less common more sense | the green issue

no. 14 the green issue

less commonmore sense

The Green Issue27 magic

Ariane Leblanc

28 they’re all boundJonny Briggs

30 fifteen men in my jacketDamian Kruhelski

32 recycling is sexy...Giselle La Pompe-Moore | Ada Zanditon

34 consumeSelvi May

35 can sustainable fashion survive the crunch?Julia Crew

36 consequencesYong Ping Loo

38 wastelandSilvia Capurro

41 the price of charitySean Parker

42 winds of changeRichard John Willsher

4 designing greenBarbara Ward | Yong Ping Loo

7 chlorinePaul Engles | Abigail Rose Liparoto

8 icelandLouise O’Kelly

12 slow travel in the cityWen Yuan Wu

14 sunsetPuneeta Sharma

16 rags are riches: a tale of cinderellaImogen Thomas

17 here boy!Isamaya Ffrench

18 one man’s trash is another man’s treasureSHINNI

22 Jeff Hahn

24 fsc promotionNatasha Rodwell

26 an analysis of the green issue, based on double glazing, socks, and cherriesAndrea Hooymans

call for submissionsDo you want to see your work published? Less Common More Sense is now calling for work on the theme of Uncensored. Visit www.suarts.org/lesscommon to submit your work. We welcome submissions from all areas of the creative arts. You must be a current student or an alumnus of the University of the Arts London.

copyright 2009The Students’ Union, University of the Arts London and the authors. No article may be reproduced or altered in any form without the written permission of the editor(s). The views expressed by the contributors/writers are not necessarily those of the editor(s), the publishers, or the University of the Arts London.

the wealth of the land

Scarlett Shillingford

(BA Graphic Design)

The piece is to raise people’s awareness to the

importance of our planet, and the physical

substance of land in a time of climate change

and global warming.

cover design

lead designer Barbara Ward

less common | a science degreemore sense | leaving science for artgreen is looking after our home

fashion sub-editor Giselle La Pompe-Moore

less common | obsessed with anything pink!more sense | my vegetarianismgreen is the new black

online development Amy Marks

less common | amaranthinemore sense | amalgamatinggreen is amelioration

proofreader Alex Linsdell

less common | being boiledmore sense | feeling fascinationgreen is protect and survive

designer Dani Matthews

less common | a fan of spidermanmore sense | see things differentlygreen is #127a38

deputy editor Tatiana Woolrych

less common | need music to workmore sense | need sunshine to livegreen is switching the light off

marketing & promotions Liggie Pelekani

less common | I work better when it’s dark outsidemore sense | laugh often and dream biggreen is recycling more

arts sub-editor Stephanie Grace

less common | more unconventionalmore sense | less foolishgreen is a bit postmodern...

2 www.suarts.org/lesscommon

editor-in-chief’s letter

Welcome to the first issue of Less Common More Sense produced by this volunteer team, and my first as editor-in-chief. Off the back of our second

Guardian Student Media award (for design), there’s a lot of pressure on the team to perform, and I hope that you’ll enjoy the fruits of this exceptional

collaboration in the pages that follow. We also greet for the first time a Less Common Online team, and a dedicated Marketing and Promotions

volunteer; these new arrivals will doubtless see us skip to giddy heights thus far unexplored in Less Common’s history!

Given the illustrious honour of choosing the theme for this issue, I jumped at the chance to push one of the Students’ Union’s key campaigns of this

year, ‘Green is the New Black’ (www.suarts.org/green). Aside from the blithe hope that someone might interpret the title literally and go for something

in emerald shades (though perhaps our poem on infanticide by chlorine treads close to this one), an eco-issue seemed an appropriate choice to

spring from the loins of the 20,000+ collective of creatives that occupy the walls at Arts London (and, indeed, some of the alumni who submitted for

this issue – see the work of Johnny Briggs on pages 28-29).

‘Sustainability’ seems to have slipped from a buzzword to a prerequisite these days, but thankfully appears to have retained most of its importance.

Perhaps the answer isn’t to enforce a sense of obligation (and to aim for ‘carbon footprint’ to be listed beside ‘dimensions’ and ‘budget’ for every

project), but there’s certainly something to be said for keeping these matters in mind, even when a task might not immediately scream ‘eco’.

From a personal perspective, dabbling in recycled carpet tile shelters focused my attention onto the potentially unusual nature of this subject more

closely than ever before, and I’ve taken great pleasure in challenging the definition. For, lest we forget, sustainability is more than recycling and turning

down the temperature of your washing machine – it’s equally important that we all endeavour to cultivate an ecologically sound lifestyle and culture

that can endure for generations to come. Each of us has a part to play, be this through our art, design, fashion, photography or – that most inevitable,

and off-putting, of words – our politics.

On Accessibility - to fit in all the fabulous content, sometimes the text in the magazine can be quite small. If you have difficulty reading this size text just

go to www.suarts.org/lesscommon and use our handy online version with built-in zoom function.

Kit Friend | Editor-In-Chief, Less Common More Sense

SUARTS Campaigns & Communications Officer | Chair of The Arts Group - www.artsgroup.org.uk | www.arts.ac.uk/showtime/kitfriend | www.suarts.org

less commonmore sense

editor-in-chief Kit Friend

less common | an unhealthy obsession with miniature railways (www.streamlinedlocomotion.blogspot.com)

more sense | an Arts Degree should allow you to get rich (www.suarts.org/funding)

green is living in a way that means my descendants will be able to

Less Common More Sense | The Green Issue 3

About the image: Cause and effectUsing the iconic Recycle logo as a reference point, Yong Ping Loo decided to create an illustrative style narrative around the logo: showcasing the vicious cycle we all live in and the varying aspects of life on Earth. We all depend on our planet for survival and the only way we repay Mother Nature is by demanding more and more. Our greed and need for our selfish growth has often left nature

neglected and abused. Will we only stop when the effects are immediate? The longer we take to make decisions and to take a stand, the harder our fight for survival becomes. We all have the right to survival, don’t we? We do not need to be stereotypical green activists or tree-huggers to make a positive change in our environment. All it takes are small everyday decisions to be responsible for our own consumption and to be open to change.

