My work is an investigation into personal memory. My paintings have their source in the rendering of remembered environments and the fragments of memory that survive the effects of time. I use paint to evoke the ephemeral qualities of memory and to render memory’s tactile qualities in painted landscapes that are both real and imagined.
The finished paintings are intended to inspire a very open reading, encouraging the viewer to create their own visual associations in deciphering the work.
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109mins, Director: Jason Reitman
Ryan Bingham, (George Clooney) is a ‘career transition counsellor’ who delights in his autonomous lifestyle flying around the world 322 days of the year and firing people.
Having already racked up millions of air miles, Ryan is most at ease in a clinical airport setting and delights in the plastic smiles of check-in clerks, prompted by their computers to say ‘pleasure to see you again Mr Bingham.’ He waltzes confidently from boardroom to boardroom, smoothly firing unsuspecting employees whose bosses haven’t got the nerve to do it themselves, before boarding the next plane to do the same all over again.
Between assignments in the corporate setting of a hotel lobby, Ryan encounters the smart and sassy Alex, (Vera Farmiga, The Departed). Sparks fly as they compare frequent flyer and privilege cards, leading to a no-strings attached affair based on coinciding airport layovers.
When his company hires Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), an ambitious and uptight graduate desperate to prove herself, her cost-cutting plan of firing people via a Webcam instead of in person threatens to leave Ryan grounded. Furious, he confronts his boss, which results in him going back on the road, to his horror with the young Natalie in tow, to show her how it is done.
The two women in Clooney’s life are never inferior to him in character nor in performance, and as Natalie’s presence in his travelling world certainly brings viewers plenty of comedy, it is his budding relationship with Alex that begins to challenge Ryan’s life philosophy that being unattached is best.
It is unclear what Reitman is trying to prove with Bingham’s character, but his portrayal of the high-flying lives that he and Alex lead is both clever and incisive. As films go, it certainly won’t change your life, but this is Clooney at his Danny Ocean best: sophisticated, cool and likeable. A gentle, thought-provoking comedy that’s well worth a watch.
Esther Jones
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Our editor blogs on what to expect here
To vote on what you think the tablet will look like, and to see poll results, go to guardian.co.uk
Revelations in the trial in Sheffield of two brothers who tortured another pair of young boys have shocked everyone.
The attackers, aged 10 and 11 at the time of the crime, have been sentenced to serve an indefinite term with a minimum of five years.
It is the savagery and apparent opportunistic nature of the crime which has outraged most people.
Edlington, the boys' home
The victims were lured into the woods with the only goal being to inflict harm on them. The attack itself lasted 90 minutes with the boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, even filming part of the attack which was shown in court.
Many have pointed to their “toxic family life”, asking how social services had not seen this coming. Their violent and obsessive father and drug-dependent mother meant they grew up in an environment of routine chaos and destruction.
Allegedly when left unsupervised they often drank alcohol and smoke cigarettes and cannabis when visiting their father. This coupled with exposure to violent and pornographic films has been blamed for the sadistic and sexual nature of their crimes.
Both attackers had been in trouble with the police for violent crimes before including attacking both children and teachers at school, leading to many demanding the review into the incident be made public. The review claims the attacked were ‘preventable’ and has forced the council to apologise to the victims although the full report will probably never be published.
This bears striking resemblance to the Baby Peter scandal last year where Haringey Social Services were heavily criticised for failing to pick up on the signals before his tragic death.
In the aftermath of this verdict it now looks as if the parents may also face some kind of criminal prosecution although it is unclear on what charges.
Many have already criticised the 5-year-minimum the boys will receive claiming the sentence is to lenient and a 10-year-minimum would be more appropriate as they would then not be released until they were in their 20s.
Others have pointed out the success rehabilitation for violent young offenders has had citing the Jamie Bulger case in 1993 as an example.
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who when 10 abducted and killed the 2-year-old, left custody in 2001 equipped with A-levels and the ability to speak fluently about the case and show remorse.
Whether or not the same can be achieved with these two remains to be seen, however sentencing children remains a difficult topic.
