble shirt into a statement piece or collaborating with big name brands such as CAT and Timberland, her collections always mix the best of East London attitude with avant-garde design.

Twin spoke to the designer about her work…

What was the initial appeal in designing men’s clothes?
I’m just better at it, I’m quite a tomboy so it appears to be my natural aesthetic!

You started out in true London style, starting from nothing on your own, and have gone on to collaborate with big brands like CAT and Timberland, what are the most important things you’ve learnt along the way?
That London has a huge wealth of support for young designers. Contrary to popular belief, most people in fashion are lovely. Help people out if you can, as you will certainly need help yourself….just a few little tips I have picked up along the way

You’re known for your shirts, but what other pieces are you finding yourself drawn to with each new collection?
Outerwear actually, particularly bomber jackets.  I’m really enjoying playing with the references of the classic bomber jacket.  It comes so loaded with association already, especially in the UK punk, skinhead, thug… it’s really fun to re-invent and push what it might be associated with next!

Which guys – and girls- are your all time style heroes?
Grace Jones, Molly Parkin, Diana Vreeland, but mainly the kids on the street give me the most inspiration.  How they might wear two t-shirts and how they tie their laces, fix their hair, whatever it is. That is the best thing about living in London. The most inspirational style is on the streets

How do you feel when you see a guy in one of your designs?
Thrilled to bits!

Your clothes are bright and fun – do you get girls buying them too?
Sometimes, definitely. They tend to be extremely cool chicks!

What do you listen to as you work?
Absolutely everything! Mainly Radio 6 though, it caters for all tastes in the studio

What’s up next?
SS13 in June, the most exciting development in British menswear for a long time…our own mensweek.

martineroselondon.co.uk

Tags: Martine Rose, Menswear

So, A/W 12 might not actually be ready to wear quite yet, but seeing how fashion illustrator Tanya Ling has already interpreted some of what was on offer at the shows in February is keeping us happy.

Ling, the talented illustrator mum of Twin favourite Bip, has been adding her langurous, painterly style to hot looks for years. Most recently her work can be seen as part of Selfridge’s newly opened Women’s Designer Galleries. We’re not sure what we want most, the clothes themselves, or Ling’s take on modern luxury.

fashionillustrationgallery.com

Nina Ricci A/W 2012

Calvin Klein A/W 2012
Top: Meadham Kerchoff A/W 2012

Tags: Fashion Illustration Gallery Selfridge's, Tanya Ling, Women's Designer Galleries

Art director and publisher Hannah Ridley and fashion photographer Stephanie Sian Smith met and became friends at art school. Both have since gone on to have careers in the fashion industry, working together on glossy mags such as Elle. So Hannah, the mastermind behind gorgeous publishers Ida Rhoda, was the natural curator for an exhibition of Stephanie’s images entitled I’ve Done Alright For A Girl.

She says; ‘I’ve always loved Stephanie’s own work – before a shoot she’ll ask the model to spin around in the studio or run around on the beach or jump up and down on a trampette – the girls are often going somewhere, which is where the title of the exhibition came from.

“I was working my way through the images Steph gave me and I had the Melanie Anne Safka song in my head – ‘Don’t Go Too Fast, But I Go Pretty Far’.”

As well as informing Hannah’s curatorial decisions, the song lyrics also run through the free newspaper of images that Hannah and Stephanie will be giving away at the exhibition. Not bad at all indeed.

I’ve Done Alright For A Girl is Upstairs at The English Restaurant, Spitalfields, for one week only from today.

stephaniesiansmith.co.uk
idarhoda.co.uk

Tags: I've Done Alright For A Girl, Ida Rhoda, Stephanie Sian Smith, The English Restaurant

Taking gloss to task, nothing seems to slip through the watching eye of the Vagenda team. Launched in February this year, Vagenda is made up of a collection of anonymous industry moles, as well as recent graduates.

Whether it’s hilariously showing the way stock photos reinforce gender stereotypes, or lampooning the predictability of women’s magazine features, Vagenda are a sharp and funny redress to the all too often complacent way what women want to read is construed in mainstream media.

Twin spoke to Vagenda’s editor about their work and world…

Who and what is the Vagenda?
The Vagenda takes a humorous look at the women’s magazine industry and how it perpetuates anti-feminist stereotypes. We feel that laughter is the best weapon. In terms of who, well, we are a group of girls in our twenties living in London. Holly and I edit it and came up with the concept but the others have been instrumental in providing hilarious and witty content for the blog and producing great ideas. Most of us went to uni together. However, since the blog launched and became so popular we’ve had contributors from all over the world- EVEN MEN!

What’s your earliest feminist memory?
Mine personally was being a toddler in London’s Dartmouth Park and a much older boy (he must have been about six) asking me, “Are you a boy or a girl?” My mum had just given me a pudding bowl haircut and I remember feeling outraged. I’m sure the others all have their own memories too.

What do you feel is wrong with modern women’s media, mags etc?
It’s our feeling that the content alienates a lot of women. It’s very body focused and a lot of the time pretty stupid. The way female celebrities are portrayed, especially when they are going through some kind of crisis and trauma, is often cruel. There’s little to no focus on politics or art or music, or any of the fun stuff we like doing.

What makes the Vagenda team angry?
We all vary. We try to steer away from polemic on the site as it can be alienating, but obviously women’s mags drive us crazy a lot of the time. We also had a really terrible night out in Soho not long ago where the DJ at Punk nightclub was urging women to flash their “gash for cash”. We were pretty angry about that, and one of us cried. The way rape cases are reported in the press is also incredibly anger inducing.

What three changes would make the world a better place?
Only three? That’s a tough question as there are so many changes that need to be made and women in the developing world are being treated appallingly. For this country, however:

1/ A greater understanding on the part of men that the division of domestic labour is still pretty unequal.  We’re the ones who are still, in the main part, having to scrub the toilet bowl, yet often this type of women’s “work” goes unrecognized. Equal pay and more flexible working hours would be nice, too.

2/ Better sex education in schools. It’s mostly crap and if young women are growing up with their only source of this information being women’s magazines, of course they are going to start subscribing to a manufactured version of female sexuality.

3/ We’d obviously like it if the media started giving a more balanced view of women and femininity. And we’re going to keep calling them out on it and laughing at them until they are embarrassed into doing it.

Who are Vagenda’s heroes?
We have so many. The UK is fortunate in that we have many incredible women journalists who are already out there giving the patriarchy hell. We love Eva Wiseman, Suzanne Moore, Caitlin Moran, Harriet Walker, Helen Lewis, Laurie Penny, Hadley Freeman, Rosamund Urwin. For every great woman journalist, however, there seem to be umpteen ones who don’t give a toss about female equality and instead write complete and utter drivel, which is sad.

What’s Vagenda’s approach to fashion?
Each of us has a different approach. I’d say a lot of us wear vintage and secondhand clothes, but some wear high street too. I personally have been boycotting Topshop for over a year now but I don’t know about the others. I used to have a bit of a shopping addiction and my house is so full I have no need to shop anymore. Fashion is great as a tool for personal expression, but that’s not to say that there aren’t aspects of the industry that make me feel a bit sick. Those flowery trousers, for example. We all have some pretty mental garments tucked away and that’s fine. But when a magazine is actively trying to get you to look mental, then there is a problem.

What does the future look like?
Not vagina-shaped, that’s for sure. At the moment, it’s a cross between Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, Orwell’s 1984 and the Handmaid’s Tale. In other words, pretty shit. But we’re staying chipper and fighting the power in our own small way.

vagenda.blogspot.co.uk

Tags: Vagenda, women's magazines

The brainchild of singer Francesca Ross and instrumentalist Ian Watt, electronic pop duo I AM A CAMERA is responsible for infectiously catchy songs such as Commuter Love and their most recent single Factory Boys, set for release on May 27.

The duo met by chance in a club in Manchester, shortly before starting the band in October 2010. “We ended up chatting late into the night about everything from our favourite lyrics to Coronation Street to drum machines. We started writing together shortly after and that”s how it began. We knew straight away we were onto something,” recalls Ross.

Influenced by the likes of Astrid Kirchherr, Paisley Park and Arthur C. Clarke, I AM A CAMERA underpins their hypnotic beats with dreamy yet dark lyrics, visually captured in their atmospheric music videos.

