Monday 5 October 2015

Bye Bye Blogger...


I'm currently in the process of streamlining my social networks. I've already culled
Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Now I'm going to add Blogger to this list.

Over the last few months I've used Tumblr a lot more mainly because I find its very
simple user interface and features are a lot more convenient for the way I like to
post blogs and share content. Blogger has been great but searching through archives
to find older work is an annoying process. I also have issue with the way uploaded
files are compressed and often find image quality and colours are severely distorted
as a result.

So it's over...

As well as Tumblr you can continue to follow Nino Paulito work and projects online at
Giphy where I've just been added to the artists directory. There is also a Nino Vimeo
account which will be updated with my more experimental moving image stuff. And
finally there's a Nino Soundcloud account which is mainly used for sharing tunes I like
but I might start adding a few of my own noise jingles in the future. Links for all are
listed below.

Saturday 19 September 2015

I Cymru!


A few weeks ago Nino Paulito and a few of our friends had a weekend vacation in Wales. We stayed in the quaint village of Llansteffan, where we enjoyed activities such as poking dead sheep with a stick, exploring cliffside castle ruins, having heated card game battles by the beach and naturally ending each day with a visit to the 'only pub in the village'.

I also forgot to mention our home for the weekend which was a bright pink mansion sat at the top of a hill. You can see photos of that and more from the trip on the Nino Tumblr.

Monday 17 August 2015

肉 {meat}


Here's a preview image for Nino's latest animation project, '肉 {meat}'.

Meat is another collaboration with Melissa Choong and follows on from our previous work which combines collage and stop-frame animation.
I'm currently editing this work in between other projects but hope to have the final film complete by the end of September. You can see more
screenshots and keep up to date with our progress by following the Nino Paulito Tumblr page.

Friday 7 August 2015

CSM Degree Show 2015


I managed to see to a few of the  University of The Arts graduation shows this summer. Of all the shows visited, the Central Saint Martins
degree show was by far my favourite. The students here displayed a rich set of ideas and techniques in their work which made the viewing
experience memorable and less predictable.

Another bonus was finally getting to visit the new CSM academic building which is located by the canal in Kings Cross. The multi-coloured
water feature and painted facade create an incredible first impression. Stepping into the main foyer has a grand and awe inspiring feel similar
to the entrance of the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, only here the feel was a lot less stuffy. It's no wonder the students create such good work
as they have this great environment to welcome them everyday.

Below are some of Nino's favourite works picked from the BA Textiles and Jewellery courses.  


Caroline Anguiulo's installation Mind Wandering Bloom was all about encouraging creativity through daydreaming. A range of colourful plastics
were twisted into a variety of abstract forms and haphazardly arranged around a table. Each individual piece was an instinctive response to a
fleeting burst of inspiration and aimed to reveal something about the individual's current state of mind.


I though the austerity theme explored in Katie Thomas textiles was really interesting. For her textile collection she uses a stark colour palette
and graphical patterns often favoured by budget supermarkets and co-opts them into her knitted designs. The effect is unexpectedly vibrant
and playful rather than stale or sombre. 

The accompanying photographs for this collection have a really eerie mood to them which reminded me a bit of the final scene in Ira Lenvin's
The Stepford Wives. They Live and Repo Man are other obvious movie references, especially evident in the set design. Like all those movies,
Thomas's work shares a similar dark humour and a surreal edge which I found very pleasing.


Roisin Johns creates all of her work using objects salvaged from bins and skips. They are then embellished with paint, dyes, studding and
other adornments before being molded into a final shape. The result is a colorful collection of absurdist jewelley which defy any logical
understanding. I thought John's work was incredibly inventive and perfectly demonstrates how an imaginative mind can transform any object
into a desirable piece of art.


Akiko Shinzato was the winner of the 2015 Swarovski Design Award. Her winning piece Clown is a leather face mask studded with Swarovski
crystals. I love the slightly sinister and fetishistic nature of this piece and thought Barney McCann did an excellent job of capturing that mood in
the accompanying photographs.


Birgit Toke Tauka Frietman's work was my absolute favourite of all the jewellery collections. Her body pieces, which resembled luxury torture
devices, are made of a lush combination of wood, suede, wool and velvet. The smooth and elegantly curved shape of the wood was achieved
byusing a steam molding process usually used in furniture production. 

Birgit's combination of industrial techniques with traditional hand crafting made her work appear strangely delicate and robust at the same time.
I thought this curious mix of ideas was very seductive and spent an age admiring the sculptural beauty of each individual piece.


