New Shoot in NOCTIS Magazine!!!

Hiya /

안녕하세요!!!!!

ooohhh I've been sooo excited to share this shot from a recent shoot!! You can spot my 'Lepi Spomini' leotard in this super colourful, editorial~ directed and styled by the talented Twinks Burnett in the current issue of British publication, NOCTIS Magazine!! The shoot is titled 'Burning Man' and the credits are as follows:
stylist/directer: Twinks Burnett Styling and Design
Set design: Westwood
photography: Rohan Hande Photography
MUA: Jake Alexander 

Models: Amy Harriott Gregory, Mya Harriott Gregory.
Assistant: Bouquet Phillips.

I absolutely adore this series of images and will be sharing more of them very soon!I'm a big fan of Twinks' work so was mega pleased that she wanted to feature my work! Be sure to check out the latest issue of NOCTIS!!!
Love and Sparklessss,
Emma xx

EMMA BELL X LAH'LAH'LAND!

oOOOooo HIYA!!
So just a quick one as a late night study session in preparation for my early morning Korean class is calling...word on the street is we have a test  tomorrow...EEEKKKERS!!!!

Anyway.... Thought I would share a few snaps with you of my display that is currently installed at LAH'LAH'LAND's LLL+ store in Sungei Plaza, Kuala Lumpur!!!! I've already told you the speile about this...but in short, I currently have some stuff including some exclusive one off pieces available at this awesome boutique and creative space!!
I LOVE how they have presented my work in the store~ I love their creative vision so it's great to be involved with these guys!!!

Oooh in other news at the weekend they were hosting a pop- up store at the 'JAPAN EXPO THAILAND 2014' in Bangkok so some of my rainbow wares were hauled in the mix for the occasion....and thanks to Maddy Houghton who was lurking around Bangkok at the time and managed to get in there and nab a couple of snaps for me....YAYYY thanks!!!!!!!!! Happy to see my stuff branching off to new places and getting a new audience!!
Ooohhh and while I am here, here are a couple more snaps of my stuff from the awesome runway show that the LAH'LAH'LAND crew presented as part of the official launch of LLL+ last month....photographs courtesy of: TOBY TOH.
Ok....so off to my textbooks and a last bit of midnight embroidery....Bullion stitch galore for me tonight ... my new favourite technique!!!!
Love and Sparklezzzz!
Emma xxx

LLL+ Official Launch!

Oooeeee  안녕하세요 that's HELLO in Korean!!!( Annyeong haseyo!!!)
Now I've started my Korean classes I'm trying to whip out the lingo at every opportunity!!!
So just a quick one...as you know I've been recently involved with Malaysian fashion store LLL+ which is an international creative venture by KL based boutique LAH'LAH'LAND. LLL+ is a guerrilla concept store that brings together brands and design talent from all over the world including the UK, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Ukraine and Hong Kong.
The store inhabits a 2200sq ft space located in Sungai Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur's Bukit Bintang district with the focus of introducing independent designers to the Malaysian fashion scene.
It's been awesome working with these guys as they are doing some awesome projects that support and promote indie artists and designers so it's really fun to be involved! I have a collection of garments currently in LLL+ including some exclusive pieces designed especially for the space! At the weekend the LAH'LAH'LAND crew hosted the official launch party with sponsors, Tony & Guy and Heineken, and as part of the launch, presented an opening runway show... So some of my pieces were included in the show and you can see above a photo by Streething featuring my 'Puffycakes' jacket! Love the way it was styled!!!!!!!!! The show looked awesome and I'm really excited to be involved in the LLL+ venture! There's still some juicy pieces available to be snapped up if you are in KL~!!!
As I said, just a quick'un....rice cakes are calling~ 
Love from Tropical Seoul!!!
Emma xx

Relocation, Relocation! OHH HEY From SEOUL!!!

