Places and spaces

I find it really fascinating how humans feel the need to change and customise their surroundings to reflect their inner selves. It's a strange impulse, if you think about it, but it's one that everyone seems to have - from simple things like what furniture you choose, or putting photos of friends and family on your walls, to creating full-blown collages and murals. Even people who wouldn't classify themselves as creative wouldn't be happy living in a blank room for years on end. People like to feel like they own a space I guess, to create a mini-world according to their perceptions and inspirations. I find collages most fascinating because of what they say about a person - the way you construct a collage, how you put images together, what you include, what colours are most dominant, are all like a window into a person's mind and view of the world, made even more interesting because when people make collages they usually include images that mean the most to them, that make them happy, or that they find inspiring (even if by 'collage', all there is is a few photos of their friends from times that have meant a lot to them). So when you look at someone's walls in someone's room, or someone's house, often you're looking at the way the person wants to see the world - seeing the person at their most optimistic and hopeful, which is kind of beautiful in my opinion.

I got a roll of film developed this week off my mini diana and I'd taken a few photos of my own room to put on this blog, because my room really is one of my biggest inspirations. They're not the best photos, but you'll get the idea!

I made the collage above my bed when I was about 14/15, and the one by my desk is more recent. They're made up of cutouts from magazines, photos I found on the internet (back when Piczo was still a big deal) and photos of my friends. Plus my posters of Audrey Hepburn and London Fashion Week. As you can see, I like colour a lot!

Details from my wall. Photos generally from Vogues, Elle Decoration (for areas of block colour and because I like to vary it from being just fashion) and from online.

This is my favourite shot from any fashion shoot I've ever come across. It's Lily Cole in 2005 I think, and the photo appears on my wall at least 3 times in different sizes. I think it's so beautiful and fairytale-esque, and precisely what I meant when I was talking about a creative way of showing the what the world would be like if it was up to you. Besides, I think spiral staircases are incredibly beautiful.

Berlin 2011 (and changing fast...)

Firstly, let me apologise for the lack of posts lately!! Hopefully this one will make up for it and show you one of the reasons I've been busy lately.

(Me looking colour-coordinated with my surroundings. Tights from H&M, sailor jacket from Topshop, snood from H&M, vintage shorts, boots from a market.)

Recently I was lucky enough to get the chance to go to Berlin with my art class for a few days. Of all the places I've ever been to abroad, I've never been in a city so brimming with creativity and movement before. Berlin has a tragic and largely negative history, especially in the 20th century, due to the Nazis, the World Wars and then the ensuing divide between West Berlin and Soviet-controlled East Berlin. Up until around 20 years ago the city was still in a fragmented state both mentally and in regards to the buildings itself, and as such a large proportion of the architecture there is relatively recent. I found it fascinating and moving how a city could be on the one hand so progressive in its architecture, and yet so determined to not forget the tragedy of its past and those who suffered there (there are many monuments, in particular relating to World War 2).

('The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' - Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold)

(my friend in the amazing Jewish Museum, which serves as a architectural, interactive memorial by Daniel Libeskind)

But enough of the heavy stuff. Berlin is the most inspirational city I've ever been to! On every street there's some form of artwork, be it architecture or street art (Berlin is completely filled with some of the most talented graffiti art I've seen), so you're constantly surrounded by a sort of creative 'buzz'. There's a strong feeling of movement and evolution, which is partly why I consider myself so lucky to have visited there now - the city is still fairly young and in 20 years will have completely transformed itself.

(The Reichstag, with its dome built by Norman Foster. You can go up inside and see across the whole of Berlin!)

(Tomàs Saraceno's exhibition. He builds amazing bubble/spiderweb- like things that are huge in scale. You can even go inside some of them and it feels like you're floating.)

(Graffiti art on the streets of Berlin)

One last set of photos I wanted to share is from a flea market I went to while there. It was incredible! There was so much to buy and so many old and antique items cluttered all together in the most haphazard way. It was so beautiful too, like being in a sweet shop except huge and made up of random old things.

It's strange that when I started this blog I wanted to make it very much a fashion-orientated blog. And even though I still see it as such, it's kinda evolved to being more focused on art, though I guess the two are interlinked (well for me that's something I feel strongly as they're both things I'm so passionate about). And this post has got me wondering how things can change, and how what you choose to wear (and therefore, in my opinion, who you are) is shaped by your environment and the things you experience. Or at least that's what I feel has shaped my sense of 'fashion'.