Offset round up

My first line was going to be something like; The Boys have done it again! But. That would be a great in-justice because they haven’t.

The names and faces here are the ones you’ve seen at the candy collective, sweet talk, secret wars and various other creative social events. So, yes, they are old hands at talks by this stage but.. having been behind the scenes of conventions & conferences myself I Can tell you that they are a whole other ballgame entirely. The boys have not done it again. They have done it For the first time.

They not only filled the days with quality speakers but filled the nights with socials and energy.

It wasn’t all perfect, there are some tweaks I would suggest, for example; listing the names of speakers on the panel sessions in room two so you would know who was on them.  However given the stellar nature of the speakers and the constant flow of talks and micro films I can merely nitpick!

It was a good opportunity to not only see the long standing talents of Sir Peter Blake, Dave mcKean and Chipp kidd but of seeing new kids on the block such as Brian Coldridge.  There were also people who’s names I had heard in passing but not experienced – The Mill and The London Police.

The London Police. What a pair of tasty minded nuts. Loved their talk – combining in films, slide shows, interactive screens, graffiti tecniques and doggie folk songs. Can’t go wrong with that

Offset Day 1

Whataday! Tara mcPhearson rocked. James Jean signed his A3 collection of stunning prints for me AND I got to shake Dave McKeans hand. I told him how his work was the reason I went into multimedia. He prosfusly apologised but it’s too late now

Every one today has just been so approachable, even when I myself was tongue-tied. As well as the books I bought (work of each speaker becomes available throughout the day) upon entering we were greeted with a bag of goodies, ranging from an issue of Graffik to a natural paper notebook to a packet of Rowantrees Randoms. People around me happily nom-ed the jellies. Sugar. Friend to the deadline driven creative everywhere. last from 8pm is the Offset social in the Bernard Shaw on south richmod st. Tonight (saturday), in the twisted pepper abbey st, features Tara McPhearson on decks. Is there anything the girl can’t do? Seriously. She’s a great artist (art geek), has cool tatoos (rock chick), djs (music diva) and was VP of college astronomy club (science hero). Dang woman!  :)

Not every day that you get to say.. Thanks James Jean for the Hugs n Kisses

Mikes Amazing Cakes

A friend sent me a picture (the one with the plane) and it wet my appetite in more than one way!

It’s rare to come across a website that delivers on it’s title, but this one truly does. Check out MikesAmazingCakes.com. Takes a while to load but as the site says itself; It’s worth it.

Sound bites: An evening with Joe Cornish

On friday October 30th, thanks to Peter and Fintan of the Film Photography Workshops, I got to be at “an evening with Joe Cornish“.

Joe is a long standing landscape photographer. He’s tall, remarkably slight (for a man who lugs 20kgs of equipment up and down moutnains) and soft but clearly spoken. He is completly enamoured of the nature of the world he’s seen and it was hard not to get caught up with him in the amazing views to be had at 20,000 feet. Seeing his work did malke me glad I hadn’t booked in to the workshop in wicklow the next day. I’d have to be dragged up those hills!

Here are some sound bites from the evening:

drawing inspiration

Ireland’s First Discworld Convention is on this month (website here). So I’ve been reading his books like a crazed turtle in a dessert chased by an eagle. It’s inspired some of my latest doodles

Nigel the Barbarian, Coin the Sorcerer and Two Flower.

RTEeeeek!!

aww. Restoring my faith in their sense of humour/fun RTE added a hidden webpage for Halloween. Go to the RTE.ie website and wait a few minutes In case you missed it. Here’s a screenshot:

Cute Ass

You can RSVP if you’ll be there on the face book page.

The original email:
“Hi all,
I am organising a comedy night at the Laughter Lounge to fund a trek in Romania for May 2010. The trek will be over 70km in 4 days into the Bucegi Mountains. The proceeds of this trek will be going straight to the two Irish charities involved, Fighting Blindness and Diabetic Federation of Ireland.