Twin spoke to Ross about the inspirational appeal of the everyday mundane and her nine favourite tunes of the moment…

Describe your music in three words.
Beats, Drama, Strings.

What inspires you?
We”re inspired by everyday life. The most mundane things can be made in to a sinister subject. It can be a photo we”ve seen or a story on the news, even a sinister-looking woman on 60 Minute Makeover. We like to find the stories behind things.

Do you ever find that the city of London feeds into your work?
We live, eat, sleep & dream in London. We are inspired by the things that go on in everyday life so it inevitably feeds through into our work. The people around us become the subject of songs without even knowing it. It’s a huge city with so many individual stories and events. We”re always pondering over what goes on behind closed doors, what people are really thinking about and their darkest secrets.

How would you describe the creative collaborative process?
It differs with each song. Sometimes it will be one of these stories that sparks an idea. Otherwise, when I get to the studio and Ian will have stacks of chords & beats to work on and we just go from there.

What is the story behind the song Factory Boys and its music video?
Factory Boys is inspired by the true story of  The Dupont Twins, two teenage boys who made their way from living on a gas station in a small town to the legendary New York club Studio 54. They went from being penniless one day to being paid by Warhol in Screen Prints to hang out with him the next. Amazing. We made the video ourselves by filming on our iPhones & iPads. We set it up like our own home studio. It”s inspired by the pop art and fabulous imagery that surrounds that time in New York and the glamorous debauchery of Studio 54.


How do you perceive positive and negative aspects of producing music in this digital age?
It”s positive because you can access so much and interact with so many people. We can upload a video in our studio in London, then within five minutes someone has blogged about it in Russia. We love that. The negative side is scary hackers stealing what’s not theirs.

What does the future hold for I AM A CAMERA?
The immediate future holds us making an amazing first album, lots of touring, new material and great hair.

1/ La Femme – Sur La Planche
This band is from France, in case the name didn”t give it away. It sounds like the B-52″s on a night out with Bis. In France.

2/ Morrissey – Suedehead
I have a slight fascination with redundant sea side towns. This song sums this up entirely for me whilst bringing some Manchester vibes at the same time.

3/ Canyons – When I See You Again (Nick Zinner Remix)
This is a beautiful song from The Canyons, made even better by Nick Zinner”s remix. He”s really turned it around and made it in to a danceable track with shakers & electronic claps. The perfect track to get you ready for summer.

4/ Kleenex – Ain”t You
Swiss post punk, best filed between The Raincoats & The Bush Tetras. I love how the sections are so different and how they stumble into each other.

5/ Bananarama – Aie A Mwana
Loving this extended version. Bananarama”s first single in the pre SAW days, a cover of a song by Black Blood. The released version was actually a demo, & apparently this song also inspired the band’s name.

6/ Friends – I”m His Girl
It”s all about the bassline in this song. That and the old school vibes in the video. Makes me want to get back to New York asap!

7/ Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy
This was their debut single, it”s got such memorable riff which set the precedent for future dance music.

8/ Seasfire – Falling
I went to see them play in London recently. This song really stood out, it”s full of raw emotion, contrasted only by its clean instrumentation.

9/ Donna Summer ft. Giorgio Moroder – I Feel Love
One of the greatest songs ever recorded! The sounds and production are so ahead of their time. I recently watched a programme on the origins of disco, and it made me realise how much music owes to this genre and this man.

Listen to I AM A CAMERA”s playlist

iamacameraofficial.com

Tags: Andy Warhol, Arthur C. Clarke, Astrid Kirchherr, Commuter Love, electronica, Factory Boys, Francesca Ross, I AM A CAMERA, Ian Watt, Music, Paisley Park, Playlist, pop, Studio 54, The Dupont Twins

At times, Marianne Faithfull the Sixties legend has threatened to overshadow Marianne the real and living person. But after over thirty years in the spotlight, and the former pop ingénue  has battled addiction to continue to put out records.

It’s fitting then that her curated exhibition at Tate Liverpool should be titled Innocence and Experience and nothing better sums up the show then a 1976 Mapplethorpe image of Faithfull, seemingly uneasy as she transitions from her Sixties naïveté to a dark awareness of life’s depths.

