The Videre: The Pop-Up Pin Hole Project

Videre: fully assembled

The creator of the Videre, 24 year old Kelly Angood, is sipping elderflower tea somewhere in trendy east London while I’m sipping cold coffee on my cold balcony South of the river; the only place I could get reception for our phone interview.

Kelly is at once warm and funny, putting me at ease, with her Midlands accent via Brighton and London. She explains she has always lived around film cameras and paints me a picture of herself as a child holding a point and shoot from Boots with a caterpillar illustration gracing the front. It wasn’t until the age of 20 that she finally embraced modern digital photography saying both methods have their ‘pros and cons’ and ‘think how many memories were lost before digital?’ Angood believes digital and analogue can and must coexist.

Videre: self assembly

Perhaps inspired by the caterpillar on her childhood camera rather than the camera itself, Angood went on to study illustration at Brighton University where, in her own words, they let her ‘do what she wants’. Evidently, not a bad plan that seem helped her on the path to the Videre. In her Vimeo video she states simply ‘I knew I’d never be able to afford a proper medium format camera, so I made one’. The Videre was born.

But what is the Videre? Well in the simplest terms, it is a medium format pin hole camera that you build yourself from a template. The kit is printed and die-cut onto thick recycled card and supplied with easy to follow instructions and a spare medium format spool. Angood also plans to produce a short instructional video, which will be viewable online alongside a virtual gallery space where pinhole photographs that have been taken with the camera can be submitted.

I want one. Where can I buy it? Well you can’t just yet because the funding isn’t secured! But the good news is that Angood is well on the way. She has significant funding in place via Kickstarter and has suppliers ready to go. The plan is to have the Videre available in November.

Videre: image

But it doesn't end there. Angood plans to go on and work with illustrators such as Suzie Kemp, Hattie Stewart and Tom Edwards to produce a collectable family of cameras that would sit pride of place amongst all the other design classics. For Angood the camera must ‘look beautiful’ and also act to educate people about the disappearing art of film photography.

The long term plan is to see the flat pack camera kits on sale in the likes of the London Design Museum. With Angood running workshops so people can learn how to get the most out of the pin hole camera creating a perfect first lesson on the path to great photography.

My coffee cup drained and my questions answered I feel enthusiastic for her endeavour and wish her the best of luck.

To keep up with news on Kelly Angood visit her blog kellyangood.co.uk and if you wish to support the kickstarter campaign click on the link below, deadline is Saturday 18th May.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/kellyangood/the-pop-up-pinhole-project

Robert McCaffrey

Article orginally produced for http://photographerlondon.com/blog

London's Culinary Gem: Borough Market

Borough Market: est. 1758

Some would have us believe Borough Market is nearly 1000 years old, surely the oldest market in London? Official records are a little more conservative placing the origin (at the present site just off Borough High Street) closer to 1756.

Either way we are looking at a Market steeped in London history and famous all over the world as a place to shop for unique gourmet foods.

Borough Market: Balsamic Vinegars

My first encounter at Borough Market was nearly six years ago; I took home two rich, mouth-watering Ostrich fillets from ‘The Exotic MeatCompany’, and I never looked back.  Since that culinary awakening I have tasted the finest Salted Caramel Fudge, the best syrupy Balsamic Vinegar and unforgettable Blueberry Saussison.

The last few years have seen the traders shunted from one corner of the site to another while essential building takes place. The worst of the upheaval seems behind them now and the market is going from strength to strength attracting the best traders with the best foods from all over the globe.

The best time to visit is ideally a bright sunny Saturday morning. Have a light breakfast and head down with a wallet full of cash to see what catches your eye. Samples of cheeses, tapenades, breads, olive oils, chocolates and fudges will all be offered so dive in.

Borough Market: The Globe

When it all gets too much and you feel the need to sit down for a coffee there is the wonderful Monmouth Coffee Company. Opened in 2001, all the coffee beans are freshly and locally roasted so you can savour the finest coffee in confidence.

If you are re-invigorated and ready for round two then I would suggest piecing together a dinner party feast. The Borough market website offers recipes ideal for impressing your friends. Why not try Tori Haschka’s ‘Oliveoil poached scallops with blood orange and garlic’ for the main and ‘StickySaucy Passionfruit Coconut Pudding’ to follow. Mouth watering yet?

