20 posts tagged “art”
Well last Friday night my performance art group helped a great bunch of folks kick-off a new club night here in London called Little Bit Country Little Bit Rock n Roll, an evening presented by artist and musician Cheyne Pride, who, if you remember the 80s, had a hit dance track called Call Me Mr. Telephone.
As part of my hillbilly comedy cabaret art, I wrote new material to present an evening performance featuring my Hee Haw! House.
The audience laughed out loud over the show, featuring a cast of characters who went at it SMACK-down style in cabaret wrestling! I loved the mash-up style of the evening that mixed country rock lovers with British punk rock lovers and a lot of other pop cultural influences inbetween. We teamed up with Cheer-A-Go-Go to energize the audience for the evening, and get them ready for the fantastic headliner band JC & The Disciples, formed by a couple of legends from the original London punk rock scene.
Check out a few of my favourite photos from the night, here:
Folks liked it so much that we've been invited back for more, and are now invovled with helping the organizers get ready for a big bash here in London celebrating the Fourth of July! If you are in London, please mark your calendar and I hope ya'll can come on out and join us at Inn On the Green in Ladbroke Grove on Friday, July 4th!
-Lisa
PPS: Hey, do you want to be part of our urban hillbilly fun? We are looking for all kinds of artistic collaborators for this adventure. If you can do things like play a washboard, harmonica, banjo, pots 'n pans, jews harp, square dance call, line dance, or whatever you think an urban hillbilly might get up to -- please get in touch with me! Drop me a note here on my Vox blog, or email me: info [at] haimediagroup [dot] com
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
What will Boris do?
Many Londoners are wondering the same thing I am, for better, for worse, for whatever. Boris Johnson is our new Mayor, and I’m looking forward to watching these things unfold, living under this new leadership:
Buffoonery
There is going to be a lot of it, and I get the feeling that Boris, in addition to outsourcing his entire professional team, is also recruiting a top comedy performance coach to keep his public laughing, as we get dragged along for this ride.
Comedy Sketch Shows
Can’t WAIT to see what the top British comedy talent comes up with. Will Matt Lucas step up to the plate on this one? There is plenty of material for him already.
Fancy Dress
Festival season, fancy dress parties (hey Americans, that means costume party) and club nights are going to be sprinkled with Boris look-a-likes. I suspect the fancy dress shops are now stocking up on floppy blonde haired wigs. Better get my order in.
Documentaries
I suspect that brainstorming is now in progress among Channel
4’s Dispatches, the BBC’s Panorama and all the other fantastic British documentary producers, who are planning for the
next investigative piece about how and why Boris Johnson won the London Mayoral
election. I’m looking forward to some hilarious ‘docudrama’ about the subject,
and wondering who will be cast as the lead role for...Boris the West End Musical, or for Boris the Movie? Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis could dye his mop blonde, gain weight, and give a fantastic OTT moving performance, something he is great at, as a bonified card-carrying member of the Overactors Annoynmous. He won't take the gig though, as for him to play Boris, it would require him to do some actual acting.
Virals
I’m already seeing some citizen-created viral campaigns appear in response to this election, such as the folks over at I Didn’t Vote For Boris, who invite non-Boris voting Londoners to tag a photo with ididntvoteforboris and add it to the Flickrstream. The conservative viral online campaign viral Boriswatch, has had its day, and now I’m looking forward to other Citizen Journalist reports, such as the eye view of Sunny Hundal, from the frontlines of what may be a new sport in London of Boris Watching. Clearly with 2,000+ already signed up to the Facebook group, it will be a popular activity here.
Celebrity Commentary
Some have already spoken their mind, and I’m watching to see what others have to say, on both sides, in what is going to be endless payday for the tabloids, paparazzi and other media types who feed on electric headlines. Here’s a few A-Lister comments I’ve enjoyed, and thanks to Devious Diva for compiling many more:
“Boris has as little knowledge of multiculturalism as I have of life on Jupiter. He used to go to this club in Oxford called the Bullingdon Club, full of snobs and creative conmen. The man has not only no physical ability to run anything, he is immoral and a bully. Boris as mayor would be like discovering you had piles and there was no cure for it.”
“In Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, there is a scene where a character is talking
about another who is a card player and he’s described as ‘a fucking liability’. That’s my idea of Boris. The mouth engages before the mind does. He doesn’t have any sense of diplomacy or tact. London is a cosmopolitan city. You can’t have someone who makes quotes like that [Johnson’s “piccaninnies” comment] representing London, regardless of the fact it was in the past [Johnson wrote the comment in 2002]. Of all the things people say about Ken, in my view he’s done a lot for London. When you go into the city it looks like a European capital now with all the regeneration, and it didn’t before. Trafalgar Square is a much more welcoming place.”