Having selected works from the Tate Collection, Innocence and Experience reflects upon Faithfull’s artistic influences, as well as those over her private life. Dark and romantic, the works in this exhibition are brought together by a curator whose life will be forever intertwined with art and performance.

Innocence and Experience curated by Marianne Faithfull  is at Tate Liverpool 20 April – 2 September 2012
tateliverpool.org

Tags: Art, exhibition, Innocence and Experience, Marianne Faithfull, performance, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sixties, Tate Collection, tate liverpool

It’s about that time of year again; the evenings are becoming noticeably longer and the air is remaining warm yet faintly fresh. Summer is upon us and so is a season of ‘Cinéma en plein air’ thanks to the return of London’s legendary Rooftop Film Club.

Due to popular demand this year sees the launch of two additional venues, Netil House (London Fields) and The Roof Gardens (Kensington) as well as the original Shoreditch-spot at the Queen of Hoxton. From 30th April to 30th August, the RFC are scheduled to screen a combination of classic, cult and contemporary flicks. Everything from the 1960’s hit Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Aronofsky’s gritty Requiem for a Dream will be available to view underneath the starry nights sky surrounded by exquisite panoramic views of London’s cityscape.

For further information and to book tickets visit rooftopfilmclub.com

Words: Sarah Barlow

Tags: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Darren Aronofsky, film, Netil House, Rooftop Film Club, Shoreditch, The Roof Gardens

What do you get when two young creative women, call together their friends to contribute to a zine dissecting what it is to be creative and female? The answer is teenVAG, a zine that explores coming of age, beauty and the body from a firmly feminine viewpoint. Confounding stereotypes and creating new imagery that fits their own feelings, Twin spoke to Natasha and Allison about teenVAG…

Where did the name teenVAG come from?
The name “teenVAG” is rooted in yesteryear conversation with an especially dear group of friends- we often threw around the word “pussy.”  Coincidentally, we all previously held internships at Condé Nast.

What thoughts preoccupy you as artists and how is teenVAG a conduit for them?
There are infinite forms of expressions. Collectively, the constant desire to create has fuelled our greatest artistic ventures and our initiative enables these visions to come into fruition. We are constantly developing ideas, themes, and insights while cultivating a unique rapport with an incredibly talented group of our contemporaries. teenVAG has allowed us to create an evolving, communal space we share amongst our featured artists and audience.

Why did you feel the need to form a female collective of artists?
New York is a super hub of creatives. The artists we worked with on Issue # 1 inspired the idea of an all female project- they set the groundwork for the basis of the project. The progression of Issue # 2 continues to foster a strong voice and female presence we feel most necessary amongst the creative community.

Why is a zine still an effective way of communicating ideas in the era of blogs, tumblrs etc?
It is tangible- there is physical contact with our audience. The viewer experiences the artist’s work without interruption and becomes a part of the collective dialogue taking place. The zine becomes a perpetual vehicle of communication that can always be revisited. In our digital age it offers a slight sense of nostalgia and a quiet escape from the fast paced nature of the information super-highway.

Who are the other female artists involved in the zine?
We work with twelve artists each issue- a mix of friends, acquaintances and artists we admire. Issue # 1 focused on the basis of photography and featured the work of Nina Hartmann, Sandy Kim, Maggie Lee, Nicole Lesser, Kathy Lo, Katheryn Love, Luisa Opalesky, Logan White, Coco Young, and Nadriah Zakariya.

Issue # 2 encompasses several mediums ranging from sculpture, to illustration, painting and mixed media as well as the inclusion of photography. Issue # 2 features work by Aimee Brodeur, Elizabeth Jaeger, Olivia Locher, Carly Mark, Katie Miller, Anamaria Morris, Sophie Van der Perre, Rebecca Andrea Richard, Tara Sinn, Brooke Ellen Taylor, Alexandra Velasco, and Jessica Williams.

What, if any, obstacles do female artists still face?
teenVAG: When initially reaching out to print teenVAG Issue # 1, a business denied carrying out the job due to “explicit sexual content,” “pornographic”  imagery, and a questionable title. Female artists face connotations that are inherently attached to their art due to gender- we want to break that stigma.

