The Open Prize

Last week, The Open Gallery went all out to present the Open Prize for the first time. The Open galleries name sums up the venue perfectly: a large space to which absolutely everyone is invited to and made feel welcome in.

Unlike other galleries, Open Gallery focus is entirely on video painting. If this term is new to you, simply imagine an oversized photograph, which moves slightly, but has in no way been altered or manipulated. There is no sound either to avoid disturbing the tranquillity of the room they are placed in.

A few of these paintings stood out in particular. One of them was Olwen Coughlan’s ‘Acedia 2009,’ which at a quick glance appears to be just a mess of colours. Only at closer inspection it becomes clear that the spectator is viewing a set up of four colourful screens through a cars windscreen. This cleverly arranged scene was inspired by the writing of JD Salinger and Chapter two of ‘After Dark’ by Haruki Murakami, a book whose story takes place in a world between reality and dream.

IDOL’s favourite and ultimately the winner of the Open Prize was Jasmine Metwaly’s ‘Crucifiction, 2009.’ Chosen from a select panel including: Hilary Lawson, Ben Lewis, Marc Valli and Ziba Ardalan De Weck, Jasmine’s work always reflects timeless, isolated places, which provides her with a “freedom to express what signifies entirety” to her.

Her winning entry, a video painting of Sinai, a place imprinted with history and religion, distances ones entire physical presence to define infinity. Gazing at the piece will leave one feeling very light and almost mindless through its harmonious composition of light and colour. Although, as with almost every piece that feeds on time and space, this video painting has a hint of melancholy to it – but the good kind that won’t let one take their eyes off it.

Verdict: All-in-all The Open Gallery managed to pull off a fantastic evening thanks to the friendly atmosphere, amazing music and of course a sufficient amount of, cough, alcohol, cough. IDOL can’t wait until their next exhibition.

Words: Sophie Everman

LED FESTIVAL

Three giants of live music, Cream, Goldenvoice and Loudsound, have joined forces to create what is destined to become one of London’s most exciting outdoor electronic dance festivals.
The festival takes place in London’s Victoria Park and kicks off on Friday 27th August Bank Holiday weekend, and will be headlined by the one and only David Guetta, this will be the French house superstar DJ/Producer’ only London show this summer.
After nearly a decade on hiatus Leftfield will be headlining Saturday’s festivities, this will be their only London performance and one not to be missed. Friendly Fires, Annie Mac and Goldfrapp will also be on hand for your entertainment.
Officially the last long weekend of the summer we’ve got 3 pairs of weekend tickets to give away to you lucky lot. Now we can’t guarantee the weather, it is England after all but, we can guarantee a good time, great music and DJ sets from some of the best in the field.

To be in with a chance of getting your hands on a pair of tickets and being the envy of all your mates email music@idolmag.co.uk tell us why you deserve to win.
Good Luck
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Kendal Calling preview

We are reaching the peak of the festival season, Glastonbury has come and gone, it’s memory steeped in the pain of a heavy England defeat at the hands of our Germanic brothers, the incidents T in the park provided some even greater negative press for the festival circuit. V-festival and Reading/Leeds the traditional last hoorah to the summer months are fast approaching, with all eyes focused upon the hopefully triumphant return of Pete and Carl’s union; and amidst all this, countless Independent festivals go about their business weekend after weekend, competing to win the hearts and minds of those in love and lust with the feeling of it all.

If you can think of a more picturesque location for an independent British music festival than that of Kendal Calling, which finds its self aptly situated in the heart of the Lake District then frankly you are one of two things; a liar or an idiot.

This year’s instalment of the rapidly growing festival boasts a large and varied line-up including; Calvin Harris, Doves, The Coral, Wild Beasts, British Sea Power, These New Puritans and The Futureheads to name but a few.

