Art Review - Dreams of Here

Mysterious characters inhabit subconscious worlds in an exhibition at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, where three artists with close links to Sussex explore human perception.

'He Climbs the Stairs' by Julian Bell

Julian Bell opens 'Dreams of Here' with realist scenes of everyday life: a supermarket car park, a rock concert crowd. So far, so-so, but then things darken, with the sickly orange glare of a magazine stand transfixing the family in 'Grazia'. 

The Banksy-esque tanks overlooking a tranquil English village in 'Exercises at Imber' are less subtle; Bell's art is on a surer footing when tipping into surrealism, as with the curious building amongst tower blocks in 'He Climbs the Stairs'.

'Nocturnal Scenes from an Apparition' by Tom Hammick

The lights dim for Tom Hammick's Munch-inspired universe of Geisha girls, stargazing loners and families dreaming of utopia. Rich blue landscapes are dominant, where simple observations take on a macabre edge: the blood-red girl in 'Three Beds', the figure alone in the moonlit woods of 'Cabin'. 

The vast, magnificent 'Nocturnal Scenes from an Apparition' takes us deep into the forest once more, where a billboard appears in a clearing; its panels glow with memories and dreams, recurring themes of this wonderful collection.

'The Voyage' by Andrzej Jackowski

Andrzej Jackowski draws from his 'well of remembrance' for 'The Voyage, a stark series of unframed drawings where solitude and death are central themes. 

Largely monochrome interiors feature the occasional shock of violent colour; all carry a sense of impending dread. The ghostly outline of a man, barely visible at times, haunts the collection. 

Most gruesome is the nightmarish 'birdman', observing the dismembered bodies (his victims?) around him with calm indifference. This claustrophbic trip into a 'dark quiet corner' of Jackowski's psyche is sometimes uncomfortable, but always compelling.

'Dreams of Here' is a well-constructed journey with something for all tastes. Its vivid fantasies hang on a hook in the mind, long after leaving the exhibition.

Hove charity shop goes back in time

Vintage clothing and retro chic graced the shelves of a charity shop in Hove for a special event today. Oxfam on Blatchington Road retains stock from decades gone by, releasing it on annual ‘Retro Vintage Days’. 

Today’s was so popular people were queuing outside. Manager Amanda Powell said the occasion had gone down a storm: “It’s been our most successful yet, with the best quality stock. In the first hour we’ve had 300 customers.”

Shoppers jostled for position, and there was little elbow room among the keen-eyed bargain hunters and endless rails of colourful clothes. Kitsch ornaments and women’s fashion, dating back to the 30s, were popular. "It's exciting to look through these one-off pieces, and I love the hats," said shopper Emma Pentecost. “There’s always a market for vintage”, Ms Powell added.

Unusual items included a wedding dress and a 70s silver cross pram costing £100. The store remained closed from Thursday, while staff worked round the clock to prepare for the sale.

Work experience pays for journalism students

Clocking up the hours on work experience can lead to a dream job, as students at Brighton Journalist Works discovered today.

Euan Ferguson is now Deputy Chief Sub Editor at Time Out Magazine after leaving behind a business running a bar in Edinburgh. He joined the fast-track Diploma in Journalism course in 2008: “Within two weeks I realised I’d made the right decision, and it means a lot for me to be back here”, he tells us.

After graduation, Euan secured five work placements on publications ranging from The Observer to The Luton Herald. “Broaden your horizons as much as possible”, he says.

Euan delivers priceless advice on how to make work experience count: know your publication inside out, arrive with ideas and treat it like an extended job interview. “If editors remember you it’s a huge advantage”, he says.

Euan offers an insight into subbing, telling us although subs at Time Out are expected to write to a publishable standard, being meticulous comes first.

Having seen many work experience students come and go, his closing advice is to network at your publication. “Make the tea, it breaks the ice. The students who stand out are those who got to know people”.

Live music review: Blood Red Shoes

Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell of Blood Red Shoes

Brighton duo Blood Red Shoes' third album, 'In Time To Voices', is a startlingly ambitious work. Swerving effortlessly from glorious pop hooks to head-banging thrash, via some ghostly slower moments, it is angst-ridden yet life-affirming; delivered with the swagger of a band on form.

Tonight they are in town to promote the new record with an acoustic set, on the tiny shop floor of Resident Records in Brighon's North Laine. A 70-strong crowd has gathered, eager to see how the band's trademark quiet-loud sound translates to this private setting.

Perched on the shop's counter with a guitar instead of his usual drum kit, Steven Ansell looks humbled, admitting, 'We're nervous because we can actually see you'. He then urges us, with a grin, to, 'Shut up, 'cos we play insanely quiet acoustically'. We shut up, and they begin, with 'Lost Kids'.

With no microphones, the band's fragile harmonies command the hushed room and carry the track's theme of alienation: the lines, 'I can't find my way/Already buried anyway', sound more poignant still.

Steven nails his vocal on 'Slip Into Blue', with Laura-Mary Carter joining for the killer chorus: 'Stops you breathing/Treasure I'm keeping'. She then takes over with a spooky delivery of 'Night Light', before the band close with the standout track: a brooding, brilliant rendition of 'In Time To Voices'.

Tickets for the gig were only available to those pre-ordering the CD from Resident, protecting the endangered art of the album in a download-driven age. 'That's a good trick', Steven declares, to much laughter. He's right.