A change to a sustainable lifestyle. From our decisions come actions, and from our actions comes change.

Further work by Yong Ping Loo can be found on page 36.


Green doesn’t have to be green. Nor does it

have to look handmade, using poor-quality

media and earthy tones. To work sustainably

doesn’t need to curb your creativity, the

results can be as sleek and polished as your

imagination desires. This is why we have chosen

to design this issue of Less Common More

Sense around the opposite of green: pink.

As well as using pink as the signature colour of

this issue, we have used a spacious layout with

a strong use of white, because sustainable and

recycled paper has moved on from the dull

beige colour traditionally associated with it. And

to prove this, we have printed this issue on stock

that is 80% recycled (the other 20% being from

sustainable forests).

Finally, we have used dyes that we know won’t

harm the environment. Because, let’s face it,

we only have one planet – and if we cock it

up, then we’re all in trouble.

Image by Yong Ping Loo

(BA Hons Graphic Media Design)

designing greenBarbara Ward (ABC Graphic Design)


www.suarts.org/green

chlorinePaul Engles (MA Publishing)

Old apple, lurid skin, cellophane scars

from the Pit Stop wrapper,

left for a week in the bowl.

Is it dust? Is it chalky?

It’s not as it tasted

before news broke

of the girl only six

whose face was the colour

of the face of a witch in a film.

Not just the gills, sick, sick.

He boiled it for guests

but let his daughter drink from the tap.

They broke every bone they could find:

dazed on a morphine drip

he chewed through his top lip muttering.

Purify my child, sterilise.

Swallow a lungful of this

and you’ll sleep in my coffin tonight.

Four pints a day and I’ll bask

in your emerald glow.

Your breath sets playmates

clawing necks, their haemorrhaged pupils,

a rolling cloud over Ypres or the Somme.

Image by Abigail Rose Liparoto (BA Hons Illustration)


These images are from a series taken whilst on

a road trip around the south coast of Iceland.

Only one road is open around the edge of the

island during the winter months, as all internal

roads become impassable due to weather

conditions. Whilst travelling in my tiny little

rent-a-car, I became aware of the force of the

elements, as high winds battered my car and

snow whipped up to make the road barely

visible. The impression of a small population

surviving in this immense landscape seemed

in stark contrast to life in London, where nature

is pruned back and weather can be merely

an inconvenience.

Iceland’s unusually diverse and beautiful

landscape is a result of the country being one

of the most active volcanic regions on earth.

It is incredibly stark and isolated in places, with

vast plains of black volcanic rock stretching

for miles into the sea. Glaciers cut their way

down from the mountains and out into the

ocean, breaking up into large chunks of ice.

The country is called a land of fire and ice,

but it is closer to a land of mist and steam.

Geysers spurt hot water out of the earth, fed

by the many geothermal springs. Reykjavik,

the capital, translates as ‘bay of steam’, and

derives its name from the many hot springs in

the area. It also contributes to the country’s

sense of magic and mystery, with a long

tradition of myth and folklore. There are many

legends relating to the history of Iceland, often

inextricably linked in with their environment.

It is this relationship with their surroundings that

sets Icelandic people apart. Despite their

extreme environment, they have managed to

settle the land since the times of the Vikings,

making do with what little resources were

available. The country is almost devoid of

trees, and houses were once constructed

of driftwood that washed up on their shores.

Animal bones were used as toys and tools.

Locals washed their clothing in local hot

springs, while the sea provided an abundant

supply of food. It is this ability to adapt that has

led to inventive use of their local resources in

more recent times. Geothermal fields spouting

geysers just outside of Reykjavik provide the

city with heating, hot water, and drinking water.

Deildartunguhver is Europe’s largest spring,

and water literally boils up out of the earth

here to be pumped to nearby towns and

greenhouses for heating. Other than being

purely efficient, the hot springs have always

been central to community life. Every small

town has its own swimming pool with hot pots

– hot spots for catching up on local gossip!

These outdoor tubs are the hub of social life

in Iceland and are frequented by everyone,

from young to old, who sit to steam and chat.

The geothermal water is also reputed to have

healing properties, which makes it altogether

a somewhat healthier option than going to

the pub.

Iceland is also the only country in the world

that obtains all of its electricity and heat from

renewable sources. Geothermal fields heat

almost the entire country and produce some

electricity, whilst the majority is created through

hydro-power. This self-sufficiency is probably

quite fortunate in the current financial climate.

It also makes for much more sustainable

and renewable use of energy than limited

supplies of gas and oil. It is encouraging to

see how a government can work in harmony

with their environment to produce cheap,

efficient energy sources, independent of world

economics or fuel prices.

icelandLouise O’Kelly (ABC Diploma Photography)

www.suarts.org/lesscommon8

9Less Common More Sense | The Green Issue

slow travel in the cityWen Yuan Wu (MA Graphic Design Graduate 2008)

There are many ways to travel in the city.

However, we hear of less and less people

choosing walking as their main method of

transport. Yet walking is essential. It may take

more time than by more modern modes, but

it provides a great opportunity to go into the

city and have a more meaningful, memorable

experience during a journey. The flow of

people, the changing weather and lighting,

different architectures and green spaces – all

of these make the city vivid and colourful. We

gain a closer look at surroundings and people.