David Mitchell
Comedian, Peep Show
“Boris is mad. He wants to bring back bus conductors, but that’s never going to happen. I think he talks rubbish. He’s
out of touch and he doesn’t understand Londoners. People say Ken is obnoxious, but what can you do? One thing about him is he knows London.”
Charlie Brooker
Guardian columnist and Television Presenter
Thanks to this election result, I’ve now got a powerful
retort to the next Brit who blames me for the conservative politics of George
Bush, because clearly it can happen here as well, and I will not be surprised if David Cameron is this country's next Prime Minister.
I’m watching Boris,
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
Inside every Londoner is an inner hillbilly, just a hoot in’ ‘n a hollering to get out!
With the debut of my new comedy cabaret act the Hee Haw! Whore House this week, I helped the closeted hillbilly spirit inside my fellow Londoners unleash itself for the Finger in the Pie cabaret festival at Madam JoJos.
The venue was packed for showtime last Sunday, April 6th, and
the crowd responded well, whooping it up for our cast of urban hillbillies with
applause, laughter and even participation. As The Madam of the Hee Haw! Whore
House, I packed in some fast & furious slapstick American-style hilarity,
with non-stop silly antics and a few surprises for the performance.
Our little whore house kicked-off a fabulous night for Finger in the Pie, with other really enjoyable new artist acts. I particularly liked the creativity and friendly backstage camaraderie of Lheila Oberman & Timothy Dodd of Aliens Ate My Schnitzel. It was also a pleasure to share the stage with Kittyktja, Victoria L'Etoile, Marianna Harlotta & Ruby Corsette, Miss Rose Thorne as Squaw Blimey, and Frankie Chalet. Many thanks to Vixen DeVille, the evening’s temptress MC who held the night together, and super American-style cheers for the organizers of the monthly Finger in the Pie cabaret festival, a fantastic showcase and supportive environment for new London performance acts. Do check out a future show, for details about upcoming performances make friends with them via MySpace or find the group on Facebook.
Who Loves to Hee Haw!?
James Whatley, aka Whatleydude, was fantastic as our drunken punter, stumbling about with his very own bottle 'o moonshine and making audiences laugh during his performance and a pantomime-style chase scene. No whore house is complete without some whores, and we had two! One pretty, and one, well, butt ugly. The audience oooh’d and ahhh’d over beautiful Tiara Diamond who wowed them with her burlesque dancing skills and sparkly pasties. Shock + horror was on order for Stewart Wright’s hilarious portrayal of our ‘bargain bang bang special’ whore. Stewart saved the show, stepping in last minute as 'understudy' for the night, as our original cast member had a family emergency to tend to.
Our crew also made sure the Hee Haw! Whore House made its stage debut, with my
supportive husband John having to make a mad dash back home to get my forgotten makeup case and costume accessories. He also helped on many fronts, from helping to make our flyer, to burning our music tracks and the list goes on. Costume designer Diana Munduru helped us get ‘in character’ backstage in the dressing room, with her skilled ability to make clothing do what it is supposed to do.
Hee Haw!
Comes to London's West End Stage
It was an honour to officially perform on a ‘West End’ stage, of sorts. Madam Jo Jo’s is in the heart of London’s Soho district, which, in addition to being the centre of West End theatre is also the city’s red light district. Next door to Madam JoJos is the Soho Revue Bar, which historically was the very first strip bar to open in London. That venue was hosting the grand finale of London’s Burlesque Festival on the same night, and, I was thinking that the spirit of porn pioneer and baron Paul Raymond, who recently passed away at age 82, must have enjoyed such a fantastic festive night in his corner of London.
I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I’ve found from the
night, and our Hee Haw! Whore House may even feature in a restrospective book in
the future, as the photographer Peter Lavery, who
documents circus performers, joined the artists backstage to take pictures of
our pre-show preparation. Plenty more photos can be found here.
Credit for the above pictures goes to Flavia Fraser-Cannon, courtesy of Finger in the Pie Cabaret Festival, and BigShinyThing.com's Darrell Berry.