OOOOOHHHH HELLO FROM SEOUL!!!
So my lack of blogging recently has been SHOCKING! Mainly because there have been some MASSIVE changes which have meant my time has been super limited over this past couple of months....but, in short, to fill you in on the gossip... I HAVE MOVED TO MAGICAL SEOUL!!!
It is an adventure that I have actually been thinking about for a good couple of years and after my experiences here in Korea last year during my artist residency with Incheon Art Platform, this kind of cemented my decision to uproot myself and give life a try in Korea.
Obviously it was a huge deal to pack my bags and move to the other side of the world but, it's such a dream come true and I'm SUPER happy to be here!

Hence my reasons for being so rubbish with updating my blog of recent because the last few months in the UK were CRAZY busy with wrapping up a load of work and projects whilst planning and preparing for my big jump to Seoul! 

As you may have noticed my time here in Korea last year had a MASSIVE impact on me, not only in a work sense~ I totally fell in love with this place for so many reasons mainly the people, the way of life, the cultural heritage, the contemporary art scene, the dedicated work ethic, the food, the fashion, the colourful streets, the pride that the country has in it's own cultural identity and of course the fact that the visual aesthetics of Korea are like gold to any creative person... so in short I pretty much love everything about it here... ( well, except from the oversized bugs and spiders of course!) and the idea of totally throwing myself into the experience of living and working in an environment that is such a dramatic contrast to my norm is possibly the most exciting thing in the world! I find nothing more awesomely exhilarating and phenomenally inspiring than totally immersing myself in alien situations with a whole bunch of new challenges, people,  experiences and influences surrounding me!

So the past couple of months were mega hectic in making this happen and I touched down in Korea just 3 weeks ago~it's been a whirlwind of paperwork and preparations in the run up to the big departure.... and one of the most major aspects.... I HAD TO GO AU NATUREL with my hair?!?! FIRST TIME IN A MILLION YEARS!!! I figured that in the long term the upkeep of bleaching my roots in Asia was going to be a nightmare and not as easy as I'm accustomed to... so it was farewell to pastel, pony hair and now I'm officially a brunette which is WEIRD!!!

As I mentioned, I arrived 3 weeks ago so I've been mainly focused on settling in, making my new home all pink and sparkly, adjusting to my work commitments, catching up with old friends, checking out my favourite haunts and basically seeing what's going on in the wonderful city! So after my previous experiences of rural-vs-urban Korea last year, much as my time on little Baengnyeongdo gave me the most intense and close up peek into Korean life and true community spirit that I could have ever wished for.. well... I think we have established that I'm more suited to city life.... so Seoul was my city of choice when shifting over here!!! 

I'm living in a nice little neighbourhood in Eastern Seoul~ which has a nice mix of greenery and neon as well as a tonne of little cafes, shops and restaurants sitting right on my doorstep... (it is also only a short walk to a multi-floor Daiso and a wonderfully aromatic market arcade full of colourful fruit, vegetables and various other practical finds!) I have a cute little apartment which is super cosy and I'm gradually turning it more pink and plastic by the day!!! I'm also located right by a metro station which is perfect for getting out and about around the Seoul and beyond...I'm only a few short stops away from the fabric markets which is AMAZING!!!

There are so many things I'm excited about for the upcoming future....I figure this is an awesome opportunity to learn so much through living in this new situation...there's so many things I'm looking forward to experiencing, researching and considering... I'm also excited to try and learn Korean (I've spent the past few months learning how to read and write in Hangul and now I'm trying to build up my vocab and practical conversation...so I will keep you updated on my journey with the lingo here as it's MEGA TRICKY!!) I'm really excited about working here and the new people I will meet~it's the perfect time to expand some of my skills and learn new things which is pretty exiting! I also want to perfect the skill of making vegan kimchi and also want to learn how to cook Baekseolgi (백설기) !! I love how there is so much going on in this city~ TONNES of exhibitions and events going on and it's also great to just wander around this huge expanse as you never know what you may find around every corner!

I guess I've got so much to talk about but, I need to wrap up this post and save some juice for next time!! Last week I got to go and check out the Yayoi Kusama exhibition which was BEYOND AMAZING so next post I'll spill the beans on that as it was so awesome it deserves a post of it's own...and I also need to update on some of the fun projects I've been working on over the past couple of months including a joining of forces with super cool LAH'LAH'LAND in Malaysia and a couple of fun new shoots that have been in the mix..but and right now lunch is calling!!!

