Floating on heaven

Selfridges has opened up the roof of its Oxford Street building in celebration of the UK launch of Truvia, the calorie-free sweetener made with the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf. Created by Bompas & Parr, the Truvia Voyage of Discovery installation invites visitors to row across an emerald green, stevia plant-bordered boating lake whilst enjoying panoramic views of the capital. Guests are invited to drink from the creative menu of Truvia-infused cocktails which are specially concocted by The Experimental Cocktail Club’s waiters and served from both the island and boat-up bars. A tropical soundscape written by composer Dom James, also provides the perfect background to the adventure, inspired by the South American origins of the stevia plant.

My last experience of the culinary mad scientists was a chocolate waterfall you walked through and then got to bottle up some of the chocolate to take home with you. Massively Willy Wonka in everything they do but what could possibly be wrong with that? Nothing, I say, although adding more marshmallow based ideas into the equation would be no bad thing.

Still, Bompas and Parr, I salute you.

Cinema on the streets of London

This is a trailer for my most recent project which was the second collaboration between Stella Artois Black and Punchdrunk theatre group.
This was the creation of a wonderful team at Mother London and I'm very proud of the final outcome which was a seven scene story that took place across a number of locations around east London.
I'll post up a film of scene one shortly but for now this is a bit of a teaser as to what happens.

The story is playing out until the 1st September so there's still plenty of time to get in on the action - and I promise it is action filled. Think action, thriller, fear, beauty and tearjerking romance and you're nearly there.

Goodbye to the Queen of Camden Town

As female British pop music of late goes she was definitely the top of my list.
Amazing look (the best hair in decades - be it real or otherwise), amazing voice, heartfelt, heartbreaking songs, very funny and the sort of troubled tragic soul that really sincerely wished would get better as you just knew she had so many more great songs to share with the world.
I don't want to put her in the Pete Doherty pile as a drug addict loser - she was obviously a drug addict but ultimately she fell in love, got in with the wrong crowd and I suppose had an addictive personality that took her down a very dark path. It's really really sad and I wish someone or something could have helped get her out of it.

But on the upside there are all the brilliant, beautiful songs she's created to enjoy.
She is Camden's very own Janis Joplin and I truly hope she can rest in peace x

In the words of another Stevie: "happy birthday to ya"

Those searching for a middle ground between tough and ethereal might have found their Dream Girl in Stevie Nicks. The rock n' roll icon struck a delicate aesthetic balance between earth and air, captivating fans onstage with her music - and offstage with her style. Last month marked Nicks' 63rd birthday. Happy belated Birthday to an icon and a legend.
And if you haven't read the tell all book by Carol Anne Harris then I suggest you do so immediately.
As the woman to follow in Stevie's footsteps with Lindsey Buckingham she was always going to try and paint Stevie as a bit of a lunatic but really she just comes across as the coolest white witch around.
Long live Stevie.

Scotland in the 80s

A massively underrated song by one of Scotland's finest Simple Minds.
Can't claim to be a fan of Jim and co post 80s but this song is an amazing underrated gem.
And what a video. Jim's trousers alone deserve high praise!

Video Portraits no. 1

Video Portrait 1 - Kev Soar from danny sangra on Vimeo.

Number one in an ongoing series of video portraits. Created by the genius and all-round-lovely-lovely-man Danny Sangra
These video portraits will culminate in a very beautiful exhibition in the near future.

The sound for all of these films is created by music magician Matt Waites

World turned dayglo

"Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard..” Poly Styrene was the iconic lead singer of punk band, X-Ray Spex - a breath of fresh air in an oversubscribed genre. Poly sang about the plastic nature of consumerism with her seemingly untamed voice which she would distort to emit a rather frightening scream. Now she is back with new album, ‘Generation Indigo’…
RIP.