It was all great showbusiness experience, and I’m now thinking about what’s next for the Hee Haw! Whore House here in the UK. Festival season is coming up, and there are plenty of other venues that might appreciate a good ‘ol hillbilly time. If you have any suggestions for where this comedy performance may be appreciated, please email me at info@haimediagroup.com, or leave me a comment.
Can't wait to hee haw! again,
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
Hee Haw! Whore House 'Playbill'
Here's your very own memento, from the Hee Haw! Whore House:
Just print out these PDF flyers (front and back side) and you've got your own DIY piece of our show:
I’ll be debuting my new comedy cabaret show with the Finger in the Pie cabaret festival at Madam JoJos in the heart of London’s Soho this weekend. Come on down for my:
Hee Haw! Whore House
When: Sunday, 6th April, 2008
Doors open at 7 PM
Tickets £8
*Advised that you pre-book or come by 7 PM to be sure you get in, and get seats.
You can expect to have a hee haw! of a
good time if you come down, where there will be plenty of a hooting ‘n a
hollering in hillbilly style.
Simon Harris, who is the head of the Hand of Glory record label and a co-organizer of fantastic random clubbing nights with events like The Human Zoo, inviting people to get in touch with their inner beasts, and the Nativity Hoedown. This spring he debuts a new CD from artist Mary Epworth and the Jublilee Band. Connect with Simon over at myspace.com/handofglory7.
James Whatley, who studied drama and spent a few years working in television before finding his niche in the mobile technology industry where he is fondly known by his colleagues as Whatelydude. Connect with James at whatleydude.vox.com
Tiara Diamond, who is studying drama
at Thames Valley University, is a graduate of BWI’s Ultimate Burlesque Workshop
and performs burlesque under her stage name Tiara Diamond. Her play ‘Breakers’ featured at the
cornerHouse festival. You can find her on The BurlyQ Blog at tiaradiamond.wordpress.com
Our stage hand for the Hee Haw! Whore House is my husband Dr. John Fraser Laird Devaney (he’s smart
because he has a PhD in physics, and is
figuring out some crafty set challenges we’ve had). We’ve also got our own
stylist and costume maker Diana Munauru who sews bespoke costumes and clothing
for theatre performers, fancy dress and gowns for charity and society
functions. You can book Diana by emailing her at Diana.langa@hotmail.co.uk
And me! When it comes to entertainment
experience I don’t have any real formal training, except having studied
improvisational comedy with the fantastic Upright Citizens Brigade in
New York City, a group that can claim a number of comedy stars, and having absorbed knowledge from being around show business since childhood, with my father, who was a
Julliard-trained Broadway musician. I’ve also performed a one-woman show, having
turned myself into an online/offline cartoon girl of the New New York who took to the stage and became known as (((Futuregirl))), or the FutureG among some. With that adventure I pulled my
friends into my art project (those who were willing and surprisingly no one declined to be turned into a cartoon) by giving them cartoon ‘treatments’ and having
them come out for a party dressed in their self-created cartoon selves. It looks like I'm up to similar tricks here in London, and I'm really looking forward to being on stage with others this time.
No sparkly star studded cast and crew is complete without fans, so we’ve even got an entourage coming along, with the fabulous Miss Risk (Kate Risker) planning to attend, and others.
I’ve produced this Americana slapstick-style comedy, with a bit of old fashioned British pantomime influence that I hope will entertain London audiences. With this show, I’ve also unofficially anointed myself as being:
Having witnessed British people really
adore a bit of down-home American-style music and entertainment, when I
was
part of the Nativity Hoedown, I’ve decided to carry on with this theme,
presenting a bit of hilarity with my new cabaret act.
Made with inpsiration from: The Original Hee Haw! Television Show. View clips here:
For those of you who remember American sitcoms in the 1970s, you may recognized this performance is inspired (not at all copied as an fyi to any copyright cops reading this blog) by that popular show Hee Haw! that I watched often, while growing up with my family in America. Having lived here nearly four years now, at a time when my country is terribly unpopular, I'm inspired by the inevitable upcoming political change that will happen in November, and I'd like to be a little bit more courageous in offering up examples of the more positive things about America that I feel have been extremely overshadowed by these year's under an unacceptable presidential leadership in my country. So hee haw! for my America and hip hip hurray for whoever takes George Bush's place in November.
If the Hee Haw! Whore House is well-received with this performance, expect to see more hee hawing here in London in the future.
Practicing my hee haws for Sunday night,
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
Calling all human animals!
This weekend you'll get your chance to
put these unappreciated skills to use while enjoying a wild night out in Dalston at The Human Zoo where your hidden talents will be welcome. *Find more details about this event here.
