Wild things

Looking out of my window at the grey sky and the drizzle on the window remembering a trip to wild west Wales in the summer...

Funk legend

OMG (can I use this past the age of 30?) - had the best night dancing away last night to the funk/jazz/sax legend that is Maceo Parker. Brilliant brilliant night, the saxophone playing was amazing and he was joined by Pee Wee Ellis and the very cute Dennis Rollins on trombone. The atmosphere was amazing, check out 'Pass the peas'. He also played a very cool version of Marvin Gaye's 'Lets get it on'. I've not seen much live funk before but loved the fact that most of the time Maceo was congratulating all the other players and playing tribute to other jazz legends.

Photomonth - Overexposed City

This Friday 22nd October many of my good photo friends will be showing their work Overexposed City as part of 189 Collective. 'This collection of micro stories explores people. psychology and geography within London, revealing suprising and hidden visul anecdotes.' The exhibition will take place at Apairy Studios (The Hackney Rose) and is part of Photomonth - East London Photography Festival. I can't wait to go along and see what they've all been up to.

There are so many shows to see but I'm going to try get to as many as I can and I'll blog a little bit about my findings. A definite date in my diary will be Kirstine Fryde's Travellers exhibition at the Woolfson & Tay Gallery. The lovely Miss Fryde will be giving a talk at the opening night on 9th November.

Kirstine Fryde

scooter noobes, skaters and duckrabbit training

Wow what a brilliant three days I've just spent on a duckrabbit training course with some very inspiring people.

We spent time working on a short photofilm at a skate park and I know it sounds cheesy but I seriously think I have come back a different person. Who knew 12 year old kids could be quite so philosophical and remind me that one of the most important things in life is to believe in yourself.

Stuart Freedman and Martin Ellis along with Ben Chesterton who led the training, made the whole experience really fun, as well as passing on some great new skills.

The Swahili coast

Whilst hanging out in Zanzibar I met an interesting Belgian photographer by the name of Griet Hendrickx who has spent the last two years making images along the Swahili coast. I sometimes feel slightly wary about work produced by Western photographers in Africa, but after seeing a small selection of her work I'm looking forward to seeing her full set of images which will include some interesting portraits and stories she has collected along the way. There is an amazing fusion of cultures in Zanzibar and along the East Coast and I'd like to learn a lot more about Swahili culture.

Griet taught me a thing or two about travelling and had a very cool medium format camera of the likes I have never seen (a Plaubel Makina 670), but I did show her the best place to get a banana lassie!

Here is her short description of her work in progress which will be exhibited in Belgium and Zanzibar next May.

"The African continent is almost invariably portrayed as a source of poverty and misery. A personal project made out of belief that Africa is much more than these few minutes people get to see in the news."