Cracking The Rubik's Cube Conundrum

Okay,so this may not be a quintessentially 'sparkly' blog post but it's a secret, or what could be considered my secret.That's right its d day, I am embarking into the unknown, into a territory that absolutely scares the bejesus out of me. Yes, Rachel (that's me) is learning to drive! I can hardly believe it myself, hence why I've taken to referring to myself in the third person... But I suppose whilst the prospect of driving terrifies me, it could potentially have a sparkly ends, that is if I eventually pass my test and am able to purchase my first car.

In my dreams this would be a mint green cutey, a Nissan Figaro, or some fabulous rockabilly inspired number.  In reality it's likely to be some old banger of a vehicle which draws embarassing attention to oneself, cue Simon's from the Inbetweeners canary yellow Fiat with mismatching red door here.

The dream...





The reality.

 Then again a cars a car and it'd be a relief not to rely on friends for a lift for a change and have more freedom, as drivers so frequently tell me. But when we think about it does driving really allow us more freedom? Granted it enables us to get to work, stuff our car boots full of supermarket goodies and have that odd outing to Alton Towers but at the same time I can't help wondering if it's an unnecessary expense. With the cost of insurance, petrol and yearly MOTs just to name a few,is it all really worth it?

Before I ramble on and attempt to find some complex mathematical equation that proves why we're better off taking public transport, there are those troublesome driving lessons to think of. I've always assumed that because women have this super-human ability to multitask (and we do fellas) I too could use these abilities to aid me in learning to drive. How wrong I was.

Driving is not just a simple recipe of mirrors,signal, manoeuvre, it's more like playing with a Rubiks Cube.You think you've got the knack of it when suddenly there's a mismatching coloured cube in the way and the whole game ends up being an highly unenjoyable, frustrating and tedious task.

For me, driving is much the same, I thought I'd mastered the basics of moving off, steering  and stopping when a pesky coloured cube stood in my way. Turns out roads aren't straight and you have to steer around corners! Tusk...Turning left is fine, it feels natural but steering the car right feels very well...unnatural.You have to edge the vehicle straight into the road and then sort of swing the car in a swift motion to avoid any chance of a collision.Oh and did I mention, you have to signal, check your mirrors and ensure there is no oncoming traffic...not a great deal to worry about then.

Then there are the dreaded gears to think of, how do you even know when to change gear? I'm still only fleeting between first and second so this doesn't greatly affect me at present but of course it will, it inevitably will. People tell me to listen to the purr of the engine, having never driven or bothered to pay attention to a cars purr before I'm at a loss as to what it should sound like.   

Another troublesome square is other drivers, or in my case avoiding other drivers,  they come from every direction surrounding you like a pack of wolves. I'm particularly concerned of those cars behind me, namely in case I brake too hard and am the root cause of an accident. However, it also bothers me that I'm driving at a snails pace and a queue of frustrated drivers is building up in the distance. My instructor tells me not to worry, that 'they were learners once', but I can't help feeling apologetic about my scaredy cat incapability to speed up. In fact perhaps my 'L' plates should be adapted to 'S' plates, for 'Sorry' or well, you know... 'S***'.

So you may be thinking if I'm clearly not enjoying it, why not just give it up? Well, in my mind learning to drive is like a Rubik's cube, you should try, try and try again until you get the hang of it and the coloured cubes should, eventually, fall into place. 

Photo: http://uk.autoblog.com/2011/03/11/inbetweeners-car-goes-up-for-sale-on-ebay/
 

 

Impressions of Hirst

I first came across the artist Damien Hirst when I attempted an Art's course for my GCSE's. A trip to the weird and wonderful Saatchi Gallery introduced me to his now widely recognisable 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living', i.e. a shark in a box, along with Hirst's more conventional 'Spot Paintings', clearly no explanation needed. I don't think I was particularly overwhelmed by his work back then but being older and hopefully slightly wiser I decided to revisit Hirst's latest offering in the modern art paradise of the Tate Modern.

The exhibition is the first of its kind to showcase Hirst's work right from the very beginning of his artistic journey, so I was intrigued to see what came before and after the shark and if I felt any differently about these strange things called 'art'. 

If you haven't been to the Tate Modern before, I'd urge you too. Not necessarily for the art work itself but for the building. Admittedly I know nothing about architecture but I can't help but be impressed by the Tate's sheer size and presence.




Impressive. The minimalist structure of the Tate Modern is in huge contrast to Shakespeare's Globe which is located just next door.

Upon entering Hirst's exhibit, as juvenile as it sounds, I start giggling to myself like a naughty school girl. There are eight pans of varying sizes and colours lining one of the stark white walls, unfortunately photography wasn't permitted but I'm sure you can imagine this for yourself. It was the simplistic title of the piece that did it, '8 pans'. Why eight pans? I thought to myself, why not one pan or three spoons? Or a mix of kitchen utensils? Needless to say I was a sceptic from the beginning, and had that typical objectivist view of 'how can this be art?' Reading the free exhibit guide didn't much help matters, as it simply informed me that Hirst began to explore 'collage'. Nevertheless, '8 pans' provoked a reaction from me, which I hear is what art is all about and I did think to myself that brightly coloured pans would look rather attractive on the kitchen wall.

