Have a break....

....join Tupperware club!
For as long as I can remember, Dad has used this classic KitKat Tupperware container to take his lunch to work. He'd be more than welcome at AMV where myself and a few others unashamedly flaunt our ware and the packed lunch we carry in it. It is the Credit Crunch after all.

The Seed....

....Johnny Kelly of Nexus has created this beautiful short following the life cycle of an apple seed.

The Seed:


He was also responsible for this incredible short, that I posted on this blog some while ago.

Procrastination:

Charity shops rock....

....Another joy about being back home, Whitley Bay in particular, is the large number of charity shops within walking distance. I first started shopping in them from the age of 14/15, much to the dismay of class mates at the time! They have served me well over the years and yesterday was no different.

Mum's Mug / Dad's mug - loving the typography!


Faux Barbour style quilted jacket made by our very own G.T Sportswear of Gateshead!?


Stacking mugs

Angel Of The North....

.....I am now back in Newcastle for Christmas, and for the first time in 10 years since its erection, I managed to get up close and personal with Antony Gormley's 'Angel'.

Christmas feast....

....Hannah & Max hosted a dinner for several friends last night.
It was an incredible spread that made my last night in London pre-xmas a well fed one before leaving for Newcastle today. Thank you guys.

Hannah & Max's place....

....is smart. Beautiful design and even an espresso cup collection.
Heck, there are even pillars outside - P O S H !

The last stand....

....TBC decided to gather one last time in 2008.
Drinks in the Princess Alice were followed by curry at Lahore, followed by fun on top of Spitalfields car park.
A record nine of us made it out and had a great time - confirming that 2009 will be a strong year for TBC.







TBC Last Stand from Roy Barker on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas....

....from me & some microwaves. (you'll need sound for this).

Pasta al burnto.....

....What happens when you put pasta on the stove then wake up 4 hours later? This:

Andy Vs Robin....

....Today Chris and I went to the Hayward Gallery to see the Andy Warhol and Robin Rhode exhibitions. I didn't really know whether or not I was a Warhol fan before today, but I have realised that I'm not. The show was over bearing and much too focused on his random video pieces that I had no patience to endure. His photographs were intriguing in that they captured celebrities of the time and his screen prints are iconic, but they were few and far between. The Robin Rhode show, in contrast, was superb - fresh, new, fun and purposeful. Instantly understandable, I appreciated this work straight away...more so for seeing it after Mr. Warhol!

Warhol ('s rubbish)




Robin Rhode (is very good).

East End Friends....

....Richie had a poster in One Ton Show, at Shoreditch Town Hall. Chris, Nick and I went to see the show, then caught up with Rich, Anne & Clementine in the Geffrye Museum cafe afterwards, along with quite a few others!

Masters....

....Nana got an early xmas pressie from mum & dad - a trip to the Royal Albert Hall to watch the Masters tennis. I lucked out and was included in the deal, so spent a great day with nana, tennis and food.



The tennis itself was fantastic and I was privileged to finally see Pete Sampras play live. I played a lot of tennis growing up and whilst Agassi was my hero, it was 'Pistol Pete' I regarded as a true genius. Despite his loss, he still showed signs of the grace, agility and power that won him so many titles in his illustrious career.



The surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall was a wonderful backdrop to the afternoon, that culminated in a doubles match involving Henri Leconte and Jeremy Bates amongst others. It turned in to something of an exhibition, with Leconte in a particularly clown-like mood, leaving a smile on everyone's face as they left.

Say you, say me....

....AMV have a canny knack of reminding us why we enjoy working for the agency. At the final bar meeting of the year, they played this video of certain members of staff, proving that we're all able to work & play hard. Spot my cameo!


Say you, say me from Roy Barker on Vimeo.


We also had a sneaky xmas party, after thinking we'd been Credit Crunched out of one this year:

ABC3D....

....Alicia bought this book by Marion Bataille. Genius!

Caffeine hit....

....Climpson & Sons on Broadway Market, E8 is far and away the best coffee I have ever drunk. Mix it with some breakfast and natter with friends and you have the perfect combination to start a Sunday.

TBC Friday....

...On a cold damp Friday night, TBC took to the streets.
It all ended with drag races on Pall Mall, in which I
stormed to victory!

Charity art sale....

....At work the artbuying department held an anonymous photography sale with proceeds going to Kids Company.
250 unnamed A5 images, all signed, (on the back!) and priced at £35, were on display two days in advance of the sale. Employees were then invited to pick their favourites and race to reception at 6pm last Thursday to buy them. I managed to bag a James Day portrait of Thom Yorke and a customised bicycle from Satoshi Minakawa.

Thom Yorke by James Day


Customised bicycle by Satoshi Minakawa

Cardboard concept....

....Magma book shop has a concept store on Earlham
Street, London that is furnished entirely with cardboard.
It's been open a while, but I've not yet pulled my
finger out to make a visit. Click here for more info.

Pinch and a punch....

....for the first of the month.
December is here and so is an installation in the reception at my work. The salvaged tree with paper leaves is a collaboration between Hattie Newman and Alex Ostrowski, whilst the illustrated doors and windows are courtesy of TipToe Collective.

Do you suffer from long term memory loss?

....





By Rebecca Murtaugh.