And get to experience the culture, history, and

the breadth of the city, whilst walking in it.

This project attempts to encourage others to

experience a walking journey through the city,

and explores the different experiences we have

by different means of transport (slow and fast,

traditional and modern, walking and the tube),

in order to redirect our attention to that which

has become familiar over time.

I’ve produced a visual comparison of slow

travel and fast travel based on the same

route, which presents geographical journeys

as visualised mapping information, and

examines how our perception of daily travel is

manipulated through visual scale.

“...walking is less expensive, causes less

pollution, is good for your health, and provides

more opportunities for ‘experiencing’ a journey.”

My work is a time-based visual description

of a daily journey. The typical journey started

from home (Rotherhithe, London) to London

College of Communication, where I usually


work, and to central London, which is for

leisure and social activities. The slow method

of travel was walking, and the journey took 2

hours, 24 minutes and 19 seconds in total. The

fast method of travel was modern transport:

bus and the tube. It took 45 minutes and 30

seconds in total.

In order to make the time difference more

visible, I decided to put all the information into

the cycling grids. The grids related to the idea

of time-based description (a clock), which can

systematically represent movement of time in a

controlled method. Considering that common

elements appeared during both the slow and

fast travel processes, I set up a colour code

system. This code helped me to translate the

findings of my research into a more effective

information design language, and directly

informs readers of the different experiences of

my slow and fast journeys in the city.

From the visual comparison, we can see that

modern transport offers people a fast and

effective experience of travel. Walking probably

is the slower method of travelling, but walking is

less expensive, causes less pollution, is good for

your health, and provides more opportunities for

‘experiencing’ a journey. Nowadays, travelling

quickly is the primary concern of most people.

We place emphasis on the fastest means of

transport, but we think less about why we travel,

and what we expect of the journey. At the

same time, the joy of travel is disappearing,

and by rushing to their destinations people are

destroying the environment, and giving less

consideration to the experience of travel.

As a designer, I cannot force my entire

audience to make the same decision. And I

cannot change everyone’s habits, or methods

of travelling, but I can try to inform people of

what I believe to be the correct messages, and

the truth, through visual language. I think my

work will help people to understand and face

valuable concepts of travelling in the city.


sunsetPuneeta Sharma (BA Fine Art)

My work focuses on the theme of human

destruction to our planet.

I use photography to capture beautiful sunsets.

However, the sunsets we see aren’t what nature

has provided us with. They are the result of the

gases and oils we use and burn everyday –

hence the amazing colours we see.

Over the summer I have begun painting some

of the sunsets that I have photographed. Some

people say it reminds them of Turner’s work.

However, Turner was affected by nature; this

time, we are affecting our planet.


Once upon a time in a land not so far away,

Cinderella planned for a prestigious ball in total disarray.

Her hair was matted, and with rags so tattered,

She wondered what to do; work had made her so shattered!

In times of need, she looked to her ugly stepsisters for aid,

Yet they scorned at her because she was merely a maid.

Distraught, distressed and without a dress,

Swiftly she searched their wardrobes to some success.

Prada, Cavalli and McQueen to name but a few,

Cindy’s eyes lit up; my, what a view!

Kaleidoscopic, the gowns wrapped in plastic,

Their tags still intact, unworn… this was fantastic!

Thrifty Cindy set about with thread,

Altering the McQueen, thoughts running through her head,

To twirl and laugh and dance til 12 o’clock,

Eco-Cindy had saved the day with her second hand frock!

Alas, though, the stepsisters caught her red-handed,

Tore the dress from her, and left her stranded.

With little more than a few pennies in her purse,

Cinders hit the streets whispering a curse.

Who needs those forlorn frocks anyway?

Bought in haste, and left to decay.

The stepsisters ordered from as far as Timbuktu,

Totting up the air miles for an ill-fitting, out of vogue tutu.

Is this throwaway fashion really worth all that?

Cinders thought in Oxfam as she tried on a fabulous hat.

And then she saw it; her bargain, her find, her treasure!

The most gorgeous gown; she whipped out her tape measure.

A few stitches at the waist and it would fit a treat,

Her glittering glass slippers would adorn her feet!

And with a bag nabbed at a swishing party,

Cindy’s outfit was complete; she looked fashionable and arty.

Cinderella waltzed with confidence into the ball,

The stepsisters muttered at her entrance to the hall.

Is it Galliano? Chloe? Marc Jacobs? Westwood?

The whispers that followed her made Cinders feel good!

She kept them guessing, no one knew her trick,

Even Prince Charming thought she looked slick.

She was gorgeous, dazzling and unique;

When times are hard, try eco-chic!

rags are riches a tale of cinderellaImogen Thomas (BA Fashion Journalism)


here boy!Isamaya Ffrench (BA Product Design)

A collection of

stilettoes and feminine

shoes made of raw

hide and dog chew.

It draws on the notion

that aesthetics can

defy convention.


one man’s trash is another man’s treasureSHINNI (FdA Art & Design)


The process is simple enough: do not judge

materials by their price tag. The principle is

no more complicated: one person’s trash

is another person’s treasure. The work itself

becomes nothing but a byproduct, a happy

accident. As an art foundation student I

am surrounded by many people who are

experiencing the true meaning of the word

‘budget’ for the first time. Everyone has to eat,

and with most art supplies costing us an arm,

a leg, and a three-course meal, the typical

art student’s lifestyle is not one associated with

glamour. Add to that an endorsement of ‘the

sustainable lifestyle’ and an acute awareness of

what and how much one is buying, and you’re

in a real pickle.

