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The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Secrets of the hair salon, from high street to high rise: Eileen Perrier/Dianne Minnicucci review
The art world is obsessed with the idea of 'being seen'. In a culture of lookism, being seen is understood as tantamount to existing, even to survival. But being seen is complicated. Both the current exhibitions at Autograph grapple with this through photographs by two women of the same generation working in portraiture. Eileen Perrier's A Thousand Small Stories occupies the ground-floor gallery. Since the 1990s, Perrier's work has centred on setting up temporary photographic studios, in homes, hair salons, on the streets of Brixton and Peckham in London, and at a metro station in Paris. Her 2009 exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London displayed large-format Polaroid portraits taken in pop-up studios at Petticoat Lane market and in the nearby 23-storey tower block Denning Point. The travelling portrait studio has been a device Perrier has used for 30 years, to take photography into diverse communities and tackle the politics of beauty and identity. This is the first survey of her work. Perrier makes portraits that don't rely on beauty but find it everywhere. She doesn't flatter – in fact the lighting and poses in her pictures in some series are direct references to school photographs, such as Grace (2000) in which her subjects, including the photographer and her mother, share the physical trait diastema (a gap between the teeth). Perrier's subjects are mostly regular people, commuters, passersby. In these quick encounters with ordinary lives, Perrier gives glimpses of beauty where you don't look for it. An image of two women on a leather chesterfield, from the series Red, Gold and Green (made between 1996 and 1997 in the homes of three generations of British Ghanaians), scintillates with shining confidence, from the women's style to the polished ceramics gleaming on the dresser behind them. The makeshift red cloth Perrier has hung up behind them is a reminder that this is a studio, too, where an unexpected moment of beauty, through the alchemy of the camera, becomes an eternity. There's an unresolved paradox in Perrier's pictures, between the artifice of beauty and the photographer's constant quest to find it. Perrier acknowledges this, between celebrating beauty and critiquing it, right from the start of her career. One of the earliest works in the show belongs to her documentary portrait series, Afro Hair and Beauty Show. Between 1998 and 2003, Perrier photographed women attending the annual show at Alexandra Palace, one of the venue's biggest events of the time. It's a document of evolving styles, creativity and the importance of self-expression through hair. While making the portraits, Perrier also began collecting and photographing products for black hair and skin from London shops and photographing them. She turned these grooming goods into a wallpaper that also charts a controversial side of the beauty industry: Dear Heart promises skin lightening, hair relaxant for children is marketed as Beautiful Beginnings. Perrier is positioned through this show as an important counter to a Photoshopped, retouched reality, in a culture of beauty and image worship. Upstairs Dianne Minnicucci's small exhibition of new works – made as part of a residency funded by Autograph – picks up on the impact of white-centric beauty standards on women of colour. Minnicucci confesses to not being comfortable in front of the camera herself – she has portrayed her family and domestic scenes with an intimate, autobiographical tenor but had never ventured in front of the lens herself. Her show, Belonging and Beyond, is about a personal struggle with self-image, compounded by photography, and now using photography as a means to unravel and understand it. Like Perrier, Minnicucci began by dismantling and reconstructing her studio – bringing it into the classroom of Thomas Tallis school, south-east London, where she is head of photography. Working alongside her students for six months, inviting them into the work as collaborators, Minnicucci was forced to practise what she'd preached – to embrace discomfort. A series of wistful black and white self-portraits sees Minnicucci try to break through this awkward confrontation, all of them shot in Lesnes Abbey Woods. We see her figuring out what to do with her body, her hands, her gaze. Half-masked by spiky shrubs and trees, thesepictures have a quiet, self-conscious grace. Minnicucci dressed in white in this misty atmosphere looks shyly away from the camera, tentative, uncertain. This is not really about the images but what the process reveals. In a film accompanying the images, Minnicucci realises where her trepidation in taking self-portraits as a black woman might come from: 'Because I haven't been exposed to those images, maybe that's why?' Eileen Perrier's A Thousand Small Stories, and Dianne Minnicucci's Belonging and Beyond are both at Autograph, London, until 13 September
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Greggs shifts food behind counters to stop shoplifting
Greggs will move its self-serve food and drinks to behind the counter to stamp out shoplifting at the High Street company is trialling the measure at a handful of stores which, it said, are "exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour".These include Whitechapel in east London which is one of five shops that will try out the new policy - the others are in Peckham and is not expected that the change will be implemented across all Greggs' 2,600 bakeries in the UK, but it may be rolled out to sites where there are high levels of theft. In 2024, shoplifting offences recorded by the police rose by 20% to 516,971, according the Office for National Statistics. But the number of thefts recorded by retailers was far higher - for the year to last September shops saw a 3.7 million rise to 20.4 said customers can expect to see its full range behind its counters but added: "The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority."
