Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Offline

The Tiki Chris blogs are on hiatus while I go have some non-blog fun. However, ontoLondon's Daily Photos will continue to be posted during the break. See you in a couple of weeks!
























Image courtesy of
caspermoller's photostream on Flickr.


ontoLondon - ontoTravel - Tiki Chris

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Graffiti Photography Exhibition at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds












Still feeling the love from Leeds! The West Yorkshire Playhouse will be exhibiting some of my London street art photographs from May 26 to June 8. I'd really like to thank Alex Croft of the WY Playhouse (for the opportunity) and to Terry Jones of Leeds College of Art and Design (for the hook up with Alex). My photos will be on display as an accompaniment to Tag ... just writing my name, an "original piece of Hip Hop theatre using break dance, bodypopping, rap-poetry, larger-than-life graffiti sculptures and videoanimation" about "a young obsessive graffiti writer in search of acceptance."

I'd also like to thank the artists whose artwork is highlighted in my photos for this exhibition:

Banksy
, Cyclops, Dan Witz, Sickboy and Sweet Toof.















If you happen to be in Leeds while my pics are up and the performance is on, check 'em out!

Bruce Springsteen on New Jersey


I did my stint in the Garden State ... and loved it. Heck, the missus and I still own property there and have planned what seems to have become our annual trip back for the end of the summer (perfect time to visit the Shore). Despite the fact that NJ is the butt of many a stupid joke, with respect to my love of Jersey, I'm in good company. Here's the Boss at his induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, sharing his thoughts about growin' up in New Jersey:

When I first got the letter I was to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame I was a little suspicious. New Jersey Hall of Fame? Does New York have a hall of fame? Does Connecticut have a hall of fame? I mean, maybe they don't think they need one.

But then I ran through the list of names: Albert Einstein, Bruce Springsteen ... my mother's going to like that. She's here tonight. It's her birthday and it's the only time she's going to hear those two names mentioned in the same sentence, so I'm going to enjoy it.

When I was recording my first album, the record company spent a lot of money taking pictures of me in New York City. But ... something didn't feel quite right. So I was walking down the boardwalk one day, stopped at a souvenir stand and bought a postcard that said "Greetings from Asbury Park." I remember thinking, "yeah, that's me."

With the exception of a few half years in California, my family and I have raised our kids here. We have a big Italian-Irish family. I found my own Jersey girl right here in Asbury Park . I've always found it deeply resonant holding the hands of my kids on the same streets where my mom held my hand, swimming in the same ocean and taking them to visit the same beaches I did as a child. It was also aplace that really protected me. It's been very nurturing. I could take my kids down to Freehold, throw them up on my shoulders and walk along the street with thousands of other people on Kruise Night with everybody just going, "hey Bruce...." That was something that meant alot to me, the ability to just go about my life. I really appreciated that.

You get a little older and when one of those crisp fall days come along in September and October, my friends and I slip into the cool water of the Atlantic Ocean . We take note that there are a few less of us as each year passes. But the thing about being in one place your whole life is that they're all still around you in the water. I look towards the shore and I see my two sons and my daughter pushing their way through the waves. And on the beach there's a whole batch of new little kids running away from the crashing surf like time itself.

That's what New Jersey is for me. It's a repository of my time on earth. My memory, the music I've made, my friendships, my life ... it's all buried here in a box somewhere in the sand down along the Central Jersey coast. I can't imagine having it any other way.

So let me finish with a Garden State benediction. Rise up my fellow New Jerseyans, for we are all members of a confused but noble race. We, of the state that will never get any respect. We, who bear the coolness of the forever uncool. The chip on our shoulders of those with forever something to prove. And even with this wonderful Hall of Fame, we know that there's another bad Jersey joke coming just around the corner.

But fear not. This is not our curse. It is our blessing. For this is what imbues us with our fighting spirit. That we may salute the world forever with the Jersey state bird, and that the fumes from our great northern industrial area to the ocean breezes of Cape May fill us with the raw hunger, the naked ambition and the desire not just to do our best, but to stick it in your face. Theory of relativity anybody? How about some electric light with your day? Or maybe a spin to the moon and back? And that is why our fellow Americans in the other 49 states know, when the announcer says "and now in this corner, from New Jersey ...." they better keep their hands up and their heads down, because when that bell rings, we're coming out swinging. God Bless the Garden State.



Photography courtesy of NJ - Library Events' photostream on Flickr.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Food 2.0: Nom, Nom, Nom was Brilliant!