If I laughed at the first offering I positively gagged at the second. Imagine the following: a  severed cow's head, in a clear glass box covered with flies. Just shocking. And to make matters worse, the entire room smelt absolutely putrid, if you've ever had to suffer through a dissection lesson at school then you'll get the idea. I think I understood the general themes behind 'A Thousand Years' that of death, decay and coming face-to-face with ones own grizzly end. However, upon reading the exhibit guide I learnt that the work was representing 'a life cycle', with the maggots hatching into flies and then eventually meeting their own ends. I still struggled to comprehend how this could be considered art. Yes 'A Thousand Years' had a concept, but it wasn't particularly pleasant to look at and it didn't provide me with any sense of enjoyment, something which I personally look for in art. For me, the work lent itself more towards science than art and would look less out of place in an environment suited to this, say in a natural history museum.

At this point you may be wondering if I actually enjoyed any of Hirst's work? Well... surprisingly I did! There was a particular piece that neither made me giggle or gag but made me simply think 'this is nice I like this'. Entitled 'Judgement Day', the work featured a massive gold frame, crammed with neatly arranged rows of 'cubic zirconia's'. There were hundreds of the gems, which made it pretty to look at, as they playfully sparkled in the light of the room. I'm not entirely sure what Hirst was trying to say with this piece but it was most definately decadent and perhaps had associations of wealth as Hirst himself said it's 'all about feeling like King Midas'. 

So how do I feel about Hirst's art now? Quite frankly it's still not for me. It was an interesting experience and as I say I enjoyed 'Judgement Day' but I think this is because it was asthetically pleasing rather then anything else. However, I did react and have strong feelings towards a number of the works (the 'Spot Paintings' perhaps being an exception) and some would say that this is what art, particularly modern art, is all about.

 http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern  

'The Jewellery Workshop' Charming in Every Way

On first impressions I can sum up 'The Jewellery Workshop' in three words. Chocolate. Box. Shop.

Located in a tiny 14th Century timber framed building, in East Grinstead,the Workshop is an absolute delight to look at. With Spring blossom trees outside and a shop sign that gently sways in the wind, the shop would make the ideal cover for any fancy box of chocolates.

And the homely details don't just stop on the outside. Inside,the interiors echo that of a cottage, with low beams, a fireplace and chaise longue the shop is nothing but charming.



The shop is also crammed with treasures, jewellery of all types and designs feature.There are delicate, intricate pieces made from sterling silver, elaborate semi-precious jewels and more quirky, unusual pieces like the colourful bangles made from Scottish resins.

Whilst the main collections have been handpicked from independent designers to fit with the electic personality of the store, other pieces have been hand-crafted by talented in-house designer Tracey-Jane Day.

After growing up in an creative environment and going on to study craftwork and metals at University, Tracey really has the knack of turning a customers idea into a beautiful reality.

'Sometimes the customer will only have a vague idea of what they want, so it's my job to find out about them and get a real sense of their personality.'


All bespoke pieces are drawn painstakingly by hand and too scale

A request for a cat & mouse keyring


Along with matching the piece to it's owner, all design work is done the old-fashioned
way, by hand and too scale, with no aid from computer software.In fact all bespoke pieces are designed in-store, in what director Debby Coghill refers to as the 'den', a tiny workshop in the back of the shop where customers can actually see the design process from start to finish.

Tracey working in the 'den'

As many businesses opt to use technology for their design process, there is a sense that cottage industries such as jewellery design is on its last legs. So it's greatly reassuring that in a small corner of Britain that the tradition of craftsmanship and metal work is being revived and maintained. And for me, this just adds another layer of charm to the already charming 'Jewellery Workshop'.

 http://www.jewellerywshop.co.uk/

Thank you to Debby Joy Coghill for her time and permission.

Art with a Heart at 'Ellie Ellie'

I first came across the 'Ellie Ellie' website when I was looking for gifts for Christmas presents.

Tired of seeing the same old stuff in shops and bored of purchasing the obligatory 'smellies' gift set, it started to dawn on me that 'thought' in the old saying 'it's the thought that counts', wasn't coming into my purchase decisions at all.

Questions began to rattle through my brain, why can't I buy something thoughtful for a change? Why can't I buy something that would actually be meaningful to the recipient?
And why can't I buy something that is going to be treasured rather than thrown away?

So in a quest to buy something meaningful and sustainable I decided to start my search online. Typing 'Unusual gifts' into Google, I discovered notonthehighstreet.com, a wonderful online emporium of unsual and quirky products, it is here that I stumbled across Ellie Ellie.