Times
08-05-2025
- General
- Times
The artisans using social media to keep ancient British skills alive
Heritage crafts are often categorised as a luxury. But they're more than that. Whether it's a jeweller, carver, glassblower or bookbinder, each craft is a way of connecting us with each other, with our history and with what ultimately makes us human. This month, in the biggest craft fair ever held in our capital, makers from around the world will be showcasing their crafts through demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops. There will also be an exhibition by Future Icons — heirloom makers from the next generation. Here we meet four individuals who have dedicated themselves to making covetable, one-off items that are both beautiful and useful, using ancient techniques like spinning, bookbinding, forging, furniture-making and weaving. Their products are not the only source of wonder — so are their skills. Holly Loftus is a culinary knife-maker. She enjoys the utility and everyday nature of knives, but the knives she creates are extraordinary. 'I care about them. I want them to be better than anything else you can buy off the shelf,' she says. Loftus spent eight years figuring out the geometry needed to make high-performance tools beautiful too. Her way into her practice was via a City & Guilds qualification in forgework at Scotland's Rural College SRUC. Having learnt to swing a hammer 'with some accuracy', she went on to spend three years at Blenheim Forge in Peckham, then set up on her own in 2020 thanks to the Newby Trust Craft Excellence award, which gave her a subsidised studio for one year. She uses steels from Sheffield and Japan and locally sourced timber such as cherry plum (her current favourite). Every blade starts with a process of layering steels with heat and a hammer. The layered steel is heated to over 1000C, then hammered on her anvil, 'adding length, width and a taper until it becomes the right proportions for a culinary knife. From there each blade goes through a process of heating and cooling to make it strong and hard so it will hold a great edge. Then I thin it for cutting performance and make a handle. For a finish I sharpen it by hand on whetstones.' Loftus is a one-woman business, so is limited in how many knives she can make. Instead of operating a waiting list, she sells her knives in what she calls a 'fastest fingers first' basis through her email newsletter. 'I think keeping the old skills alive keeps the questions open — have we made the world we want and what future might it produce? It's important to keep that fire lit.' Richard Platt and Sam Cooper are the founders of the Marchmont Workshop, based on the Marchmont Estate on the Scottish Borders. Other than their mentor, Lawrence Neal, who still makes chairs in his own small workshop, they are the last rush-seated chair-makers in the UK. Their craft has been practised for centuries — Platt tells me that a rush-seated chair was found in an ancient Egyptian tomb and the craft has been practised in England since the 14th century. The designers apprenticed with Neal, whose father and grandfather made rush-seated chairs in a long tradition that started with Ernest Gimson and Phillip Clissitt before him. Gimson designed the Bedales chair in 1906, which was named after the school whose library they were commissioned for. Since Platt and Cooper started with Neal in 2018, they have learnt not only how to choose the timber, how to weave the rush and how to turn the wood, but also about the history and the provenance of their craft. The Bedales chair is still their most popular design, but the pair are trying now to 'make a chair into a more accessible modern style, to put into a more modern home', Platt says. Their new Canopy Chair will be featured in Craft Week, showcasing the techniques that have been passed on through six generations of master craftsman. In turn, last October Platt and Cooper took on their first apprentice. They have already taught him about the locally sourced ash they use and how to steam bend the wood to create the elegant crest of the chair. This June they will show him how they harvest the rushes on the rivers in Morpeth and Stratford on Avon that will supply them with a year's worth of material. 'We are here to make sure that this craft carries on,' Platt says. 'If we stop, there's no one to teach it after us.' Scarlett Farrer is a woven textile designer specialising in working with hand spun yarns. She studied textile design at the University of Brighton for three years and in her final year looked into the world of hand spinning yarns. She set herself the goal of creating a project as sustainable, traditional and ethical as possible. Called Field to Fabric, it involved Farrer teaching herself the ancient craft of spinning yarn and has since become the basis for her entire practice. She creates large-scale wallhangings, often woven entirely from hand spun British wool. For Farrer they perfectly capture the character of the wool, with each piece having its own distinct pattern and feel. 