TEDx Newham was hosted in the Crystal, in the Royal Victoria Docks. The Crystal, if you have not yet heard of it, has been built by Siemens as both an office space and an innovative exhibit and conference centre devoted to the Sustainable Cities Initiative. At the base of the Emirates Air Line, and overlooking City Airport, the O2 Centre and the ever-changing City of London, this building feels perched on the edge of the future city. Devoted to the promotion of green energy and growth it hosts an interesting exhibit on the future of cities and is well worth the trip to Newham.

And it was this context that lead the discussion of TEDxNewham’s many speakers – to connect Newham, an often-overlooked corner of London, with the rest of the city and with new methodologies to empower residents.

The theme of the day “Where Resilience Lies” opened our eyes to a number of great changes in the London Borough – and the greater face of London. Speakers such as Jo Negrini, a regeneration practitioner, spoke of the power of bring people together through events like “The Big Lunch, “ while others stressed the need for activism within the city, as Richard Reynolds did in his talk on Guerrilla Gardening (we highly recommend you check out both initiatives).

Overall TEDxNewham told us to own our city. An empowering way to spend a day we encourage you to look up the next TEDx events within your own city – and when in London, make sure to come down to Newham to explore the Crystal and the surrounding area.

A post from: The Locals

Today one of our readers sent us this incredible colour film that offers a look at London in 1927. Shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene. The film is a part of a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William – a noted cinematographer – was experimenting with.  The colours are absolutely stunning, and give it that old dusty postcard feel. If anyone has links to the rest of the travelogue please send them our way!
Music by Jonquil and Yann Tiersen.

A post from: The Locals

Winter can take its toll on bikes, that’s why Barclays have launched a two-month season of free bike clinics for London cyclists; help you get your bike summer ready.

The clinics, which are run by social enterprise Bikeworks, were launched off  the back of research that which showed a shocking three in five (57%) people are riding bikes that aren’t fit to be on the road. The checks will be positioned along key commuter routes every Wednesday evening (17:30-19:00) throughout May and June. Anyone can  turn up and have their bikes get a free once-over by a qualified mechanic, as well getting bike maintenance tips in an effort to increase road safety.

The first bike clinic took place yesterday, 8th May, and will be running every Wednesday until 3rd July in Tower Hamlets, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Hammersmith and Fulham.

A post from: The Locals

I was recently contacted about and interesting project by two London based artists, Phil Thompson and Sebastian Acker.
Thompson and Acker, are in the process of making a film and a book about the current phenomenon in China, which sees construction companies building entire replicas of Western towns. Some towns are complete replicas, whereas others pick and choose landmarks in order to create a fictional landscape. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the production of these towns has been met with a mixed reaction from residents of the original places.

Over November and December last year the artists visited China in order to documented several key sites in which copy towns are being built. These included Thames Town (a replica of an English town), the Dafen Oil Painting Village (where masterpieces are copied on a mass scale), several miniature model worlds, and Halstatt See (a replica of the beautiful Austrian UNESCO town of Hallstatt). After filming three Eiffel Towers, two Tower Bridges, the Manhattan skyline twice and many other replicas of the western world the artists are now travelling around the world to document the ‘original’ sites.

Over the next month they will travel around The UK, to Paris, and to Austria. During this time they will interview many local politicians and residents, to sit alongside similar interviews they conducted in China. The research will then be brought together in a film and book. The former will explore these towns visually with a voice-over narration discussing the socio-economic conditions that have led to this trend. While the latter, will be used to publish interviews and travel accounts.

Describing why these towns may be becoming popular now, the artists have stated,

‘The cultural landscape of China has undergone unprecedented change over the past 50 years. The transition from Maoist rule to modern day China has involved the relaxation of many laws which has enabled China, and some of its population, to become very wealthy, very quickly. This coupled with a huge influx of people into the urban environment, means that a huge amount of new housing needs to be built. The sudden ascension of millions of Chinese into middle and upper class lives means that they want a way to showcase their new found wealth. However given China’s recent history it does not have a societal model for prosperity. So they have turned to the West for ways in which to display their new found fortunes. This adoption of Western styles may be an attempt to pick up an already established ready-made social attitude.’

Both Acker and Thompson recently graduated from the Masters course at the Slade School of Fine Art, where they impressed their tutors with their plans to investigate the phenomena of copy towns within China. The pair were awarded the Duveen Travel Scholarship, a monetary prize reserved for artists who want to travel in order to make a body of work.

