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, […]
Originally from a coastal town in the North East of England, Mason has forged a career in art that has spanned decades and taken her all over the world. In the 60s, she studied with Lancome in Paris and later worked for them in Beirut. On returning to Paris in the 70s, Mason worked as a model and then as a freelance makeup artist. She was a pioneer in turning runway shows and fashion shoots into something more akin to the theatrical performances they are today.
I sat down with Lunar Objects Theatre for a chat about their upcoming show “Am I If?”, performing at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre as part of Camden Fringe on Sunday 27th August. Made up of Bramble Wallace and Elizabeth Rigby, they started Lunar Objects Theatre this year and even though they only graduated last […]
On this occasion, I not only got to see the work but see the artist talk in depth about it and… get served pasta at the end. Dinner and a show! Dedicated to the survival and support of emerging artists and curators, The Zabludowicz Collection has its own series, “Zabludowicz Collection Invites”, which is dedicated to providing solo presentations for UK-based artists who don’t yet have commercial gallery representation.