All Things Considered

Okido

The art and science magazine Okido, is the brainchild of illustrator Rachel Ortis and designer and scientist, Dr. Sophie Dauvois. This exciting, educational and beautifully illustrated magazine was launched last year and aimed at children aged between two and seven.

Printed on sturdy recycled paper using vegetable inks, the magazine encourages lots of drawing, cutting and entertainment and unlike most other kids magazines printed on flimsy, shiny paper, Okido entices parents to read and play along too.

I've purchased the magazine from Borders in Norwich and if you live in London, there are many other stockists. Click here to finds out where. Alternatively, you can subscribe to Okido on-line. A subscription will buy six issues and the magazine is published every three months.

Squob.com

Earlier this year I posted a blog about the Dutch motor-home site Tonke. Although the pictures of the motors were great, my understanding of the Dutch text was not so great, so I confess to knowing little about the beautiful vehicles at the time.

Then this week I received an email from Chris from the Recreational Vehicle blog, Squob, Informing me that he had just posted information about Tonke's in English.

After reading the article I flicked around the Squob site. It is brilliant if you're interested in diverse forms of mobile architecture and like to dream about roaming around, mortgage free.

"Squob is the only RV website focusing on good design. We cover the most interesting new vehicles and classics from the past."

The site is full of  images and information on trailers, motor homes, expedition vehicles and caravans both vintage and modern. It has links to some amazing images on Flickr, including a pick of Squob's top ten best RV images from the Flickr Group Squobstock.

Chris Watson

A recent link from Underworld's website served as reminder about Chris Watson's work.

Having been a founding member of Sheffield's Cabaret Voltaire (when I first came across his work), Chris began his sound recording career in 1981 working for Tyne Tees Television.

His recordings regularly crop up on radio and TV nature programmes, and the Guardian rated his 2003 'Weather Report' album as one of the '1000  Albums to Hear Before You  Die'...

"Watson is one of the world's leading recorders of wildlife and natural phenomena, and here he edits his field recordings into a filmic narrative. The unearthly groaning of ice in an Icelandic glacier is a classic example of, in Watson's words, putting a microphone where you can't put your ears."

The Weather Tree

It's so very British to talk about the weather. When we're in a spell of either hot or rainy climatic events, it feels as though we're in it for ever, but of course we never are. The Weather Tree is one way of showing how good (or bad) the British seasons really is.

The Weather Tree poster is a simple drawing of a tree with twelve branches representing the twelve months of the year. The branches have have a leaf for everyday of the twelve months. You decide on the colours you want to depict the weather types, then you simply colour in a leaf everyday to record the day's meteorological happenings.

Dorothy Thelwall, the artist behind the weather tree, is also producing One-Day-at-a-Time Tree. This poster helps you record what ever daily achievement you wish.

I'm about to make a purchase, they cost £5 each including postage and packaging. I'm going to buy the Weather Tree and a the One-Day-at-a-Time Tree to record my irrational mood swings - could the two are related?

Boudica Lifecasts

Michelle Payne from The Upstairs Gallery sent an email earlier in the week in response to a previous post I had written about the powerful and inspiring book The Boudica Within.

Michelle, an artist and experienced lifecaster (images of  her work can be found here) takes commissions from people to cast their body parts.

To accompany the The Boudica Within, Michelle has taken plaster impressions of the women who feature in the book and is hoping later this year, to take the artwork on a UK tour.

"Each woman throughly enjoyed the experiences of lifecasting and found an element of freedom, fun, sexuality, beauty, through the application and involvement of having a personal cast made."

Next Thursday, 10th July, the Ladies In League Against Cancer (LILAC) are holding a charity fund raising event at Drayton Old Lodge, Norwich. Guest speaker Michelle will talk about the lifecasts she has taken of the women who have undergone breast reconstruction surgery and the involvement art has in raising awareness of breast cancer.

For further information and for ticket sales, please click here.

The Smithfield Nocturne

If I lived in London and were to use public transport daily, I would most definitely buy a folding bike. I remember my dad owning one when I was a youngster - he thought he was so cool yet his children thought him so uncool. Interestingly, my brother now rides one in Northern Ireland where I believe it is rare ride and cause of great amusement.

This Saturday, the 7th June, cyclists and non cyclists are getting together to share their enthusiasm for the two wheel mode of transport at The Smithfield Nocturne. There are many races taking place as well as music and stalls and entertainment to suit most. Just one of the many events is the folding bike race where the competitors will dress in their business garb and take on the challenge of biking around Smithfield streets in the hope of being crowned Folding Bike Champion 2008.

If you fancy riding on the safety helmet of one of last years competitors, have a look at the clip below.

Rust Stickers

Seeing as Simon is soon to be the owner of a smart new bicycle (see post below), I thought he may want to deter envious eyes and keep possible thieving hands at bay with the addition of these ingenious rust stickers.

Humourous ideas man Dominic Wilcox quotes...

*Note. This anti-theft device is not guaranteed to work in any way. However, I have stuck them to my shiny new red bike and can confirm that it hasn't been stolen yet. 13 days of not being stolen in London probably equates to 7 years of non-stealing in the friendly countryside.

Lunar Cycles

I'll soon be taking delivery of a new bicycle - very similar to the one pictured here (though painted in two shades of warm grey).

A chance link from Underworld's excellent site led me to Lunar Cycles, who build beautiful single-speed bicycles, based on vintage steel frames which are stripped of unnecessary lugs, shot-blasted and then painted to order.

A short test ride along some quiet roads close to Hyde Park Corner and I was smitten. There's something incredibly elegant and immediate about a single speed bike - cycling at its simplest.

Lunar Cycles may already have a bike to suit you, or you might opt for a custom build. Find out more at www.lunar-cycles.com

Cadbury's can't handle luggage either

BA chief executive Willie Walsh must be thinking even Cadbury's have got it in for him. The newly launched ‘Truck’ commercial, a follow-up to the Gorilla playing drums to Phil Collins, isn’t quite as brilliantly weird but, it is weirdly brilliant how its launch coincides with Terminal 5's catastrophes. All will make sense when you see it….

Aylsham, Banksy and Tesco

Not  necessarily three words you'd expect to see together in the title of a blog. But bear with me.

Secretive grafitti artist Banksy has just struck again - with this work on the side of a pharmacy in London's Essex Road (which, coincidentally, I used to walk past every day).

We assume that the image of two small children pledging allegiance to Tesco is tongue in cheek!

Tesco have recently started building their new store on the edge of Aylsham and only time will tell how much of an impact this has on the town.

But there are some positive campaigns going on in the town - the ongoing promotion of Aylsham's Cittaslow status and the recently launched project to make Aylsham Norfolk's first plastic bag free town as of 3rd May 2008.

We've always used paper bags at the gallery, but we're still pleased to be supporting the scheme - which for us is as much about the general principle of recycling.

Find out more about the project.