blog:proleno

Colin Heavingham is now the artist in residence at the Old Boy’s Club at Dalston, UK.

Steve Savage, of the Old Boys Club, has purchased eight paintings of Colin Heavingham’s work and has hung them as a permanent exhibition. When other exhibitions take place the pictures can be privately viewed by emailing Steve.

The title of the exhibition is “Chaos and Nonconformity” and it deals with the “other” side of life, the people and situations that arise from disorganization or radical thoughts.

The “Nude Shopper” is an example, then the “I Love My Dog” painting is a cool look at sex on the net involving beasts. The “Bad Businessman” painting is a cartoon of the violent bully who wheels and deals and “The Puppet” is a picture of one puppet working another of another race.

The list of titles is available on request again by emailing Steve Savage.

Turkish designer Erdem Akan has merged Middle Eastern tradition with European and American style in his Turkish Reforms Collection.

His Fesscap caught our eye. Inspired by the traditional fez and combined with elements of the baseball cap, Fesscap aspires to becoming the “hat of the century”, according to Erdem.

Handmade from a mixture of wool and felt, in addition to traditional red it is also available in black, white and purple. With the winter months now descending upon us we can see this stylish bit of headgear being a real winner.

Street markets are as much a part of London as pigeons or the Underground, but they are often only visited as a tourist attraction. The newly launched ‘The London Market Guide’ gives an essential insight into the true nature of London’s 70 street markets. And, of course, with Christmas fast approaching what better time to hunt out some unusual and funky gifts that won’t break the bank!

Researched and written by Andrew Kershman, The London Market Guide gives Londoners and tourists alike a simple way of selecting the right market to visit. A detailed review of each market is given, providing a complete picture of each market’s atmosphere, including profiles of the market traders and information on the goods for sale.

“Few Londoners realise the range and high quality of produce available on their doorsteps from street markets,” comments Kershman. “I’ve been watching the changes in London’s markets for over 15 years and have seen how much they have adapted, while remaining a vital part of London life and its economy.”

The importance of London markets to communities has been highlighted by the Mayor of London. His recently appointed Chair of London Food, Rosie Boycott, spoke at a London Markets Symposium in October to raise awareness of the economic and social importance of markets.

“As varied as the Capital itself, London’s street markets play an important role in building communities,” comments Kershman. “Many people just think of farmers’ markets, which provide an important means for British farmers to sell directly to the public. However, food is just one element of London’s markets - for example at North Cross Street Market visitors can get everything from antiques to retro clothing, as well as fresh meat and fish.”

In addition to an in-depth review of each market, the guide provides essential information such as maps, opening times, and nearby attractions, making it an essential for any London shopper.

Available as a pocketbook paperback published by Metro Publications it costs £7.99 and is available from retail stores including Waterstone’s, Borders and Foyles, as well as a number of museum shops such as Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery. It is also available online from Amazon.

British designer Oliver Hemming has released an outstanding new clock collection branded “Time”, signifying the continuing development of his iconic range of decorative home accessories which includes his award winning Nio collection as well as his famous Spice Boy .

Proleno has just taken delivery of the first batch of stock in the UK just in time for Christmas.

With Christmas fast approaching and the credit crunch hitting the economy hard, it seems many will be looking for affordable gifts this festive season.

With prices starting at £9.95, traditional bakers Meg Rivers offer a clever and cost-effective Christmas solution. Select from their range of delicious cakes and baked goods - ideal secret Santa presents or the perfect token gift for a work colleague, client, friend or a family member.

The individually made goods are delivered to the door and can be ordered online or by telephone, easing the stress of Christmas shopping.

Founded nearly 20 years ago, Meg Rivers has become synonymous with luxury home baking. Using only the finest ingredients sourced from its local corner of Warwickshire, Meg Rivers’ cakes are renowned across the world as family favourites using only wholesome and natural products.

The home-baked treats include rib-sticking chocolate cake, punchy ginger cake, tray bakes and a seasonal Christmas cake. Available in large or small sizes, cakes can be ordered for next working day delivery.

Their telephone number is (+44) 01608 682858 or see their website.

One of the most active and exciting designers working today, Spanish born Patricia Urquiola exhibits Landscape, her recent porcelain range for the ceramic manufacturers Rosenthal.

From dinnerware to tea sets as well as cutlery and glass, this exquisite design, which took over four years to develop, combines smooth simplicity with richly textured surface pattern.

Patricia Urquiola – Purely Porcelain presents the whole process from concept, through the process of manufacture, to finished product.

See the complex, experimental and collaborative stages that transform a vision into a finished usable product.

Patricia Urquiola – Purely Porcelain can be viewed at London’s Design Museum. The exhibition runs until 25 January 2009.

The bagel is back in fashion. Whether its because of its semi-starring role in TV show “The OC” or whether its simply down to a recent advertising campaign for New York Bagels is difficult to say but one thing that we know for sure is that the bagel is king right now and sales of bagel guillotines, especially the one featured in The OC, have rocketed. Its fast approaching iconic status and appears to be this year’s must-have kitchen accessory.

Both simple and safe to use, you end up with a perfectly sliced bagel and no need to go reaching for the Elastoplast!

Dishwasher safe, a good guarantee, expensive enough to mean something but inexpensive enough to not require a new mortgage, plus a lovely gift box, makes this a great Christmas gift too. But, if your other half is hankering after something that sparkles this won’t cut the mustard. On the other hand, its a great gift for a friend or a sibling!

Available from Proleno.

At last the long awaited retro-style kitchen wall clock has been launched. After some considerable delay in its manufacture, German company Wesco has finally launched this stunning new clock with a 50’s retro look as part of its much hailed Classic Line range.

The high quality metal case features a colour finish and chrome elements and even comes with integrated timer!

Other products in the range include a bread bin, cookie or biscuit box, storage canisters, a great whistling hob kettle and a stunning knife block, all available in various matching colours.

Definitely a date for the diary for Alessi fans, Alberto Alessi will be at London’s Design Museum and in conversation with Museum Director Deyan Sudjic on 24 November at 7.15pm.

Alessi will be responding to footage from a selection of the ‘Design Interviews’, a series of DVDs produced by Museo Alessi, co-edited by Museo Alessi and Edizioni Corraini and directed by Anna Pitscheider.

Featured in the short films are five masters of design - Andrea Branzi, Achille Castiglioni, Alessandro Mendini, Richard Sapper and Ettore Sottsass.

To reserve seats call 020 7940 8783 or they can be booked online at Ticketweb.

Belgian designer James Van Vossel has just won a prize at Interieur 08 for his Z-Ball: innovative seating for kids in a learning environment. It reminds us of the old space hopper from a few years back. Those of us who are starting to experience “senior moments” will remember it with a wry smile!

Z-Ball is an inflatable ball with 3 handles. The position of the handles stimulates a better position of the 5-attitudes of the back.

We’re struggling to find out much more about this item and James’s website, whilst very funky, does not easily let you see the product, so if anyone knows more about this cool bit of kid’s seating or even where it might be purchased, please let us know!