Kota Okudalike BTTF (girl above), was also interested in fusing disparate techniques to create her work. In this case, the idea was to fuse the
contrasting traditions of Scottish and Japanese tribal-wear to create a hybrid style reflecting her cultural identity. The result was an impressively
 robust collection of wooden headdresses. At first glance I thought Okuda's work appeared quite plain and unpolished compared to other things
on display. However on closer inspection I began to notice more of the details such as the intricate hand carved patterns in the wood, the leather
paneling and also the inlaid Swarovski crystals which I mistakenly thought was thread. The rustic look was quite deceptive on this occasion and cunningly disguised a lot of the skill that had obviously gone into creating these pieces.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Wax That Pussy Cat


The latest addition to the Nino Paulito cabinet of curiosities. A kitty cat candle purchased from a charity shop
for a measly 90p.    


There are now quite a few cat objects in the collection so maybe I should balance things out by looking for some
more dog stuff in future? We'll see...


Monday 22 June 2015

Trolls: A Work in Progress


For the past month Mel Choong and I have been busy developing work for our collaborative Troll project.
Above is a quick snap of a current works in progress which will feature in a upcoming photographic series.
Stay tuned to see how this all goes.

Friday 1 May 2015

Brown One's Dirt Nap


Last week one of my furry rodent friends sadly died.
Brown One and I had 3 great years together before he and his brother Black One packed their bags and moved to Scotland. 


Mel Choong made this wonderful tweed and velvet effigy to commemorate him by which I've then taken to animate.
I think it perfectly captures his inquisitive character and cheeky personality. He would have definitely enjoyed gnawing its face off. 



November 2011 - April 2015
You will be missed

Saturday 25 April 2015

Singer Sewing Machine


I recently went out and bought me a new heavy duty sewing machine.

With this purchase I aim to rediscover my love for textiles and begin creating craft based artwork again. I've neglected making this kind of work
as photography became a more dominant feature of Nino Paulito's output. However, my interest for doing that, (and maybe art in general), has
waned in recent years to the point where I'm rarely inspired to make anything at all.


Recent events in my personal life though have encouraged me to refocus and dig myself out of this fuggy mood. I bought all these fun fabrics too
which has already begun to stir a myriad of exciting ideas and possibilities in my head.

Stay tuned to see what creative developments Nino Paulito comes up with next...

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Guy Bourdin: Image Maker


Along with Tim Walker, Miles Aldridge and Inez & Vinoodh, Guy Bourdin stands as one of my favourite fashion photographers.
During his creative peak in the 70's, there were few others who could match his relentless prolificacy, visual dynamism and the
bold uncompromising sexuality depicted in all of his work.

I went to see his retrospective at Somerset House a lil while ago and it was one of the most brilliant and exciting exhibitions I've seen in a long time. Every wall contained unforgettable images perfectly illustrating Bourdin's skill for creating melodramatic fashion scenes. With their dazzling use of
colour and vivid graphical composition, some photos strongly resemble the glossy schlock of Giallo cinema which was very prevalent during the time.

Bourdin did not shy away from taboo and provocative. The models in his photographs are depicted in many gleefully sexualized ways, (some maybe a tad misogynistic). How he choose to tightly crop images is almost violent in the way limbs are disembodied and awkwardly contorted, like a police crime scene image. Viewing his body of work I am pretty convinced he had a bit of a foot fetish too.

My favourite photographs from the show include the collaborative series with shoe designer Charles Jourdan where the model's legs are so meticulously composed that they come across more mechanical than human in form. Another memorable photo was the legs on train track image which demonstrates the seductively dark humour present in much of Bourdin's work.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show and would recommend it for everyone to go see had I written this post earlier and the show hadn't ended already... 

Thursday 16 April 2015

Trip to Cephalonia


Nino Paulito has recently returned from an Easter trip to the Greek island of Kefalonia.

Arriving slightly before the busy tourist season began meant I was being able to enjoy many of the island's beautiful beaches alone, relax
and peruse the gorgeous mountain trails at my own leisure. Some of my favourite sights included the Argostoli lighthouse the the amazing
view above which was taken from my apartment balcony.

Vist the Nino Tumblr page to see more snaps of Kefalonia and follow to view images from other Nino Paulito projects.

Saturday 28 March 2015

Nobody Wants To Play With Me


Above is a design Mel & I submitted to a competition asking for artists to create a
 temporary public artwork for London using a piano as a starting point. Our design
was a sea monster idea inspired by the Billingsgate Fish Market. We were going to
create a scaled, (heh), piano using various plastics and PVC fabric to coat the body
which would have given it an interesting rubbery look and oily texture.

Unfortunately, our design was not picked but I thought I'd share it with you anyway.
It's very likely some of the ideas contained will be recycled and developed to create a
new textile based work.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Natalie Prass


Natalie Prass' self titled debut album is one of my favourite records of the moment.
It's essentially a collection of lovelorn break-up songs carried along by Prass' delicate
but direct voice, some rootsy acoustics and a lush string arrangement.