Because of the times, the two charities have come together and organised this Trek for much needed funds due the increase in people with both conditions.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, I will be organising more fundraiser between now and March, but you can also buy a ticket and give it to someone with an interest.

For more information or if you would like to participate yourself:

Fighting Blindness:
http://www.fightingblindness.ie/Default.aspx?css=1&sid=1

Diabetes Federation of Ireland:
http://www.diabetesireland.ie/Website/content/default.aspx

Heineken UV art off

Last week I checked out Heineken Expressions. You can see my thoughts over on Culch. Meanwhile here’s some of the work on the night

Samples: Steve Simpson. Chris Judge. BrenB

Serge. Danleo. TADO

things that make you go hmmm

This is the original as posted by the lovely miss lottie for her blog challenge

and then.. a few weeks later I saw this

of course i’m sure it’s just co-incidence and the fact her blog has been posted into forums full of irish based designers would have any bearing at all on anything.. naaaah.

pocket treasures

It’s tuesday and whilst my heart chokes on the INCRDeibly salty pub grub I reflect on my latest treasure.

Yesterdays trip to belfast ended quite fruitfully, as I’ve been after this little item since late last year. It was in a tiny antique shop at the back of an older commercial district. Actually the shop might not be that small simply the avalache of goods which pours at near glacial speed down the walls just makes it seem small. Every crack and crevice and space bulges with historical goods.
The piles had re located slightly since I’d last been and it seems someone had broken into his shop. It was the first time the owner had opened his store since the break-in and he was carefully restoring one of the pieces destroyed. Thankfully the theives didn’t know their antiques from their asses and the most vavluable stuff hadn’t even been touched.

I was worried that what I was after was gone or buried. It took a long visual search to find. Since it was expensive enough and I wanted to bargin down I couldn’t just ask do you still have ..? That’s a sure fire way to loose any barganing power.
Not that either party minded how long it took as the more time spent the more and more things the owner could show off and i’ll certainly go back there again. Not in a hurry though. This is a lesson in history. This is not to be rushed.
The owner was a retired gentleman with an accent I could not place and a glint in his eye everytime he picked up a sword to tell it’s tale. “this is from the battle of the boyne” says he, “you know the battle. Yes? NO! You only THINK you know!” “they should not have won. No. Already they had lost. That should be end of the story. BUt .. ” waggin his fingers for emphasis and looking over the brim of his glasses straight at me as a lecturer to student “they had been partying. Too many celebrations. Too much of the taking and the drinking and the women. When they fought it was with their trousers around their ankles I think. And so. They lost.” he looks at me triumphant and expectatant. Waiting perhaps for my amazment over the revelation. “ah. You don’t believe me.. Look here. I can Prove it to you” and so every item lead to every other item, bouncing back and forth through history. From 20 years to 20,000 years from continent to continent, and every war ever held. It was great.

Until, finally, the day was getting late and the prize had been found. A world war I ensignette english army pocket camera. Made in london and designed in 1907. A beautifull piece of equiment. Nicknamed a vest camera because it was small enough to fit into a vest pocket. It’s a pure metal case. Brass I think. It was a good weight to it for something so compact. When folded up it’s roughly the size of a ten pack of cigarettes. About five inches long and one inch deep. When unfolded (by pushing the front up from both left and right side simultaneously) the lens and bellows (completely intact in this. yay) bring the camera to a depth of roughly five inches.
It’s so simple yet quite clever. The billows comes out on metal runners which fold into the case when not in use. The options on the f-stops are so basic that turning the dial from f16 or f11 merely swings around a smaller or larger hole! I love these solutions to problems. Simple. Effective.
It also means these lil blighters last for years and can still function. It is a shame that it’s a prepriatry film make but i’ve seen guys on the internet getting photos out of older cameras using chopped up 36mil so i’m sure something can be done