Conservative leader David Cameron has spoken of a “broken society” in the wake of this trial and has regularly talked of “Broken Britain”.
After the Jamie Bulger murder in 1993, then Home Secretary Tony Blair talked of the “moral vacuum” paving the way for “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.”
It could be argued 15 years after Blair’s speech we have clearly not moved on. Anti Social Behaviour Orders have become badges of honour for misbehaving youngsters and the rise in knife crime and this case in particular show youth violence is still a problem.
At the same time it could be said this modern concept of “Broken Britain” is not a modern concept at all but an interchangeable phrase used to describe the problems with the younger generation.
Is a limit to how many times you can blame drugs and alcohol and violent films for these problems?
If Social Services had taken them into care would it have made a difference? Or would they just have committed this crime when they were 18 years old and spent the rest of their lives behind bars, rather than being given a second chance?
Punishing parents is not a new idea. Many areas have tried to combat truancy in this way and criticising Social Services is an often heard excuse.
Something needs to be done and whether it is an overhaul of Social Services or an encouragement of family values there is no guarantee of success.
Colin Rowe
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I’m an animal. I like animals. I actually look like an animal.
Tight-lipped lizardy look-alikes and the bouncy ‘butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth breed of models steal the show this season; inundating this seasons most alive trend.
This season has been no exception to the unwritten rule of fashion – ‘do what you can to amuse, shock, confuse and entertain.’ The boundaries of normality have been stretched to create a variety of collections which are startling and fierce, unpredictable and resilient. McQueen, Chanel and Marc Jacobs have created pieces that are so effervescent – they make you wonder what the little design minions are fed.
McQueen set his infinitesimal models stomping down the catwalks with a look that could kill- quite literally. How the models could see out of their deeply furrowed brow is almost miraculous in itself, never mind how they managed to walk in their ever so imposing ‘shoes’. His savage designs are challenging – forcing the observer to question their own taste - why step out in jeans when you could wear a largely caped shouldered creation? The patterns were innovative, combining animal prints with textures to create a look that screams ‘I am as close to an animal as a human will ever be’ – the should-be caption of one of this seasons most warped trends.
The desire for their creations to be eulogised, and to have Anna Wintour leave the show and say ‘that model bore an uncanny resemblance to a bow-legged deer’, was echoed by Chanel, who exhibited their collection in a space set out to imitate the wild woods. The bright-eyed beauties appeared and circled around trees, sometimes barefoot, and sometimes even smiling. Their make-up was fresh and minimal, allowing the focus to be safely rested upon the designs and the show as a performance. The colours were mild, exploiting marshmallow pink, winter white and a buttery beige. The tailoring was, typically of Chanel, painstakingly flawless.
Karl Lagerfield has given Chanel a rather expensive make-over, handing the brand a youthful pizzaz, and allowing it be talked about with the same fear of the unexpected that McQueen is, well almost. Not one to miss a beat or a button – Mars Jacobs is a perfect compliment to this trend. Whilst many of his models were analogous to freaky woman – not the Lady Gaga sort, but the sort you can imagine lounging around in Clockwork Orange, some of them carried a bird-like grace. Perhaps it was the taut-faced blonde, who sauntered down the catwalk wearing a ruffled creation that alluded to the feathery creature look. The ruffles, trimmed with lace and beads were harmonious with the tousled collar she wore around her neck. Though the dress design was perfectly feminine but stringent, her look was savage. Another of his looks exhibited a sea-blue silk two-piece – possibly torn of an exotic mermaid and wrapped around another taught model.
This trend has been explored with an admirable versatility this season. Credit is due to the whole creative team at each of the brands – for creating a show that could very well be a zoo procession, the high-end type. It’s a combination of the set, the models, the accessories and of course the designs that add the animalistic quality. Not to mention the hair and make-up, which completely defines the look. While many catwalk trends are quickly snapped up by your average Amy, I think this one may take a few adjustments before Amy heads out to buy her first feathery creation…
Hattie MacAndrews
All pictures thanks to style.com
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Magic shop project
The magic shop project is an interactive illustrative book with cut-out paper constructions. I was very much inspired by the internet-based phenomena of designer paper toys which you can download, print and construct – but I wanted something with more, context, story, and subtlety. The project is based around word play, puns and wit with words, in an old curiosity style shop.
