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Archive for September 26th, 2008

Umbrella Factory - art review

Umbrella Factory Event, The Hub, Exeter, September 25, 2008
by Butterside Down

Desolate tearooms by Butterside Down

The last few days have seen me struggling with so-called ‘quick and simple’ clip frames in an effort to have some sort of exhibition ready for September’s Umbrella Factory event, marking the first birthday of the organisation celebrated for promoting a thriving arts and culture community in the heart of Exeter.

Typically off to a smooth start, as soon as I got there I bent down to pick up a photo and my debit card snapped in my pocket. I lurched away, hand over my hip as though I’d had an embarrassing ‘little accident’ in a bizarre anatomical mix-up. Thankfully, impossibly skinny uber-cool type Phil Wyatt was there to save me from further mishap as he put up my photos for me, although the size of the nails meant that most of them hung at a jaunty angle several centimetres from the wall.

“Oh dear, that’s not straight is it?” murmured Phil, chewing a nail. I shrugged: ”It’s probably alright as long as they don’t fall off,” and wandered to the bar. Thankfully, when I returned he’d performed some technical miracle with the hammer and all photos were hanging straight and looked, though I say it myself, pretty good.

The Hub (formerly Three Fat Fish) is one of those industrial-looking places shrouded in dim lights and decked out in punkish colours that makes you feel as though you’re underground even though you aren’t. An edgy yet unpretentious open space transformed into an eclectic showcase of new artistic, musical, and even (as the clientele filtered in) sartorial talent. A testament to the anarchistic interior is a blue plaque by the door which simply states:
‘Sid Vicious
1957 - 1979
Punk Rocker
Gobbed Here.’

The live entertainment part of the evening kicked off with Steve Smith (44), who has been a performance poet ever since a CND benefit gig in Poole in 1982. His moon and water-themed spoken words were enhanced on this occasion by improvised instrumental backing by Tom Harrisson and Laurence Foster, and his narrative-poetry performances often feature a versatile mix of musicians from Native American flute players to classical violins.

A surrealist touch was added with Maddie’s Mobile Makeovers, a complimentary service including chill-out treatments, free tic-tacs and ‘Tie massage’, which turned out to be a light head and shoulder rub whilst, that’s right, wearing a tie. Several merrymakers gathered round to watch as a faintly-smiling man donned a pair of sunglasses and headphones in preparation for a ‘chill-out session’, and was anointed with relaxing scents and gently wafted with a newspaper as he listened to tranquil music.

Benoit Bennet (aka Object) was much in evidence as he was also exhibiting new artwork having recently returned from driving through Europe. The 24-year-old describes his art as ‘instinctive doodling’ and his distressed urban pieces are mostly created from scrap materials and other people’s rubbish. Not always intended for pure visual enjoyment, his work can carry more serious social statements, such as the privacy-themed piece ‘Complacency is Complicity’.

I briefly caught up with main event organiser Matt Ashford on my way to the bar. Commenting on the success of the Umbrella Factory’s first birthday, he said: ”These things never go exactly to plan but really that’s kind of cool. I think it’s going ok, it’s great to see so many people here.’ He soon disappeared into the crowd to organise the auction, in which artwork was being sold in aid of charity Hospice. Organiser Phil Wyatt was equally thrilled: ‘It’s a great turnout tonight, we spent a lot of time redecorating and making it look nicer, the only down note is having to introduce this new on-the-door charge but putting on these events does cost us. It’s hard work but I can’t wait for the AllHallowsEve event next month.’

Sadly, I had to leave before Finn Fintain and Kid Klanny, epic 80s duo Choirpad (unmissable in blindingly shiny clothing and a tonne of waterproof mascara), sent us back to the good ol’ shoulder-pad days with their singing time warp. I packed up my pictures and left them to the relaxed, appreciative crowd in the Hub where a good time, as they say, was being had by all.

The next Umbrella Factory event takes place at the Hub, Exeter, on October 30.

Butterside Down 2008.

Image is copyrighted to Natasha Kuler-von-der-Luhe, Butterside Down Ltd

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September 26th, 2008

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Recycling Technology

The weekly technology column from those gurus of geek at Plymouth’s at Orange Crate

Orange Crate

Technology moves so fast in this day age – January’s high-spec PC is December’s crawling, technological sloth; today’s ‘must have’ mobile phone is tomorrow’s embarrassing has-been, destined to be used only for sending text messages under the table to avoid it being seen by your peers.

