RHIANNONBLISSHARDIE/ Portfolio

BOLD • NEON • ACID WASH PRINT • JOURNALISMBRIGHTS • MISMATCH VERSATILE • SPORTSWEAR LAYOUT • CLASSIC DEXTEROUS • AMERICANACULTURAL • MEDIA • PR REALISTIC • DEXTEROUSPHOTOGRAPHY BRANDING • STRIPES HIP HOP • TRENDMULTI-DISCIPLINARYOBSERVANT • SOCIAL COMMENTATOR • BEAUTY BRANDING• DILIGENT HUMOUROUS • TRAVEL

BOLD • NEON • ACID WASH PRINT • JOURNALISMBRIGHTS • MISMATCH VERSATILE • SPORTSWEAR LAYOUT • CLASSIC DEXTEROUS • AMERICANACULTURAL • MEDIA • PR REALISTIC • DEXTEROUSPHOTOGRAPHY BRANDING • STRIPES HIP HOP • TRENDMULTI-DISCIPLINARYOBSERVANT • SOCIAL COMMENTATOR • BEAUTY BRANDING• DILIGENT HUMOUROUS • TRAVEL

Journalism

BS 2Creative journalism for a conceptual publication.

eople like to moan. They shroud it in words like constructive criticism to kid you into thinking they’re saying something different but they’re not, they’re probably moaning about the same thing as you. It’s human nature, to comment, del-egate thoughts on matters which probably don’t concern or even influence you and your life in any way; But, that does not stop us passing judg-ments, snippets of opinion that you feel better for airing. That is what this is for, a column every week, to air, not grievances, but thoughts, plain and simple.

P’s and Q’s

One of my greatest memories as a child, and even more so as a teenager, is the concept of manners. Instilled and drilled into me practically from birth their use was not a question or de-bate, it was a must, a necessity, and as my mum would always adamantly state, “I would get no-where in life without them.”

My younger years, my childhood when I per-haps didn’t know any better, is speckled with fragmented memories of manners. They’re use being applauded, going above and beyond to be the darling little blonde that my Mum would be proud of. Opening doors for the elderly, say-ing hello to passers by in the morning, offering to carry shopping, though I’m not sure how my 7 stone frame would in fact offer any great as-sistance. All the generic, stereotypical instances of “Manners” were expected of me- or at least to be attempted, a suggestion that despite my lack of real physical assistance, the thought was there.

My manner memories may be so prominent, in-trinsically stuck in my head, because I can re-member the negative repercussions so vividly; in a way that only a child could. The smacked bums, disappointed faces and wagging faces are carved into my brain;

PGrandparents were another fundamental reason for the focus on manners. Aside from good be-havior, good grades and generally trying and failing to convince the world I was an angel, manners, again, were an essential. My Gran-dad was a war veteran, his views were instilled quickly and forcibly, and god knows you would always know if you had disappointed Grandad. A large gruff man, quick witted and sparky, he would make no bones about telling you “NO!” how something was wrong and should not be done next time. Despite this, he was a gentle giant, the one who would sneak me sweets and save me last slice of cake. This two-way street of mutual respect is what cemented manners as a fundamental element of my person, the simple please and thank you that should never be for-gotten.

You don’t need to be genius to work out that man-ners have gone, evaporated somewhere in be-tween technology, social media and fast paced busy lifestyles, leaving behind only fragments of what was. Last week I was on the busy commuter train, laden with a school full of little’uns, eleven or twelve lets say, sat in a gaggle, discussing les-sons, who fancied who and so on and so forth. As the train pulled into the station an elderly cou-ple waited on the platform, dressed to the nines, the lady wearing full makeup despite presuma-bly being close to ninety. The man got on, care-fully assisting his delicate spouse onto the train and into a seat. No seat was vacant for the man. Twenty or so children sat, exchanged glances and whispers, cogs whirring, contemplating tak-ing heed of what their parents had intended for them to do in such a situation. Not a single child offered their seat. Not the class clown nor the A star student. I’m fairly sure all of these sprightly young things were more than capable of stand-ing for the six-minute train journey, yet none of them moved.

P’s

an

d Q

’s

Snippets of information reminding you of your wrongdoing; the psychology of parental persuasion.