Transition stop motion film
I had always wanted to do a stop motion film since watching the eerie ‘Secret adventures of Tom Thumb’. I think a dark story works really well with the creepy effects you can get with pixilation and stop motion – I was also inspired by The Cure’s ‘End of the World‘ video and Slipknot’s ‘Vermillion‘. The film took just over a month to complete, from concept to finish.
Pink Teapot
I worked as a resident designer at a charity 2 week event, ‘Worthless’ held in Seven Dials, Covent garden. Members of the public were asked to bring in unwanted items, which were then made into something desirable, which the customer could buy back. As one of the event’s sponsers was Jelly Belly, I decided to put my resources to use – I sold several of this particular print of an old yellow toy teapot which I transformed.
Maria Lee-Warren
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Greatly under-exposed and seldom regarded as material for main headlines, there is a movement straining to protect the buildings that have for hundreds of years served to construct the identity of our small, but great country. Structures from ancient times right through to the last century continue to be violated and razed at the hands of unsympathetic developers.
This short series of posters were composed to highlight the demolition of historical buildings in Britain: Of late, an issue relentlessly pulling at strings of my heart. Conservation, compassionate restoration and thoughtful utilisation are collectively the most ethical answer when redeveloping urban and rural areas. Demolition has however, become barbarically the primary solution chosen.
The intention of the posters was simply to encourage the public to question the value of their heritage, and stir them to fight for what essentially are the stories of their individual legacy. The slogans were simple, leaving room for further research into the subject to be carried out by those who were simply curious or vastly moved by the message.
For more information, visit Save Britain’s Heritage and English Heritage.
Hannah Wallace
http://milkytreats.blogspot.com
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Britain ground to a halt again due to the big freeze last week and these conditions are likely to last for at least another week. Roads, trains, airports and buses have struggled with the latest batch of snow and ice with temperatures of -28˚C being recorded in Scotland.
This has given the public a chance to complain about their favourite subject, the weather. Criticism has been rife for everyone from transport operators to road gritters to the government for being underprepared to face this situation which is estimated to have cost businesses £230million a day in lost custom and staff wages. Road gritters apparently are running out of the salt needed to stop the roads freezing over forcing local councils to ration the supply meaning minor and residential roads are not getting any attention.
Those responsible for this vital task say they carry enough to grit the roads for a week and this second batch of snow in a month has put huge strains on them. The Highways Agency, who deal with maintenance of all motorways and A roads, allegedly have enough supplies to last a fortnight, but now even those are running dangerously low.
Even before last week the public had complained pavements and residential roads were not getting any attention causing treacherous conditions and forcing elderly people to be house bound. Some motorways have been forced to close for periods with lorries and cars struggling to cope.
The lorries struggling to moving has caused other problems with produce rotting in warehouses because it has become impossible to transport them to the destinations. The most recent big freeze has only exacerbated the issue with salt now being diverted from Germany to help the worst effected areas in the North of England and Scotland.
Unfortunately the finite recourses means most back roads will have to wait for the snow and ice to melt away naturally. Another side effect has been the increased use of central heating causing another shortage scare with gas supplies running short, although this now to has apparently been solved.
Airports have struggled to cope with the icy conditions with Gatwick, Stansted and Luton being shut for periods of time and even Heathrow being forced to cancel flights. Train operators have been at the sharp edge of this with the obvious problems caused with electricity mixing with water.
The lack of contingency plans has been the focus of the complaints with many pointing out with the government’s staunch support of climate change theories why was this not foreseen. Others have been quick to respond saying if the government had announced spending money on such a scheme global warming sceptics would have raised hell about the waste of money.
However with this being the third heavy batch of snow to hit London in a year, after nearly 20 years without a heavy snow fall in the capital, the question is could this be proof of a seismic shift in the weather. Sporting events across the country were cancelled including many Premiership football games, which normally avoid being effected by the weather.
