A steady hand, super sharp vision and infinite patience make artist Dalton Ghetti’s impossibly tiny pencil tip sculptures possible. For the last twenty-five years the Brazilian-born, Connecticut based carpenter has been spending spare moments carving everything from boots to buttons into graphite with the aid of a blade, needle and knife. These miniature masterpieces can take years to complete, and are so delicate that inevitably they often break. But Dalton persists, making miraculous, microscopic art to give away to his friends.
You don’t often hear Mexico and Sheffield mentioned in the same sentence – but Mexican cover band, The Limits, are the exception. Named after the cult Sheffield club which closed in 1992, The Limits play nothing but covers of songs by the likes of Pulp, Def Leppard, Human League, ABC, Joe Cocker and the Arctic Monkeys.
The truth is, The Limits are the invention of Mexico City artist Laureana Toledo. Her brilliant project – ‘The Name of the Band is The Limit’ is a 30-minute documentary, and a magazine that borrows from the iconic format of The Face – all in their honour. Page after page of primary coloured layouts leave you wishing that the band – and The Face – really existed.
Laureana Toledo’s debut book, ‘The Limit’, is available at Trolley Books, £24. www.trolleybooks.com
Twins share a relationship unlike any other. This was the starting point for psychology student Amber Gayle’s thesis, ‘The Twin Survey’. This rather beautiful hand-sewn tome is published by Evil Twin Books as a small edition, and is put together with Gayle’s identical twin sister, Stacy Wakefield. A personal study, it looks at relationships between 150 twins across the world, shedding light on the closeness, co-operation and complications of twinship. Made for twins, by twins we like the look of this book on a one-of-a-kind attachment.
Twin brothers Gert and Uwe Tobias create fantastic, vivid and abstract works of art. Together, through ceramic sculpture, large-scale woodcuts, gouache paintings and typewriter sketches, they draw on the folklore of their native Transylvania.
Now, the Tobias twins’ work goes on show at Nottingham Contemporary. The pair blend ghoulishness – skeletons and monsters abound – with a bright, bold colour palette that recalls modern graphic design. In their hands, Transylvania’s haunting legend won’t be fading anytime soon.
‘Gert & Uwe Tobias’ runs until the end of October at Nottingham Contemporary.
Holly Miranda is the modest type. Her softly spoken, dreamy debut album, ‘The Magician’s Private Library’, concerns that limbo state between sleep and wakefulness. Even though it’s produced by TV on the Radio’s David Sitek it doesn’t shout for attention like many of its Brooklyn peers. Musically, Miranda inhabits an altogether quieter space. This is soulful, thoughtful and deep-spun pop that requires a bit of hush. And we’re happy to oblige.
Holly Miranda plays Borderline on the 26th July, and Westminster Library on the 27th July. ‘The Magician’s Private Library’ is out now on XL Records.
Twin enjoyed a sneaky peak of Reiss’s AW10 campaign at the Soho Hotel last week. The brand have cleverly commissioned Jamie Morgan to create a fashion film to show off their upcoming collection. Entitled, ‘Elements’ the two minute black and white short heralds dramatic climatic condition – as models battle against wind, rain and blizzards. We love the silent, powerful and symbolic presence of a glossy thoroughbred horse, which leaves one with the question – is style nature or nurture?
As night falls, four spotlights cross the stage at Somerset House to spell out the name of a band whose success this year has been huge. “It’s good to be home,” announce The XX. Without a chart hit, the minimalist Wandsworth trio have found love everywhere from the critics to Shakira, who covered ‘Islands’ at Glastonbury. Tonight, they stick to their simple set-up – the softness of Madley-Croft’s voice complimenting Sim’s deeper, husky tones, while on an elevated platform, Jamie Smith plays electronic drums. Up close, The XX thrill, and in the process give power to all the shy, introverted and Emo kids of the world.
Gil Scott-Heron has come a long way since the Seventies spirit of ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’. Forty years on, he’s back, and touring with the self-analytical, poetic and redemptive, ‘I’m New Here’. Scott-Heron offers up the wisdom of his growing years in vocals that are deeper, darker and more resonant than ever. These days he’s more melancholic than anarchic. ‘I’m New Here’ is intense and thought-provoking and rather beautiful – just not what you’d expect from ‘the godfather of rap’.
Gil Scott-Heron plays at Somerset House tonight as part of ‘The Summer Series’. ‘I’m New Here’ (Rough Trade) is out now.
Twin is happy to have been selected for De Zines – an exhibition showcasing the very best of the independent magazine world. Opening at the end of the month in Madrid, Twin will be displayed alongside over 400 international publications that span from the purely commercial, to the crafty and homemade. Curated by Roberto Vidal and Oscar Martin, the show promises to be an amazing and extensive magazine library, and a place where likeminded people can share ideas on what De Zines claims to be, ‘the future of print media’ – in other words magazines that are nice and niche. Of course, we’d have to agree.
De Zines runs from 29th June until 29th August at Room A of La Casa Encendida, Madrid. www.lacasaencendida.es/en
We blame Coco for helping to make teeny tiny red shorts, yesterday’s eye make-up and ox-blood DM’s ubiquitous with this summer’s teen style. It’s just a shame we can’t all rock this look as effortlessly as she does. Ok, so we at Twin were as sceptical as the next lady about Sumner’s rock progeny roots – but her nonchalant attitude, husky vocal timbre and clever hook-up with Robyn on the sensational track ‘Caeser’ have won us over. If you can’t wait for Coco’s forthcoming debut album, ‘The Constant’ – then check out her re-working of Neil Young’s, ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’. Put together with Fyfe Dangerfield of the Guillemots, here Sumner follows in the footsteps of Saint Etienne who covered the classic brilliantly in 1990.