So here is to Seoul and the magic it may bring!!!

Love and Sparkles,

Emma

xxx

Last Chance to Catch the Show!!!

Hiya!!!
Just a quick one to let you know that the show I'm currently exhibiting at will close this weekend, so there are still a few days to check it out if you happen to be in town!!!
As I previously mentioned, in my last blog post, I'm showing some stuff that I produced during my projects with IAP alongside the fruits of labour from fellow residents artists~ So if you fancy checking it out then pop along to Incheon Art Platform before Sunday 23rd Feb 2014!
In accompaniment to the exhibition there is tonnes of awesome stuff to check out around the rest of the IAP complex including galleries, performance space, art studios, cafe ~ and if you branch out into the neighbourhood of the art centre you also have Chinatown and lovely Jayu Park! Yikessss.....I sound like a tourist board!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, so for you guys in Incheon or Seoul then go check it out at:
Incheon Art Platform, 218-3 Jemullyang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon, 400-201, S.KOREA.
Wish I was closer so that I could pop in myself!!!
Talking of Korean stuff... I was missing my ULTIMATE favourite snack so much last night that I cracked out my glorious 'Bungeoppang' ( 붕어빵) pan and whipped up some red bean treats...as I've said before the pan was the best find of my LIFE...best piece of kitchen kit I could EVER dream of...worth the excess baggage in bringing this beauty back to England!!! 

Eeeeeeeeeeppp they were totally gourmet!!!
So...I have a box of neon wool and a crochet hook calling my name~looking forward to the crafty work ahead this afternoon!!!
Oooeee and as seen in my ridiculously decorated photo collages here....you can also follow the action on my Instagram: _emma_bell
Ciao for now!!!
Love and Sparkles,
Emma xx

NEW 'Blue Truckers' Digital Print!!!

Ooooh Hiya!!!
So recently I have been working on some new digital artwork to accompany my 'Tales from Blue Truck Island' project that I produced during my artist residency in Korea earlier this year. As you know the project involved a long term stay in a little, yellow bungalow on a remote and incredibly isolated, rural island called Baengyneong which sits in a somewhat precarious location in the middle of the Yellow Sea.... During my time there I was focused on conducting a lot of field research and seeking of influence from the special people, situations and experiences that I had through living as part of the Baengnyeongdo community... photography and illustration were a part of my daily journaling and research projects and as a result I have since been developing a piece of digital artwork that sits alongside the series of work that I developed in Korea. It features all sorts of elements taken from the themes and topics that I was exploring throughout my project... you can see the noisy roosters outside of the studio that cock-a-doodle-doed 24 hours a day... the corncobs that the Grandma in my favourite little, village grocery store used to give me and of course the Spring cherry blossoms in my neighbour's garden that I waited in anticipation for, for many chilly weeks and finally bloomed in my last few days on the island!!!
A few snaps from my island life days of beans on toast, giant spider dodging, starfish hunting and pebble beach, countryside adventures...

....The piece is titled 'Blue Truckers' and as you can see the print features on some brand new, limited edition T-shirts that are now available on my online shop!!! Yayyyy!! It's a one size fits all scenario~ high colour, full digital print on super soft cotton, a juicy over-sized piece and the garment is both printed and made in the UK!!! 

Also the online shop has had a bit of a revamp in time for some tinsel covered Christmas shopping~ bit of a switch up with a few items too and it's now got a whole new look and plenty of rainbow colours going on!!!! It's also more easy to navigate for smartphone and ipad users meaning it's super simple to place an order with your device woooooo!!!
So that's all for now~
Be sure to trot through cyberspace to check out the new 'Blue Truckers' piece!!!
Love and Sparkles,
Emma
xxx

'Tales from Blue Truck Island'

Oohhh Hiya!!!

Thought I would share the results of my latest collection produced during my residency with Incheon Art Platform, here in South Korea! As I've mentioned (about a million times!), I have been based here for the past 3 months working between Baengnyeong-do, Incheon and Seoul working on my new series of wearable art works and developing a whole load of field research which has included teaching textile workshops, collaborating on an animation and working with creatives based here on various photoshoots!