At least, so it seems. Turns out art supplies are

not actually limited to art stores, and they are

by no means limited by a budget. There is an

unimaginable amount of objects around us

that are not only absolutely free of charge,

but sometimes more inspiring than shiny paint

tubes or immaculate white canvases. The

problem is that they are easily overlooked

because they are placed in unfortunate

locations – ones that tend to communicate

a lack of ‘usefulness’. You know the like:

rubbish dumps, the pavement, eerie and

diseased-looking street corners…

But when I realised this was actually a secret

hidden resource, a whole new world opened

up. It is like walking into an art supply store with

an empty wallet but realising you could walk

home with whatever you wanted. And the

icing on the cake was the fact that this was all

environmentally friendly, as it was basic (albeit

slightly atypical) recycling.

“Everyone has to eat,

and with most art supplies costing us an

arm, a leg, and a three-course meal,

the typical art student’s lifestyle is not one

associated with glamour.”

With these thoughts in mind, a cardboard

box becomes a valuable surface; a plastic

bag an interesting texture; a piece of torn

smelly fabric a beautiful collection of colours

and shapes – and that is only the tip of

the iceberg. These materials are almost

unnervingly versatile, and each offers room

for exploration and experimentation like no

other material I have bought in an art store.

Suddenly, you are hit with this awareness of

pigment and texture in all objects around you,

and you discover new purposes for some of

the most common things. You never know

what you might (sometimes quite literally)

stumble into.

Most of my work does not start with an intention

or idea; it just starts with an object and a

surface (I am more of a 2D aficionado). The

rest happens by itself. I love to emphasise

that the work was done with a sustainable

message in mind, but how exactly that

message is communicated is up to the viewer

to decide. Having only just tapped into this

resource in the last year and a half or so, I

have a lot of discoveries ahead, but if there is

one thing that is crystal clear, it is that ‘green’

art is not as hard to produce as ‘normal’

art. London is an extremely resourceful city,

and I encourage every artist interested in

exploring the sustainable side of creativity to

periodically stop for a minute and browse their

surroundings. The limits of materials are, really,

what you make them.


Jeff HahnFoundation Media: Animation Pathway


U2 are one of the only bands to use guitars

made from FSC-certified wood. To raise

awareness of this fact, I have created an

album cover design detailing how a guitar

is made, and highlighting their use of FSC

wood to promote the organisation and raise

awareness of their tree logo.

fsc promotionNatasha Rodwell (Graphic & Media: Information Design)


“Art doesn’t have to be serious, but it should be

creative. It should help us figure out how to live.”

– Maureen Rice, Actress

As art shows people aspects of life, it

influences what they think and how they think.

It works the other way as well. The overall

green focus of our western society is well

reflected in the offer of new courses around

the university, the CSM innovation centre, and,

more importantly, in our daily work. Since we,

as artists, show our ideas about everything

(otherwise known as ‘life’), we reflect on society,

as we live there. Thus, ‘green’ comes forward

in our work through themes, materials, and (for

instance) philosophical ideas about producing

and selling our creations.

It is evident that the green issue is alive in our

university. Even the course representatives have

continually been voting for more recycling

around the college; various ideas on recycling

and rubbish separation have been brought

forward, but it’s not always as easy as just

getting an extra pair of bins. For instance, the

students were told that the company collecting

our rubbish doesn’t do recycling. So, if you want

to change that, you’ll have to persuade the

college to contract a new collector; there’ll

be a shortage of money, or no manpower to

organise it, and then you’ll have to draw up

a financial, or logistical, plan – and, if you’re

capable of doing all that, hope your hard work

won’t end up in a drawer somewhere.

Since we’re not all course reps, let alone reps

with time and energy to devote to these things,

we’ll have to go green closer to home. But what

more can you do than separate your garbage

and switch off the light? It’s not like you’ve got

a couple of hundred quid to spare for some

double glazing. And, in any case, garbage

and double glazing aren’t interesting enough

subjects to spend your time contemplating.

What you want is something fresh, young,

luscious, and lifestyle, with a cherry on top.

We have exchanged almost all of our duties

for our desires. We used to feel obligated to

social classes, guilds, and families, but now

we are much more independent. Now that we

fix our attention on the individual, our primary

obligation is to ourselves. This is because, after

the industrial revolution and the computer age,

we are well-rooted and settled. And, with all of

these things sorted, we need to give meaning

to our lives. We need to fill that empty space;

we want to feel good about ourselves, and we

want to satisfy our spiritual and moral needs. We

want that cherry on top, and saving the planet

is behind door number 3!

Only, ‘back to nature’ is only ‘back’

because nature used to be part of our primary

needs. A means of getting what we really need

to survive. Nowadays, we turn dead animals

into home-grown disinfected pre-packaged

ready-to-eat pulp. We are as far from nature as

a noodle take-away, and what’s behind door

number 3 is nothing but smoke and mirrors. The

green issue has indeed become a powerful

tool for advertisement.

‘Back to nature’ equals low-fat luxurious sushi

lunchboxes at £6.00 a pop. A light or diet

version proves no longer to be sufficient.

The health department goes green; it’s all

ready-to-eat, with fresh and clean lounge-like

rooms, sporty wellbeing blurbs, green logos,

and green walls – even the hip twirly-wirly wall

paintings if you’re lucky. If we really cared,

airproof lunchbox sales would have gone

through the roof a long time ago. But it’s all

about the image, about the package, and

the latest fashion. Be part of the scene and the

mirrors will tell you that you are forever young,

sexy and successful.

The ‘green label’ is well on its way to take its

place next to child labour-free and non-animal

tested standards to prove one pair of socks

to be better than another. But the true market

value turns out to lie in the hype, because

people want the whole package, a total

makeover, a fresh start. Sign up for a fitness

club; five-a-day; recycle; 1001 things you

can do with an old hat, and so on. The green

madness makes the green age.

