I was pleased to find Ellie Vandoorne, the artist in question, sat by the window. Armed with my microphone, she hid any hint of disapproval at the suggestion of an impromptu interview. Specialising in mixed media collage work, Vandoorne creates stylised female portraits worthy of the description, “iconic”.
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is a hard left-leaning news satire extravaganza and is hosted by former Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee. Thirty minutes long, it features no desk or guests but rather field pieces and standing monologues. Emmy Award-winning for its writing, its first season achieved a rare 100% approval rating from the American review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Canadian born Samantha Bee began her career acting and doing sketch comedy.
We sat down with Jacs, The Founder of Salomé Literature, a magazine and online community set up in the name of supporting upcoming female writers. ‘It is a message of empowerment, being fierce and brave’, she says. I wanted to create a community as well, I didn’t just want it to be just a magazine.
When I was starting to lose hope and I felt like my dreams were fading away I received a response inviting me to interview for a well renowned London based interior design studio. I couldn’t believe my luck. My interview was a success, I moved to London and spent the following three and a half years working for Juliette Byrne. She is listed consistently among the top 100 designers in the UK by House and Garden published by Conde Nast.
What appealed to me most about Swing Time were the significant similarities between the main character’s life and Smith’s own. You will always have me at ‘based on a true story’. Zadie Smith was born in 1975 in Brent, north-west London to a Jamaican mother and an English father. The novel certainly feels like watching a slow-motion dance routine; giving its reader time to frown and ponder the intricacies of the footwork and the interactions of its four starring women.
“One girl, hundreds of questions”. That was the synopsis of Lunar Objects Theatre’s “Am I If”, a one-woman show that featured a series of anecdotes addressing the confusion of when you find yourself caught between girlhood and womanhood. Before I sat down to watch “Am I If?” I was intrigued by the idea of a solo act, I admit I was a little concerned. My scepticism came following my interview with them…
Whether it is a customer bringing back a Mussel shell from Majorca to be made into a necklace or a doctor requesting cufflinks in the shape of a bottle of Bordeaux with the name of a French Chateau engraved on each one; Gem is the person to make the vision real. She brings the idea into reality working with the raw materials with such elegance, style and quality at the core. Her clients come back every year with made to order requests, illustrating the trust they have in Gem and the consistency of her delivery.
I feel a lot of responsibility to create work that tackles issues that affect women, more so than anything else. Not just because I identify as a female but because who else will? I feel a kinship with other female illustrators because if I see something really good done by another female illustrator, I’m like “yes!”. As a community, illustration is a good place for women.
Judy Chicago for example explored menstrual taboo by creating an installation called “Menstruation Bathroom” (1995) in a bid to gain acknowledgement in society for menstruation as a natural part of existence rather than a women’s shame, yet tampons are still classed as a luxury item twenty-two years after her work!
My perspective on art is amateur, a word which suits me fine as it’s derived from the Latin for ‘lover’ (as opposed to expert.. though I did once get an A in year 9 for a charcoal sketch of a hedgehog). For me, art is escape, colour, questions, pleasure, technique, precision and imagination. I’m Annie, […]