My new work is titled 'Tales from Blue Truck Island' and is based upon the themes of cultural identity and community interaction with the residents and visual aesthetics of Baengnyeong Island.... You can find the full information and details about the project and it's influences on my website by clicking HERE!!!

I've loved working on this project, it gave me a whole load of new inspiration from places that had I not been working on this artist residency, I probably would never have got to experience, IN MY LIFE! The final results of the 'Tales from Blue Truck Island' include the series of wearable art works, a photography collaboration and an animation.... the animation is coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!!! And tomorrow my exhibition here in Korea opens...so I will be also updating on that!!!

So the images were produced in collaboration with the super talented, Seoul based photographer, Jessica Berggrun and a wonderful team of magical people!

I will leave you with a select few images from the project and you can see the full series of photography and read all about the project HERE!!!!!! 

Image Credits:

Photographer:Jessica Berggrun.

Make Up Artist: Natalia Che.

Models: Sera Haith & Correen Bo.

Assistant: Sarah Kim.

Catch you laterzzzz!!!

Love & Sparkles,

Emma xxx

Fabric Sourcing in the Magical Markets of Seoul!

Happy afternoon from sunshine filled Incheon!!!!
Yesterday I put in some hardcore hours trawling around the wonderful sea of fabrics at Dongdaemun Market in Seoul which was an incredible experience!!! This place was AMAZINGG and somewhat overwhelming....

I think I could easily spend 3 days straight in there and still be finding new treasures!!! I'm now in the stages of sourcing all of my materials for my new series of works that I will be producing here during my time as Artist in Residence with Incheon Art Platform. I must apologise in advance for the bad photos of blurry doom here....you have no idea of the mayhem in there so there was no chance of getting the big camera out and I had to quickly snap only the quietest of aisles before I was next jostled by the crowds or a guy carrying stacks of fabric rolls on his shoulders!!! Hence the rubbish photos, swiftly snapped in stealth mode on my phone amongst hands filled with swatches!!! Had I attempted to whip out the photos in the thick of it I would probably have been lynched by angry shoppers!!!

As I say it was a total bunfight in there...totally AWESOME!!! There was a whole load of trade activity going on so phones galore being tossed back and forth, fashion students, local designers, sourcers from factories etc! The language barrier was easily quashed when the merchants ended up calling their friends and kids so that they could translate what I was saying! This place is HUGE and like a labyrinth of dreams...aisle upon aisle of incredible fabrics....every colour, texture and print you could ever imagine! The first couple of floors are dedicated to fabrics, mainly printed cottons, chiffon, jersey and denims, and as you go higher in the building there are also floors full of every trim, accessory and binding that you could EVER imagine!!!!! There were some awesome colours going on...phantasmagorical rainbow style~ I've noticed A LOT of neon around here both in the fabric centre and in the clothing in the shopping districts, likewise with the traditional Hanbok tailors, there is no neon there but, some wonderful high-colour combos in the mix! For my project, I am mainly working on a colour palette that manipulates the natural tones identified in my field research and inverts them into a highly saturated palette, so I'm massively excited by all the materials I have discovered here and can't wait to work with medium sourced only from South Korea. I spent hours collecting swatches and the photo you can see above of some of the more colourful findings is only the tip of the iceberg....I came home dragging a couple of big bags full to the rafters of samples and options so I'm looking forward to sorting through them all this evening~most likely whilst listening to a bit of K-Pop as it's going to be a LONGGGGG night!!!!! The upper floors of the market were equally as dreamy....I found some amazing jewellery bits and bobs....chain, piping and hardware accessories...cute plastic stuff for costume jewellery....outrageous amounts of ribbon and binding in every colour and finish imaginable...eeesh, so much....I have a lot of food for thought before I go back and tackle actually picking up all of my materials!!! But, I'm super excited at getting cracking with everything as I feel mega inspired after the past few days of research and the fabric market trip so can't wait to get the needle and thread out this weekend!!!
Ok, so that's all for now!!!!
Toodle pip!
Love and Sparkles,
Emma xxxx