SCABs

Group SCAB – What’s the best dot you collected in the last week?

 

Adeline: I went to Take Fucking Risks on Wednesday. Had loads of work to do, but still took the time to go. Didn’t regret it for a second. Vikki’s talk reminded me of how being you is the best way to be funny – we had our stand up comedy on the next Sunday, and Mr Bingo just reminded me of how the simplest jokes can be the best – my partner and I are working on a brief for Comedy School.

 

Holly: I went to see ‘Ink’ at the theatre on Friday. It’s about Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of The Sun. Pretty incredible that a piece of theatre made me sympathise with a man I hate. They showed the excitement of doing something different to everyone else – ironically they were anti-establishment, to begin with. Also INCREDIBLE set. LAST THING – interesting seeing a play about a fuddy-duddy industry, surrounded by fuddy-duddies. When I went to the toilet a woman stood in front of me in the queue and said: “I’ll just pop myself here if you don’t mind”. I said, “I do.”

 

Gnome: Last week I went to ‘Fuck that’s good’, put on by Creative Social. Each of the four speakers covered various things that they thought were exciting, different and clever. From a two hour film that was shot in one take to the marketing of Stranger Things, it gave a unique perspective on work that isn’t famous. The best part was hearing Caroline Paris talk so positively about SCA and its alumni, it’s the first time I have seen someone talk about the school outside of the studio. It was great to know that it’s not just the students that love the place.

 

Meg: I also went to ‘Fuck that’s good’ last week, and loved the examples of work shown. One that particularly stood out for me was the marketing campaign for Stranger Things, which was completely immersive and experimental. I had no idea the series was not advertised across traditional channels at all but was in fact cleverly integrated into installations across cities globally, showing the ‘Upside Down’ could appear anywhere.

 

It also made me realise that most of the references within the series go completely over my head, as they are a nod to 80s horror and sci-fi culture, although there is still that feeling of familiarity for our generation.

 

Elliot: Whether it’s a dot I use for a later date, or a project soon. During a trip to Brixton Village in one of the art shops, there was a picture of a black woman standing in front of a toilet door which said ‘No Blacks Allowed’. It was an interesting dynamic to be in a place at that very moment which is so multicultural, and it was a breath of fresh air to see how far we have come. Also, it’s definitely a subject I would like to explore more, using the power of ideas and creativity to do so.

 

Nick: I went to “Labour of Love” at the Noel Coward. A look back at the Labour party over the last 30 years, told through a relationship between a Midlands MP and his assistant. It is a political drama and love story but manages to act as a metaphor for wider society.

 

Phil: I got involved in a heated debate with a woman over a sexist sign in a pub which compared a woman to beer in deep Pro-Brexit Suffolk. It opened up my perspective on the political spectrum.

 

 

Sara: Has to be wandering around the South Bank with non-advertising friends on Saturday. Tried out a few of my ideas, and got some insights I hadn’t thought about while in the Brixton bubble. So important in remembering both how great your friends are, and how big the world is.

 

Helena: Last week I went to the VRLO VR & AR event. Normally I wasn’t planning on going because it meant I had to go alone but I changed my mind last minute and didn’t regret it. I take it as a reminder for next time when I’m scared of going or when I don’t think I got the time for it, just go.
Also went to the loo in a building of a restaurant last week and while I waited in the hall a guy came up to me. He tried promoting a lecture that was starting in the other room and gave me a few brochures from his office. It looked like a cult, but I just kept talking to him purely out of personal interest.

 

Helena S: On Saturday

 

Henry: I went to go and see our boy Darius play a set at St. Martins. I felt very inspired by it. The emotion of the words and the stories he told were brought to life so beautifully by his performance. He lost himself in his music and it was amazing to see the connection he had with it. He did take his shirt off during the set and although we have a lot of support for his music, we have advised a strict no carb diet moving forward. Can’t wait for the next one.

 

Jonothan: Absolutely incredible sound experience at the Tate Modern.

GPS data was used to make music. This resulted in incredible city fly-overs/digitally mapped art all over the walls and the most entrancing music ever. I lay down on’t’ floor and I felt like I was flying. But then I had drunk a bit too.

 

Poppy: My favourite dots are the ones which are useful for totally random projects. On Saturday, I saw some impressive Russian propaganda at the Tate Modern. It was so bold and modern. I banked these in the hope that I’d draw inspiration from them at some point but had no idea they’d come in handy for a project to promote Wicked the Musical on Monday. Weird, huh?!

 

Ben: if everyone is putting a gallery, Wim Wenders collection of Polaroids is at The Photographers Gallery is brilliant. He was given an original prototype before it released and it was an insightful exhibition centre around the power of photography and how it’s in the moment.

