Sickboy: Stay Free (Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art)

One more Sickboy article. Here's a link to some more stuff I wrote about his Stay Free show.

Sickboy: Stay Free
Chris Osburn
Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art
January 2009

Not content to simply wow exhibition goers with a retrospective of his best street and studio work, prolific London graffiti artist, Sickboy (whom we interviewed back in February 08), saw his recent solo show, Stay Free, as an opportunity to give something back to his fans in the way of offering his massive Stay Free Factory installation as a prize to one lucky exhibition visitor. During the December 4th through 10th run of the Stay Free exhibition, a thousand golden keys were released to the exhibition visitors with the person whose key fit the lock becoming the new owner of the Stay Free Factory (worth an estimated £20,000).

See more pics and read the complete Sickboy: Stay Free review at Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art.

Sickboy - Stay Free

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Stay Free with Street Artist Sickboy (until 10th December)
Chris Osburn
Londonist
December 4, 2008



... prolific street artist Sickboy stepped up to the challenge of wowing London’s jaded art mob with his first major solo exhibition- an exhibition that’s as defiant and provocative as it is fun and vibrant.

Read the complete Stay Free with Street Artist Sickboy review at Londonist.

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Photos: Sick Boy's "Stay Free"
Photography by Chris Osburn
Juxtapoz
Tuesday, 09 December 2008












Stay Free is open to the general public through December 10, 2008 at The Tramshed in Shoreditch, London.

See all the Sick Boy's "Stay Free" photos at Juxtapoz.

Street Photography & Camera Handling Workshop: Day Two

Yesterday was the second and final day of the Shoot Experience Street Photography & Camera Handling workshop I've been taking. Most of the day was spent "in the field" (bopping about Hoxton Square and Shoreditch High Street) applying what we were taught last Saturday. Awesomeness (and a great way to try our out new found skills while the instructor's still there for reminders and encouragement)!



I really enjoyed both full day sessions of the workshop and truly feel that I'm a better photographer than before and that I gratefully have a few more street photography tricks up my sleeve because I attended the workshop. Ultimately, getting better street shots from now on will require less button pressing and considerably less head scratching.



If Shoot Experience were to develop a follow up course, I most certainly would be keen to enroll. I can't rec this workshop highly enough. If you're hankering to improve your photography street smarts and become more aware of your SLR's full potential, have a look at the Shoot Experience events page for more workshops and other fun photo things to do.

Street Photography & Camera Handling Workshop: Day One

Wow! Just back from day one of the two-day Shoot Experience Street Photography & Camera Handling workshop (day two is next Saturday) that I previously mentioned on this blog and all I can say is that it was a brilliant way to spend my Saturday. I am so much more energized and excited about photography than I have been in a long time. And, the really cool thing is that I feel that I'm way more knowledgable (and confident!) than I was this morning before the workshop commenced. Small class size, engaging and practical instructor and lots of fun. I am so looking forward to next Saturday's class ... and to applying the lessons to my upcoming photo gigs!

Street Photography & Camera Handling Workshop

With respect to my photography, I’m starting to feel as if I’m in a rut. This is a big bummer. I’ve got a few important gigs coming up as well as an exhibition in ’09. And more than that, I just want to feel more confident about shooting and to trust my intuition much more. So I signed up for a Street Photography & Camera Handling workshop with Shoot Experience. I had a lot of fun participating in their Shoot Shoreditch photographic treasure hunt and thought they ran a tight – and incredibly well organized – ship (they seemed to know a thing or two about photography too!). So, when I found out about their upcoming Kingsland Road workshop and how it would “boost your skill set giving you the creative freedom to successfully capture the city streets,” I figured it was worth a shot (pun intended). I’ll be sure to post a review recapping how the workshop went.

The Shoot Experience Street Photography & Camera Handling workshop happens this Saturday and next (the 15th and 22nd) at 32 Kingsland Road. Geared toward photographers who “know your aperture from your shutter speed” but want to work more instinctively, effectively and creatively, the course is taught by Toby Smith (“judge, photographer and technical manager of all things Shoot Experience”) who manages a photography studio in East London and has taught practical photography everywhere "from East Africa to the East Midlands." Group size is limited to six people (very cool).

I reckon this upcoming workshop is all booked up (but please don’t take my word on that!). However, have a look at the Shoot Experience events page for more workshops and other fun photo things to do.

Heston Blumenthal Gets his Scientific Drink on with Sherry! (Londonist)

Heston Blumenthal Gets his Scientific Drink on with Sherry!
Chris Osburn, Food & Drink Editor

Londonist

September 30, 2008









Oh Sherry, there’s no reason to be all alone anymore! “Culinary alchemist” Heston Blumenthal (of Fat Duck fame), with scientist Professor Don Mottram of Reading University, has discovered a group of compounds known as diketopiperazines (try saying that drunk without offending someone) in Sherry. Apparently, these diketopiperazines are thought to accentuate the taste and flavour of “umami-rich” foods. In case you haven’t caught the blurps, umami is a newly discovered fifth tasting sense beyond sweet, sour, bitter and salty ... Photography ... from the event here.

Read the complete Heston Blumenthal/Sherry post at Londonist.

London Daily Photo: Angel Shoreditch

London Daily Photo: Angel Shoreditch
Photography by Chris Osburn © 2008
Interested in contributing a photograph of London to this blog? Click here for details.

I Shot Shoreditch

Here's a video from Saturday's Shoot Shoreditch photographic treasure hunt. You can read more about it in my Qype does London post, Shooting Shoreditch.



Big ups to super photographer teammates amanda, jemimah_knight, and rawedge for making the day so much fun.



More pics on Flickr.

London Daily Photo: Shoreditch High Street

London Daily Photo: Shoreditch High Street
Photography by Chris Osburn © 2008
Interested in contributing a photograph of London to this blog? Click here for details.

New York Times Discover Hackney

This article is perhaps best filedeunder "Oh so 2 years ago" or "Yawnsville" but here ya go:

New Home for Arts Refugees
By JOSHUA DAVID STEIN
New York Times
Published: March 9, 2008

But in the past few years, a new kind of refugee has landed on Hackney’s teeming streets. Artists, designers and young bohemians in ever-skinnier jeans are getting priced out of nearby Shoreditch, and opening bars, clubs and galleries in this gritty immigrant enclave. But since Hackney is already densely and vibrantly packed, these new establishments are often hidden below, above and even within existing storefronts.

Click here for complete article.

Sanderson Bob’s "Pure Yet Complex" at Kemistry Gallery, London (Juxtapoz)

Sanderson Bob’s "Pure Yet Complex" at Kemistry Gallery, London
by Chris Osburn
Juxtapoz
Thursday, 14 February 2008














Pure Yet Complex, the first UK solo exhibition by graphic designer Sanderson Bob, ... features a selection of limited edition lithographic posters, explores the artist's "interest in line, color, perspective, movement and the edges of things."

Click here for complete post.

Londonist asks "What's for Lunch?" Franco's Take Away

Here's another What's for Lunch? post for Londonist. Stayed tuned for subsequent instalments on Tuesdays around noon.

What’s for Lunch? Franco's Take Away
by Chris Osburn
Londonist
January 22, 2008









Solid sarnies and proper pastas (in a Shoreditch caff sort of way at least) sum up this humble joint ... if you like your spoons slippery with grease, this is the place.

Click here for complete review.