That’s not a description of what I did last night (I wish) but the title of a new exhibition at our local hostelry ‘Common‘. Every few months or so the good people at the aforementioned boozer invite artists to come in and repaint their walls on a theme of their own choosing. Well this time round its the turn of our very own Paul Hemmingfield, who, being a good Sheffield lad, has decided to graphically illustrate, line by line, that great hometown anthem ‘Common People’ by Pulp.
The launch party for the show is this evening but I popped by yesterday afternoon to see how he was getting on. Looking surprisingly calm, I found Paul huddled in a corner meticulously cutting out stencils of 70s inspired wallpaper designs, and surrounded by numerous multicoloured tins of emulsion paint. Apparently he’s been doing this since 7am every morning for the last week (he’s taken a ‘holiday’ to do this!) and that doesn’t include god knows how many late nights and weekends spent planning and designing the space. The result is typical Paul – hard-edged graphics with a left-field wit, detailed but not self-indulgent.
Sadly I’m on kid duty tonight so can’t make the opening but if you find yourself in Manchester’s Northern Quarter anytime over the next four months pop in to Common and check out Paul’s work.
‘When the weather is high, have a drink and a drive’ urged Mungo Jerry back in the 70s, well actually no, don’t. Not unless you want your car wrapped around some tree trunk and your teeth scattered across the bonnet. I find it amazing how attitudes change over the course of time and how something that would have once seemed perfectly acceptable is now frowned upon as idiotic, and quite rightly too.
Anyway, old Mungo has just been on the radio which got me thinking about the changing tide and current shift to being more ecologically responsible by, well everyone it seems. Glancing at my clothes today it occurred to me that I’ve become organic all of a sudden… without even having to try that hard. My jeans and shirt are organic cotton whilst my fair trade rubber soled trainers are too, and no they’re not some tie-dyed hippy nonsense but from my favourite Mens shop in the heart of Manchester called Oipolloi. What’s more I didn’t even buy them because of their right-on ethics but because of their style, and I think that’s key in creeping towards a greener future. If it appeals on an aesthetic level as well as to your conscience then you’re more likely to buy whatever it is you’re holding in your hand and If everything you’re browsing is made with environmentally friendly and socially aware methods then all the better, you can then just worry about squeezing into that pair of new jeans on a sunny Saturday afternoon shopping session.
OK, maybe I need to swap my Rose tinted sun glasses for some more realistic ones but one step at a time yeah?