It’s obvious that the old recycled marketing

tricks have been working on various fronts.

We’ve got vintage; change CD covers into

pencils; invent neo neo fashion trends; reuse

musical riffs. The latter does imply that recycling

doesn’t always have to be a good thing

for everyone. The breaking news about the

tap water in London having gone through

a minimum of 12 bodies did shock a lot of

people. But imagine Homo sapiens 200,000

years ago, its species multiplying through the

an analysis of the green issue, based on double glazing, socks, and cherriesAndrea Hooymans (BA Hons Fine Art)


magicAriane Leblanc (BA Graphic Design)

ages, reaching an estimate of about 6.7

billion last year; imagine how many people

that would be through the ages and then think

about the amount of water on this planet. Your

next sip of water might have been part of a

dinosaur’s doodoo. These are the facts of life.

And with the comfort and knowledge we have

today, we can spend some time reflecting on

these things.

It’s a wonderful idea that something that once

was a disposable Sainsbury’s bag may today

keep you warm in the form of your stay-in-bed-

and-watch-mindless-telly-all-day fleece jumper.

This is what is possible and what’s being done.

Our behaviour is changing. We’re reusing the

things we take from the earth, and trying to take

less in the first place. And if the reason for this

is because we want to be fashionable, to go

with the flow, or fear global disaster, it doesn’t

change that fact.

But there is another motivation. With all our

knowledge and means of communication, we

are much more engaged with the world, and

with the work that needs to be done. Lobbying

the back rooms of parliament or sitting in a

rubber boat saving whales isn’t everyone’s cup

of tea, especially since these things take you

into such extremes that you’d have to make the

environment part of your life. If you don’t want

to devote your life to the green issue, you’ll be

forced to do your bit in the little time you have.

That’s why it’s not strange that not everyone

will fight for the environment so actively, and

that most people leave their good deeds at a

monthly deposit. If you would want to do your

bit at home, you’ll have to change something

in your daily routine, and changing a habit

takes a considerable amount of time and

energy. You can’t blame the English for not

knowing foreign languages, since English is a

universal language. Likewise, going out of your

way to dispose of your green leftovers properly,

or separating plastic from paper, isn’t as easy

for everyone as it sounds – not if you haven’t

been brought up with it. That’s not an excuse

though. We’re part of a great change, and we

need to fight for that change: F*cking Recycle

(a poster collection by Becky Redman). That’s

without the cherry. We can be someone else’s

cherry though:

We can create and influence through our

creating and inventing new ideas. Our

inspiration inspires others to live and do what

makes them happy, and if that’s planting

trees in Tooting, researching natural energy,

or building eco-villages, they are in any case

saving the word… And so are we.

this is a magic place with magic trees where magic happens


they’re all boundJonny Briggs (Chelsea Alumni: BA Fine Art)

This piece was inspired by a painting on

the wall of my bedroom as a child, where

Jesus was surrounded by intimidatingly tame

animals. I have also speculated over the

fantasy of play, and a game my four sisters

used to play as children, where their tops were

stuffed with cushions and toys, fabricating a

pregnancy. My mother represents my sisters

here, animalistic and united in their similarity.

Thirty different animals are also hidden within the

image, disconcertingly tame against the feral

humans who appear ritualistic, meditative, and

absorbed in nature.

To reveal where the animals are hiding, visit

www.suarts.org/lesscommon


fifteen men in my jacketDamian Kruhelski (BA Photography)

I became a part of the story in 2000 when I

got the jacket from my uncle in Poland. My

friends were organising a New Year’s Eve party,

and everyone was supposed to wear clothes

from the 1970s. I needed bell-bottomed

trousers and it turned out that one of my uncles

had got some. When I visited him, as well

as the trousers he also found in his wardrobe

the leather jacket, which he hadn’t worn for

10 years. Since it was too short for him he

asked me if I would like to wear it. After my

happy “yes” he gave it to me, but didn’t tell me

how he got it, and I didn’t ask.

I discovered the rest of the story of my leather

jacket when I started doing a project for the BA

Photography course at LCC. The idea for the

project was simple; I wanted to photograph

strangers in the leather jacket in order to

question the image of men in it, and challenge

the pop culture, which suggests that a man

in a leather jacket is a true man. Only when I

phoned my uncle and found out how he got

the jacket did I start thinking that clothes which

are manufactured to last longer than only one

season are uncommon in the modern world.


Silesia, the part of Poland that I come from,

belonged to Germany before and during the

Second World War, and many families have

relatives there. Those people from Germany

were sending second-hand clothes to their

relatives in Silesia in the 1970s and 1980s. That

is how a friend of my uncle got the jacket.

At that time in communist Poland, people

couldn’t simply go to the shops and buy things,

thus exchanging was very common. In parcels

that were sent from Germany were clothes of

different sizes, and my uncle merely swapped

with his friend another piece of clothing for the

leather jacket. He was wearing it until it was too

short for him, and after that he hanged it in his

wardrobe, where it stayed for 10 years.

After I found out the rest of the story I wanted

to enrich the project with that knowledge, and

that is why I decided I would photograph the

men against different shops. I wanted to make

the viewer think about ‘things’, and the ways of

obtaining them. Modern western societies treat

‘things’ as temporary objects, and companies

are no longer interested in producing them to

last as long as possible. Items are produced to

be replaced with other articles in the near future.