Kendal Playlist

1. The Coral – Dreaming of you

2. Calvin Harris – Ready for the weekend

3. The Futureheads – The Beginning of the twist

4. Ok Go – Here it goes again

5. British Sea Power – No Lucifer

6. Good Shoes – Never meant to hurt you

7. Kid British – Our house is Dadless

8. The Subways – Rock and Roll Queen

9. Doves – There goes the fear

10. Wild Beasts – Hooting and howling

Kendal Calling has much more than just the music and Deer hunting (Joke, it’s illegal) to offer, for example the Saturday is billed as being a ‘Birthday party themed fancy dress extravaganza’ which admittedly I find this prospect of both daunting and at the same time alluring, both I and my idiot-not so much-savant photographer Shaun Watson have landed upon the idea of re-creating the Beastie Boys classic video for ‘Sabotage’ for our attire; consequently we risk being mistaken as stars of 70’s films of an adult nature.

In addition to this there is a Real ale festival, The Houseparty (hosted by Wasted little Dj’s), Cumbrian Troop Olympics (a cheaper alternative to 2012 games), The Garden of Eden and Kids area.

Kendal calling promises to be somewhat of an experience; one that I am eagerly anticipating.

Kendal calling, 30^th July to August 1st, Lowther Dear Park, All 8000 tickets have been sold.

http://www.kendalcalling.co.uk

Paul Stafford

DMC DJ UK FINALS

We made our way down to North London for the DMC DJ UK Finals, secure in the knowledge we would witness some of the best mixing, scratching and turntablism the country has to offer. A closet bedroom DJ, this was by far the best assignment for me, although I feared the end of the night would see me place my pink needles back in the box and the records in the garage because, let's be fair chances of me ever being able to compete were slim!

DMC are currently celebrating 26 years at the helm of all things DJ related and have seen many a DJ transformed into vinyl superstars. Previous world winners have included A-Trak (Kanye’s DJ for the uninitiated) and Mix Master Mike of Beastie Boys fame, arguably 2 of the best the scene has to offer.

Hosts for the night Billy Biznizz and Mc Inja were on hand to provide the crowd with a plethora of goodies including t-shirts, wallets and cd’s. Inja warmed us up with a rendition of his track ‘Hat Low’ getting everyone in the building hyped up and ready for the nights main attraction to get underway.

Each DJ had 6 minutes to impress the baying crowd and the judges who included twice world champ Switch, hip hop icon Mr Thing, Tigerstyle, DJ Blakey, Mattman, Furious P and Dare Devil. I was waiting for turntabalism at its finest and I wasn’t disappointed. The winner would go on to represent the UK in the DMC World DJ Finals and have the UK DMC Champ title bestowed upon them.

First up was Downlow and Killer Tomato, completely unrelated to his talents but, I did hear a few girls swoon over the former. The start of the night saw Downlow as the clear crowd favourite with the majority in attendance chanting his name. Loop Skywalker up next with Mc Hammer ‘Can’t Touch This’ as his opener, I was tempted to don the baggy trousers and dust off a few moves, thankfully common sense prevailed and I remained seated. It was now the turn of Eclipse who had a promising start when a slight technical hitch threw him for a curveball and he had to start again. No problem for Eclipse the engineer was on hand to get things moving and then we saw Mike L take to the stage the winner of the recent London heats, I was looking forward to his efforts. DJ Rasp followed by Johnny One Move with his Lady Gaga inspired mix. Last but certainly not least current UK champion Jeppa. If Downlow was the favourite at the start of night Jeppa clearly took a matter of seconds to get the crowd on side, showcasing all the wonderment and acrobatics you expect from a champ.

Whilst the judges considered their verdict we were treated to a live PA from the UK’s own Hip Hop connoisseur Ty. Time restraints meant the set was slightly rushed however nothing was missed. Big Ted was part hype man all DJ as Ty had the crowd easting out of the palm of his hand.


DMC organisers Tommy Prince and Sally Mc Clintock were on hand to announce the winners, third place went to Johnny One Move, Mike L took second place, only one point stopped him taking the title as that went to my favourite of the night Jeppa.

Klashnekoff rounded off the proceedings with a run through of some of his tracks including ‘Murda’….I spent the whole night waiting for that immortal line “K lash your rasclart neck off”. Not particularly ladylike granted, but what can you do?

