Hippie hippie shake

04.12.2009 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY: admin

Maggs Bros – one of the most beautiful purveyors of rare books and prints in the whole of London – have an exhibition and sale of flyers, photographs and prints all of a countercultural variety. The historical riches on offer in ‘Please do not bend’ are placed under some fascinating titles: Agitation, The Occult, Magic, Revolutionaries and Urban Guerrillas. Sounds like our kind of sale. One notable piece of left-field ephemera comes courtesy of the invitation pictured, sent out by Richard Neville during the infamous 1971 OZ obscenity trial. According to Carl Williams, curator of the counterculture section at Maggs, “On his way to the trial, over The Schoolkids issue of their wild underground magazine OZ, Neville added his own note to this invite.” We’re intrigued. My oh my, the publishing world certainly isn’t what it used to be.

‘Please do not bend’ is at Maggs Gallery, 50 Hays Mews, London W1J 5QJ from 15th December – 3rd January 2010.

maggs.com

Tags: maggs bros, maggs gallery, richard neville

The truth about cats and dogs

03.12.2009 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY: admin

We love these feline and fido themed lamps created by British designer and artist Stuart Haygarth. Part of his first show for Haunch of Venison, entitled ‘Found’, the lamps are one element of Haygarth’s enchanting exploration of discarded kitsch and taxonomy.

‘Found’ by Stuart Haygarth is at Haunch of Venison until 30th January 2010.

www.haunchofvenison.com

Tags: exhibition, haunch of venison, lamps, stuart haygarth

dental gloss

02.12.2009 | Blog , Culture , Thoughts | BY: Ms Shelebridee

Darlings. I’ve abandoned you. But there is a reason for this, quite a sensible one, I’m sure you’ll agree. I decided that to fully live up to my moniker of Ms Shelebridee I had to start acting more like one. I was inspired. And it’s all Mariah Carey’s fault.

I realised that to be a real star I must stop – absolutely stop – actually doing anything at all. Just like her. I wanted an entourage. Entourage equals power, and that, darlings, is something that’s been severely lacking in Ms Shelebridee’s life for a while now. I wanted to be my own very mini-Mariah, right here in my own little corner of West London.

But it didn’t work. It was the tooth-brushing that did it.

I had recruited Gay Boy Number One as my assistant in this noble aim. Ms Shelebridee couldn’t quite afford any new staff, but luckily he thought this would be fantastic fun. So he carried me down the stairs at The Cow in Notting Hill which got us a few raised eyebrows, and he spoke on my behalf during a shopping trip down Sloane Street, while insisting no-one actually look me in the eye. GBNO even guided me around Waitrose and carried all my shopping home, but when I broached the subject of tooth-brushing, the Tiffany rattle was thrown out of the designer buggy.

No matter how much I stamped my feet and tossed my professionally blow-dried hair GBNO refused to brush my teeth for me. Even after I told him that Mariah Carey probably had her teeth brushed, he wouldn’t budge. While he said he’d brush Mariah’s teeth – mine, apparently, aren’t quite the same thing.

Truly, truly hurt I was. I even managed to ruin my new blow-dry. GBNO and I haven’t rowed like that since I said the Sticky and Sweet tour was boring. But true stardom is dependent on such frivolity. If he wouldn’t brush my teeth then the whole noble project had to be sent straight to the recycling bin. Mariah just wouldn’t approve if we tried to do this by halves. Sigh. Maybe in my next life I can develop a true entourage, without having to put up with Gay Boy Number One’s petulance. And if thinks he’s going to be my plus one to the Strictly Final, he’s got another thing coming.

Tags: mariah carey, ms shelebridee, teeth

Art house

24.11.2009 | Art , Blog , Culture , Twin Life | BY: admin

Twin’s art editor Francesca Gavin has been busy working alongside artist Jonathan Yeo co-curating a permanent collection of artworks for the Dean Street Townhouse, the latest addition to the Soho House Group, which opens tomorrow.

In the style of Colmbe D’Or artists Tracey Emin, Sam Griffin, Fiona Banner, Tim Noble and Gavin Turk – to name just a few – were all given credit at the hotel, which was once the notorious Gargoyle Club, in exchange for their artworks. So visitors know they will certainly be in good cultural company.

www.deanstreettownhouse.com

Tags: Art, book, francesca gavin, jonathan yeo, soho house

Park’s life

24.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY: Lucia Davies

Norman Parkinson’s photographic career has spanned almost sixty years, namely working for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and The Bystander. Parks, as he liked to be known, pioneered an approach called ‘action realism’ – taking his subjects away from the rigid studio environment, and into the real world, to vibrant effect.

Parkinson’s portraits from the Thirties to the Eighties goes on show at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan this week. Just a cursory glance at the show proves that Parks had a lifelong fascination not just with photography, but with women: “Being photographed,” he said, “is a whole section of a woman’s identity. She has to be admired…” We have to agree.

