Dennis is just too menacing!!

Even Dennis the Menace with his never ending cheek and wily nature it seems can't escape from the ferocious world of political correctness. The antics of the character and the other bash street kids have been toned down to prevent claims of homophobia and bullying. This claim has been centered around one character in particular, Walter the softy. Former editor of the comic has revealed that Dennis's victimisation of the character, an effeminate boy who liked having tea parties and picking flowers has already been diluted on purpose. In the late 1980's Walter was given a female love interest following concerns about his portrayal. Euan Kerr editor 1984-2006 denied the changes had spoilt the fiery nature if Dennis. I feel that this is taking it too far, it's all about having a sense of humour with graphic comics of this nature, not about making a political point. In response to this notion another journalist has raised the valid point that are we now taking it so far that we have to wonder why Desperate Dan was so desperate!!!

John Lewis, Leicester

The new John Lewis store in Leicester has architecturally caused quite a stir.  The £44million building has been the latest in the cities regeneration program as an extension to the existing Shires shopping mall in the hope of revitalising the shopping experience. Farshid Moussari and Alejandro Zaera Polo (Foreign office architects) say the idea for the building covered in mirror finished swirls and curls is an elaborate facade derived from an old fabric design by Richard Drey a linen draper back in 1803. Concentrating on a design inspired by the cities heritage is an effective idea, but I personally feel it should have been a tiny bit more subtle in order to look just so. However, it has to be stated that the building definitely has impact and will be the point of much discussion. It has also been stated that the design may be a play on traditional Indian decoration, a nod to the city's sizeable Asian population, again this provides a good concept in essence but I feel it has been taken a bit too far! The Guardian have said "It happens to look like a giant box that's been covered in an equally giant pair of tights!" I have to admit that I can see what they mean. The architecture and design is very now, but I can't imagine this trendy pattern having a timeless appeal!

Beyond Limits

Pomme de New York

Claude Lalanne

Planet 

Mark Quinn

Love Me

Richard Hudson

Mao Vest

Sui Jiango

House of Knowledege

James Plensa

Beyond Limits modern/contemporary sculpture exhibition

Chatsworth House gardens, Derbyshire

Sept- 2nd Nov

Chatsworth in partnership with Sotheby's have produced this the 3rd selling exhibition of over 20 works from around the world in the idillic setting of Chatsworth House's gardens.

I was really impressed by the diversity amongst the sculptures on display! However, one stood out in particular... the 3ft, 6-ton 'floating' baby, I have never seen anything like it!

Besides the enormity of the sculptures the thing that i took away from the exhibition was the importance of positioning! The baby wouldn't have had any where new as much visual impact if it hadn't been so prominently positioned in front of the main house! This was also the case with all of the other exhibits particularly Love Me, the symmetrical placing of the heart made the piece communicate all the more to the viewer. The open air setting definitly added to the visual impact the sculptures had and I found this consideration of placing was a great thing to take away from the experience and apply to my work in the future.

Trompe l'oeil Violin

Trompe l'oeil Violin

C1723 Jan Van der Vaart

When visiting Chatsworth House recently I couldn't believe it when I came across another visual trickery style painting like the Parisian house i posted about previously. The violin depicted here is not real! It was interesting how culture still views this style of painting as enticing as those of years gone by. In essence....our imagination today, in such a technologically advanced world is still captured by the same visual tricks that have been experimented with for years! To find 2 images to compare, one so modern and one dating back to the 18th century within days of each other was really fascinating.

Parisian architecture

How amazing is this? 

Owners of this house close to the centre of Paris have commissioned an artist to paint these murals on to their property. The main image depicted is a replica of a building in the same area. 

I feel that the doorway 'leading' to the picturesque path is particularly effective when juxtaposed with the cosmopolitan setting in which the property sits! As you can see from the photographs the image of the house front is simply amazing! You really wouldn't know that it was a bog standard house fascia beneath this beautifully detailed painting. The photographs don't even show the true effect of the image! It was staggering! 

What do you think? If I hadn't seen for myself how tastefully it has been handled, I would probably have thought the idea was a bit tacky? It definitely stretches the meaning of the term architecture!

Racist honoured by Royal Mail?

"She campaigned to have the poor, the sick and people of mixed race sterilised!"

Royal Mail are in the lime light this week after releasing their new collection of limited edition stamps marking women's achievements. They prompted criticism by including family planning pioneer Marie Stopes in the collection. The feminist is best remembered for opening the first family planning clinic in 1921. Stopes advocated 'perfection of the race' through selective breeding and was also branded a Nazi sympathiser. An example of her opinions, she disapproved of her own son's wife because she was short sited and wore glasses! From next month her face will appear on the 50p stamp as a representation of one of the 6th most influential women ever in British history!

Royal Mail say in their defence that a group of group of female academics and historians compiled the names and that the woman's impact on other women's lives over the years is undeniable. This is true, but in today's society surely it isn't acceptable to honour her achievement when it was fuelled by such a disturbing attitude.

Oh! Deer

Congeries

Oh! Deer

East

Verity Keniger has just graduated from the University of Brighton with a BA(hons) in graphic design. I am really inspired by her work! I feel she has such a great talent! I was drawn to her work as it is so different from the style of graphics that I tend to stick to! It has shown me a successful example of how diverse you can be, as her works are all different yet have a 'Kenigeresque' style! I definitely think it is worth keeping up to date with her work!

Interested?