Okay. If you’ve been around me lately, you know I’ve been in a bit of tizzy prepping for an upcoming sojourn (humongous barrels of thanks must be placed at the feet of my lovely Emiana for all the work she’s put into planning and orchestrating our trip!). Sadly, last minute obligations mean that I ain’t got no time to blog about just how awesome it was to participate in yesterday’s Food 2.0: Nom, Nom, Nom. But, I’d feel like a lowly heel if I didn’t say something about how much fun the event was. It totally rocked and everybody was super cool and all the food I tasted was delish!

Food 2.0: Nom, Nom, Nom

What was Food 2.0: Nom, Nom, Nom? It was a cooking competition organised by the logistic superstar and networking goddess
Annie Mole, in partnership with the very smiley and kind folks at TrustedPlaces.com and innovative lead sponsor SpinVox at the mega-impressive Cookery School (so super helpful and teeming with knowledge and practical advice) near Oxford Circus. The best of London’s online fooderati were pitted against each other for some truly inspired cooking … and all for a good cause (Action Against Hunger and Justgiving)!

Food 2.0: Nom, Nom, Nom

That’s about all the time I have to post about Nom, but I did manage to upload a gazillion photos to Flickr from yesterday. There’s plenty more blog posts, etc about the event and I suspect a review will appear on Londonist soon as well.

Thanks for a wonderful day,
Chris

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Rabbit Portal Friendliness from Leeds

Here's a super nice post about yours truly from Matt Saunders, a multimedia illustrator and animator who came round to check out my talk in Leeds. His site, Rabbit Portal is definitely worth a bit of snooping. In particular, his recent breakfast post is brilliant!

















Chris Osburn
Posted by RABBIT PORTAL
Rabbit Portal
Saturday, 10 May 2008

Chris Osburn recently came to visit our uni for an insightful and inspiring talk on contemporary street art.

Click here for the complete post.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Wine Wine Wine (May 16, 2008)


London Daily Photo: Save Energy by Chris Osburn © 2008

Wine Wine Wine

Two wine tastings in one week (here and here), a care package from Tio Pepe and a martini menu preview almost did me in, but I'm happy to report that I'm still hanging in there. It seems my Food and Drink editorship with Londonist has been skewing toward drink as of late. I reckon food will make a bit of a comeback soon enough. In fact this weekend, I'll be co-representing Londonist in Food 2.0: Nom, Nom, Nom, a cook-off organised by London Blogger Annie Mole in partnership with TrustedPlaces.com.

Speaking of Annie Mole, I was surprised that she and another well known online Londoner, diamond geezer, both took the time to leave comments about things I posted this week. Annie's was a rather cheery remark about my Wine Tasting with Qype post while diamond geezer's was a bit more critical in tone. He reckons my Gourmet Grazing with Tio Pepe review for Londonist was the "most blatant shameless context-free plug that Londonist has ever posted." Oh well. For the record, I don't consider the post as much a plug as a review which just happens to be positive. I guess he kinda has a point though.

In closing, I'd like to suggest everyone to have a look at this week's
London Daily Photos and to check out a recent thought provoking post by my favourite blogger, Emiana.

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - Tiki Chris Presents

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Wine Tasting with Qype

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Wine Tasting with Qype

My head hurts ... and it's all Qype's fault. Well, to be fair they had a little help from Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. The reason for my throbbin' noggin is because last night I had the good pleasure of tagging along with a few fellow Qypers (Tim, Shiny Gemma, Annie Mole, and Guernican) and Qype commanders Rob and Andrew to LVMH's showcase of New World wine producers at swank and refined Il Bottaccio on Grosvenor Place. Super nice.

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Wine Tasting with Qype

I could run through all the wines but, um I think
Rob and Tim have already done brilliant jobs summing the night up on their blogs. As Tim points out in his Plumment Onions post, Aussie vintners Green Point had a winner of a
reserve Shiraz accompanied by a gorgeously scrummy spoon of goat cheese foam with honey and cracked black pepper. The Malbec offered by Argentine Terrazas de los Andes was worth keeping in mind for the future as well. However, my faves were from Cloudy Bay, a winery from Marlborough, New Zealand. I especially enjoyed their Te Koko and am very appreciative that they allowed me a taste of their (hush hush) under the table bottle of Pinot Gris.

Of course, it wasn't just the wine that did my head in. After the tasting consensus was to carry on at the pub! We made a b-line to the Grenadier which was unfortunately closed for a private function but soon got cozy with a pint at the nearby Nag's Head.

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Wine Tasting with Qype

Click
here to check out my Flickr set of photos from the event.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

How was the Graffiti/Photography Talk in Leeds?