I don’t believe that parents would simply not teach their children such values; most themselves probably come from a generation, which still held them dear. Where along the line of commu-nication have children disregarded manners? Is it that their parents have not instilled it with such force or are youngsters simply dismissing their parents, an act of defiant rebellion against their peers? Youngsters, though, I don’t believe are the only perpetrators of this crime. The elderly too are not innocent. Too frequently do I hold open a door for the elderly, only to be dismissed and ignored. Perhaps it is not just teens with an attitude problem.

Manners have taught me not only to be polite, but to hold others, no matter who, in regard. To be considerate and mindful of others and their situation, despite how rude they may be. They are a small token of the past and previ-ous values that will diminish if they do not con-tinue to be upheld. In a world where you can like someone’s pictures without having met them, leave compliments and praise in seconds; surely we should maintain this last piece of physical courtesy. Maybe it has been lost in the realms of social media, where a notification is regarded more importantly; maybe dismissed altogether; but only in time will we see where this new com-munication progresses, whether old values with resurface or become lost in “Modern Manners”.

Lazy

When did we all get so lazy? Probably a cat in a previous life I would be quite content not mov-ing, ever. Why limit lay-ins to Saturday morn-ings, why cook when you can order food, why walk when you can drive around the corner. My life seems to be a series of movement minimizing events, eliminating all forms of strenuous activity.

As a child I was all about “Get Up And Go” first up, first out the door, first the down the beach. I was the outdoor-sy child. Not surgically attached to a games console or pining for the latest toys, I was all about the forest. Dog walking, I was your girl. The whole of my grandparents and I relationship was centered around the forest; the need to be outside, moving, marching, running in any which way direction.

My Grandma still heeds her own advice to this day. Why sit when you can stand, why drive when you can walk; the same feeling I once possessed but all inclination is long gone. Her thoughts are that sleeping is for when your dead, don’t waste time doing it now. Don’t get me wrong, my Grandma is not the fifth mem-ber of The Rolling Stones, but she does like to get things done. At eighty she is the president of four quilt groups, an OAP group as well as being a full time carer for my Grandad. There

is pretty much nothing stopping her, and I can’t remember there ever have been. How is it that someone of such an age has endless bounds of energy, not only that but motivation? Nothing is ever too much of chore or a hassle; there is a constant desire to go above and beyond; to look after everyone.

Where does the root of the issue lie? Why do we love to be lazy? I say this messaging my house-mate who lives one floor above me, not even the second, third, fourth floor marathon; a mere ten second dash up a flight of stairs.

Is it technology? That old chestnut, or new which-ever way you decide to look at it, that we love to fall back on time and time again, blaming all societies problems on our technological ad-vances. Perhaps because we have made life so easy for ourselves, we have in fact made it harder. You could live quite easily without mov-ing anywhere; there is a device for everything. Mobiles so you don’t have to move to the land-line, laptops so that you don’t have to sit at the computer, microwaves so that you don’t have to, really, cook anything. Apps. There is an app for everything, speeding up your already super fast laptop so that you can be lazy as well as im-patient. Technology seems to spawn more and more bad habits!

It seems unfair to put all these predicaments onto technologies already heavy shoulders. Human nature is to blame, inevitably. It’s our wants, needs and desires that make the world go round, despite what it may seem as we sit with our four of five Apple products surrounding us.

Why is laziness such a bad thing when you re-ally think about it? Doctors tell you enough that stress is bad for you, a strain on the heart and bad for your blood pressure. Have we become a nation, world maybe that is obsessed with being “busy”? If your social calendar is not packed it is frowned upon, followed by a look of a pity and a smile. When people holiday they can-not switch off, trailed like ball and train by the stresses of home. We have become seduced by “Busy”, looking more popular and efficient that the last, making the most of your time not sitting like a slob on your sofa watching Corrie. Ad-dicted to the adrenaline of a 12hour day.

I suppose it comes down to a happy medium, a meet in the middle comprise between becoming an oaf and compromising your health. Whether

In laymens terms, where have manners gone?

Lazy

Photography

BleachA fashion editorial shot on 35mm film.

Photography

Photography

StarkAn artistic shoot documenting the natural qualities of the bare face.

Photography

FlowerConceptual double-exposure photography taken with 35mm film.

