Design Week Mention

Just had my latest paper cut featured on the Design Week website as part of their Christmas round up which is always nice. They have been very suppostive of me this year featuring the majority of my projects that I have submitted.

Also as a reminder this week sees the Arctic Circle end of year Christmas show which will be broadcast on Resonance FM as well, it looks like a great event with the (un)usual mix of AC goodies!

Béatrice Coron at TED

Just came across this short video of French paper cut artist Béatrice Coron talking about her work at TED. Well worth a watch!

Mapped Out

Clare Brewster, The Harbingers. paper cut map

I  recently upgraded the software on my iphone, and it asked me if I wanted to activate location services, normally I'm on automatic when this sort of stuff takes place; I click the shiny button and don't think anything more of it but this made me stop and ask myself if
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Culture Night catch up

The Bogside as seen from the city walls on Culture Night.

Culture Night has been and gone and I have been busy catching up  since getting back from Ireland. The night went in all too quickly, talking to people about the city, art and exploring the city after dark.

I spent most of my time at the Culture Offices meeting talking to people about what I do as a graphic designer  but I did manage to get out and about to see other events happening within the walls.
One of the highlights was Polly Morgan's exhibition Dead Time at the Void Gallery. It was the first time I have seen 'live' examples (please forgive the pun) of Polly's work and if you have the chance I highly recommend it.

I showed a few pieces of print work, the Pika Pika break up cards and a few paper cuts  including a new paper cut based on the story of Half Hung MacNaughton. All was really well received (especially as someone made off with a copy of a Sleeping Years EP and a couple of Arctic Circle pieces!)

It was a beautiful autumnal night, a little windy but not too much, all about the city were dotted pockets of light filled with people, laughter and the odd pint or two and it was so great just to pop in discover something new, have a chat and then go on to discover something else happening in a little cafe just down the street.

I wish I had been more active with my camera but in all honesty I was enjoying myself too much to worry about capturing the event. Any way here are a few photos of what I showed and of the city, if your around Derry and in 2012 I highly recommend it especially if you can finish off the night with a cold pint at Sandinos!

Culture Night

Tonight is Culture Night across Ireland. As I mentioned before I am taking part in the celebrations in Derry by showing some work in the Culture Offices just beside the Guildhall.
I have created a new papercut based on the tale of a local Derry legend called Half Hung MacNaughton.
The story goes that MacNaughton was a down at heel part of the Irish gentry, who claimed to have fallen in love with a young heiress, Mary Ann Knox from Derry. However, her father did not give consent to their marriage. In November 1761, an attempt by MacNaghten and his followers to abduct Mary Ann from a carriage on a journey to Strabane and elope with her failed, when he shot and mortally wounded her by mistake. A court found MacNaghton guilty of murder and he was sentenced to execution by hanging. So distraught with grief was he by the death of his love that MacNaghton is alleged to have hurled himself from the gallows with such force that the rope broke. Some versions say that this was divine intervention and MacNaghton could not be hanged for a second time; others say that he could have used the cover of a sympathetic crowd to make good his escape but he chose not to. Instead John MacNaghton freely re-ascended the gallows to be hanged successfully.

This is the first in a series of paper cuts that I am planning to do on this subject.

So if your in Ireland go  enjoy the nearest event to you and if you in and around Derry then please pop in to the Culture Offices and say hello!

Green Man projections

Just got a few photos through from the Artic Circle team (who are all recovering in a darkened room!) of their adventures at the Green Man festival. Here are a few pics I'm sure there will be more to come. All photo credits go to Diana Jarvis, pop over to her site and check out some of her other work!

Penguin Cinema

If your not festival-ed out already and have room to squeeze another in this year then I recommend the Green Man Festival which features our friends from the north; Arctic Circle who will be putting on a weekend of cinema and sound and creating an island of calm to rest and relax from the rest of the festival's shenanigans with artists such as Emily Barker, NSRO and Paper Cinema!

I created a paper cut illustration for the occasion which I'm lead to believe will be projected in the cinema tent. For more information  pop over to the AC website, and if that wasn't incentive enough The Sleeping Years will be playing on Sunday, so don't put the tent away just yet!

Olly Moss: paper cuts at Gallery 1988

I first came across the work of Olly Moss on a design blog. The post featured a  collection of modern movie posters re-imagined in a Saul Bass-esque way. They were nice to look at, with some very clever use of illustration, and a nice restricted colour palette but they didn't really take my breath away however his latest project does.

It is a series of 300 18th century inspired silhouette paper cuts but of cultural icons ranging from Teen Wolf to the Simpsons! All the silhouettes were lazer cut and then beautifully framed, hung and are now on display at Gallery 1988 in Melrose. It's too far away for me I'm afraid but I do hope this show travels! here are a few more pics and a short video about the show and if you want to find out more you can find Olly's blog here

Olly Moss Art Show @ Gallery 1988 from Threadless.com on Vimeo.