Last week's talk at Leeds College of Art & Design went well. I even got a few chuckles. There was small audience in attendance (thankfully!) but they seemed really into graf - and my photos! My talk served as a bit of a prelude for the upcoming Burning Candy exhibition at the college (as a ton of my photos are BC-related) and I'm super honoured to have played a small part. The folks up at Leeds are in for a treat and recommend anybody who can pop into the college to see the Burning Candy installation to do so!


Burning Candy
Sweet Toof, Cyclops, Tek 33
Leeds College of Art & Design
presented by Sartorial Contemporary Art
May 19 – June 27

For more about the upcoming Burning Candy exhibition at Leeds College of Art & Design visit:

http://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/home/news-events/exhibitions/
http://sartorialart.com/burning_candy_pr.html

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Miranda Donovan at Lazarides Gallery (Juxtapoz)

Photos: Miranda Donovan's "Lost World of Innocence"
Words and photos by
Chris Osburn
Juxtapoz
Friday, 09 May 2008











With her first solo exhibition in the UK opening at Soho's Lazarides Gallery, the young British painter Miranda Donovan is off to a fantastic start! ... Lost World of Innocence features more than twenty paintings and raises issues about the effects urbanity on communities in light of the current global phenomenon of urban expansion.


Click
here for complete post and all the photos.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Tiki Chris Week in Review (May 9, 2008)


Photography by Chris Osburn © 2008

Tiki Chris Week in Review

I took the train up to Leeds yesterday to give a talk about graffiti and photography. I'll try to post something about how it went in the next few days.

I covered the opening of the Ron English/Adam Neate exhibition - one of the best shows I've seen in months - for Juxtapoz.

London photographer provided most of ontoLondon's London Daily Photos for this past week. Awesome!

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - Tiki Chris Presents

Monday, May 05, 2008

Ron English & Adam Neate in London (Juxtapoz)

Photos: Ron English & Adam Neate in London
Words and photos by
Chris Osburn
Juxtapoz
Saturday, 03 May 2008


Maybe not the first two artists you'd think to exhibit in the same space together, but a double billing of Britain's beloved Adam Neate and America's legendary Ron English at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in London is nothing short of eye candy wonder.

Click
here for complete post and all the photos.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Graffiti/Photography talk at Leeds College of Art and Design

If anybody's in Leeds on Thursday (May 8), I'll be at the College of Art and Design giving a free talk with lots of pretty pictures of mostly London graffiti.

Chris Osburn Talk
1pm, Thursday 8th May
Studio Theatre, Blenheim Walk
Leeds College of Art and Design


Chris Osburn is an American freelance photojournalist and filmmaker living and working in London. As a foreign correspondent for publications such as Juxtapoz and Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art, Chris covers England's burgeoning graffiti scene from the frontline, often accompanying notorious street artists on their outings.

A list of the renowned artists which Chris has photographed in action includes Sweet Toof, Cyclops, Sickboy and Dan Witz. He has interviewed significant contemporary urban artists such as Paul Insect, David Choe and Invader and has extensively photographed the works of numerous legendary artists, including Jef Aerosol, Adam Neate, and Banksy.


Click here for more information.

---

Chris Osburn at Leeds College
by Katie Zuppann
Juxtapoz
Friday, 02 May 2008

Our buddy Chris Osburn will be chatting about graffiti and the London street art scene at the Leeds College of Art & Design on May 8th ... If you’re in the UK, make sure to stop by Leeds and have a bit of Osburn knowledge whispered into your ear.

Click here for complete post.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Freak-a-Zoid - Midnight Star

If you knew how much I love this song (and this video too!), you probably wouldn't admit to being my friend!

Friday, May 02, 2008

Tiki Bars and Cointreau Caviar (May 2, 2008)


London Daily Photo: Homeward by Chris Osburn © 2008

Tiki Bars and Cointreau Caviar

Fun stuff this week. I sampled some Cointreau Caviar for Londonist and played "tourist on the Thames" for PhotoBox. The latest ish of Tiki Magazine - featuring a good bit of my content - arrived in the post too. Nice.

Something else that's all nice and happy and mentionable is the new activity on my 5 Good Reasons blog. The blog is a bit of a backwater but is something I try to keep alive simply because it makes me happy. Anyway, newbie Siany recently happened upon the site and has injected it with all sorts of prolific joy. Thanks!

Of course, there's another week's worth of London Daily Photos at ontoLondon for ya to take a look at!

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - Tiki Chris Presents

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