I knew that with this project I would not

change the situation in the world where mass

production is so common, but at the same

time I wanted to make people think about

obtaining things. As consumers, we can all put

pressure on manufacturers by not choosing

new items produced to last only a short time.


recycling is sexy...Giselle La Pompe-Moore (BA Fashion Journalism)

Using something again and again is extremely

powerful. Although it is still the same thing every

time it’s used, it evolves, and takes on different

characteristics. Our Eco-Goddess wears

stunning sustainable designs throughout, and

takes on different characters and movements

in each pose. Even though her image is

recycled, the message behind her clothes

remains the same. Modern and innovative

sustainable designs such as this show that

sustainable materials need not affect the visual

aesthetic of clothes any longer.

Ada Zanditon:The clothes featured in the shoot are by London

College of Fashion graduate Ada Zanditon. The

talented womenswear designer graduated in

2007 with a first-class degree. She is a pioneer

for young, modern, and beautiful ethical

designs. Her talent hasn’t gone unnoticed, as

she won the Prize for Creativity at the Ethical

Fashion Show in Paris. Her designs were also

shown at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre in

China. Ada Zanditon has shown that ethical

fashion need not just be organic cotton t-shirts,

but can be classed as eco-couture.

Fashion Editor: Giselle La Pompe-Moore

Photographer: Serge Kovalenko (MA Fashion Photography)

Clothes: Ada Zanditon (Womenswear Design Graduate 2007) www.adaz.co.uk

Fashion Assistant: Andre Davies (BA Fashion Journalism)

Model: Lisa Payne (BA Fashion Journalism)


Over the summer I had a project entitled

‘consume’, where I was required to collect

one hundred objects that fit into a shoebox.

I collected over one hundred forks. Metal,

wooden, plastic, sporks, airplane forks,

hand crafted forks, hospital forks. I think I have a

pretty vast collection!

Simple objects – in this case, forks – contribute

to our extremely high consumpution/waste

levels, especially in our Western consumerist

world. I found it so easy to collect the items;

thousands of people buy readymeals with forks

included in the packaging, and places such

as EAT and Pret a Manger hand out thousands

and thousands of plastic forks every day.

Small items can easily accumulate to waste.

The items were used to generate images in

the dark room.

consume Selvi May (FDA Design of Visual Communication)


can sustainable fashion survive the crunch? Julia Crew (MA Fashion & the Environment)

The crunch, credit crisis, the economic

downturn, recession… words and phrases that

have become all too familiar over the past

few months. As the gloomy forecasts continue

for the foreseeable future, the realisation is

beginning to sink in that there will be no quick

fix solution. It’s a worrying situation for the

fashion industry, which has been one of the

first to suffer from consumers cutting back on

discretionary spending.

The situation is one that fashion, an industry

built around consumerism, is poorly prepared

for. Consumer confidence is down and

people are economising and being more

careful with their money – unbelievable! Sales

figures for many high street retailers have

been down in their year-on-year comparisons

– shocking! Many retailers were rolling out

discounts well before the Boxing Day sales

bonanza in an effort to tempt shoppers to

spend – unthinkable!

But in this climate of increasing sobriety

– society is beginning to wake up to the

consequences of years of excessive debt

and wasteful consumption – isn’t it more

unbelievable that the UK clothing and textiles

industry is responsible for up to 3.1 million

tonnes of CO2 and 70 million tonnes of waste

water in a year? Isn’t it shocking that the last five

years have seen an increase in the proportion

of textile waste at council tips – up from 7%

to 30%; a trend that is becoming known as

the ‘Primark effect’? And isn’t it unthinkable that

people across the globe suffer horrific levels of

exploitation, purely so that we can buy more

cheap new clothes which are then discarded

in a matter of weeks?

...”isn’t it unthinkable that people across the

globe suffer horrific levels of exploitation,

purely so that we can buy more cheap

new clothes...”

Here in the UK, in our modern-day capitalist

society, markets are created to serve false

needs. We have been driven to consume,

and to define ourselves by what we own.

But this has not generated a greater sense

of happiness or satisfaction. Many people

are easily manipulated by the propaganda

of media and advertising, and most of us

are familiar with the sensation of wanting

something again, almost before the buzz

of buying a new item has faded. Very few

people are engaging fully, or positively,

with the experience of shopping. We are

stuck in a seemingly inescapable cycle

of wanting and desiring products, the

manufacture and distribution of which pollute;

waste resources; exploit people – and will

not magically improve our lives or satisfy any

real human need.

It is important to recognise how many

benefits there are to sustainable fashion. It can

create livelihoods and encourage economic

growth – not deplete them. That increased

efficiency and improved transparency leads to

higher levels of trust, competitive advantage,

and better business and consumer

relationships. Sustainability is also losing its

‘worthy’ image, and becoming aspirational.

It is defined by desirability, beautiful design,

quality, and better service. When the core

values of a business are addressed, it will

resonate far more meaningfully than token

gestures and greenwash.

Perhaps 2009 will see the beginning of a shift

away from cheap, fast fashion and passive

consumerism, and towards something that is

more considered, engaged and responsible.

As people cut back on their spending, there

is an opportunity to refocus: to take stock and

see what is really important. People may be

buying less, but perhaps they’ll be more willing

to trade up on quality – looking to invest their

money in something durable, something they’ll

want to keep. Consumers will engage more

with their purchases, taking a closer interest

in the background of a product. And, if that’s

the case, I think sustainable fashion is in a very

strong position to weather the storm, survive the

crunch, and bounce back bigger and better

than ever.


I designed this image with the idea of our

choices and consequences of our actions.

