There are artists from around the world donating work, with more getting involved as this project snowballs every day. Some of the artists so far include; David Shrigley, Genevieve Gauckler, Bob Kronbauer, Simon Peplow, Alex Trochut and Rob Ryan with photographers Ye Rin Mok,  Cass Bird and Valerie Phillips recently getting involved.

The piece i’ve donated was created with Jonny Costello originally in a project with Digiki. We’ve also included a signed one-off print of the work on archival quality paper which will go into a live auction at the end of the project.

The first time we’ve done anything like this and a lot of fun, there will be more.

I read the other day they sell over 100,000 t-shirts a month!

The show at Analogue is gong to run all month until April 28th. I’m not sure where the next stop for the show will be, but if its anything like this one it’s going to be great. More pictures from the night on mine and Analogue’s Flickr pages

There’s a little more about the exhibition and the people behind it in something I wrote in October here.

The Joyful Bewilderment
28th March 2009 – 28th April 2009
Opening: Saturday 28th March, 7pm-9pm

Analogue Books
102 West Bow
Edinburgh
EH1 2HH
UK

“The idea is a simple one. That people who Do things, can inspire the rest of us to go and Do things too”.

Linked in part with the good people at Howies, the idea came from a conversation between two of it’s founders over the dining table one night about how to do something about the things we care about.

“They can be small Do’s or big Do’s or just plain amazing extraordinary Do’s. But when you listen to their stories, they just light a fire in your belly to go and Do your thing, your passion, the thing that sits in the back your head each day, just waiting, and waiting for you to follow your heart”.

Its an amazing project that took place in the middle of a forest in Cilgerran, Wales. You can subscribe to the podcast here, or go to the website where you can watch or download the lectures. Work your way through, read about the people, there’s a lot to learn and enjoy

Alastair McIntosh was one of the great speakers at the Do lectures, and it was actually a post on the Howies site about him that originally got me interested. It was a list taken from a book of his entiltled ‘rekindling the community’ from a page about how to build a community.

here it is:

• turn off your tv
• leave your house
• know your neighbours
• greet people
• look up when you’re walking
• sit on your stoop
• plant flowers
• use your library
• play together
• buy from local merchants
• share what you have
• help a lost dog
• take children to the park
• honour elders
• support neighbourhood schools
• fix it even if you didn’t break it
• have pot lucks
• garden together
• pick up litter
• read stories aloud
• dance in the street
• talk to your mail carrier
• lsiten to the birds
• put up a swing
• help carry something heavy
• barter for your goods
• start a tradition
• ask a question
• hire young people for odd jobs
• organise a block party
• bake extra and share
• ask for help when you need it
• open your shades
• sing together
• share your skills
• take back the night
• turn up the music
• turn down the music
• listen before you react to anger
• mediate a conflict
• seek to understand
• learn from new and uncomfortable angles
• know that no one is silent though many are not heard
• work to change this

The lecture by Andrew Whitley  ‘Why Bread Needs Time?’ is interesting and scary at the same time. I’d only just started making my own bread about 3 weeks before watching it, now i’m happy that I did.

All images © The Do Lectures

All of the plates are now up for auction with proceeds going to a very good cause, the Athlete Recovery Fund. Many of the auctions have already ended, with the rest ending in the next couple of days. You can go to the main page here, or a direct link to the auction pages here.

My work was taken from a set of limited edition large format postcards and printed on handmade paper. The individually numbered cards were produced for the Meme art project and opening of the Adam et Ropé Gallery and Store in Shibuya, Tokyo. The four individual cards join to form a single image. All of the shapes and typography were made with handcut wood blocks which were also exhibited as a sculpture during the opening.

A larger print run of two colour postcards based on the wood cut typography and block shapes was also produced and distributed throughout Tokyo in the run up to the exhibition.

There are some people who are a little more known like James Jarvis, Lucy Mclauchlan, Stefan Marx, Josh Petherick and Andy Jenkins, but all of the artists here are well established in their given fields and you’ll certainly  know a lot of their names. Each will be showing a single piece of work, and as far as I know, they’ll all be for sale.

The show is the hard work of four good people who are doing something pretty special here (especially when you look at the list of people taking part) all for the love of it; Simon Peplow, Marcus Oakley, Lawrence Roper and Holly Wales will also feature in the show themselves.

