Graphic Journey Blog

Silence is Golden.

Went to see 'Harper Ragan' at the Cottesloe Theatre and realized just how powerful silent moments can be in theatre. You can feel the electricity in the air. A moving and original piece of work...

If you go, I don’t think you should come back.

On a startlingly bright Autumn night in 2006 Harper Regan walked away from her home and her husband and her daughter and she kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn’t turn back.

From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Simon Stephens’ new play navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion; and how to live in a godless universe.

‘Sharp shines in Simon Stephens' dark picture of England. I relished every second of Lesley Sharp's performance.'
Guardian

‘Bittersweet drama of family life... genuinely uplifting.'
Daily Telegraph

Typographical Tears.

A song, painting or poem can move the spirit. I find type or even an individual character is enough to hit that emotional heart, and this lovely ampersand presses all the right buttons for me.

Cover story.

Back in the mid to 60s I spent a very pleasurable decade in publishing which, in professional terms, became my university. Needless to say I have a great passion for books and their covers. So don't be surprise if you see a lot popping up on this blog. This Penguin paperback cover is an absolute delight.

Colour & Columbia Road

For a real Sunday morning treat and a sumptuous onslaught of colour on the eyes, Columbia Row in London's East End is a must. Plants, people, brick-a-brac and a good brunch is a delightful excursion. Every nationality, social strata and fashion victim rub shoulders in this tightly packed corner of London. It was made famous as the location for 'Shine On Harvey Moon' and is an architectural time capsule - you will be forgiven for thinking that you have been transported back to the pre WWII days of innocents, but with all the conveniences of 21st century life, including good coffee and croissants. www.21stcenturyvillage.com/columbia-road-market.htlm

The not so summery exhibition

I heard a chap on the radio the other day saying that the best way to slow the passing of time - a fact of life when you get to a certain age - was to brake routines. So mindful of this I changed my weekend plans. I stayed in London, had my morning coffee at a different time and bought the Saturday papers - something I gave up two years ago. Well, the net result is I'm having a slow day. My morning was taken up by a visit to the RA Summer Exhibition. The moment I arrived I realized that this is something I do every year, which blew a hole in my new found experiment. I find at this event my attention is often grabbed more by the visitors than what's on the walls. There was a particularly beautiful woman with a terrific sense of colour that I instantly fell in love with, something I tend to do at the drop of a hat. But she melted into the throng and my attention turned to the myriad of clashing styles and techniques confirming that this event is akin to walking down a supermarket isle. I then wandered into the room hung by Tracy Emin where I found the most arresting piece in the whole exhibition. A small monitor was running a video of a woman hula-hooping. Innocent in itself. But there were two striking things about the content. Firstly the woman was completely naked. The second, and most shocking thing, was that the hoop was made from barbed wire. The image started out as a master shot and then slowly zoomed into the torso. As the hoop rotated with every increasing speed the barbs were clearly cutting in to the skin. It was horrid and shocking in equal measures. But the image had a hypnotic and compelling quality and I started to feel uncomfortable about my gaze, so I left. Here in the comfort of my studio I find the image recurring in my head. And questions too. Why did this woman do such a clearly painful thing? It brought the old adage 'Suffering for ones art' to reality. I have since discover the the piece was by Israeli-Born artist Sigalit Landau and was made in 2000. She is the woman in the video. The piece was to reference the sacrificial practices that date back to the origins of religions. And the use of barbed wire makes a statement about boarders - something all Israelis have intimate knowledge of.

Slowly, slowly.

Getting to grips with the discipline of writing this blog is going to be tricky. Looking out the window has a far grater appeal at the moment, but I realize that I have much to show, share and comment on, it's just a matter of warming the old horse up.

The Journey Begins.

40 years is a long time to be in this business of graphic design.
But those 40 years have flashed by like a greyhound.
So over the coming months I intend to trace those years through
words, images and sounds.