Page 3 - VE Magazine - Issue 42

ISSUE 42 October/November 2018 ve
Contents
FEATURES
10 Iconic Moments
An exhibition of black and white photographs by Michael Ward comes to Lorfords in October
13 Anthropomorphism
Karyn Sparks tracked down three highly skilled exponents of anthropomophic works of art
20 Modern Oriental
When Eastern designs fuse with Mid-century style – a look that blends traditional craftsmanship with simple, functional design pieces
26 Cosy Nostra
Designer to the Mafia, James Mont was the man who claimed to have coined the phrase ‘Chinese Modern’
– blending Oriental flourishes with Hollywood glamour
32 The Fantasy Seaside Villa - Russell Cotes Paul Stewart takes a trip to Bournemouth to visit the extraordinary home of two great Vintage Explorers!
46 Seventies Superbikes
Karyn Sparks looks into the allure of 1970s Japanese motorbikes and meets a collector who chooses his top four favourites!
50 Full On Folly
The ups and downs of building your own outdoor living space. By Paul Brace
REGULARS
6 Auction Explorer
Propmasters’ unique Movie and Television archive up for auction at Ewbanks
39 Trading Places
Dealer Kieran Mathewson talks with the best known dealer and TV personality, Drew Pritchard
54 Events October/November
Cover: Drew Pritchard pictured at his shop in Conwy. Photograph by Eleri Griffiths
WOW, IT’S NEARLY winter, and with Halloween just around the corner, my thoughts are turning to outdoor events and parties...
We kick off this issue with a rather appropriate auction that could be a real game changer for all future Halloween parties... by scaring your guests to death with a lifesize statue of Pinhead from Hellraiser! Then
our final article takes us outside to a full-on Gothic folly – I am so jealous. I thought I was being clever last New Year’s Eve when I bought a pile of cheap Christmas trees, grabbed some railway sleepers, a fire pit/come bbq, some furs and hung a lampshade from the tree, and threw an outdoor party... but what I’d give to have a permanent theatrical ruin in my garden all-year-round! While on the topic of theatrical, we have the most amazing (sometimes disturbing) anthropomorphic creations on page 13, brought to you by three incredibly talented artists, all of whom have been inspired by their vintage finds from fleamarkets and fairs.
Recently somebody asked me: “How do you decide what goes in
each issue – do you plans months ahead?” To which my response was:
“It actually happens quite organically!” However, looking at some of the articles in this issue, it would seem there was quite a deliberate intention to go East, however I assure you, this was not the case – let me explain. Paul Stewart had recently visited the Russell Cotes Museum in Bournemouth and, in a follow-up to our Victorian inspired ebonised furniture in the last issue, wanted to write a piece on the last Victorian house to be built in
the UK, and the lives of the owners who explored the world to furnish
it. Meanwhile, I wanted to look into a term I’d heard used quite a bit, ‘Modern Oriental’, and see if I could create a similar feel by just searching around our own warehouse. Then my husband pointed out that the pair of lamps I’d just grabbed for the photoshoot were “very James Mont”. This led to more research...It turns out he coined the phrase ‘Chinese Modern’ and was the designer to the Mafia... now I really was intrigued. Lucky for me, top-end 1stDibs dealer Todd Merrill is about to publish a second edition of his book Modern Americana, and helped me out with images. Now, we also happen to have a 1970s Kawasaki in the warehouse, which everybody admires when they come in. As you know, VE is quite partial
to a motorcycle, and seeing that seventies motorbikes have become increasingly popular in the last few years, that was a good starting point for an article. Then I tracked down a guy online who had a fantastic collection of Japanese motorbikes – job done! That very same guy just happened to ask if I also fancied running an article on a Gothic folly he’d built - “It’s very VE”, he added. Which brings me full circle.
So you can see how a theme can unitentionally develop – sometimes it just happens that way...
www.vintagexplorer.co.uk
ve / October-November 2018 / 3
Karyn