WANGECHI MUTU

Wangechi Mutu, born in Kenya in 1972, makes alluring yet unsettling pictures of female figures. She uses her work to make bold statements about a variety of feminist and racial issues.

Mutu goes about creating her images by first painting outline images on Mylar. She then starts to build-up the picture using images cut from a variety of printed sources.

In 'Untitled' (pictured above - top), the goddess-like figure is made-up of images cut from fashion magazines, National Geographic and books about African art. It represents the disjointed facets of modern Africa, portraying its inner turmoil, ancient tradition and blossoming future.

In 'Untitled' (pictured above - bottom), Mutu creates a glamorous centerfold type image with a barbaric twist. She combines a motorcycle with female body-parts, implying that women are seen as sex objects and as a result are suffering.

I first became aware of Mutu’s work, when I saw two of her pieces (pictured) as part of The Saatchi Collection at Leeds City Art Gallery. It immediately inspired me to create my own collage (pictured below). I was excited by the thought of mixing lots of different images to create my own surreal, original piece of artwork.

LONDON 2012 LOGO

"Our emblem needs to be modern, bold, flexible and as relevant today as in five years' time.”

“We want our Games to be different. We are hosting them in a different era, in 2012. The emblem needs to work across new platforms that reach young people."

"The new Olympic brand draws on what London has become - the world's most forward-looking and international city.”


The values behind this logo sound very exciting. However, the logo itself, designed by the Wolff Olins agency, is for me, a bit of a letdown as it just misses the mark.

The logo is bold and very different from previous Olympic logos which is great. However, I don't believe it will fully engage young people as it appears too contrived and manufactured. It has no soul, compared to say Jamie Reid’s Sex Pistols record-sleeve and poster designs, which I believe acted in part as inspiration for this design. Rather than appearing modern and edgy, the jagged shapes and bright contrasting colours instead seem to slightly patronise the youth at which it’s aimed. It’s too childish and so not particularly cool.

The Olympic organizers wanted to convey the message, through this logo, that London 2012 will be "Everyone's Games". However, an online petition to scrap the logo already has tens of thousands of signatures. Clearly this aspiration has not yet been reached.

I still think the logo has lots of plus sides though. I like the fact that the logo is flexible and can change colours. This adds personality and life to the brand.

I also admire the fact that the organizers have had the bravery to do something different. It would have been very easy for them to do something safe and ordinary. At least this logo is original and arouses some kind of emotional response.

If nothing else, it’s got people talking about London 2012 and gained lots of free worldwide publicity, which will more than cover the £400,000 cost of developing the design.

KUNG FU HUSTLE

Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Stephen Chow.

It is an eccentric vision of an action - comedy - musical – drama and is both a parody and a homage to the kung-fu genre.

Set in 1930s Shanghai, it is a tale of redemption for the central character, Sing, a petty criminal who is trying to join the city's most powerful gang.

Kung Fu Hustle is a film of contrasts. Chow mixes slapstick comedy with dry wit. He sets stylised, over-the-top action against traditional Chinese music. The result of these unusual combinations is one fresh, truly inventive film.

Chow’s Looney-Tunes inspired cartoon-style is heightened to extreme levels by fantasy CGI. This along with Chow's usual assortment of oddball characters and spectacular kung-fu choreography makes for one wild, visually exciting film.

Widely acclaimed for its visual effects, the film was nominated for a Golden Globe. It also went on to become the highest grossing film in the history of Hong Kong and the highest grossing foreign language film in the United States in 2005.