Thames Mudlark Florrie Evans calls herself a committed lifetime mudlark. She grew up in south west London near the River Thames, and at low tide this was her playground. The first thing she remembers collecting as a child were bits of blue and white pottery. Over the last 15 years, she has become a committed mudlark, and since 2014 she’s been taking her young daughter with her. Florrie is a member of the Society of Mudlarks and is licensed by the Port of London Authority to dig to 2 metres in the river bed. In this interview she explains why she goes mudlarking and the pleasure she gets out of it. Over time she’s learnt to read the tides and where to look. She talks about the different styles of mudlarks - some striding out along the foreshore, some spending up to 2 hours in one small patch. She’s made many finds over the years, which she washes and presents as beautifully as possible. Among her collection are many buttons, including pearly buttons and shards of shells they were carved from. She talks about the Pearly button industry, a cottage industry mainly undertaken by women along the Thames who would purchase cheap buckets of shells from incoming ships. The shells were taken to their homes and carved into mother-of-pearl buttons.
In this episode, we talk about how to kick-start a business whilst you are a student. Our guests are Chamiah Dewey, Emily Taylor and Hanan Tantush, 3 alumni who are running award winning businesses started during their times at London College of Fashion. They shared insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur, plus advice on how to grow a business and win some competitions along the way! • If you're a current student and was inspired by these stories, consider entering the Enterprise Challenge! You can find more details and how to apply here: https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=748462 • Learn more about LCF Graduate Futures: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-fashion/graduate-futures • Email graduate.futures@fashion.arts.ac.uk for a full audio transcript.
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 7 Shell Grottos And A Morrice Bow Church by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 7 Shell Grottos And A Morrice Bow Church by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 6 The Pearlies Bow Bells Pub by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 5 Bow Fair Blue Plaque 3 Fairfield Road by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 4 Suffragettes Procession And Pageants 555 Roman Road by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 3 Beating The Bounds Victoria Park by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 2 Graffiti And Rave Lord Napier Pub by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | 1 Narrow Boat Art White Post Lane Bridge by London College of Fashion
Mapping More Mischief Guided Walk | Introduction by London College of Fashion
In this episode, we hear from two LCF alumni as they share their personal journeys and best practices for navigating the ever-changing fashion jobs market. Freelance Fashion Forecaster and Senior Strategist Angela Baidoo (BA Fashion Design and Development 2005), Co-Founder of The Fashion Blueprint, and Sustainable Fashion Business Specialist Giovanna Vieira (BA Fashion Management 2017) will offer insights into job search strategies, application processes, and creating opportunities to suit your skill set. They will also share how they accomplished securing roles at Burberry, Selfridges, Ganni, and WGSN as well as starting their freelance practices. • Email graduate.futures@fashion.arts.ac.uk for a full audio transcript.
Kinsi Abdullah is an artist interested in championing and preserving the textiles, fashions, art and crafts of the Somali community in Britain. Three decades ago she set up Numbi Arts in Stratford and works collaboratively with other organisations to 'take over' venues and put on Somali events. She hopes one day to create a Somali museum and has a clear vision of what this would look like. Mellany Robinson is the project manager of the Museum of British Folklore. This also has no physical base, and in this interview, Mellany and Kinsi swap experiences of setting up a museum.
Carol Alevroyianni and Richard Broderick are the key people behind the Whitley Bay Carnival which was revived in 2013. It’s thought the carnival first ran a hundred years ago but petered out over the years, was revived in the 1980s but again disappeared. It's now flourishing again, and many local groups and schools get involved, with around a thousand people taking part in the parade, and more than 10,000 watching it. Carol and Richard explain that the carnival is artist-led, and all the costumes are informed by artists. The 10th anniversary parade was led by a giant animated puppet called Billy, which was made by Richard.
Making Mischief Oral History Project, W'hitley Bay Carnival - Richard Broderick & Carol Alevroyianni by London College of Fashion
Carol Alevroyianni and Richard Broderick are the key people behind the Whitley Bay Carnival which was revived in 2013. It’s thought the carnival first ran a hundred years ago but petered out over the years, was revived in the 1980s but again disappeared. It's now flourishing again, and many local groups and schools get involved, with around a thousand people taking part in the parade, and more than 10,000 watching it. Carol and Richard explain that the carnival is artist-led, and all the costumes are informed by artists. The 10th anniversary parade was led by a giant animated puppet called Billy, which was made by Richard.
Simon Pipe is the creator of the Banbury Hobby Horse. In 2000 councillors in the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire wanted to capitalise on the famous nursery rhyme 'Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross'. Simon, who was a Morris dancer and had attended one-day events like Jack in the Green in Hastings, suggested a hobby horse festival for Banbury. The councillors agreed to it and the event started to take place annually. People created their own hobby horses and brought them to Banbury to parade through the streets. Simon's hobby horse is a white creature with ping pong eyes, four legs and a blue horse rug covering the wearer.
Mattie has been clowning for 52 years, and in this interview he talks about becoming a clown, creating his ‘look’, making his first costume and designing the one he wears now. He describes the many things he’s done in his career including working abroad, performing in theatres, being a laughter therapist in a children's hospital, meeting the Queen and appearing on TV shows. He is now the archivist for Clowns International, and the curator of the Clown Museum. The museum collection also contains the clown egg register, approx. 300 eggs with clown faces on them. Every year Mattie organises the annual Clown service celebrating clowns since Grimaldi and commemorating those that have passed.
Michael Fowell has been dancing in the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance since he was 7 years old. He’s now 29 and proud to be involved in a tradition which goes back hundreds of years. In fact, the reindeer horns worn by the performers (which hang on the wall of St Nicholas’ church in Abbots Bromley for the rest of the year) are more than 1000 years old. The dancers consist of six deer men, a Fool, hobby horse, bowman and Maid Marian. They perform all around the neighbourhood covering about 10 miles during the day. Michael's family has been involved for generations. He carries the No 4 horn which is the lightest one.
Moira Budge first got involved in the Orkney Festival of the Horse in the late 1970s when her son was about 7. The event is held annually on the island of South Ronaldsay. Traditionally boys would take part in a ploughing match, copying their fathers and grandfathers and using miniature ploughs made from horn or bone. In the mid 1950s, girls started joining in, dressed as plough horses. The costumes were basic at first but have become more and more elaborate. Moira describes an outfit she made for her daughter Amy out of an old school blazer decorated with buttons, ribbons, pom poms and lace. The 'horses' also wear decorated yokes round their necks.