Tristan Savage – Co-Founder & Professional Creative

Southsea creative and Strong Island Co-Founder Tristan Savage describes himself as a Professional Amateur. Working as a graphic designer by day and full time creative practitioner the rest of the time, he’s consistently trying new things and love’s the fact that there is always something different to practice, hence the Professional Amateur.

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Paul Gonella – Co-Founder & Photographer

Coming predominantly from a skateboarding and film making background I’ve been progressively falling in love with photography over the last ten to fifteen years. Although not principally the subject of my photography, skateboarding and it’s inherent eye for forgotten or ignored views of the everyday world definitely has a strong undercurrent in my own personal perspective as is time and it’s effects on the physical world and the subsequent emotional repercussions.

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Ben Mills – Contributor & Publican

I’m a 27 year old former roadie and club dj with a passion for music and football, i’m an avid Pompey fan and general sports enthusiast. I now run and part own Little Johnny Russells and The Belle Isle down here in Southsea. I’ve been known to organise an event or two as well regarding the social side of living in this fair city.

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Claire Sambrook – Contributor & Portsmouth University Lecturer

Heading to London in the 80’s enabled a thorough understanding of media and design whilst working with leading photographers and editors. A wealth of experience was gained in advertising and TV. Freelance photography and voluntary teaching for 3 years before working in web design and image consultancy with clients such as U2, Prince and Frank Zappa’s Estate. Currently a lecturer at Portsmouth University and also involved in running projects that showcase the creative elements of the city with students and local artists/designers.

I love doing things differently just to piss people off. Adore my old dog Twm and always have a camera with me.

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Tom Hussey – Contributor & Musician (Attack!Vipers!)

I’ve been playing in bands for the better part of 10 years, been all over England and some of Europe. I try to take photos and make videos. I like slow and fast music. Would like to be a better skateboarder.

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Charlie Thompson – Contributor & Bon Viveur

If there is one thing that gets me going it’s cooking. Originally from Portsmouth but having spent a large wedge of my life living in Paris and Barcelona, the love of creating good food runs deep. You will find me at my happiest in my kitchen, with a large glass of red, BBC 6 Music in the background and something bubbling away in front of me.

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Lou Bush – Contributor & Artist

Im Lou also known as ‘ooh la lapin’ my alter ego. I spend most of the day making and crafting in my studio at the back of a tiny house. I have soft spot for taxidermy owls and listening to Americana and Folk music. My perfect day in Southsea is visiting the Butterfly House followed by chips and beer on the beach. Then stopping off on Albert Road to do some shopping.

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Stu Barker – Contributor

I’ve been a regular visitor to the Strong Island since it started in 2008. I’ve always appreciated the work and time that all the contributors give to making the site successful. I was really happy to be asked to join the team of contributors and look forward to playing a part in continued success of Strong Island.

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My Dog Sighs – Street Artist

My Dog Sighs has been living in and decorating the streets Portsmouth since 1999. His philosophy of viewer friendly, interactive pieces have been placed on his wanders around this fair city as part of his ongoing Free Art Friday project as well as larger graffiti based murals dotted around the city. One of the founding members of the Portsmouth Creative Movement (PCM) he is keen to promote inclusive creative opportunities across the city. As well as the streets of Portsmouth his work can be seen in Galleries, private collections and walls across the globe.

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Charlie Waddington – Long Live Cooperative & Pet Sounds

Founder of the Longlive Co-operative, Charlie has been playing in bands and DJing around Southsea for too long. He can be found at the One-Eyed Dog on Thursdays and Saturdays where he confuses revellers into dancing to everything from Aretha Franklin to Squarepusher. With other assorted folk he puts on parties at EQ and has provided over 50 Pet Sounds playlists for Strong Island on a semi-regular basis over the years, he now curates the ‘Friends of Pet Sounds’ series but still finds the time for one of his own now and then.

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Adam Wintle – Strong Island Web Developer & Freelance Web Designer

I have a simple mission: to deliver an outstanding service that’s going to help your business grow and succeed. Focusing on your organisation, your target audiences and most importantly your customers’ needs.

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Wannop Fox Staffurth & Bray – Strong Island Legal Partners

WFSB Law is pleased to announce that we are proud legal services partners of Strong Island.

Over the past few months our Company Commercial Department, in particular William Anderson and Adam Workman, have worked with Strong Island providing them with business advice and assistance so that the guys can concentrate on continuing all the good work they do for the people, businesses and culture of Portsmouth & Southsea.

