Down the winding Carnaby Street is this gem of a show from one of Kala Phool’s associated artists. ‘Archipelago‘, from brilliant upcoming illustrator Sri is now up till 13 September 2010 and not a show you should miss.
The third artist to be featured by Eastpak Gallery at their flagship store in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street, Sri McKinnon is an artist and illustrator of Eurasian heritage.
Having grown up in both South East Asia and the UK, she draws upon the experience of this mixed background as a significant influence in her work. In reference to her cultural heritage, ‘Archipelago’ is a body of work inspired by nostalgia for the lush and tropical landscapes of her childhood.
Depicting ethereal scenery fused with a gentle surrealist and mystic quality; nature and femininity are predominant recurring themes in her work. Enchanted floating islands, sleeping giants, rock formations and delicate tropical flora all feature, inciting the the viewer to indulge their imagination and create an interpretation of his or her own construction.
SRI’s notable projects include being invited to perform at live drawing events at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (Heavy Pencil) and The Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, and being invited to lead a series of youth art workshops at the Charlie Dark curated ‘Bring The Noise’ event in response to the Chris Ofili retrospective at the Tate Britain.
Show runs 15th July - 13th September.
For artist bookings, commission quotes and interviews please get in touch with Kala Phool through the CONTACT page.
Originating as the Brighton Hip Hop Festival (BHHF) in 2004 and rebranded in 2008, Rising Styles (RS) has become the UK’s largest annual celebration of International Hip Hop culture. In the past few years the one-week festival has gone from strength to strength and is recognised as a must attend event for all Hip Hop enthusiasts, as well as anyone with an interest in the many art forms that are comprised within the culture.
Organised by arts development agency KALA PHOOL, Rising Styles exists as ‘not for profit’ to celebrate the richness, strength and diversity of Hip Hop culture, with many of its events free to attend. Historically the festival has been supported by a range of the large public funders, sponsors and businesses.
Rising Styles into the future
Building on the success of previous years, Rising Styles has developed a fantastic line up of high profile events, designed to appeal to audiences new and old. They have included:
Fresh Styles Hip Hop Film Festival
Poetry and MC shows
Youth workshops in music production, MC-ing, DJ-ing, breakdancing and art and design
Live public art including Frieze Box
Battlejam (a day long breakdance event)
Art Exhibition
Hip Hop Foundation (educational programme)
Festival CD
Performances – indoor & outdoor
Conversations
Meeting Up sessions
2009 saw Rising Styles move to October with a new format.
The natural evolution of Rising Styles has allowed the artforms within it to grow but as a team, Rising Styles will only deliver where there is a demand, want and interest. This way of working has enabled many artists and events within the large programme to thrive and bring in a varied audience from across the globe.
Sponsorship
As a not for profit festival run by a small team of volunteers and the need for financial support is immense. If you are a sponsor who wants to connect with this dynamic sector and varied audience then do get in touch. This is your opportunity to be a part of something spectacular that shouts from the rooftops its commitment to Hip Hop’s grassroot beginnings and become a festival Hero.
MI21 is a dynamic live audio/visual project to re-score and re-visualize the groundbreaking ‘tour-de-force’ of Indian cinematic history ‘Mother India’.
Nominated for an Oscar for best Foreign Film in 1957, the film came to symbolise the post-colonial Indian psyche interpreted through the ambitions, struggles, compassion and sheer will to survive of the central ‘Mother’ character Radha. Profoundly influential, Mother India was lauded for its stunning cinematography, indelible soundtrack and powerful and dramatic storyline.
KALA PHOOL has brought the film to one of the world’s leading Turntablists; DJ Tigerstyle, to reinterpret the score through a unique live electronic performance. Former World DMC Champion Tigerstyle will use his phenomenal DJ skills and musical vision to remix the score with Matt Constantine on keyboards and cello, with David Shaw on drums. Film edited by Josh Ford. Presenting the film to a contemporary audience, whilst preserving the power and vitality of the original piece is the key to this work. At 45minutes in length, MI21 will engage you through the music to understand how dynamic a story the film has to tell.
2009 was the highly acclaimed sell out UK tour for MI21 with thousands of people experience this for themselves. Plans for 2010 include taking MI21 across international territories along with some exclusive UK dates.
MI21 is launching in Australia – yes you read right – we are incredibly lucky to have such great support from two of the worlds most amazing venues. The Australian season launches at the Arts Centre in Melbourne from 4-6 March 2010 with entirely free performances and conversations with the MI21 team. MI21 then goes to the Sydney Opera House on 7 March 2010 for its finale Australian performance.
If you are a venue, festival, arts centre, film festival, film programmer or anyone who would consider this work as part of their programme, do get in touch.
Press Contact
For all MI21 2009 UK TOUR press support please contact:
Founded back in 1999. Film-maker Pritt Kalsi embarked on his project KING OF THE BEATS. For over 20 years he has been involved in Hip Hop Culture, looking for those breaks beats and samples.
In tradition of DJs Such as Jazzy Jay, Marley Marl, Premier and Pogo, Pritt founded what was to be the blueprint for this thing called beat battles. Before the 1999 film KING OF THE BEATS there were no beat battles.
His aim is too keep that vinyl culture alive. From the days when Djs would look for those breakbeats for a $1, turning them into some of the most classic records we all love to this day.
The challenge…..each artist has a budget of £20 to go find records. They have to find the drums, samples and music. They then have to return to their studio and build a beat. Doesn’t sound too complicated? You only have one day to complete the whole task.
Pioneers, legends, established and up and coming artists all share this platform. See how they take on the task, choice of records, how they work in the studio, learn some of their production techniques. Most importantly they all share one common bond, their love for good quality real Hip Hop music.
This is a platform for real artists.
For further information, King Of The Beats bookings and where you can see the next event, don’t hesitate to get in touch with KALA PHOOL.
