Design: Yum Yum

Yum Yum are London-based directors / designers Beth Algieri and Jonny Plummer. They are currently in the process of making vinyl toys of their characters, which I think are really fun! Also make sure to take a look at the little animation the team has made (see below). Check out the Yum Yum  website / flickr / twitter for more.

Video:

Parallel Parking from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

Shoegazer Home: Vintage sci-fi and camera love

It was my birthday last month and my very good friends got me the perfect gift - this absolutely amazing vintage fold-out camera! I love it, and so do the Shoegazer robots . . .

You can't hear them, but those robots are cooing over that vintage technology as only robots can.

This camera is the perfect addition to my homeware collection as I plan to display a variety of quirky items like this when I eventually get my own place. It fits brilliantly with my theme of "English Eccentric with a vintage sci-fi twist"(...yeah it IS a theme. 'Cos I say so.)

Shoegazer visits: Pollock's Toy Museum

Last weekend I went to Pollock's Toy Museum in London. I'd been wanting to visit since I found out about it last year (see this post on the Imaginarium Doctor Parnassus), so was happy to finally get there and experience it for myself. Some of the pictures aren't the best quality, but the light was very awkward in there - the items were in glass cases in dark rooms with the sun streaming through the windows - but I've done my best to share the experience with you and hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Oh yes and be warned, some of the toys and dolls featured here may well give you nightmares! Haha...

I hope you found those photos interesting :) I adore the antique peg dolls and have been looking for one for YEARS. Oh well, one day... Also fell in love with the Pearly King and Queen dolls. I have a soft spot for anything to do with Pearly Kings and Queen -  I just love the old English eccentric charm of them.

The Imaginarium...

I was looking forward to seeing The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, not to see the final performance of the late Heath Ledger as most seem to be, but because the trailer made the film look quite unlike any film that’s been released for years. I went to the cinema knowing nothing of the story but wanting to be drawn into the weird and wonderful world I had caught a fleeting glimpse of in the trailer.
I wasn’t disappointed. With my all time favourite films mainly consisting of things like Labyrinth, this film really struck a chord with me and was a real visual treat. And one of the things that stood out the most was the amazing set design.

After seeing the film I was digging out my photos from the Museum of Childhood because Doctor Parnassus’ rickety old travelling theatre reminded me of an antique toy theatre I’d seen there, fallen in love with and been inspired by for various ongoing projects. Here (below) is the image I took at the Museum... as you can sort-of see (unfortunately my photo doesn't show the multipul layers stretching back and featuring all the different set elements), it is quite similar to the fold-out theatre seen in the film (see the top image on this post):I decided to search online to see who the set designer for the film was, and what should I find but this quote from an interview with the film’s writer and director, Terry Gilliam:

Phil Stubbs of Dreams: Could you tell me a bit about the design of the Imaginarium wagon itself and what the influences were?
Terry Gilliam: It probably began with Pollock's Toy Theatres in London. I remember when I first came here there was a shop - and it still is here. They do these Victorian toy theatres, which are cardboard cut-out ones and they have always intrigued me. In fact for the first go at it, I went down to the Museum of Childhood here in London. I knew they had several old ones there, so I just took some photographs and fiddled with them in Photoshop.

Great minds think alike eh? Me and Gilliam, we've got a bond. Anyway, I’d urge you to go and see the film and enjoy it for yourselves. As for me, I'm left with a head whirling with inspiration again and am completely re-motivated for various projects that have been gathering dust of late.

Here are some detailed shots of the theatre from the film, by Steve J on Flickr - check out his photostream for more:

Also outstanding were the costumes and makeup in the film, I'll leave you with a couple more shots to whet your appetite:

Photos can and will of course be removed if they infringe copyright - please just leave me a comment. They are simply used here to share my enjoyment of the artistic elements of the film.

Museum of Childhood

On Saturday, after checking out the BUST Summer Craftacular (post to follow, soon) I popped into the Museum of Childhood as it was just across the road. Needless to say, the old, unusual and sometimes very outlandish toys were a rich source of inspiration!

Above: These prototypes of heads for Daisy dolls, designed by Mary Quant, were one of my favourite things from the museum and have given me some ideas for projects . . .