Borough Market: Saussison

Borough Market is an ancient gem in London’s culinary crown. More than just a place to buy food it is a place to discover new tastes and renew your love for home cooking.

www.boroughmarket.org.uk

Opening times

Mon - Wed - 10:00 - 15:00

Thursday - 11:00 - 17:00

Friday - 12:00 - 18:00

Saturday - 08:00 - 17:00

Sunday - Closed

For more see the image gallery below...

Flowers at Borough Market : The Gated Garden

Borough Market: Wild highland Venison

Borough Market: Sussex Skate

Borough Market: Church

Borough Market: Green Market Arch

Borough Market: German Deli

Borough Market: Glass roof

Borough Market: Fresh fish

La Donna Del Lago review from 2007

The final in today's trilogy of reviews from my days as an actor...

Just for the record the 'Country Life-reading deer' is me.

• 
• • Andrew Clements
  • guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 June 2007 23.54 BST

It's a huge coup for Garsington Opera to tempt a director of David Alden's international standing to work there, and the result is one of the finest productions the summer season in the Oxfordshire countryside has ever presented. Though hugely popular in the 19th century, Rossini's La Donna del Lago is hardly standard fare nowadays - those with long memories remember a Covent Garden production in the early 1980s - but Alden's enthusiasm for the piece and his skill in bringing it to life make the best possible case for its return to the repertory, and for serious Rossini in general.

Based on Walter Scott's narrative poem The Lady of the Lake, La Donna del Lago takes place in 16th-century Scotland, a love affair set against the background of rebellions against the reign of James V. In Gideon Davey's designs for Garsington, that romanticised view of the Highlands is embodied in a reproduction of an early 19th-century painting of Loch Katrine on the back wall, while Alden offers a much less reverential view of this world, constantly counterpointing the action with subversive humour. Highlights are the cheroot-smoking, Country Life-reading deer who treat the king's efforts to shoot them with disdain, the lager-swilling rabble who support the rebel cause, and the servant who carries an axe with her everywhere, desperate to use it at the first provocation.

But, for all the jokes, this beautifully detailed staging delineates the emotional truths of the drama perfectly, and musical standards under conductor Parry are equally high. The central roles of Elena, the Lady of the Lake herself, and Giacomo, who is the king of Scotland in disguise, are hugely taxing bel canto parts, but Carmen Giannattasio and Colin Lee sing them wonderfully, taking the fusillades of coloratura in their strides. In the trousers role (perhaps that should be kilt role) of Malcolm, Elena's true love, is the highly accomplished Alexandra Sherman, and Michael Colvin is Rodrigo di Dhu, another high-pressure tenor role dispatched with great aplomb. The chorus, given so much to do by Alden, do it all wonderfully.

A Murder of Crows review from 2004

...Also uncovered this little cracker of a review from nine years ago... I play 'the ineptitude of Charlie Cage effectively'. Wow! ...amazing that Oscar isn't mine already!

A Murder of Crows

Chance Factory
Written by Steve Jansen

'All new black hearted comedy, diamonds, 'offal', suitcases and criminals all cemented together for everyone who has ever laughed when they shouldn't have'.

A cleverly written, technically ambitious, comedy crime drama, which cracks on a pace.

Starring Lindsay Bennett as the very sexy Amy Ravendark, and Cathy Collins as the extremely sarcastic Lillian Aviary. Also Robert McCaffrey, and Stephen Jansen as a pair of daft blokes. Charlie Cage and Frankie Yale rob a bank (with hilarious results of course) because two strong women make them do it. (This is rather pleasing for the feminists in the audience).

McCaffrey portrays the ineptitude of Charlie Cage effectively from the first scene where he is shouting and panicking during the execution of an ultimately bungled safe break. Bennett's character, Ravendark, proves herself to be an evil Emma Peel who conjures up sick and appalling methods for disposing of people who are in her way. Aviary (Collins) is equally nasty and appealing; both revealing a little more of what makes people tick when they think their time might be up. Cage (driller killer) too proves himself to have hidden depths.

And what happened to Frankie? Go and see it if you want to find out but lets just say that Yale is played very amiably in the second scene by 2 lbs of liver and a string of sausages.

Stephen Jansen has produced a well-constructed short piece with a nice balance of characters and well executed changes in mood, (No pun intended). Excellent use of projected black and white images (with a good soundtrack), effectively adds interest and moves the story forward.

Witty use of language, note the name dropping and look out for amusing similes and homophones involving Jimmy Hendrix and margaritas.

This is a good night out, a real laugh if you are not easily offended by offal, sadistic killing and occasional use of the F word.

Nicola Martin