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.

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.

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!

quintessentially British

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

Fack to Bront 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.

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

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

Monkey Magic 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 20^th 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...