Artists in Angel for bi-annual fair

Josh Spero meets some of the Warhol and Testino hopefuls of the future

Vicki Bunn is an art student reaching the end of the academic track and finding that the only way up is to exhibit her work.
She takes black and white photos of flowers that are often very beautiful and delicate, but unreal too.
“Everybody is going digital and [traditional photography] is becoming less and less there, so hopefully one day I’ll become one of the few people doing this,” she says. I’ve got to be true to myself.”
www.vickibunn.com


Mark Perronet is a corporate photographer from Holloway, who spends his time photographing men in suits.
He describes his work as “Irreverent” and his prints are heavily influenced by Pop Art, especially Andy Warhol’s emphasis on what can be mass-produced.
“I like screen-printing because you get your hands dirty and it’s all very low tech. Corporate photography is good but this is obviously more personal, with brighter colours.”
www.perronet.com

Rebekah Taylor and Ellen Wetterwald met while working together at a special effects company and decided to collaborate as artists.
Their photos show children’s sweets in dulled neon colours: lurid toffee apples and love-hearts in rows. “It has a vibrant contemporary feel of fun, something that jumps off the wall, says Rebekah”. We take the images separately, but audiences see the work as one person. We wanted to put all of our creative energy sources together. Two heads are better than one when solving a problem.”
www.eandrdesign.com


Anthony Bliss was a commercial photojournalist before a cancer scare convinced him to follow an artistic path: “I’m showing my work the way I want to: it’s a huge relief,” he says.
He displays a series of moody, grey-green-black photos of haunted places in London, taken with a fisheye lens so the shot warps and wraps around itself. “A lot of people have said very nice things about my work. It’s never easy – I’ve freelanced all my life so I’ve always been putting myself up for rejection. It’s almost like an affirmation of my work at a show like this.”
www.anthonybliss.com


Clare Johnson is from Seattle and has an MA in Fine Art from Central St Martin’s. Her work consists of small black line drawings with nature as a strong theme throughout.
Her pictures often show a comedic/tragic riff and Seattle inspires her work. “I think art is about trying to comfort myself in the face of homesickness,” she says. “Some people look at them and giggle, which is great because I love when art makes people happy. Some people see them as very sad and lonely because of the remoteness of the places.”
www.clarejohnson.com

Bea fails to buzz

Bea is the latest new play to appear at the Hen and Chickens Theatre. A ‘paranormal comedy’, the overall result raised more wry smiles than raucous laughter.

The bumbling Bea (played by script writer Lynn Howes) lives with a bee in her bonnet. Ever since a childhood incident where she ate a bee stuck in honey, she has been haunted by a constant buzzing in her head. When the noise threatens to ruin her life, she pours her heart out to fellow children’s entertainer and flat mate Tracey, who enlists the services of psychic Steve to try and get to the root of the problem.
The unexpected occurs when the harmless, if slightly odd, Steve is possessed by a dark spirit mid-séance. The two women then have to rely on Tracey’s butch sister Fiona to save the day.
Although the bar of the Hen and Chickens was brimming with Friday night drinkers, the same could not be said for the theatre upstairs. In the cosy 50-seat venue above a pub, the evening became even more intimate when only six people turned up. Fortunately for the cast we were not a tough crowd to please, with one punter laughing at just the slightest change of expression on stage.
As a mild-mannered psychic, Steve (Peter F Gardiner) looked and sounded like Changing Room’s friendly carpenter Handy Andy. Once possessed by the spirits he has raised, Gardiners’ evil cackle and piercing stare were terrifying and made the terminally wet Bea melt understandably into an even bigger puddle.
A vision in bright pink and black spandex, the bossy Tracey (Jessica Brohn) was a neat contrast to her flat mate and she stole the show with an unabashed musical performance. Her booty shaking was gamely matched by that of her female co-stars, including Sarah Jane Brindley who was suitably chunkier-than-life as the ex-military sister Fiona.
Set designer Christine Osborne deserves praise for her attention to detail. An Anne Geddes photo showing a baby dressed in a bee outfit hung on one wall, and a bee-themed vase, mug, teddy bear and key ring swarmed to cover a cupboard on the other side of the room.
Howe’s’ script lacked the comedy buzz that would have made the £12 ticket price worthwhile. This was in spite of the tremendous efforts made by the four actors. Sadly, their level of professionalism at such a low turnout was just not enough to shift the production from amateur to pro. Bea is playing at the Hen & Chickens Theatre and runs until 17th March.