With Scrabble letter jewellery,  Ladybird book covered sketch pads, clocks made from old vinyl records and accessories made from Lego (yes Lego!), this virtual stumble had led me to the prize in my quest for the perfect gift. 



Love is...a best friend Lego necklace set

 

The personalised up-cycled vinyl record clock, the perfect gift for music lovers 




A reminder of fond memories my beloved Scrabble necklace

  What first struck me about 'Ellie Ellie' products is that they're not just mere objects, they are small reminders of fond memories.  The Scrabble necklace, which I incidently bought, was a reminder of the Scrabble tournaments I had as a kid with my Grandfather. And the personalised Simon and Garfunkel vinyl record clock, wasn't just another record, it was a reminder of the music that my friend listened to when she was growing up.

Another great feature of these products, is that they haven't been newly designed or manufactured.The items have been lovingly redesigned, recycled and upcycled from existing objects. Yes, this is indeed art with a heart.

Shockingly, and as the 'Ellie Ellie' website rightfully points out, TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) statistics state that over '1.4 million tonnes of clothing' get thrown away by us, the consumer, every year. And these clothes aren't just adding to the ever increasing mountain of landfill, they're also having a hideous knock-on effect on pollution levels. Wool textiles, for example, decompose, but as they do they 'produce methane', a gas 'which contributes to global warming'.

With all this waste produced from fast fashion and bearing in mind the depletion of resources when fashion items are intially created, I am of the opinion that we need to take a step back and consider our fashion purchases more carefully. Fast fashion needs to slow down, rather then producing a brand new accessory or item of clothing we should consider what we already have and make it into something new.

We should as Danielle Plowman, founder of 'Ellie Ellie', succinctly puts it 'Re-design. Re-cycle. Re-love.'



Taking inspiration from 'Ellie Ellie' by putting old bottles to good use


Photos: http://ellieellie.co.uk/
http://www.traid.org.uk/index.html

Fashion with a Story to Tell at 'Wear It Again Sam'

There's something wonderfully quaint about a vintage fashion boutique being sandwiched between a local pet store and a florist.

Squeezed onto a roadside corner in East Grinstead, West Sussex, 'Wear It Again Sam' took their inspiration for the name after an infamous and widely misinterpreted quotation from the 1942 film'Casablanca'. Directed by Michael Curtiz, the line is often cited as 'Play it Again Sam' but was in fact simply 'Play It Sam'.

Our short film history lesson aside, the name evokes an ideal, the ideal that the past should not be forgotten and we should reuse what was worn once before.Why invest in a fast, generic fashion item, which is unlikely to be the 'in' thing next week, when you could be wearing a piece of history and doing your bit for the environment along the way.  



The charming window display, a celebration of days gone by



You couldn't walk past 'Wear it Again Sam' without noticing its charming window display. Updated with vintage treasures on a weekly basis, today the window features wonderful RAF and REME officer uniforms, along with sophisticated dresses and hats from the 1940s.

So with nose pressed against pane and an expression of childlike glee spread across my face I step inside the store.

On first impression I feel as if I am walking into the wardrobe before entering C.S. Lewis's Narnia. Not because it's stuffed with fur coats, but because it evokes warmness and feelings of nostalgia. The shop is filled with a deliciously eclectic collection of clothing, the clothes range from the 1930s to the 1980s, each item with its own story to tell.




Whilst mens tweed and suit jackets line one side of the cosy space, dresses from all eras are neatly and affectionately arranged on the other. 




A silk, fish-tail style wedding dress worn the day before WWII
broke out. What a story to tell on your wedding day!

A dapper mens silk gown and Cravat, perfect for any gent,
now where is my pipe...

A cute and flirty 50s dress, I know what I'll be wearing to Goodwood...



A stunning cream coat worn by Shirley Hazel Robbins

 There also a number of items which belonged to late actress Shirley Hazel Robbins. Adopting the stage name Hal Dyer, Robbins founded 'The Green Room Theatre Company' and starred in such television shows as 'On the Buses', 'A Man for All Seasons' and charming 1975 BBC children's television show 'Rentaghost.' What a real privilege it is to wear the clothes which were worn by her both on and off stage.

Hats, lady like gloves and jewellery all feature, with the authentic gems and handbags draped over a welsh dresser 'Wear It Again Sam' feels less like a shop and more like your own personal dressing room.

Handbags and accessories galore!



Decisions decisions...



Glistening in the light, every girl needs her glitz

With an array of such goodies on show, it's difficult to walk out of  'Wear It Again Sam' without making a purchase. The clothes and accessories although second hand have been reloved and brought back to their former glory by proprietor Fiona Friend, these are definitely objects to be worn again and treasured for years to come.


http://www.wearitagainsam.co.uk/


Thank you to Fiona Friend for her time and permission.