This has led to pundits discussing the option of a winter break similar to those on the continent and in Scotland. This has been quickly dismissed because of the unpredictability of the next cold snap.
Whether or not these spells of weather are caused by our carbon footprint or not this certainly looks like a situation we may have to get more used to.
Colin Rowe
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It is never easy to predict the future, as any politician or stock broker will tell you, and when, domestically at least, the years events will be sculpted by an election outcome it becomes even more difficult.
By June a new government will have been formed but what colour they fly is still up in the air. May 6th is currently being touted as the fateful day by the Conservatives, who would no doubt benefit form it coming sooner rather than later. The longer it drags on, expect Gordon Brown and Labour to start making inroads into the poll deficit, and do not rule out the possibility of a hung parliament.
For the first time the leaders of the main parties will take part in televised debates. Liberal Democrat top-dog Nick Clegg has the most to gain and will carefully position himself in case of a tight race. Prime Minister in waiting, David Cameron, will be confident after regularly upstaging Brown at Prime Ministers Questions. How to reduce the deficit, MP’s expenses, the NHS and Afghanistan are going to be at the top of the agenda during what will be the longest general election campaign the UK has ever seen. MP’s expenses will likely be top story early on with current members having to declare their intensions to run again in the very near future which will certainly lead to some embarrassing headlines for some.
Of cause whoever does not get elected is likely to create as many headlines. If Labour lose, Brown will have no choice but to resign, if the Conservatives lose it could mean the end, for now at least, for Cameron and if the Lib Dem’s underperform Clegg may come under pressure.
With Brown the more likely to go who would take over? David Milliband (Foreign Secretary) was put forward as an alternative when Tony Blair stood down, Alan Johnston (Home Secretary) and Ed Balls (Schools Secretary) would be popular in some circles.
But what about Mandelson? The Prince of Darkness has been instrumental since his return, but a leadership run from the Lords is awkward to say the least and finding him a safe Labour seat as an MP creates its own problems.
So what for the new government?
Brown is to host an Afghanistan conference in London in January with the hope of formulating an exit strategy. However much like Copenhagen 2009 the public will take a lot of convincing it is more than posturing.
President Obama has already made it known he want to see the first stages of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by 2011. This means serious progress must be made this year. Many high profile experts and military personnel have said the situation may get worse before it gets better and with over 100 British deaths last year the question is how much worse. A lot of this may boil down to President Hamid Karzai’s job performance in the coming months.
Iran clearly is also going to be a major issue this year. President Ahmadinejad is already under pressure while opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi has already said he would be willing to die for the reform movement. With the death of the Grand Ayatollah this may be the window the reform movement needs.
Iraq too is to hold elections this year, most likely in March if security allows with the hope it can confine an unpopular chapter to the history books. North Korea will also be on the agenda with continued rumours of Kim Jong Ill’s health and of cause their feared nuclear capabilities.
In May the 189 signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty congregate in New York to review the plan with some predicting the collapse of the deal leading to the possibility of the nations mentioned above developing Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Security is certainly going to be a watch word for this year, as it has for many years now.
With Brown in full conference mode following the G20, Copenhagen and the upcoming Afghanistan talks he also wants to add another to discuss terrorism in the Yemen following the alleged failed bomb plot on Christmas Day.
A major question for many is can the western world go another year without a successful attack on our shores?
President Obama’s self imposed deadline for closing Guantanamo Bay will not be met, by his own admission.
The plans are still active with the possibility of a maximum security prison in Illinois being the next host of allegedly the most dangerous terrorists on the planet. Globally the economic situation will dominate for another twelve months. The eyes of the world will focus on Dubai as the western world keeps its fingers crossed the blip seen there in November and December will no become a long term trend.
There are of cause several issues at home we need to attack.
Feelings are split over what will happen to unemployment figures this year while the election result will determine exactly how the deficit is to be addressed. Unemployment is currently at 2.5million with many claiming it could top 2.8million before it starts to get better. The £820billion deficit will be a more difficult problem to tackle especially when you consider it must be done while jeopardising the recovery both in terms of growth and unemployment.