Norman Parkinson: A very British Glamour, Galleria Carla Sozzani, Corso Como 10 – 20154 Milano, Italia
www.galleriacarlasozzani.org

Tags: corso como, exhibit, Norman Parkinson, photography

Want One

23.11.2009 | Blog , Culture , Fashion | BY: Becky

This beautiful book – Fashion Etcetera by Sam Haskins – is top of our cultural wish-lists. We spotted this Tommy Hilfiger edition in Colette this weekend and quite frankly we need it in our lives.

€75.00 Available from Colette

Tags: book, colette, sam haskins, want one

The hair’s the thing

19.11.2009 | Blog , Culture , Thoughts | BY: Ms Shelebridee

My life is so completely and utterly unfair. I am supposed to lead this life of blatant excess, big hair and good shoes and yet I am reduced to sitting here – on my sofa by myself on a weekend night – seething. There is no better word for it. Seething because, try as I might, I cannot tear myself away. I am an addict. I want to switch off and go out; show off the new, subtle Botox injections I had last week but nothing works. Nothing.

It is mesmerising. There can be no doubt about that. The drama, the fever pitch of expectation, the knife-edge of excitement. And when it happens – when I see it in all its robust glory – I get a rush. My breathing is shallow and my heart races. I can’t help it.

I’m supposed to be working my way through a list of books that will hopefully make me sound more intelligent at social gatherings, but I cannot wrench myself away from this. I’m even turning down invites, which may be a crass admission, and no-one really turns down a good invite even though they might pretend to. Dinner at Scott’s, a little private launch for a new member’s bar in Chelsea and some art gallery thing were all discarded just so I could satiate the horror of this pure, unadulterated addiction.

And now the withdrawal symptoms start. I start wondering and contemplating, my mind a tormented mass of tangled possibilities. I want to know what will happen next. Not even going through the magazines during my weekly pedicure was enough. I’m counting the days, the hours, the minutes….

I just can’t get enough of the glossiness of it. The way it bounces.

I actually think I would kill to have Cheryl Cole’s hair.

I can’t believe there’s a whole television show built up around it. Well, she is worth it.

Tags: cheryl cole, ms shelebridee

Big pimpin

18.11.2009 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY: Lucia Davies

The super style of the ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’ is celebrated this month with a brief but brilliant exhibition. Photographer Daniele Tamagni’s images provide a fascinating insight into the vibrant street style of ‘The Sapeurs’ – the immaculately dressed dandies from the heart of the Congo. As King Kester Emenya, the Congolese musician says, “The white man may have invented clothes but we turned it into an art”. Apparently, Sir Paul Smith, who prefaced the original book based his spring collection on the images. Nuff said.

From 27th – 29th November, London Newcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP.
www.trolleybooks.com

Tags: book, congo, gentlemen of bacongo, paul smith, photography, the sapeurs

porky’s

16.11.2009 | Blog , Fashion , Twin Life | BY: Lucia Davies

When in Covent Garden stop off at Crazy Pig Designs. Oddball name aside, we love their mind-blowingly detailed jewellery – take the miniscule spinning bullet cylinder on their trademark revolver earrings. Popular with the great and the good of the rock world, their work has been worn by Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top and Metallica. Oh, and Alexa Chung. This solid gold skull ring is top of our Christmas wish lists.

www.crazypigdesigns.com
crazypigdesigns.blogspot.com

Tags: alexa chung, covent garden, crazy pig designs, jewellery, shop

Cast away

16.11.2009 | Blog , Culture | BY: admin

Fantastic writer, performer and TWIN contributor Sophie Woolley – who imagined a fictitious female future in issue one’s ‘The Age of Aquarius’ – is set to star in Channel 4’s latest reality drama, Cast Offs. Frank, dark and funny the series explores what it’s like to live with disability in Britain – all with the help of the writers of Shameless, Skins and The Thick of It. Sophie – who is partially deaf in real life – plays (Hear no evil) Gabriella, and appears in each twice-weekly episode. Catch her big moment on December 2nd.

Cast Offs airs from 24th November channel4.com/programmes/cast-offs

www.sophiewoolley.com

Tags: cast offs, channel 4, sophie woolley, TV

Wild Wear

12.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY: Lucia Davies

Heidi, the owner of Animazing Gallery where the ‘Sendak in Soho’ exhibition is now on, kindly sent me this snap of Max’s wolf-suit from the ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ film. It was a gift from director Spike Jonze to Maurice Sendak that’s on loan especially for the show. Gggrrrlll.

Tags: Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild things are

Talent watch: Somang Lee

12.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY: Lucia Davies

Who: Somang Lee, 27, Stuttgart
What: Illustrator
Where: Royal College of Art

Somang says: “There is a certain magic about illustration. It allows you to tap into things that go under the surface; inner worlds that you can take from a piece of paper. One of the pieces of my work pictured is taken from a series I did called ‘An Arctic Tale’ (picture above), which were displayed at the Bargehouse earlier this year. The other is part of a series of etchings inspired by Jonathan Safran Foe’s novel ‘Extremely loud and incredibly close’ (below). This was an exploration of two people who are physically close but have vast inner distances to cross to be truly close to each other.”