The senior Partner of WFSB Law as well as a number of their solicitors and support staff live in Portsmouth & Southsea and have been frequent users of the Strong Island website for some time. It was during a leisurely cycle from Southsea around Hayling Island and back that Tristan and Will first discussed the idea of working together to provide any legal advice that Strong Island needed.

WFSB Law is a full service regional law firm advising businesses and individuals throughout the South East and London with a number of our clients operating in the Portsmouth area.

We work with a range of clients including private individuals, partnerships, small businesses right up to large national and multinational companies and corporations. We also work for charities, community interest companies and other not for profit organisations such as Strong Island.

As partners of strong-island.co.uk we are pleased to offer special discounted rates on our legal fees to new clients who contact us through visiting strong-island.co.uk.

To take advantage of this offer please direct your enquiries to William Anderson at wanderson@wfsblaw.com or by telephone on 01243 753295. When emailing or calling please quote ‘Strong Island’.

Just some of the services we provide are set out below:

Business Services: Corporate and Company Commercial, Commercial Property, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Commercial Litigation, Debt Recovery and Employment.

Individuals: Residential Property & Conveyancing, Private Client (Wills, Probate, Trusts and Tax), Litigation, Employment, Personal Injury, Family & Childcare and Crime.

For more information on the services we provide please visit our website at www.wfsblaw.com or call Will on 01243 753295.

Strong Islander Calendar 2014 #SIC2014

This year we have changed the way we are compiling our 2014 calendar. Instead we are inviting entries of all themes all year round.

We will dedicate at least two of the months for images taken on Instagram. If you’ve taken a photo that you’d like to submit for consideration you just need add the hashtag #SIC2014.

We will still primarily be accepting submissions via email calendar@strong-island.co.uk.

This year the calendars will be available from mid November from the Strong Island online store and Southsea Gallery. I’d also ask that you keep 14th November free from 7pm, we’ll announce why in late July.

This year we will again be supporting the Alzheimer’s Society as well as another local charity which we will be announcing very very soon!

Drunken Sailor Returns…Strong Island and Strong Island Recordings at Southsea Fest 2013

Strong Island & Strong Island Recordings are very proud to present our 2nd year at one of the premier new music festivals, Southsea Fest and we are also very proud to be the first stage announcing this year too. We follow up from last year’s ‘Drunken Sailor’ event where queues of one in one out were formed within the opening 15 minutes of the stage starting and where our infamous stage was known for sweat dripping from the walls and ceiling while rabid mosh pits brewed…all in the early afternoon.

This year we have upgraded venues to just across the road with the upstairs of the Southsea Social Club where we have a few new ideas planned for the day while ensuring the same chaos and vibe from our label parties resume. To celebrate what will be Strong Island Recordings’ 1st birthday we like to think we have pushed the boat out this year with a heavy line up ranging from grunge, surf punk, noise pop to space math rock.

So we are really stoked to present the following who will be playing our 1st drunken, messy birthday bash:

Arrows of Love
The Black Tambourines
Slowcoaches
The Physics House Band
PLaylounge
Yoofs
Tyrannosaurus Dead
Battery Hens
Cycle Schmeichel
Ricky Fitts
Perch
You’re All Smiling But We’ll All Turn Into Demons

A Spotify playlist of some of the acts can be listened to HERE.

Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Last year’s shenanigans at ‘Drunken Sailor’ can be watched below and HERE.

We hope to see you all there on the day and get involved!

Strong Island & My Dog Sighs present Head Jam

We are stoked, as always, to be working once again with local artist My Dog Sighs on what is set to be one of the largest mural paintings in the city.

Rick from Head Hairdressing on Albert Road conceived the idea of having the courtyard to the rear of the local barbers transformed in to a permanent giant art piece. From precision multilayered stencils, through bubble gum cutsie to surreal illustrative mayhem, My Dog Sighs has hand picked his favourite artists from across the country to produce the ultimate street art dreamscape courtyard.

Head Jam will run all day so feel free to pop along, take a look, have a chat, hang out, meet the artists and enjoy the atmosphere. There will be music on all day, a BBQ turning over in the background if you want to stick a burger on (not supplied), and please feel free to bring along a beer too. Everyone is welcome, so bring the kids so they can see some of the countries finest street artists working together in this unique environment.

Attending artists include: Snik, Wah Graff, Id-iom, Korporate Kaine, Process Smith and of course My Dog Sighs. Be sure to check their links to see more of their amazing work and we look forward to seeing you.

