IRVING PENN: CIGARETTES

This summer, Irving Penn’s masterful Cigarettes series will be displayed in its entirety for the first time ever at Hamiltons Gallery, London. Although Penn is probably most renowned for his photographs of famous fashion models and iconic figures, he was also equally as accustomed to shooting various forms of still life – in this case, discarded cigarette butts found on the streets of New York in the early Seventies. By printing the Cigarettes using the Platinum palladium process, an extremely difficult and costly photographic technique, Penn advanced the status of these objects from unwanted garbage to treasured rarities.
 

Either arranged as singular objects or clustered in groups, the image composition remains relatively minimal, however the depth and density of the tone applied to these black and white shots highlight subtle details, features and textures which otherwise would go a miss.

All of Penn’s pictures are created with a great attention to detail and the extreme magnification applied here means this series is no exception; every burnt edge, rip and fold in the delicate paper is meticulously captured as are the stray strands of loose tobacco that sprout out at the butt ends like wiry whiskers.

Another focus is the branding that is stamped onto each cigarette; even after being smoked, stubbed out, stepped on and subsequently weathered in Manhattan’s gutters, the marks of Tobacco industry giants such as Marlboro, Camel and Chesterfield are still evidently fulfilling their intended commercial purpose.

All 26 photographs from the Cigarettes series are available to view now until 17 August at Hamiltons Gallery, 13 Carlos Place, London.

SPREAD THE WORD...

As part of the continuing 2012 Olympiad festivities, this week London’s Southbank Centre is hosting Poetry Parnassus; a celebratory gathering of poets, rappers, storytellers and singers from around the globe.  Scheduled are over a hundred events and activities, (many of which are free) generating Britain’s largest poetry festival to date.

Made-to-order poems will be available for the “literary-starved” at the Poetry Takeaway, whilst the Emergency-Poet Ambulance will be on call for private poetic health consolations, offering remedies and prescriptions in the form of ‘curing’ poems, verses and lyrics.

Numerous spoken and written word artists from over two hundred countries will be participating in the festival, fronting reading-marathons and recitals as well as discussions on political topics that are often the inspiration and stimulus behind their work.

Poetry Parnassus is on now until Sunday 1st July at The Southbank Centre, London.
For tickets visit southbankcentre.co.uk

OPEN HOUSE

It’s been a busy month for House of Hackney; as well as setting up a summer residency within the walls of Liberty, June also sees the launch of their debut clothing line. The omnipotent interiors company have joined forces with US fashion giant, Opening Ceremony, whom we just can’t get enough of right now, to turn their beautiful and bold homeware prints into ready to wear.

Antiqued leopard spots and the brand’s signature ‘Dalston Rose’ design are placed onto a selection of baby doll dresses, oversized knits and high-waisted shorts to name a few. Business partners and HoH founders, Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle both hail from fashion backgrounds, so it is no surprise that next season the pair plan to take the fashion element of their business to the next level with the launch of a menswear capsule collection. The current womenswear collection is available to buy in Opening Ceremony stores and from the House of Hackney website now.

houseofhackney.com