All things considered this was a brilliant event with extremely talented people all of whom took great pride in showcasing their talents and the best man on the night won. The only thing missing was the females….are there no women out there who can give these men a run for their money on the old 1210’s?

17th – 18th October IDOL will bring you all the tales from the DMC World Championships held at KOKO. We’ll of course be flying the flag for Jeppa, we need a UK World Champ!!


Words Corrine Leonce
Pictures Karen Clarke

Urban Art 2010

When IDOL thinks of Brixton, leafy avenues lined with contemporary art is not the image that springs to mind. To our delight this is what IDOL found at Josephine Avenue this weekend, the perfect location for the open air art fair, ‘Urban art 2010’.

This fantastic contemporary art fair actively involves the very street using the railings as the hanging space which is an extremely appropriate means for displaying the predominantly urban art. This unique display method was also very fitting with the informal affable ambience which this art fair exudes. The laid back vibes of the art fair were really refreshing and far from the often intimidating and pretentious ways which are so often associated with the art world.

Urban Art also lacks the extremely intimidating price tags usually attached to works of art. It was great to feel that most of the art on display was affordable and within ones reach, if I’d had any spare funds I would definitely not of left empty handed! The railings of Josephine Avenue were embroidered with an impressive array of paintings, prints and photographs accompanied by the artists themselves. Accompanying the traditional contemporary art were displays of active/ live art. In two different areas the artist’s Jpart and Soulful gallery could be found creating live pieces of graffiti on specifically built walls. This is something one wouldn’t get the opportunity to see everyday and an experience you wouldn’t get from a typical white cube exhibition.

The artists are all very approachable and it’s a great opportunity to meet and talk to the artists face to face. We met some really fun interesting people including the pop artist Marty Thornton who was displaying only a handful, or in his words: "one Chinese laundry bag full," of his paintings but also had some of his amazing jewellery for sale. Whilst admiring his fantastic bejewelled earrings we discovered that we was holding earrings which had been previously handled by none other than the ‘queen of pop’ Madonna. Marty used to make jewellery for the exclusive shop Voyage which is how he gained such famous clientele as the shop was accessible to only a select few of the rich and famous who were eligible to be members.

Another refreshing artist was Lene Bladbjergs, a graphic and print designer from Denmark. Her pieces crafted out of razor blades and scalpels were particularly impressive – other than that she enjoys creating anything colourful and a little quirky.

If one loves weird but wonderful prints then the work of Dan Hillier is a must. By focusing on attention to detail rather than colour, his drawings can display anything from a bird with a human head or a human body with a horse’s head. This juxtaposition of shapes and combined with the usage of skulls demonstrated a vivid play on life and death.

Urban Art is a fantastic free day out that can be enjoyed by a variety of people and different ages it’s a friendly affordable art fair.

Words: Emma Pascoe Photography: Jason Cobbs

The Creators Project

The basement of Victoria House, Russell Square played host to some of the best up and coming contemporary artists and musicians for The Creators Project London. A partnership of Intel and Vice Magazine (along with a free bar supplied by Eristoff Vodka, Barcardi Rum and Becks beer) created an all day cultural extravaganza for all audiences. Speaking to one of the brains behind the whole project, Vice's Eddy Moretti, he explained that moving the exhibit from 80,000 square feet (NYC Event) to 30,000 square feet was difficult. But with an indoor woodland, home made computer games, interactive LED displays and a 3D facial scanner there was more than enough to stay occupied in the exhibition space all day.

As we wandered around the basement of this beautiful Art Deco space we were immediately drawn towards Nick Zinner's – A.D.A.B.A. Best known as the guitarist from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, he has three photography books that are inspired by life on tour with the band. We managed to catch a few moments with Nick: “I was approached by Vice to create something for the project. It was an honour to be involved in such an amazing piece of work. I stepped up my game with the work a little and came up with A.D.A.B.A.” His piece for The Creators Project consists of a select group of about seven images accompanied by a score he had composed for the photographs. To really get a feel for the work, it was best to stand in the middle of the corridor of images and completely immerse oneself in the unique 3D sound. Nick worked with Human Leauge's Martyn Ware to help create the 3D composition and it really complimented the images. With the only light in the room coming from the backlit photographs and the all-encompassing sound, it created an eerie experience.