Inspiration: Stories – writing combined with illustration make the perfect pair.
Not many people know: Somang takes ‘Free the inner voice’ classes to explore the subconscious in her voice and to help connect with her inner self, which she can then express through her illustrations.

www.somanglee.com

Tags: Somang Lee, Talent Watch

WANT ONE

11.11.2009 | Blog , Fashion , Twin Life | BY: Becky

Just got back from the Matches press day…My belly is full from the delicious tea and biscuits… However I also spotted this AMAZING little number! Yes 60s-70’s vintage Chanel.. There are a few special pieces in there… Get them fast!! This one is in the 87 Marylebone high street branch now!!!

Hurry!

Tags: Chanel, Matches, press day, vintage

Art class

09.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY: Francesca Gavin

Jarvis Cocker is increasing his already exponential creative credentials with an amazing sounding three day pop-up exhibition-cum- event at Village Underground in East London. He’s already tried it – with great success – in Paris. This time around interactive jams with the public who bring instruments, live graffiti from Pure Evil, pole dancing and hula hoop classes, spoken word and special guests are all part of the live line-up.
Get involved.

12-6pm November 9th – 11th
www.jarviscocker.net

Tags: exhibition, Jarvis Cocker, london

Food of the gods

06.11.2009 | Blog , Culture , Twin Life | BY: Lucia Davies

This week we went to Wahaca in Covent Garden to sample some ‘Mexican market’ food in honour of The Day of the Dead. The restaurant was in all-out festive mode with brightly coloured ‘papel picados’, hand-painted masks and energetic environmental art as far as the eye could see.

As I left – after masses of freshly cooked Mexican loveliness (and countless tequilas) – I grabbed a handful of what I thought were matches. They were in fact ‘grow your own Serrano chillies’. Sweet touch.

www.wahaca.co.uk

Tags: covent garden, food, mexican, restaurant, test

The Kingmakers

04.11.2009 | Art , Blog , Fashion | BY: admin

Staffed by five friends who met in the silk-screening studio at HAW Hamburg art college, Kingdrips opened their gallery-cum-skateshop-cum-graphic design offices in their small one room basement space back in December last year. The guys are the height of skater-boy cool but the highlights of the shop are Maren Szeymies’s masterfully hand-stitched hooded sweatsuit dresses, and super-soft organic cotton T-shirts which provide the canvas for slinky line drawings of irate chihuahuas, taggers, kittens, kissing couples and seagulls.

www.kingdrips.de

Tags: ana, Design, gallery, Hamburg, shop

Guts for garters

02.11.2009 | Blog , Fashion | BY: admin

Originally named Garter & Asp, an appellation merging a harmless snake with one that is poisonous, the Berlin-based design duo Don’t Shoot the Messengers (pictured below) create elegant yet subversively sexy feminine garments. “There is a sort of darkness that we look at,” says Canadian Jen Gilpin. Alongside her partner Kyle Callanan, she sums up their aesthetic as, “Geometric, molten and just a little bit rock and roll.” We likey.

www.dont-shoot-the-messengers.com

Photographs by Maxime Ballesteros

Tags: ana, Berlin, designer, Don't Shoot the Messenger

Into the wild

02.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY: Lucia Davies

While we wait for the release of the film Where The Wild Things Are, which is based on Maurice Sendak’s book of the same name, check out the ‘Sendak in Soho’ exhibition in New York. This is the largest ever show and sale of original etchings, illustrations and even sculpture from the author’s collection. “They hold a place in my heart almost too dear for me to part with it,” says Sendak. “But now feels like the perfect time.” As we speak, the gallery’s co-owner Heidi Leigh is off to Maurice’s house to collect the original wolf-suit costume from the film, and to go in search of a mannequin to display it on. Any volunteers?

‘Sendak in Soho’ runs until January 2010 at the Animazing Gallery, 54 Greene St., NYC 10013
www.animazing.com

Tags: illustration, Maurice Sendak

Express Yourself 2.0

02.11.2009 | Blog , Culture , Fashion | BY: admin

There is so much to be said about Madonna, whose life is as infinite and intriguing as the never-ending story. This is could be why Pud Whacker began his blog: Madonna’s Scrapbook. It’s more than just another trashy gossip website with juicy stories about Madonna and Jesus. In amongst the pictures from her latest trip to Malawi, you’ll find original Eighties editorials, funny pictures of Madonna as child, limited edition album covers and exclusive artwork. It’s definitely Twin’s bookmark at the moment.

madonnascrapbook.blogspot.com

Tags: madonna, melanie, scrapbook

Twin Issue I

01.11.2009 | Blog , Twin Book | BY: admin

Issue one of this hard back bi-annual features a poetry portfolio curated by the first female poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, Miranda July’s imaginings on a female future, and photography by Todd Selby, Boo George and Garance Doré.