Wednesday 24 December 2008

Insiders Guide

I have started to construct my insiders guide. I have decided to do it as a web-site which if it were real you would have to either subscribe to.

www.dark-night.me.uk

the URL is a bit weird but as one of my contacts has very kindly offered to help me out and as URL's cost money i took one of his old ones.

I also have a lot more pictures to put up from my brailing of the british culture in the east end but my camera has a virus at the moment so im waiting for that to be sorted before plugging it in to my new computer!

Thursday 4 December 2008

New Bond Old Bond





Covent Garden








Quintessentualy British:

1. Pie & Mash
2. Dr.Martins
3. Ben Sherman

Wednesday 3 December 2008

East is East

What does Britishness mean to you in the east end?

so far i have 2 points:

1. community
2. personal style




Tuesday 2 December 2008

Neals Yard

"Amongst the shopping mayhem of Covent Garden is this small and tranquil square, formerly home to a dairy. The square is lined with stores selling alternative products with several open air cafes making this a good place to chill out. It's also a Mecca for skateboarders, with Slam City Skates bordering the square. "






Trips

We had to go in to central and visit a list of 'quintessentually british' places,

1. Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2 (Not the Embankment entrance)
2. James Smith & Sons Ltd 53 New Oxford Street WC1
3. Neals Yard 17 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, WC2
4. Fortnum & Mason 181 Piccadilly, W1
5. Savile Row W1
6. The Coach & Horses, Greek St W1

Unfortunatly my camera beame infected with a virus (from the university computers :( ) after taking my photos from the trip and before saving them onto the computer so i lost them all... i did however go back out and took more, some of the places named above and some others.

Monday 1 December 2008

fives

five main catagories to divide our research, these being;

Communication - Media – Gadgets - Networoks
Luxury – Experience – accessories etc.
Lifestyle - Design/Architecture / Gastro hotels/ living/ social
Culture - Experience – Arts – Groups
Events (Olympics etc.,)
Identity – Fashion –communication and belonging)

along with this a hub or something as interesting would be a good starting point.

Tuesday 25 November 2008

Consumer Guide

I have decided to target china, originally i was thinking of doing russia as i love the country but decided i would find it quite limited in the direction i could take it. I feel i have a lot more variety with china as it is such a diverse culture and i have so many more options of things of interest.

To do this i will look at chinese culture and what they may want to take away with them when visiting britain.

Friday 21 November 2008

Twinkle Toes


Artist Twinkle Troughton examines what it is to be british, i found this interview with her on DazedDigital

She has a solo exhibition currently showing at Pure Evil gallery, which i plan to go see.

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Pubs & Christmas


Went to my boyfriends local pub last night, the coach and horses in leyton (yuck) but it was amazing, christmas decorations up all ready, every inch couvered it was amazing, made me think of a proper british christmas, cosy pub and tacky decorations.

i have to go back and get a photo because it is amazing!

Tuesday 18 November 2008

quintessentially British

googling 'quintessentially British' a discussion board appeared, from Flicker. People have posted their ideas of 'quintessentially British'.

view photostream

Fack to Bront is a group administrator Fack to Bront Pro User says:

Men in bowler hats, men in kilts, quiet desperation, women drinking pints of bitter, football thugs, angry of Tunbridge wells, attitudes to johhny foreigner.

I love Britain.

view photostream

James Thomas Rowe is a group administrator James Thomas Rowe says:

Cups of tea
Smashed up telephone box's
The smell of piss in shop doorways
complaining about the weather
Woolworths
Fat men with beards who drink bitter
Tossers in tracksuits
People who cant afford lots of gold wearing lots of gold

view photostream

emilyinautumn1 says:

Positives :
Quick wit; humour; a sense of occasion;beautiful buildings.
Negatives:
Spit on the pavements; rain.


There were more of a negative approach.... for example


view photostream

Monkey Magic Pro User says:

Teenage mums smoking over the baby's buggy
8 year old smokers
Primark
Fake Burberry caps
Chinese DVD sellers
Dodgy goat and dodgy chicken for sale in butchers




I guess it depends on how you want to look at it.... lets look deeper, past the rubbish, the takeaways and the 'chav' a little british charm must still exist!?

Britishness

"... International visitors have been arriving in Britain in their droves over the last half of the 20th century to the present and as tourists they ‘do London, Stratford-on-Avon, the Lake District and Scotland’ – give or take a few other attractions- and leave- but what do they buy to take home- what example of British- ness do they consume to serve as a momentum of their visit?"

What is britishness?

What does it mean to me?

What does it mean to you?




These are the questions i need to ask to begin this project...