As well as filming the copied architecture, the artists want to engage with the local communities and get their opinions on the copies. When plans were announced that the copies were going to be produced the media reported that many people were upset that their homes may be reproduced. However over time these feelings seem to have mellowed into the general view that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Although the artists are hoping to learn a lot on their trip, they are also hoping that the residents will be very keen to see the footage they collected in China, and that this reciprocal exchange could lead to some fascinating conversations about copy towns in general.

They are currently presenting their on-going research on tumblr http://ackerthompson.tumblr.com/

You can also help back the project on Indiegogo here

A post from: The Locals

Unit Editions have just announced their latest book - Scratching the Surface is a collection of essays and journalism by Adrian Shaughnessy. The essays have previously appeared on blogs such as Design Observer, and in publications such as Eye, Creative Review, Design Week and The Wire. Many others have only appeared in tiny circulation publications.

The subject matter ranges from graphic design to art, music, philosophy and even a visit to Buckingham Palace. Essays include: ‘2012 Olympic logo ate my hamster’; ‘Vaughan Oliver – minotaurs in suburban England’; and ‘The myth of originality and the joy of copying’.

The book’s introduction opens with a disconcerting question: ‘Why would anyone want to read about graphic design?’ Despite assertions that ‘designers don’t read’, there has, in recent years, been a huge upsurge of interest in design writing: courses have been established to teach the subject, and many designers now combine design and writing within their practices.

In 2003, Adrian Shaughnessy gave up studio life to become an independent designer, consultant, publisher, teacher and writer. He wrote the highly successful How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing your Soul which has sold 80,000 copies worldwide.

Scratching the Surface is a book for anyone who wants to scratch the surface of the cultural zeitgeist to see what’s underneath.

You can pre-order the book here: www.uniteditions.com.

A post from: The Locals

The other week I stumbled upon Hexagone, a French lifestyle concept store, which recently opened adjacent to Camden Passage in Islington.

Named after the geometrical shape of the France, Hexagone was born out of a desire to create an inventory of iconic French brands that have survived the passage of time as well as a handpicked selection of products that celebrate the country design, heritage and craftsmanship.

Over the past year, the founders have searched all over France, scouting for regional handcraft techniques and ethical standards. They have sourced a unique and exclusive range of products mostly manufactured by small and independent houses, dating back decades if not centuries. Each brand comes with its own story and reflects France, its people, culture and identity.

The intimate and eclectic selection is displayed in six categories (like the hexagon) – home, beauty, drugstore, stationary, accessories and kids. Products include: Jieldé lamps, icons of the french industrial art; scented candles from Cire Trudon, the oldest candle-maker in the world; Opinel knives famously used for sculpting by Pablo Picasso; riders’ boots from cultural heritage listed La Botte Gardiane; ethical fashion accessories from Veja; ceramics from Atelier Buffile; colourful illustrations from Jean Julien and art pieces from metal magician Vox Populi. Plus much more besides.

While speaking to one of the founders, I was told ‘Hexagone is not simply about trends. It’s a mindset that involves thinking about quality, durability and timelessness. It’s about objects that leave footprints on the memory. Customers are increasingly interested in the provenance of their products and Hexagone aims to offer a slice of authentic French heritage to bring home.’

Hexagone is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:30am to 7pm.  You can also check them out on  Facebook and Twitter.

A post from: The Locals

Belgravia on an unseasonably Arctic March Saturday evening is about as far out of my comfort zone as I can possibly go. Luckily, the welcoming staff at The Palm London did everything in their power to make us feel right at home.

The Palm has all the laidback luxury of an old-fashioned New York family-owned restaurant – a far cry from the frenetic East London pop-up eateries that have been the vogue of late. The food however, was anything but old-fashioned. It took all the best parts of comforting American dishes, dressed them up in a sophisticated manner, and laid them out in a setting that was so easy-going, I felt I could have moved into our cosy leather booth permanently.

PrimeTime is a new initiative where the clock determines what price you pay for Prime Bites and cocktails. 5pm costs £5, 6pm costs £6… up to 9pm where it is held at £9 until closing. The Prime Bites menu was familiar, I have seen similar dishes on many American-style menus of late, but like the setting, they were effortlessly luxurious updates.

I could devote a good few paragraphs to the Nova Scotia Lobster Fondue. Rich cheddar cheese sauce was cut through with a hint of Sam Adams Boston beer and mixed with chunks of lobster and smoky bacon. It was served with warm rolls sprinkled with bacon salt (an epic invention) for scooping, and was utterly addictive.