Coco’s own limited release is due out any moment now on the Luv Luv Luv label. Watch it here… Or better still, see her in the flesh – I Blame Coco are playing tonight at The Flowerpot in London.
It’s hard to imagine luminous skinned, flame-haired beauty Karen Elson being bullied at school. But now the model, and mother of White Stripes Jack White’s children, is having the last laugh. The title of her brilliant blues-inspired new album stems from her school time nickname, ‘The Ghost Who Walks’. Haunting and atmospheric – with a lyrical dexterity that’s comparable to a fledgling Nick Cave – Elson shows the vocal strength and timbre of Cat Power, or an Americana PJ Harvey, as she moves between murder ballad to lonesome lament.
Her transition from model to musician is definitely a family affair – produced by her husband, her band mates include The Dead Weather’s Jack Lawrence and Meg White’s husband, Jackson Smith (son of Patti). It’s not far from the circus-like vaudeville group, Citizens Band that she was once a part of. Ultimately, there’s no doubt that Elson is both beautiful and talented – for which we love and salute her – but she’s also so incredibly lucky. What other musician could hope to launch their music career post-thirty? The people of Oldham must be dead proud.
‘The Ghost Who Walks’ released on Third Man/XL records, out now. www.karenelson.com
There are plenty of reasons to like model and NME TV presenter Naomi Shimada…Her blog, which charts her antics from Dalston to Miami, is called Hip Hop Lollipop. She has a Mariah-meets-Mad Men body. She speaks four languages. Plus, she’s just shared her top five summer tracks with us:
1. Mala – Alicia
2. Big Boi – Shutterbug
3. Nicki Minaj ft Sean Garrett – Massive Attack
4. Aaliyah – Are you that somebody (Brenmar Windy City mix)
5. LCD Soundsystem – All I Want
It’s no surprise that this long-haired, leggy beauty counts Jane Birkin and Lou Doillon as her style icons – she looks as if she’s part of their French family. But actually American singer-songwriter Diane Birch is the daughter of a Seventh-day Adventist preacher. Often seen sporting a wide-brimmed black hat, heavy fringe and a mix of vintage clothing which drapes over her 6ft frame, we are currently doting on Birch’s bohemian look. And her voice is as beautiful on the ear as her looks are on the eye.
Diane Birch’s album ‘Bible Belt’ is out now on S-Curve Records. www.dianebirch.com
Right about now, no one does girlie, kooky and indie better than Zooey Deschanel. With those big doe eyes – and a just retro enough wardrobe – her pretty look and ethereal sound, courtesy of She & Him Volume Two, makes her our summer pin-up du jour. Zooey we heart you!
She & Him Volume Two is out now on P-Vine, Double Six and Merge Records, produced by M. Ward. www.sheandhim.com
If Twin were a book with cover stars, we’d be rather envious of clothing brand Rika’s stellar line-up. The spring edition of Rika magazine, which is a showcases their bright and breezy designs, has not one but five leading ladies: Christina Kruse, Daisy Lowe, Ania Chorabik, Louise Mast, Anna Brewster, Liberty Ross AND Josephine de la Baume. What more could you want? We dig this edition’s edgy style pack.
At first glance these precious minerals appear to be beautiful, close-up photographs. On closer inspection though they are in fact meticulous oil paintings. These incredible renderings are the works of Ontario born Carly Waito, who has a lifelong fascination with the natural world, “especially the little parts we feel compelled to pick up and keep.” In an increasingly urban world, Waito’s work with nature becomes even more covetable.
What better way to spend a Sunday night than at Let Loose. Twin’s surprise highlight was the understated presence of R-Patz who caused a certain hot hot heat amongst the female contingent of Bush Hall.
American rock band, OK Go, are in danger of becoming better-known for their videos than for their songs. The latest, This Too Shall Pass, took several months, around 60 people and more than 60 takes to realise. The result is an insanely good chain reaction filmed in a single shot. Put together in a two storey warehouse in Echo Park, L.A, the chain reaction machine was designed and built by the band, with the help of members of Syyn Labs.
Geek facts: The wooden tracks that guide the metal balls at the beginning of the video had to be waxed after each take to prevent dust from slowing them down, and the angle of the board had to be at a precise incline of 3.4 degrees.
The video has already had over 2 million hits on YouTube. See it for yourself.
We’re excited about the latest creative foray from Pringle. To celebrate its 195 birthday, Pringle of Scotland have teamed up with The Serpentine Gallery (a comparatively youthful 40 years-old), and invited their favourite creative minds to re-interpret iconic Pringle products – from the twinset, to the argyle pattern.
And after his Pringle film with Tilda Swinton, featured in issue one of Twin, the lovely Ryan McGinley is back on board. The photographer has designed the “John”(McGinley) – a jumper with a seagull on the right shoulder to represent freedom and named after his boyfriend, whilst Tilda creates “The Twinset of my Dreams”, with her designer friend Waris.
The only downside is that we’ll have to wait until September for these innovative goodies from artists Douglas Gordon, David Shrigley, and Luke Fowler hit stores.
Illustrator Poppy Chancellor reprises ‘Let Loose’ this Sunday. A late night fete with magnificent music and poetry, visitors will be treated to the sweet sounds of Eliza Doolittle, Plaster of Paris and more (a secret special guest is lined up). Last year Paloma Faith performed, and stretched atop a grand piano with a rose in her mouth!
The WORK IT! team will be selling vintage clothes, and there’s a chance to buy accessories and cakes – as well as the wares of up and coming artists who will host their own stalls. Sweet. All proceeds go to The Keith Mason memorial fund. Feel-good fun or what?
Let Loose, is at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 7lJ 7th March at 7.30pm, £8 www.bushhallmusic.co.uk
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