Go on, ask yourself:
What's Your Inner Beast?
Whether you are a monkey, an amphibious sort or a brightly feathered bird-like creature, Axel Rose would welcome you to this jungle, where cabaret acts, bands and DJs will be offering a mashup of rock, reggae and electro-fueled beats, to feed London’s savage beasts. The zoo-inspired fancy dress theme invites you to dig out you’re best fuzzy, fluffy, furry and furious wardrobe selections, and promises everything in-between on offer among the cast of colourful guests. Every zoo needs a keeper and there’s bound to be a lion tamer about to keep the wild crowd under control.
The Human Zoo may be one night of mayhem that sees The Naked Ape author Desmond Morris’s concept of urban
human animals fulfilled. This is what might happen when the cage of the city lets loose humanity’s apes, lions, tigers and bears to roam the streets of the East End for the night.
You could say that this crowd’s festival-style parties are back by popular demand, based on the adoration and following the organizers developed from their Nativity Hoedown in December. They are truly growing their own stylish alternative to the usual boring clubbing night, and carving out a new little creative corner in Dalston, and we are all gratefully appreciative to the Passing Cloud Art Centre for the venue's ongoing support of these event organizing efforts.
- Join The Human Zoo Facebook Group
- Connect with these animals through MySpace at myspace.com/handofglory7
- Email Miss Risk directly via her own blog on Vox.com here
It’s sure to be a roar of a good time!
And psssst…here’s a tip to bust ahead of the queue: show up in the best damn zoo-inspired outfit you can invent and you’re in the door!
PS:
Yes, I was part of the early stage planning on this, as the organizers have
kindly annointed me as a resident artist with this new party scene, following the rocking hillbilly good time we all had at the Nativity Hoedown. Alas, some
travel organizing has floundered my attendance at The Human Zoo, and
unfortunately messed up my plans to debut a new lion tametress cabaret performance act I had in
works for the night. I’m headed off this lovely British island this weekend for a trip
I’m looking forward to, but will be growling it up in spirit with all my mates
who are willingly putting themselves behind cage bars this weekend. Nonetheless,
never mind worrying about whether I am going to be there (((who the ffff cares
about that really unless you happen to be some sort of strange Lisa Devaney
stalker))) the place will be packed with young, fun, beautiful creative people
and plenty of great bands, DJs, and live performances from a circus-style
cabaret group…and other surprises. Keep in mind:
You can only expect the unexpected at The Human Zoo.
Wishing I could be there,
but I do hope you give your inner beast
a good night out this Saturday
and have yourself a growl of a good time,
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
Thames University senior lecturer for digital media and artist Richard Colson, this week debuted his new book The
Fundamentals of Digital Art to a sold-out audience of about 300 at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London. His reference book traces the early days of digital art, beginning with a timeline that starts with the 1950 publication of Norbert Weiner’s ‘Cybernetics and Society’ essay exploring the integrated relationships machines have with humans.
Nearly six decades on, the field of digital art remains a discipline that is still being defined by both artists and technologists who are constantly experimenting with new approaches and applications. The artist’s tools rapidly emerge with new technology developments, transforming the medium, every few months. Richard Colson told the audience that his new book is original in its effort to put into context what has been emerging between the intersection of technology and art for these past decades. He talked about his favourite decade of attending art school in the 1970s, when, he fondly remembered, making art from technology had a very organic approach among its creators, who were boldly going where none had gone before. With no commercial objectives or support at that time, the creations that resulted were all conceived from pure creative motivation, and the human mind’s desire to build something, because you can. This mindset is best put by Marshall McLuhan, who Colson quotes in his book:
“The artist is a man in any field, scientific or humanistic, who grasps the implications of his actions and of new knowledge in his own time. He is the man of integral awareness.”
Colson’s book features his personal selections of digital artworks that he finds to be pivotal in the movement from the
earliest works such as James Seawright’s 1968 piece called Scanner. Scanner hangs from a ceiling, within labs of IBM and depicts the historical innovations in data-processing machines. It is an interesting place to think of finding art, dangling from the inner sanctum of the early days of the computer industry’s ‘Big Blue’ corporation. Comment from Jasia Reichardt explains this moment in time of the late 60s of an era when:
“What was significant was that the computer brought in its wake new people to become involved in making art and composing music. People who had never thought of putting pencil to paper, brush to canvas, started making images.”
Among those who were boldly exploring new territory is Steve Roberts, who in 1983, rode