The fate of our planet is in our hands – human

beings are just one of the only many species

who live on Earth, but are solely responsible

for its destruction. In the last century alone, our

planet has seen more changes in its climate

than ever before. Rising sea tides, the hole in

the ozone layer, melting of the solar ice caps,

deforestation, and disappearing islands – just

a few examples of the negative impacts

industrialisation has on our planet. Developed

countries trade responsibilities and human rights

for their own greedy pursuits and consumption,

at the expense of our environment and the

lesser-developed countries. Today, the current

measurement of atmospheric CO2 is 385 parts

per million (ppm) and increasing at an alarming

rate, a far cry from the 275 ppm measured in

the pre-industrial revolution days. Scientists draw

the limit at 550 ppm, and anything between

450 and 550 ppm would result in irreversible

impacts on all of us. So where do we go from

here? Life or death?

consequencesYong Ping Loo (BA Hons Graphic Media Design)


wastelandSilvia Capurro (MA Graphic Design Graduate 2008)

1.1. the research approach

To start this project has been easy

I have been moved by anger and shame for

my country: Italy.

A country which deserves better.

Better than its politics who are the joke of the

whole world.

Better than having its main national systems

corrupted by the people who are always a bit

more ‘equal’ than others.

And better than witnessing the devastation of

one of its most flourishing and beautiful regions:

Campania.

A lot of issues highlight the lack of efficacy of

Italy: transport, companies, urban services, the

media, and so on.

Of course, the common factor of all these

problems is politics, but as a graphic designer

– and so as a communicator – I found that

communication also bears a main responsibility.

To continue the project was incredibly difficult

I have chosen the waste problem in Campania

because it is the most representative and

scandalous current issue relating to the lack

of working systems. I soon understood how

complex it was to understand it.

Because I have been influenced by the

‘disinformation’ process of the Italian media, I

had to eradicate my preconceptions and then

to think of a means of imparting the knowledge

to others.

According to Reporters Sans Frontières

(RSF), which has made the first world chart

demonstrating press freedom, in fact, Italy

occupies the fortieth place.


Italy, because of the unsolved conflict of

interests of the prime minister Silvio

Berlusconi, is behind South Africa, Uruguay,

Taiwan, and only just above Israel, South

Korea, and Kosovo.

To understand and develop it was also hard

First of all, gathering information was kind of a

challenge. Nothing complete and effective

exists. National medias have reported it just

superficially, and I had to pass through the

word of mouth process, getting in touch

directly with people who live the everyday

reality of the place.

The reality, the actual situation, the

comprehension of how it should be, the

acceptance of all the deaths and the

poisoning, as well as the complete state

of abandon experienced by people from

Campania every day for 20 years (by the

media and by politics), was a reality hard to

understand – even harder to digest.

To design was, on the other hand, not an

issue. I wanted to inform other people of the

problem in a direct way, sparing them the

trouble I had in gaining the information. A

clean design, helped by the power of the

icons, and a clear layout tries to make the

content easy to reach. An always-present toll

bar menu makes the navigation flexible and

easy to approach.

1. 2. the project

1. 2. 1. what is it about?

Waste disposal in Naples is under the attention

of all the world’s press and represents a very

serious problem for people from the region of

Campania in Italy.

I have always found it as the most

representative of the national problems, the

most dangerous and uncivilised.

Nevertheless, the Italian media have reported

the whole thing simply as an urban waste

disposal problem, mainly related to the

incapacity of the citizens to recycle or to

organise themselves.

On the contrary, the situation is much more

complex than this suggests. We are not

speaking, as the media want to make it

appear, about a local problem caused by

regional laziness and ignorance.

Even if cultural factors have a part to play,

it is also the case that big economic

interests gravitate around the districts of Naples

and Caserta.

Politics and the mafia play a dominant role;

waste disposal is a multibillion business, and

operates in the way that it does for

financial reasons. Of course, when in 1989

a roundtable took place (known as the

‘Villaricca meeting’), at which politicians,

Camorra, and businessmen signed the deal

for waste disposal management and control,

they were very conscious of the cultural

factors, and the attitude of the citizens in

the area.

The reasons for the problem are very

deep seated.

1. 2. 2. wasteland

‘Wasteland’ was born as an information

platform to get information but also able to

connect people, making them able to share

information and opinions and giving a starting

point for future active cooperations between

the citizens and the associations.

‘Wasteland’ is a website which provides all

of the information to give a general and

complete overview of the problem. The

sections help to navigate through the main

issues (the areas/the people/the system/

the story so far) and the interactive sections

which get the users involved (download/blog/

links/info).

In the ‘WASTE CATEGORIES’ (section 8), icons

identify the main waste areas according to

the type of pollution. Each of them has a map

where the main areas are indicated, as well as

an information page.

Any page contains a picture, explanatory

text, a main sentence, and a quotation

from biologists, lawyers, breeders, writers, or

environmental and association members.

In ‘THE EFFECTS’ pages, the dioxin effects in

the animals and in the human being are

explained, while the “PEOPLE” section identifies

the protagonists, and those responsible for the

waste disposal problem - from the local mafia

(Camorra), to the writer Roberto Saviano.

‘THE SYSTEM’ section represents the complex

systems related to the waste issue in a

graphically simple way, as the information

design principles warrant.

‘THE STORY SO FAR’ contains a timeline,

starting in 1989 and finishing in 2008. Every

year contains information about the main

occurrences in the waste crisis history, and

indicates who was the Prime Minister, the

Minister of the Environment, and the Waste

Emergency Extraordinary Commissioner.

Finally, in the interactive part, the audience is

invited to download the information material

to promote the website as an information

tool, and to leave comments and information

through the blog. Moreover, it is possible to find

more information and useful links.


