Archive for October, 2010

He scats, he sings, he cavorts about stages in 17th century courtier style spandex outfits to contemporary beats and sampled vintage relics… but who knew that Mr Bruce, one half of the electro swing duo The Correspondents, was also a highly talented artist working under the alter ego of Rubi Cane?

Well we did! And when Beck’s approached us to work on a collaborative art video project for their Shape Your Music campaign, we thought it was high time to help unleash Rubi’s artistic talents onto the world.

Rubi has created two stunning oil paintings for us inspired by one of his favourite tracks from Play.com. Rubi painted the works over 12 hours in a London studio and we filmed the entire process to create a short video that you can watch here:

http://apps.facebook.com/beckscompetition/?videoID=89

To win these two original artworks all for yourself, just guess the track that inspired them. To help you out Beck’s are uploading a different clue every day so keep checking back on the site… Good Luck!

In his former life, Mr Bruce studied an MA in Fine Art in Edinburgh and then returned to London to work full time as a commissioned portrait painter:

“As a result, most of my work is portrait based and you’ll see in this work my interest in the significance of objects within relationships. I also have an ongoing fascination with alter egos and transitions of identity.

“In terms of the future, I simply want to keep on painting what floats my boat and switches me on, taking care and risks. I think after this experience, I may very well continue to produce video paintings.”

Rubi Cane will soon be selling work through www.culturelabel.com/art

To see more of Rubi’s artworks, visit his website here: www.rubicane.com

To hear more of The Correspondents, check out: www.myspace.com/thecorrespondentsmusic

It’s beautiful, it’s affordable and it’s all ours… Jennifer Farrell, the ever-so-talented founder of Storm in a Teacup, gives us the low-down on her new jewellery range created exclusively for CultureLabel:

1. Tell us a bit more about the new collection…
I wanted this range to be really luxurious with lots of beautiful colour and a mix of materials. I’ve used rich corals, glassy turquoise and aqua blues alongside porcelain, glass, faux suede and bone. Style wise, I pride my pieces on being more unique than anything you’d find on the high street and I try to give them a real timeless and classic quality.

2. How did you start out in the world of jewellery design?
It all started in my teens albeit on a very amateur scale (I remember a lot of 80s, tight leather necklaces!) and from there it became a big hobby. Then a couple of years ago I had a succession of friends’ birthdays and decided to make all their gifts. Less than two months later I had 12 designs and people were asking me to duplicate them for their friends. I knew then I should take the plunge to set up full time and I’ve never looked back.

3. What inspires your jewellery?
While my jewellery range is relatively varied, I definitely veer towards the kind of beauty I feel is achieved in European window dressing. Boutique windows in France or Italy just ooze that effortless, less-is-more beauty to them focusing on clean lines and classic colours. My favourite photo album is one of my mum’s from her days as an air stewardess in the early ’70s. I love to revisit what people were wearing in various countries at that time and often try to recreate some of those looks in my vintage pieces.

4. Where do you create your pieces?
Home sweet home… I’m lucky enough to have a small spare room that my boyfriend and I try our best to share fairly between my jewellery design and his music. It’s like an Aladdin’s cave – a mix of new jewellery designs hanging from canvases nestled between guitar cases and mic amps. I even use my old childhood desk to work from!

The exclusive range by Storm in a Teacup is available now on our site.

Christmas is coming, and we’ve an amazing new service lined up for CultureLabel customers – launching on 1 Nov (we’re being very secretive at the mo!)

We’re looking to recruit a talented Intern that will assist with the day to day running of this and work with the rest of the CultureLabel team. This will be a three-month placement in the first instance.

We’re looking for someone who is:

Organised
Pro-active and able to use their initiative
Have a understanding of current style and trends
Proven ability to work quickly and effectively with an eye for detail.
Able to work by themselves
Have a interest and some understanding of retail and the buying/selection side
Able to meet time deadlines

The following skills would be beneficial:

Experience of database work
Knowledge of Excel
Written and personal communication skills
Good attention to details and accuracy

In return, you’ll gain:

Being part of a small dynamic, entrepreneurial arts retail team
First-hand understanding of E-commerce in the Arts sector
Learn how to manage various types of relationships from the customer, expert and the CL team
Real expertise on efficiently managing your workload

If you feel you fit the bill and have much to offer to our team, send in your CV with a cover letter to Tina Surelia, our Product Manager at tina@culturelabel.com

**Due to the high volume of applicants, we are not able to respond to each individual, you will be contacted if you have been chosen.