KICKPUSH

KICKPUSH

Sinc

e w

hen

was

eve

ryon

e do

ing

it?

Sat in a café on a Newcastle’s busy Northumberland Street, I could be forgiven for thinking I was in the capital. Buzzing with people in the heart of the city centre, it’s easy to identify the usual variation of teen subcultures. Over the past decade or so there has of course been the Chav; the acronym standing for Council House and Violence to depict the Daniella Westbrook, Burberry check wearing characters made fa-mous by the self confessed lottery winning “King of Chavs” Michael Carroll; as well as the Emo, eyeliner wearing, swept fringed, manic depressive teen with a penchant for My Chemical Romance and finally the newly defined Rah, Classified by Urban Dictionary as a private school educated Marlboro light smoking teen that consistently wears body warmers and flip-flops despite it being November. Whilst the pre-vious have risen and fallen in popularity over the past decade of their meagre existence, it seems none have had the staying power or popu-larity of the Skater.

The “Sk8r Boi” Avril Lavigne so passionately sung about in the early noughties, it seems has in fact been around much longer, originating from a small surf shop sixty years ago in California.

Skating, though not recognisable or even comparable to the skills of your standard thirteen year old “skater dude” today, is believed to have started in the fifties, rather embarrassingly for Tony Hawk looking more like ballet on wheels than the smooth moves of South-East London’s fin-est today. Then dubbed “freestyle” it was rather lazily under taken only ever down hill, slaloming from side to side much like your average skier. However it was in the early seventies when skating was said by many to become credible, with a group of surfers none the less undertaking the challenge, turning box to board and creating the slick skateboard the even the untrained and un-cool bespectacled eye can recognise today.

In the early seventies despite much previous dispute it is now widely believed to have been the Zephyr Surf Shop in California that created the skateboard. Situated in West LA, in a slum south of Santa Monica known as Dogtown to the locals, it was Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom and Craig Stecey, avid and talented surfers, notorious for being slight too wild, who are now famous for creating one of the greatest teen cultural and sport (we’ll come to that later) revolutions of the past century. Un-necessarily violent and defensive over their surf area the shop owners took to employing young surfers on an unpaid basis, encouraging them aggressively defend the dangerous cove in which they surfed on a day-to-day basis.

By chance the surfers were introduced to Urethane skating wheels, smoother and safer than the previous clay wheels-no doubt a meta-phorical reference to the dangerous waters they used to surf-that they used to skate on from time to time. This was the final push they needed to turn past time into passion and flanked by Skip, they unknowingly ac-credited themselves with changing modern skateboarding forever. The group of surfers consisting of now director Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams and Tony Alva (Yes, as in Alva high top vans) pulled themselves together becoming less beach blonde babe and more credible skate team.

The Z-Boys as they went on to be known- sexist really considering famed artist and activist Peggy Oki was their only female member. They drew their influences from the way they surfed waves; staying low to the ground and holding the tarmac, creating new shapes and contradicting the trends that had been respected so highly in previous skating. The dramatic sounding “Great Drought of the Seventies” only fuelled the dis-regard that the surfers had for previous skating rights of passage, with the boys, and girl, taking to skating vertically in empty garden pools and resulting in the first ever aerial being landed and thus, a revolution.

The team went on to enter the Del Mar Nationals, brazenly and una-

Journalism

PUSH

bashedly presenting their controversial techniques. Riding low and aggressively, the polar opposite to their competi-tors, the team were commended and commanded in equal measures. Whilst the judges penalised for poor technique many realised they had a seen a rebellion against the style of skateboarding. Within a year skating had been completely revolutionised and the Z Boy style imitated the world over. The attitude of the team has become synonymous with that of the skater, showing little regard for rules or the con-straints’ of authority and society. Stacey Peralta has since said of Jay Adams, “He may not be the greatest skater of all time, but I can say without fear of being wrong that he is clearly the archetype of modern-day skateboarding.”

Over the next decade skating experienced huge dips in popularity though each less than the last. The late seven-ties was a hugely important time for the skating culture, as the most infamous skateboarding move was created.

As relevant as the corgis to the queen, was the “Ollie” to skateboarding.