XHIBIT09_A4ad_.indd 1 1/23/09 12:17:41 PM

the price of charitySean Parker (Graphic & Media Design)

Green is far more than just part of the colour

wheel. Green is ecology, green is nature,

green is recycling. Now, I’m not trying to make

out that I am some sort of ambassador for

Mother Nature: all I’m saying is that I like to

do my bit for the environment. Apart from

separating the cardboards from plastics at

home, and occasionally putting a can in those

special bins, I really am no saint. But over the

past few months I have come to realise that I

actually lend more to the cause than I first led

myself to believe. It was something that slipped

under the radar, modest and undervalued:

charity shopping.

Charity shops are a hub of society; they form

communities and bring together generations.

They are eclectic treasure troves dressed as

humble meeting places for our seniors – a

cunning disguise. I have been looking through

charity shops for a couple of years now, ever

since I overcame my snobby perception of

second-hand goods as soiled or damaged.

The temptation of rummaging around a

basket of trinkets, in the hope of coming across

something strange and beautiful, is now often

hard to resist. There is no guarantee one will

find anything of great monetary worth, but

it is sometimes equally valuable to dig out

something that jogs nostalgia or pulls at your

sentimental strings. For me, the experience of

charity shops is not just in the unpredictability,

but also the memories from childhood it brings

back: visiting the bootsales with my parents

on bitter November mornings in the local

farmer’s fields. Friendly competition, bartering,

the exchanging of anecdotes; the sense of

goodwill is what attracts me to this kind of place.

The majority of my pocket money used to get

spent on Pokémon cards and Pogz, which were

pretty much standard toys of preference in the

mid 90s. I am actually convinced that I still have

a holographic Charizard somewhere. Recently,

I have grown up a bit and moved onto

matchbooks. Collecting things is a habit I picked

up from antique collectors from the bootsales,

except my compilations aren’t worth nearly as

much Royal Doulton tea sets or samurai swords.

In fact, I’m a bit of a hoarder. In my room I even

have a drawer specifically for Ordnance Survey

maps. Like, if we ever got lost in Gloucester

or Islamabad, I’d be the man everyone turns

to. Honestly, I keep everything. Just in case. I

decided to save the tags from some of the

clothes I bought - just as mementoes, I guess.

Now, these labels are not particularly amazing

exhibitions of graphic design, neither are they

hugely inspiring as a collection, but they record

a specific moment in time: data translation.

They relay to us the volunteer’s valuation of an

object at the moment of contact; an individual’s

personal assessment of the monetary worth. To

the charities, this is money that can be filtered

into funds for medical equipment, excursions,

even something as simple as a bed for a night.

But to the environment, this process of recycling

is invaluable.

winds of changeRichard John Willsher (BA Hons Fashion Photography)

From a series of portraits, looking at and taking

references from more sustainable cultures.


Abigail Rose LiparotoBA Hons IllustrationCamberwell College of Artwww.abigailliparoto.blogspot.com

Barbara WardABC Graphic DesignLondon College of Communication

Paul EnglesMA PublishingLondon College of [email protected]

Louise O’KellyABC Diploma PhotographyLondon College of Communication

Wen Yuan WuMA Graphic Design Graduate 2008London College of [email protected]

Puneeta SharmaBA Fine ArtCentral Saint [email protected]

Imogen ThomasBA Hons Fashion JournalismLondon College of [email protected]

SHINNILevel 4 Foundation Art & DesignCentral Saint [email protected]

Natasha RodwellGraphic & Media: Information DesignLondon College of [email protected]://andapickle.blogspot.com

Jonny BriggsChelsea Alumni: BA Fine ArtChelsea School of Art and [email protected]

Andrea HooymansBA Hons Fine ArtCentral Saint [email protected]

Isamaya FfrenchBA Product DesignCentral Saint Martinsisamayaffrench@gmail.comwww.wordswithmyfather.blogspot.comwww.redbubble.com/people/isamaya

Giselle La Pompe-MooreBA Fashion JournalismLondon College of Fashion

Andre DaviesBA Fashion JournalismLondon College of [email protected]

Lisa PayneBA Fashion JournalismLondon College of [email protected]

Serge KovalenkoMA Fashion PhotographyLondon College of Fashionwww.skovalenko.com

Ada ZanditionWomenswear Design GraduateLondon College of Fashionwww.adaz.co.uk

Selvi MayFDA Design of Visual CommunicationLondon College of Communication

Jeff HahnFoundation Media: Animation PathwayLondon College of [email protected]

Damien KrulhelskiBA PhotographyLondon College of [email protected]

Julia CrewMA Fashion & the EnvironmentLondon College of Fashion

Yong Ping LooBA Hons Graphic Media DesignLondon College of [email protected]

Sean ParkerGraphic & Media DesignLondon College of Communicationsean.parker.27@googlemail.commyonlinepsybook.blogspot.com

contributors

Richard John WillsherBA Hons Fashion PhotographyLondon College of [email protected]

Ariane Le BlancBA Graphic DesignCentral Saint [email protected]/photos/rayanne

Scarlett ShillingfordBA Graphic DesignChelsea School of Art and Design

Silvia CappuroMA Graphic Design Graduate 2008London College of [email protected]


STANDThe Students’ Union needs four exceptional and talented

individuals to lead the student body in 2009 and 2010.

Nominations are open from5th February - 19th February NOONIf you are interested in standing you can pick up an information pack from any of the Students’ Union bars, offices, the website or from the Student Hub at Davies Street.

Voting for this year’s elections will be held from10am Tuesday 10th - 12noon Friday 13th MarchThe results will be announced from 6pm at the election night special event in the Student Hub at Davies Street.

Fill in a nomination form on the website before noon on the 20th February.

www.suarts.org/elections

the magazine of the students’ union university of the arts london| www.suarts.org/lesscommon

less common more sense | the green issue

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