I saw her live at the Lexington recently and although visibly unwell she put on quite
an amazing show and was every bit as impressive I'd hoped she be. My highlights of
the performance included my two favourite tracks Why Don't You Believe In Me and
Your Fool, along with a surprisingly sultry cover of Janet Jackson's classic slow jam,
Any Time, Any Place.

Natalie Prass will be returning to London in June to perform at The Islington Academy.
You can guarantee I'll be there to see her again too...

Friday 20 February 2015

Leong Fu's Kung Fu Karato


Leong Fu was a Malaysian wrestler who during the 1930's challenged the worlds best
martial artists and defeated them all. In 1950 he retired undefeated and spent the rest of
his days teaching willing followers of his unimpeachable self defense technique known as
Kung Fu Karato: Atado.


His words were compiled into a massive tome which contained his own hand drawn
diagrams and step by step instructions on how to perform each move. Those unable to
access the book directly could learn and practice with the aid of mini magazine guides
which for a fee could be delivered by mail each month. I chanced upon a collection of
these guides in a flea market a while ago and recently rediscovered them under my bed.


I've halfheartedly attempted to learn Kung Fu Karato but have unfortunately not quite
become the invincible death punching master I hoped to be. No matter though because
reading through the guides is a massively entertaining experience on it's own. Leong Fu
uses hyperbolic statements throughout the series to vividly emphasize the effectiveness
of his self-defence techniques. Some of his lines are almost poetic in their clumsiness, at
times even coming across as satirical.


The drawings themselves also share a charming freehand quality. The box panel format
used to frame the diagrams and the frequent use of dynamic impact effects also helps to
enhance the overall comic book feel of the series. I have been experimenting with some
of them to create live demonstrations of Atado moves. Pictured are some GIFs completed
which translate beautifully into animation despite their uneven quality. I plan to develop
these sketches further to create a mini series on Leong Fu and the art of Kung Fu Karato.

Saturday 31 January 2015

Ola! Amigo!


I recently received a new years post card from friends Ola & Seamus who last August decided to quit life and go traveling
around the world. Ola has been documenting their journey and experiences on her blog The Unsung World which is filled
with great stories and with gorgeous photos.

My favourite tales so far has been the one about the spooky sounding Island of Dolls and a New Year tale of fireworks on
the beach and compromising Mexican police.

Their journey is still ongoing and they will be next heading towards Asia and Australia later. Keep up with their story here.

Saturday 10 January 2015

No Trolling


You may have noticed my new page banner.
If not, take some time to notice my new page banner.
It was illustrated by Melissa Choong.
This person.


Mel's been creating some cool work lately.
All inspired by the Troll piece we created back in June.
Below is one of my favourites from this series so far.


You can see more on her blog...
Look at these images.
Thank you.

Saturday 3 January 2015

Blue Space Donkey/ Light Night Canning Town


I found a blue space hopper donkey on the street.
My little sister who was with me said it looked a bit like a Moomin 
so we named it Blu'min, them went off to the Light Night party in Canning Town.


Blu'min looks a bit like a fat Scotty dog.
I think his, (I've decided its a he), previous owner sprayed on those red butterflies.
I've also just realized Blu'min's stubby tail unnervingly resembles a butt plug.


The Canning Town Party organized by my friends at The Brickbox was excellent, (see evidence here).
My favourite part was when the Cyber Punk band Drum Machine band came on. They were mesmerizing.
We danced nonstop into the following morning.
During the night bus journey home I puked into my sister's hat.


Her hat was a cute pink felt cap with moulded kitty ears.
Looked a bit like Finn's from Adventure Time. My sister loves that show.
Maybe one day I'll document the insane amount of Adventure Time merchandise she owns.


Feeling guilty and ashamed for s(p)oiling her hat, I made an attempt to clean it the following day.
Sadly, not even dog shampoo was powerful enough to rid the acidic stench soaked within the crown.
Thought it'd just be best to throw it away and buy a new one.

Despite this embarrassing end, my sis tell me last night was the most crazy and enjoyable fun she's had in ages.
Possibly the best day she's had all week.

Thursday 1 January 2015

New Year Hangover


Happy New Year...

Here's a bunch of half arsed posts
I didn't quite come round to finishing
in 2014.


Back in February,
my grandmother celebrated her birthday in Nottingham.
We spent the weekend living in luxury tree houses in Sherwood Forest,
aka Robin Hood land.


I found this book in a pub.
It's about the brain and investigates
how an individual's beliefs are formed.
It's really good and I massively recommend
you read it too.

ps. Morgellons Disease is some weird shit.


I celebrated my birthday in April last year.

In 2013 I celebrated it in January.
This year I'm considering September,
(it'd be nice to have some sunshine).
The photos above are all the amazing
age appropriate gifts my friends bought me.


Finally, 
I photographed a look book for
accessories designer Tallulah Minxy.
I was not very inspired.
It'll probably be the last thing I ever do involving fashion.