Where is the zine available?
The zine is available on our online shop http://teenvag.bigcartel.com/. as well as a selection of stockists in NY, LA and TX. For a full list of stockists check out our website teenvag.com

What’s next?
We are planning our second show for May of this year- it will be a collective exhibition surveying the work of artists we have been working with for the past year. In the coming months we will begin the conceptualisation of teenVAG Issue # 3 due out in September 2012.

We’ll also be doing a collaborative selection of pop-up shows and mini-events throughout the summer- we are very excited to continue working with an amazing network of creatives and hope to expand teenVAG to its fullest potential

Tags: Aimee Brodeur, Alexandra Velasco, Allison, Anamaria Morris, Art, Brooke Ellen Taylor, Carly Mark, Coco Young, Elizabeth Jaeger, female artists, illustration, interview, Jessica Williams, Katheryn Love, Kathy Lo, Katie Miller, Logan White, Luisa Opalesky, Maggie Lee, Nadriah Zakariya, Natasha, Nicole Lesser, Nina Hartmann, Olivia Locher, photography, Rebecca Andrea Richard, Sandy Kim, sculpture, Sophie Van der Perre, Tara Sinn, teenVAG, zine

In 2009 Cass Bird took a group into the forest with the intention of taking femininity back to its basics and stripping away the gender stereotypes.

Casting friends as well as queer women scouted on the streets of New York, her book Rewilding represents Bird’s attempt to go native. The results are androgynous scenes among Tennessee’s lush forests, which take the gender soaked tutu and make it climb a tree.

“I’m trying to play and celebrate life,” says Bird. “To create a space where people can physically express and take risks.”

Rewilding is available at cassbird.com

Tags: book, Cass Bird, photography, Rewilding

Publisher and bookshop Persephone Books has a strict remit; female writers – mostly neglected ones – from the early Twentieth Century.

In 1983 Persephone founder Nicola Beauman wrote A Very Great Profession: The Woman’s Novel 1914-39. Sixteen years later, many of the writers she had discussed were still out of print, so she decided to do something about it. In 1999 Persephone was born and thirteen years on and Beauman hasn’t wavered in her mission to retell old stories to new audiences.

With 96 books to choose from, Twin asks Persephone for their recommendations…

A book for Spring…
We think our upcoming titles Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins, and Virginia Woolf’s posthumously edited A Writer’s Diary will make great Spring reads – both out on the 19 April.

A book to make you laugh…
Without doubt Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – No. 21 -. This is a hilarious fairy-tale account of a dowdy governess’ accidental encounter with a glamorous night club singer. Although those with a dryer sense of humour might prefer Julia Strachey’s short novel, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.

A book to make you cry…
You’d have to have heart of stone not to cry at Still Missing – a book you wont be able to put down. William: An Englishman – No. 1 – is also extremely emotional, as it brings home the terrible human cost of the First World War through the fate of one very ordinary English couple.

A book that will shock you…
Margarita Laski’s To Bed With Grand Music – No. 86 – follows the protagonist, Deborah, as she sleeps her way round London, completely debunking the cosy myth of women patiently keeping the home fires burning while their husbands were fighting on the front line.

A book about style…
High Wages by Dorothy Whipple – No. 85 – is about a young woman who sets up her own dress shop in a northern town around the time of the First World War.

It includes some really interesting details about fashion and style in the period, and explores different women’s responses to the opening up of different opportunities both in terms of how they can dress and how they can make their mark on the world.

A book for living in the city…
Farewell Leicester Square by Betty Miller – No. 14 – or Helen Ashton’s Bricks and Mortar – No. 49 – are great books about London in the first half of the twentieth century.

A book to expand your mind…
Round About a Pound a Week – No. 79 – and the suffragette novel No Surrender – No.94 -both explore different but equally important aspects of women’s lives before the First World War.

A book you won’t be able to put down…
Still Missing  – No. 88 – by Beth Gutcheon is literally impossible to put down. It is a beautifully written and extremely tense novel about a little boy who goes missing from his Boston home. We both cried when we read it. A lot.

persephonebooks.co.uk

Tags: A Very Great Profession: The Woman's Novel 1914-39, book recommendations, female writers, literature, Nicola Beauman, Persephone Books