It seems patronising to describe to anyone born within the past hundred years what exactly “The Ollie” is but here we go. Our beloved Wikipedia defines the Ollie as, “A skateboarding trick in which the rider and board leap into the air without the use of the rider’s hands.[1] Particularly on flat ground, it is not intuitively obvious how the liftoff is achieved, making the trick visually striking.” There you have it.

Despite the success of the Ollie, the biggest problems for skateboarding were yet to come when the “Where there is a blame, there is a claim” notion was born. Despite thousands of skate-parks being built worldwide to cater to the rise in popularity, the risk of harm that came with the now popular aerial tricks, proved too much for the courts as over-protective parents sued for the harm that had come to their cotton-swaddled children. However it seems this whittled the weak from the brave, testing the skater’s dedication the cause, and perhaps, the skating boom of the eighties.

The eighties proved to be a pivotal time for not only skat-ing but also skate culture. Whilst the changing shape of boards physically altered skating for the better it seems the technological changes had a greater impact on the sub-culture as a whole. As most skaters began to ride street, the standard skate choice of today, rather than vertical the VCR was invented. Stacey Peralta took note of this change and combined both together, creating the Bones Brigade. A crew of young and up and coming skaters of which he posted skate videos propelling them and member Tony Hawk into the skating hall of fame.

As the commercial popularity of skating rose with Skate-boarding being classified as an extreme sport in 1995, skaters began to revolt and gain a conscience towards their cultural identity. Skaters began to be closely associ-ated with the ways of punks, indulging in studded cloth-ing, hardcore music and lip rings. Though indulging in the commercial aspect they stereotypically so despised, could it be that they were strengthening the outside view of their

culture on just as shallow a level as the rest of us? A little post modern frustration perhaps?

This anti establishment attitude, the same as the punks of the eighties seems to have stayed true to the skater image over the years, with many being reprimanded as petty thieves and criminals. This image was shed however; ten fold quicker than it took to create. As skateboarding snow-balled into commercial success through video games, chil-dren’s skateboards and clothing companies, skaters were propelled into the mainstream.

This it appears has caused quite the conundrum for many skaters, with many divided as to whether the sport should continue to stay underground as a subculture or continue to develop into the huge commercial success it no doubt will be. To avoid capitalism at all costs, or embrace it, that is the question.

The money and resources that have become available to skateboarders through this commercial success is undenia-ble, long gone are the back garden half pipes of the eight-ies as councils fork out hundred of thousands of pounds for new skate parks. The change in definition from hobby to sport has truly revolutionised skating. Traditional skat-ers believe strongly that this goes against their free spir-ited ethics, the very bread and butter of their culture, with many refusing to become regimented and claustrophobic within the restraints of society. It’s probable however that this was a very long time coming; perhaps even the Sta-cey Peralta X Vans could be seen as a sell out? Posing the question, if the most famous skaters in the world our dipping their toe in the commercial pool what are the rest left to do, follow suit?

This debate may be answered for them already as the billion-dollar question; “When will skateboarding be in the Olympics?” is posed. Unlike the previous quiet chatter of discussion, the debates are coming through loud and clear. In 2004 the International Skateboarding Federation was formed, a blaringly obvious signal that the race to the Olympics was on. Many skaters believe that the sport if in the Olympics will loose its edge, as it’s pushed into the capitalist mould and becomes a conformist sport. The ISF it seems is damned if they do and damned if they don’t with regards to the Olympic race. Maybe this is just the natural progression, following the up downs it has experi-enced for so many years as a culture and sport, or maybe the downfall of the sport as we know it. Only time will tell.

Trend Prediction and Creative Writing

Neonprene

In a society and culture ruled so prominently by aes-thetics and material items, fashion and trend plays a huge part of our lives. No longer is personality, academia or intelligence enough. Consideration of personal appearance is an essential, with the average cross section of society judging others by appearance alone within the first seven seconds of meeting them. Trend has become an art form, and the trend you choose to wear a lifestyle choice. Trends represent not just colour, shape and texture but the consideration behind it. Where was it manu-factured and how was it sold; was the item ethically sourced? Attentive consumers also consider the “in-visible” reasons behind trends, the world issues and cultural references that trend researchers consider. Twenty twelve saw Prada celebrate the film Grease shortly after it’s 30th anniversary, demonstrating the

trend with pink palettes and Cadillac Motifs. Stella McCartney was one of the first designers to pio-neer the Sports Luxe trend. Luxurious cuts of sports apparel in cashmere and satin in homage to the impending British Olympics.