I’m still finishing my piece, which is in progress, but it will get there…

The show will run from 2nd until the 27th of October with plans to tour later in the year. You should try to make it to the private view on the 2nd of October from 7 until 12, with live musical accompaniment from Einstellung

Rough Trade East Gallery, Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

List of artists: Abby Portner (USA) / Adam Hayes (UK) / Adrian Fleet (UK) / Alex Higlett (UK) / Alice Stevenson (UK) / Amy Brown (UK)  Amy Ruppel (USA) / Andre Razo (USA) / Andreas Banderas (NOR) / Andreas Samuelsson (SWE) / Andy Jenkins (USA)  Andy Rementer (USA) / Anna Peaker (UK) / Ben Javens (UK) / Ben Newman (UK) / Brent Wadden (CAN) / Cat Johnston (UK) / Chrissie Abbott (UK) / Chris Bourke (UK) / Chris Keenan (UK) / Chris Magnusson (SWE) / Christopher Bettig (FRA)  Clare Shilland (UK) / Cornelia O’ Donovan (UK) / Crayonlegs (UK) / Craig Atkinson (UK) / Damien Correll (USA) / Danny Sturgess (UK) / Dean Sullivan (USA) / Derek Albeck (USA) / Emerald Mosley (UK) / Emily Twomey (UK) / Eric Shaw (UK) / E*Rock (USA) / Errol Richardson (CAN) / French (UK) / Garrett Morin (USA) / Grady McFerrin (USA) / Gwenola Carrere (BEL) / Hiroshi Kariya (JAP) / Holly Stevenson (USA) / Holly Wales (UK) / James Jarvis (UK) / Jenny Bowers (UK) / Jethro Haynes (UK) / Jesse Brown (USA) / Jesse Spears (USA) / Jim Stoten (UK) / Joanna Marie Beaumont (UK)  Jody Barton (UK) / Joe83 (POL) / Joseph Allen (AUS) / Joseph Arthur (USA) / Josh Petherick (AUS) / Justin Fines (USA) / Justin B Williams (USA) / Lala Ladcani (ARG) / Lawrence Roper (UK) / Lee Basford (UK) / Leila Shetty (UK) / Lucy Mclauchlan (UK) / Luke Ramsey (CAN) / Maja Sten (SWE) / Marco Velardi (ITA) / Marcus Oakley (UK) / Marcus Walters (UK) / Matt Cassity (US)  Matthew Feyld (CAN) / Matthew Hodson (UK) / Matthew Lock (UK) / Maxwell Paternoster (UK) / Merijh Hos – Bfree (NL)  Melvin Galapon (UK) / Michael Kirkham (UK) / Michael Perry (USA) / Michael Swaney (CAN) / Mogu Takahashi (JAP)Nathaniel Russell (USA) / Nick White (UK) / Nigel Peake (N. IRE) / Nigel Robinson (UK) / Ok Bang (ITA) / Ola Vasiljeva (NL) / Patrick Gildersleeves (UK) / Petra Borner (SWE) / Randy Laybourne (USA) / Richard T Clarke (UK) / Richard Coldicott (UK) / Rik Cooper (UK) / Rick Myers (UK) / Robin Cameron (USA) / Robert Hanson (SCO) / Rob Ryan (UK) / Rui Tenreiro (NOR) / Ryan Jacob Smith (USA) / Ryan Waller (USA) / Sarajo Friedeh (USA) / Scott Barry (USA) / Shoboshobo (FRA) / Stefan Marx (GER) / Stef Grindley (UK) / Steven Harrington (USA) / Stine Belden Røed (NOR) / Stuart Kolakovic (UK) / Simon Peplow (UK) / Simon True (UK) / Sumi Ink Club (USA) / Supermundane (UK) / Susan Cianciolo (US) / Tetsunori Tawaraya (JAP) / Till Thomas (GER) / Tim Head (UK) / Toby Shuall (UK) / Tsz Wan Ting (HK) / Tuukka Kaila (FIN) / Valerie Philips (USA) / Vaughan Baker (UK) / Wouter Vanhaelmeesch (BEL) / Yuka Katagiri (JAP) / Ron Rege Jr  (USA) / Anna Giertz (SWE) / Nous Vous(UK)

The book is part of a series which includes Signs, Letters and Recipes, all celebrating the beauty and idiosyncratic nature of a hand written document, which in many cases can give you a better, or at least a different understanding of the subject in question.

As the book on signs explains “A hand written sign is speech made visible. In speaking there is gesture, body motion, and facial expression. The effort to transfer speech to paper signs often include underlining, circling, stars and boxes around words. The spontaneous punctuation helps the message sink in”.

Postalco produce much more than their collection of beautiful small books though (amazingly held together by a single well placed staple). They produce a range of really well made products reminiscent of a time when things were made properly and actually lasted long enough not to have to replace them, objects like bags and notepads that actually get better with age. They select very tactile, natural materials like pressed cotton, leather and paper for all of their products.

The company originated in Brooklyn but is now located in Japan with their studio and showroom in Kyobashi, Tokyo. What began with an interest in the international transport of mail progressed to paper, its immediacy, warmth and universal nature, which in turn led to some experimentation and research in to methods of carrying paper.

Their designer, Mike Abelson had a really interesting exhibition a few years back at Issey Miyake’s MDS/G space titled ‘Carrying Research’ based on his work exploring how humans in different countries and eras carry objects. The exhibition displayed his research and notebooks compiled over the last 8 years. Pingmag had a piece on the show back in 2005.