'I create them using only traditional equipment and tools, which allows me to bring out the natural beauty of the materials and create something truly one of a kind.' In November 2024 she received the young weaver of the year award from Heritage Crafts, supported by Rose Uniacke. Farrer works closely with local farmers collecting their unwanted sheep and alpaca fleeces. Over the past year and a half she has collected over 30 bags of wool from Surrey, Hampshire, Sussex and north Wales. She hand-process the fleeces in small batches, scouring, washing, carding and spinning the fleeces into yarns. 'It's important to keep traditional skills like spinning and weaving alive because they connect us to our history and heritage,' she says. 'These crafts carry centuries of knowledge and techniques that have been passed down through generations. By preserving them we ensure future generations can appreciate the artistry and value of hand-made textiles.' By using natural fibres and traditional methods, Farrer's textiles have minimal environmental impact compared to modern industrial processes. 'There's also something deeply satisfying about creating something by hand, knowing the time and care that has gone into each piece,' she says. 'In a world where much of what we buy is mass produced and lacks character, keeping these skills alive allows us to offer an alternative that celebrates quality, craftsmanship and sustainability.' Chihiro Shigemitsu was introduced to bookbinding through her degree at London College of Communication. Here she met the master craftsman Manuel Mazzotti, who agreed to train her as his apprentice as part of the Homo Faber fellowship programme. 'There are very few bookbinders, and even fewer that can take on apprentices,' says Shigemitsu, who, after six months at Manuel's workshop, reckons she is 'nowhere near close to learning this craft. The level of perfection and excellence that Manuel has shown me is beyond comprehension. I would say that it would take me another 10 to 15 years to call myself a proper bookbinder.' Nevertheless, she is making a mark for herself taking commissions to make bespoke, hand-made books, including family albums and artist sketchbooks. Her process begins with a conversation with her clients thinking about the paper texture or weight, or the folding of the pages (such as how to use folding as a way to mirror the rhythm of jazz) and how the pages are sewn together. 'My mentor always says to think of books as sculptures, which I think is the perfect way of putting it,' she says. Through introducing some of the skills of bookbinding to a new audience via social media, Shigemitsu has gathered a community of young creatives keen to collaborate with her. 'I cheekily give myself the title of The Most Sociable Craftsperson and I like to get as many people involved as possible when I'm working on books. Anyone can make their own Instagram page or website, but to make a handmade book will always be different,' she says. One of the pleasures, she adds, of keeping old skills alive is 'witnessing the appreciation for human connection. If you ever have the chance to invest in something that has thousands of hours of practice behind it, you should definitely do so because you are adding a particular deepness to your life. It's an embodiment of the human spirit in the form of craftsmanship. What's not to love about that?' London Craft Week runs from May 12 to 18 in various locations around the capital,
The Independent
08-05-2025
- The Independent
Mother saw gunman shoot son near Damilola Taylor centre, court told
A mother witnessed the moment a gunman opened fire and shot her son in the head in an alleyway near her home, a court has heard. Jesse Lloyd-Smith, 20, was fatally injured close to the Damilola Taylor centre in Peckham, south-east London, the Old Bailey was told on Thursday. At around 4.50pm last July 10, a silver-coloured Ford S-Max car containing the alleged killers drove slowly towards the alleyway, jurors heard. Prosecutor James Dawes KC said: 'The S-Max passed the Damilola Taylor centre, turned the corner and stopped. ' One of the two men exited the S-Max. He was holding a gun, and he ran towards Jesse firing the gun as he went. There were at least five shots. 