 

Zoe: I went to an exhibition in Wolfhamcote, Warwickshire, United Kingdom where I saw artwork from Rob Braybrooks. He is an artist which uses the negative space of cut out wood to make imagery. The exhibition, which housed other artwork/artists was inspiring but this stood out to me the most as it was unique, I had never seen anything like this before. The piece which I liked the most was £1,500, so, unfortunately, I couldn’t get it!

 

Twyla: Spent a good 2 hours talking to my grandparents that I very rarely speak to. I keep forgetting that just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re stupid.

 

Susan: I went to the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery. It was a very different experience to seeing this show in Edinburgh, as I have done for the last three years. It made me think about how the ambience of a space alters your perception of work.

 

Gauthier: The MoMA in Paris: a unique opportunity! A unique opportunity to discover major 20th century works such as the Campbell soup cans, famous painting by Andy Warhol. The scenography of this MoMA in Paris, on the other hand, is not breathtaking. We move from one period to another, sometimes difficulty, so it’s easy to get lost. But the pleasure is immense to discover paintings as much as sculptures, photography or films. An exhibition to follow

 

 

Josh: Artists come and go, most forgotten but some manage to transcend through time and their work is relevant to everybody in one way or another. Basquiat’s exhibition ‘boom for real’ sung, his work is so raw and emotive, you can read his thoughts and feel how his surroundings impacted him. It is hard to express how much his short-lived life has influenced mine but I urge anyone reading this to go and see it. Without a doubt the best £10 I have ever spent.

 

Alysha: Last weekend I saw ‘Loving Vincent’ at the ICA, the first ever fully-painted feature film. The film explored the life of Vincent Van Gogh through an investigative enquiry into his death and his reasons for suicide. Whilst the plot of the film was lacklustre, the craft of the film was absolutely awe-inspiring, and reminded me that whilst technology is amazing, there are certain things that the human hand can do that technology cannot replicate.

 

 

Holly: Last week I went to an immersive theatre experience of ‘The Great Gatsby’. I knew the story but had never seen it performed live. I found that because we were part of the play, we all spent different amounts of time with each of the characters and in the end, everyone had a different perception of the story and who we sympathised with. The experience showed me how distorted one story can get depending on who tells it.

 

Helena: On Saturday I went to the Natural History Museum. Despite visiting London throughout my life I had been to see it. So, last weekend I was keen to make it a priority. Though waking up Saturday morning I was so aware of the amount of work I had to do it was pushed to the bottom of the list again. I went on to work through to late afternoon until my brain was no longer working. I reminded myself of everything we had been taught about knowing when to switch off and reboot, so I forced myself out the door. I couldn’t have been more glad I did, inspired by its phenomenal architecture and energised by how fantastic our world is, I came out feeling refreshed and went on to scamp tenfold when I got home. Curiously a lot of these scamps featured bones and haven’t been used but they definitely got me back to thinking laterally.

 

Emma: I went to the Natural History Museum with Helena this Saturday, and I think I definitely collected some dots there. In the “Anatomy” section, after passing through the muscles, fertility etc. an interactive machine caught my eye. I spent 2 minutes learning about colourimetry, neurons and your brain, and how you can influence your eye to see more red than blue in a picture. I think it was insightful and I’m going to keep this in a little part of my brain, in case I have to do some experiential “hacked” advertising someday.

 

Kim: I helped a lovely lady with her groceries two days ago (at Willesden Junction). Doesn’t sound much but we talked all along the street and turns out she was actually fond of musicals too!! She was lovely and I’m pretty sure she works in communications. Make sure I’m gonna ask her if I see her again!

 

Manon: I saw about two weeks ago, a project called “After the Dream” made by Philippe Echaroux.
The concept is to projects faces on waste to denounce pollution.

This is an environmental approach driven by an artistic project and also a clever idea from the photographer to take care of our planet.

The message is simple: through elaborate photos, Philippe Echaroux hopes to make the inhabitants and travellers aware of the impact of their negligence, underlining their share of responsibility.

Environmental protection is everyone’s business.
Link: https://vimeo.com/237310210

 

Marion: This weekend I went to Camden Market and met a girl who created the brand Thamon. This is an eco-friendly fashion accessories brand which produces accessories made from leaves. This is an amazing work which really looks like leather, but it’s not. The main motivation of the brand is to be ethical and sustainable. This brand really inspires me and made me realize that you can innovate and do whatever you want as long as you believe in it. Everything is possible.