Walking through the bare brick corridors we came across a mysterious Perspex pyramid guarded by two (very handsome) suited men. Intrigued, we watched for a while as people took turns to step inside the 'temple'. The lights dimmed and their face was illuminated and scanned; as they exited the 'temple' the lights rose again. Radical Friend's The Digital Flesh display is a 'supreme mythological being' – a collection of 3D digital face scans of all participants as the exhibition travels around the globe with The Creators Project. After the initial facial scan the image was projected to a disc above the pyramid for spectators to view. This piece of collective art is an evolutionary piece, as it moves from country to country the audience will be scanned and the being will evolve. At its final stage in Beijing the being will be presented and the audience “will bask in the presence of the Supreme Holographic Being.” The images can be viewed at www.digitalflesh.thecreatorsproject.com and manipulated by the user. As with most of the exhibits there was a musical accompaniment, this time composed my Yeasayer.

Another key piece that caught IDOL's eye was United Visual Artists (UVA) – Triptych. This trilogy of LED monoliths was the focal point of one of the largest rooms at the event. They seemed to put everyone into a trance as participants marched, hopped or crawled towards the lights with out-stretched arms or clapping hands. We had a play ourselves but were unsure as to how they reacted with the audience, so the artists themselves helped us out. “You need to work together to manipulate the LED displays and in turn you will change the music that accompanies the emotions displayed on the monoliths.”

They made it sound so easy but when there are 25 people all walking towards the pieces waving their arms and taking pictures, trying to get everyone to move at the same pace was not really going to happen. The music seemed quite pinnacle to the piece, as the colours and patterns changed so did the music appropriately. “Music is essential to our work, out of all the pieces we have created I [one of the 15 strong team at UVA] can only think of a handful of pieces that don't include a sound element.”

This appeared to be a common theme amongst a lot of the artists. The work was reflected through the music and hence evoked stronger emotions and feelings about it, something that worked really well, especially within the basement space.

Having not seen daylight since 2pm we lost track of all sense of time and suddenly it had reached 10pm and hell broke loose. The free bar was being abused thoroughly as the daytime folk dispersed and only ticket holders and press were left. The night really kicked off with a surprise DJ set by Peaches. We should have twigged really when we walked past her rider earlier, which just consisted of 2 bottles of red wine. Then she arrived at the decks in a wheelchair with her foot in plaster. According to her twitter she had twisted her ankle, “at the beginning of the show last night in Porto but still walked on people, scaled the rail and stage dove.” However this did not hinder her set as she spun amazing tunes from the likes of Quintron (of which I have never heard in a DJ set before – absolute delight), Boy Better Know and Chemical Brothers. All of this with her right foot perched on a spare turntable, what a trooper.

The final delight of the day/night was Mark Ronson and The Business International (His new name to encompass the collective of artists working with him on his current album). He has drawn in the likes of MNDR and Q-Tip for his new single “Bang Bang Bang” which really blew the crowd away. Then he blasted out his cover of Radioheads, which got everyone in the beautiful Art Deco ballroom dancing and singing along. Then to top it all off Spank Rock appears on stage to do a few numbers with him, before closing his set with the classic Valerie.

Some of the most innovative minds in art and music were at this incredible event and there was more than enough talent to absorb in a matter of 15 hours. At IDOL we will definitely be keeping an eye out on a few of these creators as they progress to the top of their field. You can track the progress of The Creators Project online through to its final event in Beijing. There will be changes in the programme as the event progresses across the globe so keep your eyes peeled for some of the most talented people within the artistic world.

Thomas Mehrtens

(All pictures were taken by Bianca Spada and Thomas Mehrtens)