Panel Borders: Illustrating the Memory Palace
In the first of a new series of Panel Borders, we have the start of a month of shows looking at the presence of comics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Alex Fitch talks to curator Ligaya Salazar and artist Robert Hunter about the exhibition Memory Palace which runs at the V and A until 20th October and depicts a post apocalyptic London where memory and speech are being legislated and curtailed by the state. Salazar discusses the creation of the exhibition with her co-curator Laurie Britton Newell and how the short story by Hari Kunzru which forms the basis of the show has been illustrated by artists from various media, including comics, illustration and sculpture. Hunter talks about his silent comic strip in the book of the exhibition which reimagines its creation within the walls of the museum and elsewhere and his latest graphic novel Map of Days, available from Nobrow Press. Originally broadcast 2nd September 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)
Photo of Memory Palace exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum
For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org
Links: Info about Memory Palace at Victoria and Albert Museum website /
Sky Arts website
Review of Memory Palace at One Stop Arts
Robert Hunter’s website
More info about Map of Days at Nobrow Press
Recommended Events:
Quick Strips at Brighton Digital Festival
Twelve cartoonists reveal all in under six minutes each
Quick Strips, part of Brighton Digital Festival, is a speedy showcase for 12 cartoonists and graphic novelists to reveal all in public by presenting their work or giving away their trade secrets in under 6 minutes each.
Alex Fitch of Resonance FM is compere for the night, and the stellar cast features First Graphic Novel Competition winner Gareth Brookes, author of The Black Project, to be published on 12 September, and fellow Myriad graphics authors Nye Wright (Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park), Hannah Eaton (Naming Monsters), and, down from Leeds to investigate the Balcombe fracking protests, Darryl Cunningham, author of Science Tales. Other guests are graphic novelists and cartoonists Hannah Berry, Joe Decie, Chie Kutsuwada, Ottilie Hainsworth, Julia Homersham, Jaime Huxtable and Ben Naylor. Held in association with Cartoon County.
Location: The Latest Bar, Manchester Street, Brighton BN2 1TF
Thursday 5th September, 2013
Doors open 18.30; show starts 19.00; ends 21.00 FREE
More info at: http://www.myriadeditions.com/events?item=368
How to Write a Graphic Novel: A Guardian Masterclass
The latest Guardian Masterclass at their new venue near Kings Cross, London is an all day event looking at the process of creating graphic novels. Speakers include:
Andrzej Klimowski, Professor of Illustration at the Royal College of Art, London. His acclaimed career has seen him designing film and theatre posters, as well as directing short, animated films in Warsaw plus designing covers for Penguin, Faber & Faber, Everyman Library and Oberon Books. His graphic novels include The Depository The Secret and Horace Dorlan. He has adapted The Master and Margarita and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for SelfMadeHero.
Paul Gravett, Britain’s best-known comic book critic and historian and author of many books, including 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die and Great British Comics.
Audrey Niffenegger, creative writer and visual artist who has achieved enormous success in both worlds. Her debut novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, has sold more than seven million copies worldwide and has been translated into forty languages. Niffenegger is also the author of two ‘novels-in-pictures’, The Three Incestuous Sisters (2005) and The Adventuress (2006), and a graphic novel, The Night Bookmobile. Her latest book is the illustrated fairytale, Raven Girl, published by Jonathan Cape.
Pat Mills, a British comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd. He has been called “the godfather of British comics”.
Karrie Fransman, creator of comics for The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Time Out and Psychologies Magazine. Her acclaimed graphic novel, The House That Groaned, is published by Random House’s Square Peg imprint. She led the London Print Studio’s excellent graphic novel course in 2011 and 2012.
Schedule:
9.30 – 10.30am: Paul Gravett on the history of comics
10.30 – 11.15am: Audrey Niffenegger keynote speech
11.30 – 1pm: Karrie Fransman workshop
1.45 – 2.45pm: Pat Mills tutorial
2.45 – 3.45: Andrzej Klimowski tutorial
4 – 5pm: Panel discussion with Emma Hayley (publisher / editor, SelfMadeHero), Pat Mills (2000AD), Roger Sabin (comics historian) – chair: Alex Fitch (Resonance FM)
£119.00 for the day
The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU
More info at: http://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/how-to-write-a-graphic-novel-seminar / http://www.selfmadehero.com/news/2013/08/how-to-write-a-graphic-novel-a-guardian-masterclass
Gosh! signings and launch parties
The Day the Crayons Quit, debut author Drew Daywalt and Jeffers is team up to create a colourful solution to a crayon-based crisis:
Poor Duncan just wants to colour in. But when he opens his box of crayons, he only finds letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!
The battle lines have been drawn. What is Duncan to do?
Oliver Jeffers will be at Gosh! to sign for one hour on…
Saturday, September 14 from 3pm – 4pm
City lit: John Miers – the first Fast Forward talk at the famous Gosh Comic Book store in the heart of London. John Miers, an award winning contemporary comic book artist will be giving a talk on Visual Storytelling techniques, addressing the question: Are comics art or literature- or are they both, neither, and something else entirely all at once? This is your chance to find out how image, text, abstract symbols and composition combine in the most innovative medium around.
Tuesday, September 17, 7 – 8.30pm
The Best of Milligan and McCarthy: on Wednesday the 18th of September Gosh! have not one but TWO classic British comics guys in the house talking comics. Peter Milligan (Hellblazer) and Brendan McCarthy (Zaucer of Zilk) will be here doing a talk and Q&A about their new book from Dark Horse that collects the very best of their hard-to-find collaborative work from years ago: Freakwave, Paradax!, Skin and Rogan Gosh and more. That’s 20 years worth of their finest work from Vanguard Illustrated, Strange Days, 2000 AD and Vertigo!
Wednesday, September 18, 7.30 – 9pm
Gosh!, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR
More info at www.goshlondon.com
Sophie’s World – unseen photographs by Steven Cook
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Orbital Comics is proud to present this special exhibition featuring rare and unseen of photographs of Sylvester McCoy’s companion Sophie Aldred (Ace). Originally taken by photographer Steve Cook in the late 1980s, a lot of the negatives were just recently recovered (not unlike the rumours of lost episodes being found).
The photos show Sophie’s versatility in a number of scenarios and guises, including that of The Doctor’s beloved companion Ace. The exhibition starts with a private viewing on September 5 and will run through until the end of the month. Sophie and Steve will be in-store signing prints of the photographs on Saturday, September 7 between 12 and 3pm.
September 5th – 30th
Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JA
More info: http://www.orbitalcomics.com/sophies-world-the-unseen-photographs-by-steve-cook/
Steadman @77 exhibition
The Cartoon Museum is proud to present a selection of Ralp Steadman’s iconic cartoons to celebrate his 77th birthday. To accompany the exhibition there is a programme of events and talks, including Anita O’Brien discussing the use of the weird in Steadman’s work – 3rd September, 6.30pm
Exhibition continues until Autumn 2013, more info at http://cartoonmuseum.org
The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH
