Lovely Things at The Spring

The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre in Havant are having a Christmas Fair tomorrow (Saturday 26th November). They will be offering a large selection of original and tempting gifts. Including jewellery, textiles, ceramics, art, Christmas delicacies and Christmas decorations. It will also feature work by Southsea artist Roo Abrook. Free entry and open 10.30am to 4.30pm.

For further details visit their website – http://www.thespring.co.uk/

Roo Abrook’s work featured below.

Mark Parham – The Everyday Olympian

I am in awe of Portsmouth film-maker and photographer Mark Parham’s project called ‘The Everyday Olympian’.

‘The Olympics and Para-Olympics is a global inspirational competition, creating sporting heroes and inspiring people to achieve greatness. With many of the benefits this event creates never being seen, this body of work will serve as a documentary celebrating the everyday person. Long after the hype surrounding the 2012 Olympics has died down and life returns to normal, the facilities that were built as potential training camps for the athletes will remain, benefiting and being used by communities and individuals for years to come, individuals that in their own way are the ‘Everyday Olympians’.’

The output of the project will be 32 short films and 12 prints. All photographs and films were shot at the Mountbatten Centre Swimming Pool, Portsmouth. Mark is currently looking for a suitable venue to exhibit the work in February 2012.

Deakin and Petterd wrote: (Swimming defined)
“When you swim, you feel your body for what it mostly is, water and your body begins to move with the water around it. Swimming is not an activity where the surroundings disappear; it is an activity where the environment is the focus, the corporeal sensations of it all-encompassing. It is also an environment in which swimmers are isolated and alone”.

Mark said about the project ‘On a secondary level I hope the images will open this up exploring themes surrounding the human condition such as perceived physical perfection, isolation and vulnerability.’

To see the project visit the Facebook page at : http://www.facebook.com/theeverydayolympian

Remember – Strong Island Flickr 11|11|11 is today

As mentioned last week we have set up a Flickr group for 11/11/11. Post your pictures, videos and artwork made and taken today to – http://www.flickr.com/groups/111111flickr/
Please tag pics with 11/11/11 and Strong Island. We will choose a selection to show on Strong Island early next week. Would be great to see the variation going on around the city in whatever form that might be.

Badger Press – Best Of

As the current Badger Press team face their final three months of tenure, they are looking back on two years of activity with some “best of” courses. The three directors will each teach a session, Gocco, Relief Printing and Letterpress respectively.

Currently there are a number of interested parties keen to take over the running of the Press and owner Mike Griffiths would like the facility to continue to operate and continue to serve artists and printmakers with high quality facilities.

If you’re keen to get involved or think that you might want to run a busy little studio, then please get in touch, this is an amazing opportunity to be at the heart of artistic activity in Hampshire.

The team will be having farewell drinks on Friday 2nd December at The Priory Inn just opposite Claylands Road, Bishops Waltham. Please feel free to join them and keep an eye out for some exciting new projects from the three of them. As Stephan Casper (one of the Badger Press team) says: “We’re leaving the Press better off, we’re so proud of all our artists, so much amazing work, exhibited locally and internationally. We have all learnt so much, we’re definitely going to take our energy elsewhere, we’re moving on and we’ve got big plans.”

Strong Island wish them every success for the future.

Created Local – Richard Oakes

Lovely work by Portsmouth University BA Fine Art graduate Richard Oakes. Really like his illustratrative drawings around Portsmouth and Gosport. His website can be viewed at – http://www.oakesart.moonfruit.com/ and he can be contacted at : richard.oakes79@hotmail.co.uk.

Los Stencilistas and My Dog Sighs

Over the summer local artists Los Stencilistas and My Dog Sighs took a trip to a derelict house in Havant and added some of their work to the interior. Both of these artists are part of Portsmouth Creative Movement (PCM) which now has over 70 members and their work can be seen around the streets and galleries/shops of the city.

New Walls – Best representations of Southsea

The latest exhibition from New Walls is all about the’best representations of Southsea’. The exhibition opens tonight – Thursday 6th October 2011 from 6pm at the One Eyed Dog. If you made it down to the last opening night, you’ll know how packed out it was so get there early to see local art and design showcased.

The original artwork for their new flyer is an A3 hand-drawn image, completed with a classic bic (a whole one!) by local Illustrator Ashley John.

It will be available as a limited run print after the opening night of New Walls. If you are interested in purchasing “Biro’s Are Shit Hot, But Southsea’s Better” as a print check out his blog or drop him an email – ashjohn99@hotmail.com

www.ashleyjohnillustration.blogspot.com

Southsea Gallery at The Wine Vaults

Paul and Sarah Windsor from Southsea Gallery on Albert Road have recently taken over the walls in the Snug Room at The Wine Vaults. Work is featured from local artists and designers including Jodie Silsby, Tristan Savage, Kingsley Nebechi, Mark Persaud, I Love Dust, Alex Ings and Ken Leung. You can buy all the work featured at Southsea Gallery.

State of The Art – Art & Acoustic Night

State of the Art (S.O.T.A) is a showcase of work created by fine art students completing their final year at the University of Portsmouth. The S.O.T.A artists have worked hard to establish themselves in and around the Portsmouth area and with a successful show and touring exhibition running throughout the summer of 2010 they have cemented their position as a rich source of emerging talent.

Each member of State of the Art has a unique and original approach to their practice which is reflected in the diverse array of work produced. Ranging from painting, sculpture and installation to performance, photography and film, State of the Art 2011 promises to be an exciting and innovative exhibition of contemporary fine art.

In order to make the summer show as stimulating as possible, the S.O.T.A team have been organizing a variety of fund-raising events, with all contributing donations going towards the numerous preparations needed for the upcoming exhibition in June. As well as the prospect of making some cash for the cause, we hope that these events offer an opportunity for State of the Art to establish themselves within the local community, and most of all, by uniting the cultural pleasures of art and music, we can hopefully help to develop a thriving art scene in Portsmouth to be very much proud of.

Tea & Cloth – Ooh la Lapin

A great opportunity to have a cuppa and make things. Good to see the new vintage tea rooms ‘Like a Teatray in the Sky’ offering this with Ooh la Lapin.

“Come along this month on Thursday Feb 24th, 6.30 – 8pm to Tea Tray in the Sky on Osbourne Road. If your thing is textiles, sewing, crochet… the list goes on. Or if your just curious and want to meet makers and find out more please join us. You can bring along something your working on to share with.”

Further details - http://oohlalapin.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/tea-and-cloth/

Poster / Artwork by Ashley John.

PRIMARY – A Phoneography Exhibition by Strong Island – Call for entries

This coming new year we will be proud to announce our latest exhibition PRIMARY, a Phoneography exhibition by Strong Island and we are even happier to announce that it’s open to you, the readers.

With the continuing increase in impressive camera technology in mobile phones and the ability to alter, tweak, post process and upload the photos to social media networks and websites like Instagram, the popularity of Phoneography has never been greater.

The ‘of the moment’ ability to take a photo at almost any time and any place by most people has really driven the fact that the camera does not make the photographer. By which I mean, you don’t need an expensive camera to take outstanding photos.

Agreed, the quality of the physical image may not stand up to the big guns, but new learnings in composition, style and aesthetic by a new generation of camera users via online media has really driven this popularity, and encourage people to go beyond a ‘quick shot’.

PRIMARY invites you to get out and about around Portsea with your mobile phone camera and take photos of anything and everything based around the three primary colours red, yellow and blue. What you photograph is entirely up to you, but submissions will only be accepted if they stick to the theme.

The call for entires has now begun and the deadline is the 31st of January 2012 with the exhibition being held in March of 2012. Photos can be taken on any mobile phone model and we ask that a maximum of 3 photos per applicant are sent in to primary@strong-island.co.uk.

Please submit along with your photographs your name, photo title, phone model, location of photo on the island and any post process apps you used, if any, to achieve the final shot.

We look forward to seeing all the entries, and the final installation will be something special using every photo submitted in a slightly different fashion from your average photographic exhibition. CLICK HERE TO PRINT YOUR OWN POSTER

Poster by Tristan Savage & Photo by Paul Gonella

It’s going to be a Strong Movember – Closed at £725

Righto chaps, it’s time to clean shave your boat race and get that mighty moustache on the grow in support of Movember for The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. For 30 days of November you can help support and raise awareness through selflessly parading your top lip for charity.

You can sign up yourself, as I’m sure many of you already have, or you can join the Strong Island team and seek out sponsorship as a team. Through the Strong Island Movember page you can ask people to join the group, make donations, upload photos and post updates via the MoSpace page, Facebook and Twitter.

Head over to www.mobro.co/StrongIsland if you would like to get involved and grow a Strong Moustache to help raise awareness, or simply head over to www.uk.movember.com and sign up to personally raise money.

The funds raised in the UK support the number one and two male specific cancers – prostate and testicular cancer. The funds raised are directed to programmes run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together, these channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programmes in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.

Poster: Tristan Savage