When and how we go about this is another one of these issues which will only be known after the election.
Will the renewed British economy be based on finance as in the naughties or will a new industry brake forth and dominate the teenies?
Will French President Sarkozy’s railing against the ‘freewheeling Anglo Saxon model’ have its desired effect?
Will the New EU President Herman Van Rompuy bare any teeth at all? The problem with a new industry dominating is manufacturing in this country was devastated in the 1980s and will struggle to return while financial industries are unpopular and will be heavily regulated in the coming years.
A banking presence in London is inevitable but with a greater chance of international banks heading to Europe dumping us freewheeling Anglo Saxons. Although even as the New Year begins the London Stock Exchange is being boosted by improved performance in the manufacturing sector.
As for Mr Van Rompuy, it is unlikely the force of his particular role will be known until a few EU Presidents down the line.
There are other troubling international problems.
The results of Copenhagen will become more apparent this year and its critics and supporters will have something to either laugh or cry about sooner rather than later.
Environmental issues are a major part of all politicians’ manifestos and some action will no doubt be taken but whether it can have any serious effect is debatable and in even bigger doubt is the $100bn promised to help developing nations. The environmental lobby must get past the ‘climategate’ affair if their beliefs are to hold any legitimacy and its supporters need to learn the violence which dogged Copenhagen and London needs to stop if progress is to be made.
In the UK, after two years with major flooding, can we expect the same or will our particular brand of climate change now bring a major drought? Although it was only a few years ago meteorologists were talking of a monsoon style season in this country.
But as we all know there is only going to be one story any of us truly care about this year and it is taking place in South Africa this summer. Football fever will hit our shores once again with wall-to-wall international games on the television prompting complaints from those who care little for the beautiful game.
Once again Andy Murray will raise our hopes of a British champion at Wimbledon while our athletes head to India in November for the Commonwealth Games. There will be no doubt which team British F1 fans will be cheering for this year with the McLaren world champion dream team of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton set to battle the returning Michael Schumacher.
Whatever happens, 2010 will be a huge year both in the UK and across the world with many major issues coming to the fore.
Can progress be made in Afghanistan, will David Cameron be the next resident of number 10 and can Fabio Capello lead us to victory?
Only time will tell.
Colin Rowe
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The Jam. The Clash. The Sex Pistols.
These are the names that spring to mind when someone mentions late 70s music. It’s surprising then, that the latest musician to get the rock biopic treatment is Ian Dury.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll paints a picture of a man full of contradictions. At times solipsistic, deeply self involved and destructive, it nonetheless shows someone who is just as capable of love and compassion than he is aggression. The film charts Dury’s journey from fronting the High Roads, to subsequent underground and later mainstream sensation with The Blockheads.
A brilliant British cast falls in behind Andy Serkis’s Dury, including Naomie Harris as his lover and Ray Winstone as the father. Well executed bit parts from Mackenzie Crook and Noel Clarke are also included.
Under Mat Whitecross’s direction, (previous distinguished credits include The Road To Guantanamo) Dury’s life is told in a colourful, humorous and occasionally harrowing work. His past and relationship with his disability is explored in depth, particularly the psychological effects which seem to dog him daily.
While Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is full of enthusiasm to promote it’s central character’s rollicking, give ‘em hell attitude to life, it avoids any of the cherry-picking and sweetening of other biopics. Finally, a warts and all tale to show that Dury was flawed, occasionally brilliant, but definitely not a nice man.
More British films need to be made in this vein. Compared to the conventional Nowhere Boy, Serkis shows that there is still room for a powerhouse performance in a low budget indie film. Serkis doesn’t play Dury, he is Dury, and when Polaroids of the man himself are flashed onscreen, you occasionally forget that you’re watching a film, not a documentary.
Thoroughly outstanding, and while it doesn’t really innovate or metamorphasise the biopic genre, it’s a solid film with strong performances and appropriately, a raucous soundtrack.
Joseph Stashko-Adamaszek
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is on general release from January 8
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