Londonesquapades

I'm in the process of developing a product for the popup-shop event that we're organizing to fund our 3rd year degree show, it'll take place between 31 May and 7 June. You should all come and buy our things. It's going well but it's all a bit full-on and right now I'm kind of stuck. So just to get away from the intense research, prototype & brainstorm sessions for a bit I though I'd edit and post some photos that I took with my BlackBerry during the past year. These are bits of my London life and this collection makes my life look a bit like a Lomo-romance, which it absolutely isn't. I used to love to cross-process but don't have the time or money to indulge in such luxury analog photography anymore. :'( Back to work now. x

Hangover photo upload I

The British Museum, The V&A, Russia&Kazachstan represent, Electric Avenue Butchers, what happens when you try to set one of these on fire.

5 Years of Party&Bullshit in Photographs

So after 2 weeks of touching base, enjoying the sun and getting sorted at the other homefront, I'm back in London. I'm one week away from starting my 2nd year at uni and regardless of how much fun I've had, I can't wait. One of the necessary things that needed to be done was to organize the contents of my laptop, discs and hard drives. I found out that I have more than 10.000 images on one of my harddrives alone! I got a request to gather all the pictures that I took and that were taken of my Dutch friends over the past years; a hommage style artwork is in order. So I set up a Flickr account, 400 images so far and counting. Looking over the series, a very predictible pattern of hanging, partying and bullshitting occures and I know, how many photographs can one take of a bunch of slackers getting smashed before it gets boring and repetitive, right? It's not at all the case, they're memory generating images of awesome people having fabulous times and as I can see ourselved growing progressively older, slower, fatter and wiser an eyewatering feel of nostalgia creeps up on me. So for those who haven't been around (for long) I've posted some previews of what's taken place in my world the past 5 years. I want to thank all of those in the Netherlands, the UK and New Zealand for contributing but above all praise to those who would allow me to steal their souls! Bedankt mensen, me love you longtime. -x-

And we're back haha.

Home...

it's been 7 days since my return from a 3.5 week lasting springbreak in the Netherlands. It started of with a crazy busride from London Victoria Station to my hometown Den Bosch, including loud bagpipe&kilt rocking Scotsmen on a mission to Amsterdam to attend the football match that once again proved that Scotland can't beat the Netherlands (just give up, wankers), a drunken teenage Ozzie who threw up on the bus and a Maroccan busdriver who completely lost it after he'd discovered Ozzie threw up on his bus. Maroc's mouth was foaming and he was determined to leave him behind along the road in Calais and everyone including a mentally unstable Belgian woman went nuts. After every bus trip I tell myself NEVER to make use of the Euroline services again and every time I do end up travelling by bus and something dramatic happens. I solemnly swear I'm flying next time. Fucking Eurolines. But my holiday was great; those few weeks were all about my homeboys, my cats, my parents, getting smashed, putting things in perspective, maxing and relaxing in the sun and it was fucking lush. It was summer of 2004 all over again; sunshine, familiar faces, the skate park, sneakers & spliffs, party & bullshit. Also, hiphop wise things are going rather well for DenBosch, very good to see. I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm really really, like really living in 2 countries now. And that goes for actually physically and mentally being in the Netherlands too. yes I have two homes and I feel rather blessed now. I love the fact that I've found that peace again. It puts an end to some of the familiar violent thoughts that I've grown rather weary of. Anyway I'm fine with having to spend time in both countries now, which is a first for me, it took a while to get used to it. The transition phases still slightly seemed to be getting to me but as soon as I arrived in either destination everything felt more natural whereas in the past it took me several days spent sedated and in solitude to get back on track again. I got off the bus, smoked a fag, looked around me, took a few deep breaths and made my way home. For once I could let go of the tension and constant observation and look past the criticism. Babysteps mang, I'm uptight and anal retentive like that. I'm not perfect like you. :)

Last day of term.

It was an amazing term. Thanks for the knowledge, the enlightment, the bullshit, the fun, the critique, the bigups, the catfights, the the tolerance, the lunches, the dinners, the parties and a special thanks to Mr. James Quintessential Norris for closing it off. Sampson, I'll never forget how you melancholically shouted in my ear that Jarvis' Cocker's 'Common People' is my song. It's yours darling! Happy holidays and safe travels all, word to yo moms. XBX