Photographer to Watch: Suren Manvelyan

Suren Manvelyan is a PhD-holding Armenian physicist who is also a professional photographer.  Check out his otherworldly series of macro shots of the human eye on behance.

London Wall Project | Design Competition for Emerging Artists

As yet untitled by Remi/Rough

Rich Mix and Havana Club the Authentic Cuban Rum are calling on amateur or professional artists to submit designs for a specially commissioned wall art project, taking place over the next twelve months at East London’s Shoreditch cultural hotspot, Rich Mix.

The art competition includes three commissions launched by three live events, hosted in conjunction with the start of Rich Mix’s new seasons.

Artist Remi/Rough launched the Havana Club Wall Project with his interpretation and vision of the values that make Havana so unique. The celebrated urban artist was specially commissioned to design and paint an interior wall that runs the entire length of the Rich Mix events space.

Artists are invited to submit their entries to panel of experts, led by Remi/Rough, who will select two winning designs to feature on the Rich Mix interior wall throughout the year.  The design must embody the unique and inspiring attitude that reflects the true values of the Cuban capital – humanity, spontaneity and creativity, this refreshing attitude highlighting the informality, passion and generosity of the people of Havana.

Design sketches must be submitted to Rich Mix (visualarts@richmix.org.uk) as a jpg by:

• March 21 with the winning wall design on show from May to August 2011; or
• July 2 with the winning wall design on show from September to December 2011.

The project celebrates Rich Mix and Havana Club’s shared ethos of inspired ingenuity for creativity while nurturing new and emerging talent.

For more information, visit Rich Mix www.richmix.org.uk/wallproject.htm, www.facebook.com/richmixlondone16la, and Havana Club www.facebook.com/HavanaClubUK.

Update on March 18, 2011 by Stated

The first deadline for submissions is this coming Monday, March 21st! Submit design sketches as a jpg to Rich Mix at visualarts@richmix.org.uk to be considered for the first wall design showing from May to August 2011. More info above.

Update on July 5, 2011 by Stated

The first winner has been announced for the Summer Season of the Wall Project. Artist LXOne’s artwork is now on display at London’s Havana Club.

LXOne’s winning wall art at Havana Club

LXOne described his piece. “I’ve used shapes and symbols that refers to my work and interpreted the brief using colour and movement. Orange is for the sun, red is for the passion and yellow is for the happiness—all characteristics I see in Cuban humanity. The geometrical patterns convey both accurateness but also spontaneity with my use of the arrow. The value of creativity can be seen in the finished product from submission to completing my work and the whole creative process been something I have hugely enjoyed having the opportunity to do”.

The next round of submissions are due Friday, August 5th, with the winning wall design on display from August to October, 2011.

For more information, please contact Krista Booker @ www.fourteenten.com

STATED at the Oscars

Join stated as we live-blog the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.  
Watch this space throughout the awards!

8:00PM - Are you watching the red carpet coverage? Try as we do to dismiss the focus on what everyone’s wearing, it’s hard to ignore the style on display. Tim Gunn spoke with co-host Anne Hathaway and Valentino, whose “archival” gown she was wearing from 1981.

8:02PM - Nominee Natalie Portman is definitely showing…  And looks beautiful.

8:08PM - Colin Firth seems to be the favorite for Best Actor. What do you think?

8:14PM - Gwyneth Paltrow says she’d like to sing a duet with Jay-Z…

8:27PM - Almost time…

8:30PM - Intro… Alec Baldwin can do no wrong. Remember when we didn’t think so?

[ Continue reading... ]

Hellogoodbye at the Highline Ballroom, NYC

We caught California alt-pop act Hellogoodbye in their New York appearance at the Highline Ballroom last night. They headlined a bill that also included warm-up acts Now Now Every Children, You Me & Everyone We Know, and Gold Motel. All three opening sets were lively and upbeat, with a promising showing from Gold Motel in particular.

Hellogoodbye first came to mass attention with their 2007 single “Here (In Your Arms)” off their debut album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!. The track had a decidely radio-ready dance feel complete with auto-tune effects, while their current setlist, laregely featuring their recent release, Would It Kill You?, sits more comfortably in the acoustic-heavy alt-pop veign of Vampire Weekend or Islands. This is not a bad thing. Their new material is fun and accessible, which matches the band’s onstage persona. It’s hard not to like these guys.

They did oblige the mostly young crowd with “Here (In Your Arms)” as their final encore, and it fit surprisingly well alongside their new material.

We expect to see more of Hellogoodbye. Check out their tour dates at www.hellogoodbye.net/shows

A’ – An exhibition of new works by Steve More & Remi/Rough opens in London

Remi/Rough and Steve More, who forged their partnership in the early 90’s, have worked extensively in the international graffiti art scene ever since.  A’ - an exhibition of new works, opens today at London’s Blackall Studios. According to their press release, the A’ title refers to “their starting point of reshaping letters of the alphabet and integrating them into an urban context. It also refers to a new beginning—a reference to the Avant-garde, Abstraction and Alternative aspects within their work—all of which are central to their approach, reiterating a new interpretation and a new beginning for what was urban art—the urban abstract movement.”

A’ runs Feb 1 through 6 at Blackall Studios, London. For more information, contact Krista at krista@theneonhub.com or visit the Facebook event page.

Update on February 11, 2011 by Stated

Update: Agents of Change have posted a nice video of the exhibition, which has been extended due to popular demand. It now runs through Saturday Feb 12th at 1:30pm and is open every night until 7pm, giving more people a chance to see their work.