 

Petra: I also went to “Fuck that’s good” hosted by Creative Social. The pieces that really stood out for me was the 2-hour long film Victoria that was done in just one shot (you can find it on Netflix!) and “Does love last forever?” – a short film for the Australian hearing aid brand Cochlear where you follow a couple of 30 years. As you follow the couple over the years, the audio makes subtle changes – just as the human ear. Hearing Caroline Paris talking about SCA and sharing some work from last year’s intake was very inspiring! Having my comedy debut was also a clear landmark from the week.

 

Dan: Saw Mother! last week. Style over substance. Great execution- weak idea. Mediocre film.

 

Pietro: This weekend I went to the Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’ exhibition at the Royal Academy and it was very inspiring. There were more than 150 paintings… Even if it’s not displayed his evolution in a chronological order, it is incredible to see how many different media he explored; he took inspiration by a lot of different artists before getting to the iconic images of the American flag and the targets. “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” – Pablo Picasso.

 

Gary: Basquiat’s exhibition at the Barbican was great for collecting dots. Really inspiring and emotional. Such kind of artist which appears and disappears as a shooting star but enlightens history eternally.

 

Becky: I went to a stained glass workshop with my housemate. Sounds a bit strange, but I realised how much I miss making things.

 

Christopher: I went to see an exhibition about graphic design in a medical context. I was really insightful and full of creative layouts I had never seen before. Definitely a must-see.

 

Eve: I have watched a documentary on Charlie Manson, it’s a little bit strange but I have actually found it really interesting to observe a criminal

 

Léa: I went to the Wallace Collection in Marylebone, a museum in an old house, where there is a lot to see, and it was breathtaking. It was so luxurious and I love rococo style, I also love imagine what I could be if I lived in those times.

 

Eva: I was walking out of Brixton station on Saturday night, and there was a guy performing songs that everybody knows. There were about 50 people dancing and singing along with him. Everybody was so open, I started to talk and dance with everybody. People from all ethnicities were there. Everybody stopped being busy and just connected. I stayed dancing for 2 hours. Talk about Street Wisdom.

I also went to Darius’ show, it was so good to see him get lost in the music and how much he loved performing. I got so motivated to do the things I love to do.

 

Rita: The problem with being the last of my SCA friends to write the group SCAB is that I’ve done all my ‘connecting the dots’ stuff with them. So to make a summary: Darius show: it blew my mind, he is so talented and raw and intense. Looking forward to the next time.

The movie Mother: an absolute mind-fuck, still don’t know if I like it but for sure it made me realise how many rules a movie can break, just as we’re asked to do in advertising.

The guy performing in the street: that was a magical moment. We were about to go home and then we find around 50 people that would never go to the same club, concert, restaurant, all of them enjoying the same thing.

And the last one: going to the Comedy Club to see our classmates performing was incredible. Everybody was so good. I didn’t expect anyone to be bad but that was mind-blowing. I saw many of them cross their limits and pushing themselves to reach a place they would have never imagined. Thank you guys for that great evening.

 

James: I visited the Dali / Duchamp exhibition a couple of weeks back. His work has such a futuristic feel even today and to think it was painted in the early 1900s. He along with Duchamp, selected randoms and smashed them together 80 years ago to see what they could come up with. The lobster phone was born.

 

Dune: I went to Paris over the weekend. It was a long journey by bus, so a great occasion to immerse you in a good book and try to forget the time.

I actually read a novel that my brother offered me, called « The King in Yellow ».

As a piece of information note that it was written by Richard W. Chambers and published in 1895. This particular novel inspired many other novelists like the well renowned H.P Lovecraft and most recently the famous series True Detective.

I would really advise anyone interested in storytelling to read this book for the way it stimulates and engage the reader’s imagination is simply brilliant.

 

Clara: I went to Shoreditch this weekend in order to see all the street art. This district of London is so amazing. So many people come here to express their art, it’s so beautiful and inspiring! It actually makes me want to try it.

 

Joe: I spent about 6 hours over the weekend attempting to read ‘S,M,L,XL’- a brick of a book by Rem Koolhaas. it’s about spaces and architecture, and is one of the hardest books I’ve ever attempted to read; not because the language is at all difficult, but because the space and structure of the text throughout the book isn’t linear. The text moves dramatically, skips pages, and runs through the book in different stages. It uses the space that he’s talking about.

 

Chirine: This weekend I saw “Murder on the Orient Express”. When I was younger I was a fan of Agatha Christie and the movie as up to my expectations. We are captive throughout the film and there are big actors.

Rachel: Please can you all watch “What the health” & “confession tapes” on Netflix..mind-blowing. I also took part in ‘Street Wisdom’ last week and that just opened up Brixton a little bit for me, made me more aware.

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