'Some of the shots hit Jesse knocking him to the ground. The gunman ran back to the car which drove away.' The victim's mother Ty Lloyd-Smith was in her flat only yards away and heard the noise of shots, the court was told. Mr Dawes said: 'She saw the shooter but what she could not see was her son because he was in the alleyway. She feared the worst and she shouted out Jesse's name.' She ran downstairs to find her son lying on the ground, shot in the head, jurors heard. His friend Jamie Burgess was frantically trying to help him and an ambulance was called. Mr Burgess allegedly told police a person called 'S' was involved. The victim was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but he died the next day. A search of the scene with dogs, led to the recovery of four spent cartridges and two unfired bullets all from a 9mm automatic pistol, the court was told. The shooting was partly captured on CCTV footage although it was from some distance away, Mr Dawes said. The occupants of the S-Max car were 18-year-old Kywan JN Pierre and the alleged gunman, 19-year-old Gabriel Charles, both of whom fled the country after the shooting, the court was told. JN Pierre, from Selhurst, south London, and Charles, from Southwark, south London, are on trial accused of murder. Mr Dawes said a key issue for jurors would be whether the pair were in the car, as each had denied they were there. He said: 'It is the prosecution's case that the first two defendants acted together as part of a joint plan or agreement to shoot Jesse. 'It is the Crown's case that both occupants of the car intended that Jesse would be shot and consequently killed or at least caused really serious harm.' Charles and JN Pierre are also charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice with Ben Nguyen, 20, of no fixed address, Enver Francis, 22, from Southwark, Abdoul Guene, 18, from Peckham, Kadjo Kadio, 20, from Dartford, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified. It is alleged the group had plotted to take away the Ford S-Max used in the fatal shooting and destroy it in a fire two days later. Kadio and Nguyen are accused of assisting an offender by making and receiving transfers of funds 'with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution' of Charles. Kadio is charged with a similar offence relating to JN Pierre. The defendants have denied all the charges against them as the trial continues.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- BBC News
Mother saw gunman open fire as son shot near her home, court told
A mother witnessed a gunman open fire and moments later found her son lying on the ground shot in the head, a court has Lloyd-Smith, 20, was fatally injured near the Damilola Taylor centre in Peckham, south-east London on 10 July victim's mother Ty Lloyd-Smith was in her flat only yards away when she heard the noise of shots at around 16:50 BST, the Old Bailey JN Pierre, 18, from Selhurst, south London and the alleged gunman, Gabriel Charles, 19, from Southwark, south London both deny murder. 'Feared the worst' The alleged killers had driven slowly towards the alleyway in a silver-coloured Ford S-Max car, jurors heard."The S-Max passed the Damilola Taylor centre, turned the corner and stopped," Prosecutor James Dawes KC said."One of the two men exited the S-Max. He was holding a gun, and he ran towards Jesse firing the gun as he went. There were at least five shots."Some of the shots hit Jesse knocking him to the ground. The gunman ran back to the car which drove away."Mr Dawes said Mrs Lloyd-Smith saw the shooter but could not see her son because he was in the alleyway. "She feared the worst and she shouted out Jesse's name," Mr Dawes Lloyd-Smith ran downstairs to find her son injured, jurors prosecution alleges the occupants of the S-Max car were Mr JN Pierre and Mr Dawes said a key issue for jurors would be whether the pair were in the car, as each had denied they were court heard that they both fled the country after the shooting. Unfired bullets found Following the gunshots, Mr Lloyd-Smith's friend Jamie Burgess was frantically trying to help him and an ambulance was Burgess allegedly told police a person called "S" was victim was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but he died the next day.A search of the scene with dogs led to the recovery of four spent cartridges and two unfired bullets all from a 9mm automatic pistol, the court was shooting was partly captured on CCTV footage although it was from some distance away, Mr Dawes said. Mr Charles and Mr JN Pierre are also charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice with Ben Nguyen, 20, of no fixed address, Enver Francis, 22, from Southwark, Abdoul Guene, 18, from Peckham, Kadjo Kadio, 20, from Dartford, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified due to their is alleged the group had plotted to take away the Ford S-Max used in the fatal shooting and destroy it in a fire two days Kadio and Mr Nguyen are accused of assisting an offender by making and receiving transfers of funds "with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution" of Mr Kadio is charged with a similar offence relating to Mr JN defendants have denied all the charges against trial continues.
