When I first discovered Puzzles, about 10 months ago, I thought…Finally something different in Peterborough. It was just about the time we had more micro independent pubs in this city. What appealed to be the most is you can’t buy your usual drinks in there, all beers, ciders and even soft drinks are unique and some of them I have never heard of before. Another great and surprising feature was live music. I wondered where and how would you fit live music in such a small space, but after my first live music event I was quickly convinced. It just works perfectly. Having one of the best Open Mics every Thursday organized by The Interim Room and individual groups or solo artists on Friday, Saturday and even Sunday nights. The atmosphere is unlike anywhere else… there is no typical Puzzles? punter, but instead a mixture of ages, backgrounds and cultures that perfectly fit together (just like jigsaw puzzles). It quickly attracted many people who now come back most weeks, whether for quiet gin and tonic midweek or a pint of German Pilsner (Veltins) or even a fancy cocktail on a Friday and a Saturday night.
From city businessmen to local artists, there is something for everyone at Puzzles, and in addition to that to support local art further more, their walls are given to artists to exhibit their work. If you are still looking for this” missing piece in proper drinking” you will find it here. I am certainly looking forward to my next pint of ice cold Veltins…. Check out my Facebook page for more photos
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There is always an excuse not to go out and especially to the new place. (Well at least for me.) Considering that Stoneworks has been open for quite a while now in Peterborough I think it was just about the time I paid them a visit, and since it was their first time having a live music I thought I best take my camera with me.
I was presently surprised that I actually know quite a few people in there and almost instantly felt like I have visited this place many times before. Stoneworks is very deceiving in it’s size, it can actually fit quite a group of people and with a great selection of drinks and a Canadian Star of the evening(Billie Pettinger), who wouldn’t want to stay for a couple of drinks. The photos I took on the night show off the great atmosphere and even thought it was very busy, it didn’t feel like it was packed. Music was absolutely fabulous, but you will have to check out Billie’s music yourself to see what you’ve missed, unless you were there of course…. Dexter: This was the first time I was to attend the famous Kustom Kulture Blast-off, so, although I had heard a lot about it, I didn’t know what really to expect. I asked Thomas Davies, a very talented photographer, to join me for the day. I thought that, with both having two different experiences, different cameras and different lenses and, of course, different points of view, we should be able to capture every angle of this event. When we arrived early in the morning on Sunday, which was the last day, the car park was already filling up and I was glad we came early. Tom: Dexter is being kind here. Despite arriving early, ten minutes after we entered the festival, I made him trek back to the car with me for a complete gear-swap. I’d decided that I wanted to shoot the day on prime lenses, swapping out my usual zooms for an ultra-wide 14mm lens (to extenuate vehicle angles and shoot interiors), paired with a fast 50mm for general shots and low light. Dexter: Only after going past the gate, did I realise the scale of the event. It was massive! A field full of people camping in tents, camper vans and camping trailers, including my favourite, quirky-looking, tear-drop camp trailers. Tom: I certainly have a favourite trailer of the day. It was completely hand-crafted by a boat builder. The main appeal for me was in the home-made Applejack being sold out of the back. It was the first time I’d ever tried the liquor and I was both impressed by its smooth taste, as well as it’s enigmatic creator. Fudge (complete with Applejack holster) guarantees a refund should you find yourself suffering from a hangover the next day. Dexter: Before even getting to the main area, we had to stop several times to photograph some customed cars, including lots of American and English classics. Dexter: We were looking through some of the stalls outdoors when we came across Ian Guy, a very talented painter. It was something about his work that made us both stop and look deeper into it. Some pieces looked like they were out of Mad Max; very distinctive, and nothing like either of us had seen before. We stopped to chat with Ian, who told us his story of how he used to paint seascapes to sell to tourists. Although he enjoyed it, it wasn’t his passion. Only when he started to paint cars, skulls and other darker and deeper images, often with hidden shapes, he found more love for his work. We could have easily spent a whole day listening to Ian, who told us the stories behind some of his work. But there was lots more to see and we had to move on. Tom: Absolutely, Ian’s work really struck a chord with me and his passion was infectious. I was fascinated with the multiple sub-paintings within the overall composition, some visible upon close scrutiny and some hidden to the extent that they were only visible by inverting the image. I’ve not seen this in a painting before and it’s something I’d be keen to experiment with in my photography. Dexter: En route past lots of other fabulous stalls, we came across two gentlemen with lots of beach buggies. They told us about their beach buggy club and more about Volksrod, which was the first British Beach Buggy, established 50 years ago, in 1967. You could tell these guys were very proud of their toys. I even joked about joining them with my Smart Car, which is probably a similar size. Tom: You’d think a Smart Car owner and a non-driver might feel a bit out of place at a festival showcasing custom vehicles but there really was a lot to take in. The highlights for me were the converted hearse with a bone-rattling sound system, a Cath-Kidstonesque VW camper, complete with real cake and bunting and a hotrod, built out of an old airstrip fire engine, with salvaged Spitfire instruments as the dashboard. Dexter: Moving on, we bumped into Asphalt Pirates Bike Club, with their custom-built bicycles. We had seen some of them being ridden around the place earlier, and we couldn’t wait to find the stand to have a closer look. I even had a little go on