Most of the other dishes were surpassed by that fondue, but the Prime SteakBurger sliders were impressively juicy and flavoursome and the Dirty Shrimp, panko bread-crumbed and tossed in Creole spices, were like delicious prawn popcorn – made extra moreish when dipped into the fondue! We also tried the Calabrese Flatbread with buffalo mozzarella and the Calamari Fritti, which went down well with the cocktails.

Between the two of us, we sipped a fruity Red Velvet with vanilla vodka and fresh raspberries and a True Brit: locally sourced Sipsmiths Gin and English sparkling wine lifted with lemon juice. My personal favourite was the Spiced Cucumber Collins, a mind-blowing-angry-mule-kick of a drink with Peppa vodka and cayenne pepper. It cut through the fried foods on the menu perfectly.

The Palm’s main concern is their local clientele. Such is their devoted following that they have created a mural of caricatures of their regulars- a tradition carried over from the New York restaurant. However, even as visitors from the East, we still were made to feel like prized regulars (our server, Sheila, was a delight).The restaurant was buzzing on a Saturday night, and children are welcome, but it never felt overwhelmingly busy or noisy, which makes a nice change.

The Palm offers old-school glamour with a nu-school twist, an oasis of calm and sophistication in the heart of Belgravia.

A post from: The Locals

Today millions of people and business around the world are taking part in the largest mass participation even in the world, WWF’s Earth Hour, to raise awareness about climate change.

Earth Hour takes place at 8.30pm local time so has already started in Eastern countries and Australia, and is currently moving around the world like a giant Mexican wave of darkness. For one hour people are switching off lights to express their concern for the environment and join the fight to save our planet from the International Space Station to the Office of the UN Secretary General. London will see its famous South Bank plunge into darkness as lights are turned out and candles are lit to mark the annual event.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said in an official statement: “Turning off our lights is a symbol of our commitment to sustainable energy for all. We need to fuel our future with clean, efficient and affordable energy. By acting together today we can power a brighter tomorrow.”

We’re doing it, are you?

Image © Geoff Wilson/WWF-UK

A post from: The Locals

I have always found I work best in coffee shops, in part because of the steady supply of caffeine and partly due to the background noise. It turns out I am not alone.

A recent article entitled “Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition,” published in the The University of Chicago Press, suggested that “just the right amount” of background noise is actually good for your creativity and overall productivity. Unfortunately, while this may be the case, most of us are not lucky enough to be able to work from a coffee shop daily – and now you don’t have to thanks to the Coffitivity webapp.

The webapp plays ambient coffee shop noises underneath whatever music you are listening to in order to create a more lively atmosphere and to get your creative juices flowing.
Why not try it out and see if it works for you?

A post from: The Locals

The name Vivian Maier may strike a chord with fans of street photography. However, for those less familiar, Maier was an American amateur street photographer, born in New York City, and raised in France. She returned to the United States at 25 years old, and took up work as a nanny for almost forty years in Chicago. During this time, it is believed that she took approximately 100,000 photos primarily of people and cityscapes.

Despite her prolific documentation of Urban America in the second half of the twentieth century, her work was completely unknown, and for the most part undeveloped. That is until it was discovered by 26-year-old real estate agent John Maloof, an amature historian and president of the Jefferson Park Historical Society in Chicago.

Maloof initial bought 30,000 prints and negatives from an auction house, after the storage locker Maier was keeping her work in was seized due to missed payments. He immediately set out to discover more about this prolific street photographer, but was able to find out little more than her name, until just after her death in 2009, when he came across her obituary notice in the Chicago Tribune.

Maloof, now runs the Maloof Collection, and owns 100,000 to 150,000 negatives, over 3,000 vintage prints, hundreds of rolls of film, home movies, audio tape interviews, original cameras of Maier, documents and other items, which he tracked down from other buyers who attended the same auction. The collection now representing roughly 90 percent of Maier’s work.

Since its discovery, Vivian Maier’s body of work has received critical acclaim around the world, and Maloof has set himself the task of archiving and cataloging her work for the enjoyment of others. As a part of this work, in 2011 he launched a kickstarter project in order to create a documentary about the life of this mysterious photographer.

The official trailer for the film Finding Vivian Maier has now been released, and will tell the story of this incredibly talented street photographer who appears to have had no interest in being recognized for her work – but only a concern with the process of documentation.

A post from: The Locals