Strong Island Clothing Co X Portsmouth Supporters Trust T-Shirt Available for Order

As you are probably well aware from reading the news recently, the Portsmouth Supporters Trust succeeded in their bid to take control of Portsmouth FC making it the biggest community owned club in the UK. It is a long and hard fought victory by the fans that have endured years of bad fortune, bad news and bad performances and a couple of the SI crew have seen most of them! PST’s aim is to bring about responsible, democratic representation at Portsmouth Football Club and so help promote the highest standards of transparent governance, accountability and embed Portsmouth FC deeper into its community through greater communication and co-operation with its fans.

We contacted the PST back in November last year to put forward our idea of doing a Strong Island PFC edition T-shirt to raise money towards buying a share in the club. The PST warmly welcomed the idea and we are pleased to say we are now putting our plan into action.

Strong Island is keen to get behind the trust as are many others. We’re going to pledge £5 of every limited edition SI X PFC tee sold towards Strong Island buying a share of the football club, therefore financially helping PFC in it’s aim to become stable again and continue to be a hugely important aspect of the city.

The design itself is a re-imagining of the common elements from the iconic Portsmouth FC logo from the 1980s and the Strong Island logo, with two swords in place, each dated with the club’s FA Cup wins. The Strong Island Clothing Co. items are normally hand screened in East London but for this particular tee they are produced literally just down the road from Fratton Park and will be at a special price of £15 (plus P&P).

No matter if you are passionate about football or not, we hope this tee is a way of showing support for a club that is now a beacon to the rest of the country for a city and a community that strives to work together for the better.

To pre-order the t-shirt click on the link below. Tees will be back from the printers soon and we hope to have orders in the post by the end of the month, if not sooner.

Order your Strong Island Clothing Co. X Portsmouth Supporters Trust T-Shirt

Anglepoise, Strong Island and The University of Portsmouth Present The Creating Balance Project

We are very proud to announce The Creating Balance Project, a new, collaborative project between Anglepoise, Strong Island & the University of Portsmouth to celebrate a design classic and local creativity in Portsmouth. The project aims to showcase the working studios and disciplines of artists and designers across the island and connect them to local photographers to capture, document and collaborate.

Anglepoise lamps have been given to each of the 10 participating artists/designers and the 10 photographers involved have used the lamps to light the photographs, give a sense of place and document the artist, where they work & how they create. During the collaboration sessions University of Portsmouth BSc TV and Broadcast students Massimo Marzullo and Jonas Jakunas have been documenting the project, producing short films for each collaboration.

Later this summer key images from each photographer will be printed and displayed with the films, lamps, photos and more in an exhibition in Portsmouth and one in London (TBA).

The collaborations are:

Andrew Whyte & Peter Clutterbuck
Matt Sills & Lorna Apps-Woodland
Paul Gonella & Tristan Savage
Russell Squires & Farkfk
Josh Knill & I Love Dust
Thor Haley & William Pounds
Rob Luckins & Roo + Barry Abrook
Cotton Candy & Neal Layton + Sadie Tierney
Matt Saxey & Deer Park Alpha
My Dog Sighs & Jack Daly

The project is progressing over the next couple of months and already two films are finished and many collaborations complete. Below are the completed collaboration films and we will be posting updates on The Creating Balance Project regularly here on Strong Island. To keep up to date with the project also please check the Creating Balance website where you can see loads of photos from behind the scenes of the collaborations.

creatingbalanceproject.tumblr.com

A huge thank you to Claire Sambrook, Simon at Anglepoise and everyone involved.

Strong Island Clothing Co. Spring 2013 Capsule Now Available

It’s been a while (apologies) but the Strong Island Clothing Co. spring 2013 capsule drop is now available and online in the Strong Island Shop Ahoy store! The drop includes some brand new Branded tee colourways, a new grey crew (highest quality, carefully selected and sourced) and a collection of accessories including new beanies, our seriously high quality Branded iPhone cases (4 & 5) from Etch and our hand crafted, leather coin pouch collaboration with Raw & Auburn.

To kick this capsule drop off right we visited the home of Portsmouth’s Eberhardt signwriters and neon sign specialists. Eberhardt are a true creative business gem of the city with a very long history and still produce hand crafted, carefully designed neon signs, a rare and special craft these days. Check the photos below and the behind the scenes edit too to see more. Photography principally by Jack Daly.

View the full lookbook HERE.

www.strongislandclothingco.com