one of them. Well, these bikes were definitely original. I know it seems like I’m repeating myself (I know I am) but they were like nothing we have seen before (check out the photos for yourselves). In fact, the whole event was so much better than we expected and definitely not short of originality, with so much talent. Dexter: Indoors, we met with my good friend Gail and her stand Ornamentology, filled with a variety of Steampunk custom-designed hats and other headwear. I have never met a person who smiles so much, regardless of the mood and how the day goes. Gail showed us some of her new creations and we tried on a few hats. I even found a top hat in XXX. My head literally disappeared inside of it (that was a great laugh). Dexter: Tom spotted some fantastic paintings across the room. They were painted on almost anything; old plates, helmets, saws and lots more. Behind it all, there was an awesome looking chap with a long beard called Gypsy Rich, full of stories about his paintings. Tom: The plates were a real point of interest to me, as they were re-imaginings of the blue, Chinese willow-style design I’d grown up with. They brought a unique, rockabilly style to a kitsch-classic. The fact that they were being showcased by a charismatic gent in dungarees and stylised WW2 helmet, paired with a wizardly beard, made for great photos. Dexter: Whichever way you looked in the room, there was creative stuff. It was amazing. We found Gizmobot, a man who created little robots out of everything and anything, including an old Brownie camera with spoons as legs and door handles as its arms. Tom: From my perspective, the Gizmobot stand was really representative of the Kustom Kulture ethos of transforming the ordinary into something spectacular. Mark Haig, their creator, has recently been on the BBC’s Money for Nothing Programme, showcasing his ability to turn one person’s junk into an endearing robotic character. In today’s throwaway world, it’s great to see someone taking a unique perspective on recycling. Dexter: Mel Langton was another talented creative in the room. Her work of 1950’s pinup girls, painted on canvas or slate and pocket mirrors, included my favourite, one with David Bowie on it. With so many talented artists everywhere, too many to write about here, there is one lady that I would like to definitely mention. I can’t draw anything, not even a circle, and this lady painted a beautiful dragon with her lips!!! I was absolutely speechless, check out LippyArt for yourself. Tom: Absolutely true. A testament to what can be achieved with determination. I was astounded by what this lady could do, despite lacking the use of limbs that I take for granted every day. The number of different creatives showcasing their work was spectacular. There were multiple tattooists, working on unique designs with their clients, sign writers creating retro signage, brush makers, barbers, sculptors, brewers and a young lady creating art from animal skulls. Everything was unique and when combined with the rockabilly music performed live by Rockin’ Deke Rivers, it really made a phenomenal and inspiring atmosphere. Dexter: After having some chips and curry sauce from the red double decker bus, we headed back to see some more talent. We met some bodypainting artists from Midlands Bodypaint Project, with their beautiful models, before heading off home.
Tom and I had great fun at KKBO 2017 and we will definitely be back next year. Tom: Count me in too; a real highlight of the year. I’ll be closely following the Kustom Kulture scene from now on. Massive thanks to Lynda Johnson from KKBO for inviting us both. Dexter Morgan in collaboration with Thomas Byron Photography This project had been on my mind for a long time. All I had to do was to find the team and finalise it. The idea started with the image of a clown putting on his makeup and being entitled ‘You don’t have to put a happy face on’. This then developed into various other ideas to highlight and raise awareness of mental health issues. There are many people out there struggling with mental health, which is why I wanted to create something like this. One of the first things I did was find the models. I asked Jo and Beu from Nottingham to join us on the shoot and they didn’t hesitate in saying yes. I then chose Rose, as she has worked with me several times before on various projects. Although she isn’t a makeup artist, her body painting and airbrushing too is outstanding and would definitely fit in with the shoot. I also spoke to Laura, another talented lady, who is also great makeup and hair artist. Rose decided to work on a male clown look which was intended to "mimic the legendary Emmett Kelly, the famous clown, whose look was inspired by the American hobos of the depression era"(by Rose Croft), and Laura chose a more ‘perfect’ makeup compared to Beu, jester looking clown, "to represent the idea of the media pressure for a woman to adhere to a certain standard"(By Laura Williams). I now needed a designer. Who else would I call on but Tracey Cooke from Cookie Couture. She came along with a beautiful corset and bottoms for our female jester clown. I then thought it would be great to add another photographer to the project. That would give us another pair of creative eyes to see the shoot from a different angle. I asked Tom, who is a super talented photographer to join our project. What surprised me was that it normally takes days to build the right team and find a mutual date for the shoot but this was all done in one day. The team brainstormed ideas and inspirations for weeks before the shoot but we still didn’t have a location. With the shoot looming, we found a small pub in the town centre and thanks to their owners we were allowed to use the downstairs storage area. It was perfect, with an old sofa, a few chairs, and an old pool table, a guitar and many more great props. I couldn’t have asked for a better location. On the day, after all the makeup and body painting was done, we arrived at the pub to start the day’s session. We shot with Jo and Beu,using mainly a couple of cheap, Yongnuo speedlights and some reflectors, creating what you see. I also ventured out and took some shots with my clowns out on the high street and in the pub itself.
It was a great fun-filled day working with a fabulous team of creatives and, looking at the images from both me and Tom, it seems we have achieved some good results. Our shoot was successfully published in Photoshoot Magazine where you can see more photos from both of myself and Tom. |