Luckily it has become cheaper and easier to upgrade any of your household or personal gadgets, but unfortunately it can come at a different and more serious cost…

On average, mobile phone users upgrade their handsets once every 18-24 months, and industry estimates state that nearly 200 million mobile phones will be sold in the USA alone this year. The majority of these buyers will already have existing phones, meaning that over 100 million old handsets will be retired. According to further industry estimates, over 250 million PCs will become obsolete in the next three years, requiring replacement by newer technology. So what happens to all these old appliances? Well, here is where the problem often lies…

It is an unfortunate fact that the majority of old computers, monitors, mobile phones, and related accessories still end up at the dump. According to the US National Safety Council, 85% of the 63 million computers taken out of service last year ended up on landfills. Needless to say, this is not good news. Not only can components of these gizmos be highly damaging to the environment if not processed correctly, the dumping of them presents a huge wasted opportunity. But things may finally be changing.

Facilities for recycling PCs have been available for a while, but it is only recently that laws and regulations have been passed to make sure that businesses comply with safe disposal of electronic equipment (see WEEE compliance). But it remains in the hands of governments to not only enforce these regulations, but to make them financially viable for businesses and individuals.

Luckily, there may be another way. Computer Aid is a charity that encourages businesses to donate their old PCs so they can be used in developing countries. Their projects not only help to improve education, trade, and productivity in these developing countries, they also offer a brilliant alternative to businesses here who are upgrading their systems. And the idea thankfully seems to be catching on, with other organizations and charities running variations of the theme.

Similar concepts are also being developed for the recycling of mobile phones. Companies such as ReCellular and CollectiveGood in the States, and Mazuma in the UK process and refurbish donated handsets, then send them abroad to be resold in countries where consumers can’t afford the latest technology. Although this may sound a little mercenary on the surface, it both prolongs the lives of the technology and provides an affordable service to developing countries.

In addition to these, the companies also take phones that are at the end of their lives and send them to other specialist enterprises that reclaim as much material from them as possible. The reclaimed metals can then be resold and reused - a much better conclusion for them than ending up in the dustbin.

So the seeds have been sewn and all that remains is for people to start using these services on a larger scale. If nothing else, the financial rewards are there to be seen, both for individuals and businesses. And in all honesty, many of these schemes do everything for you – even as far as sending you a box to post your phone off in! So spread the word…

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September 26th, 2008

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Folky Dutch Shenanigans (and nary a clog in sight!)

Greetings, People’s Republicans! Phig Billy here back with some irreverent insight and gonzo-flavoured scribblings…

Last Saturday (September 20) I attended a concert of folk music at Holcombe Burnell Church, just outside Exeter. We have friends who live in the village of Longdown (which finds itself in the parish of Holcombe Burnell) who invited me (well actually, they invited Momma & Poppa Phig, who extended the invitation to me) to attend this concert “of folk music”. That’s all they told us. “Folk music.”

Now I know what you’re thinking, dear reader: this had not insignificant potential to be truly horrendous, and I imagined myself sweating nervously amidst a sea of hippies singing We Shall Overcome. But I must have been feeling masochistic ‘cos I replied “Why the hell not?” and then spent the car journey over there wondering exactly what flavour of folk music I had let myself in for. I guess I was hoping for something for something deep and dark and obscure, and hardcore Devonian.

: Erik played the clarinet

What I discovered was an unexpected delight: a quartet of Dutch multi-instrumentalist/vocalists (well, apart from Trilby, if that is her real name, who was born in Britain but had evidently lived long enough in the Netherlands to acquire a Dutch accent) known as “The Long, Long Walk”.

Mario played guitar

This group had compiled a set of folk songs from around the world, and proceeded to enrapture the meagre audience with wistful, magnificent melodies and tender, tragic stories of broken hearts and unrequited affection. The songs were delivered in a range of languages, which encompassed English, Dutch, Spanish, Yiddish, Russian and French. The performers were warm, sincere, humble and incredibly talented, and introduced each song thoughtfully and with precisely the right amount of explanation. While they were playing, I completed these sketches.

Peter played the funny boxy accordion thing

So many of the songs were about seafarers who had left their sweethearts behind, so I was inspired to sketch this detail behind my drawing of Trilby, and to subsequently work this into a finished piece. (Click on the image to see it full size!)

Trilby & The Seafarer

I spoke to the band afterwards, and they apparently don’t have a website or anything like that: for them, it’s just for fun. Although they said that they were hoping to record a CD at some point, so I gave them my card, and once those tracks are recorded maybe it will be possible to share some of them to some extent with you. I’ll let you know more as soon as I do.

But just because you missed this one, don’t despair! The concerts at Holcombe Burnell Church (Longdown, EX6 7RZ) are an ongoing programme and next up, on November 27, is the intriguing prospect of Afro-Celtic fusion from Su Hart!

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