Creative writing predicting future 2014 trends.

With 2014 fast approaching, what trends will become prominent, appearing in people’s wardrobes and interiors in the years to come?

No longer is personality, academia or intelligence enough.

Trend Prediction and Creative Writing

As a culture we rely heavily on the developments of science and medicine. Herbal remedies that we may have used 100 years ago are now relatively extinct, having been replaced by Paracetamol and Ibruprofen. When in pain it is our natural instinct to reach into the medicine cupboard, or go to the doctors in hope of some form of chemical relief. We as a race have become weaker-reachingfor instant gratification and taking for granted the medicine that we have been provided. This growing acceptance of drugs, though medical, has lead some to use and abuse the very medicine that has been provided to heal, becoming detrimental rather than helpful.

Trend Prediction, Photography and Creative Writing

1960 the world’s popu-lation stood at roughly 3 billion, today it stands at near 7 billion, more than doubling within the past 40 years. The combined increasing birth rate and declin-ing death rate has led to overpopulation and overcrowding in many of the world’s major countries. China alone is home to 19 percent of the world’s popula-tion. The lessening mor-tality rate and improved sanitation has created a cramped living situ-ation, with the world running out of space. Deforestation has been

used to lessen the prob-lem, removing natural habitat to make room for man-made environ-ments. As well as dam-age created by defor-estation, the population expansion has spoiled the environment, rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, aggra-vating global warming and pollution; damag-ing our eco-system irre-versibly beyond repair. This population prob-lem has lead to archi-tects utilizing the availa-ble space that we have vertically, creating high-rise buildings, often in close proximity to each other to accommodate the growing number of tenants. These, much like the skyscrapers that have altered our city-scapes, have changed the appearanceof our towns; shifting

the skyline into an ec-lectic mix of shapes and patterns. Organic patterns created by forestry and greenery is no longer, now re-placed by the modern silhouettes of industrial buildings, creating an organized selection of geometric lines, perfect and manufactured.

In

Photography and Styling

Photography and styling for a conceptual publication, analysing the the infiltration of Hip Hop culture into modern society.

Photography and Styling

Photography and Styling

Photography

Conceptual, architectural photography taken on 35mm film.

CON

CRETE

Photography

Journalism

A creative concept pitch for a new cultural publication.

The past decade has bred convenience. The notion that meager tasks have become difficult, a necessary chore that provides no sort of mental stimulation. There is someone, something, somewhere that will undertake any task that you have no desire to. Technology will do anything, for you. Self service tills, car washes and automated phone lines are all manufactured to assist, to provide the helping hand that you need. Truthfully this convenience is a need for speed. Busy lifestyles have spawned a culture that never stops. The faster we go the less consideration we have, thoughts become defunct as we fail to engage emotionally with our actions. Fast fashion has no consideration for design or product manufacture, the two founding factors of the art. It is time to take a step back, take time and consider.

The Style Series publication is a nod to the ethos of times past. Looking at fashion, art, music and product design it will analyse on a cultural level. It will provide a chance to discover the influences and origins of a product, the sociological and cultural movements that have affected the shapes, colours and lines of an item. The publication will give readers the chance to engage in knowledge once again and appreciate products on an intellectual and aesthetic level. It will be an opportunity to look at trend as a cultural movement and the effect that it has had on society.

MISSION

STATEMENTPublic Relations

A Katie Eary collection launch press kit.

Young, fresh and rambunctious Kaie Eary is set to revolutionise British fashion. Priding itself on being a streetwear, couture hybrid the brand creates agressively beautiful garments, providing the unobtainable a rea-sonable price. Bold and colourful, yet immaculately tailored, it blurs the boundaries that have previously been set in fashion. Pushing forward to be the best new brand in British fashion, Katie Eary is force to be reck-oned with.

MISSION

STATEMENT

Publication

Bullsh*t. A a creative, conceptual publication.

Publication

CONTACT+44 (0) 7889769419

rhiannon_hardie@live.co.uk @rhihardie