Origins of sayings 3 - Checkmate

'Checkmate' is the term used in chess when an apponent's king is placed in a position from which it cannot escape. The expression, like the game itself, comes from the Middle East and echoes two Arabic words shah mat which simply means 'the king is helpless'. More soon.

Visualising Courses

I was running an Advanced Creative Visualising course for six designers in Taunton last week, and one of them asked me to demonstrate exactly how quickly a complicated visual could be produced, so that they could see the process I use. The visual below was achieved with just a WACOM Tablet, a few figure references and a can of Red Bull. It was drawn from scratch, layered, sliced, diced, composed, flattened and saved in 74 minutes.

Visualising Workshops are available from agarbase, at www.agarbase.com/workshops.htm

More from the archives

I have to say, this was one of the more challenging campaigns I have worked on over the years. Porcelain tile adhesives. What can you say? It took quite a bit of head scratching, internet research, calls to stockists and DIY-guru friends to crack this one. One simple fact seemed common to all - 'if you don't use a dedicated porcelain adhesive when putting up porcelain tiles, sooner or later they will fall off'. From this came the general concept which put a new spin on old sayings like 'as useful as a chocolate teapot' or 'an ashtray on a motorbike'. Originally, there were three ads - Asparagus Drill, Toothpaste Mortar and Haddock Hammer. However, when the superb models turned up from John Wright Modelmakers in Bristol (famous for their excellent work on Aadman's 'The Wrong Trousers' and 'A Close Shave' amongst others), it was felt that the haddock looked way too life-like, and had real potential to offend old ladies and animal rights activists. It was therefore decided to turn the haddock into a very large sausage (not pictured). The final three ads were also developed into a Direct Marketing campaign.

Origins of sayings 2 - Eating Humble Pie

Anyone made to 'eat humble pie' is forced to come down from a lofty position they had previously adopted, in order to defer to others and frequently suffer humiliation at the hands of those they had formerly looked down on. This sense of hierarchy comes from the traditions of the medieval hunting feast in which a clear distinction was drawn between the food served to the lord and his peers, and the huntsmen in lower station. While the lord and household were served venison at their high table, the huntsmen and lower orders were seated further down the table where they were given the deer's entrails or 'umbles', made into pie. 'Humble Pie' is a pun on this 'umble pie' and those served it are made to eat inferior food in an inferior position.

A blast from the past

I always love looking through old work - stuff that has been relegated from my main folio, into one of the 'Don't Chuck, you never know when you might need it' folders. I came up with the idea for this curious little, Direct Marketing piece after studying one of those fire safety blankets in the kitchen of my local town hall, while it was playing host to an antiques fair (I think you can guess how exciting the exhibitors were). I thought it would be funny to turn the whole thing on it's head, so I created the concept of an Emergency Comfort Blanket, that could be sent out to potential new clients and hung up somewhere visible in their office. Then, the next time the marketing department gets let down by their incumbent creative agency, they could reach for the ECB, pull the soft blanket out of it's holder, place it against their cheak to relieve the stress and give us a call. It received a very positive response and contributed to the agency winning three new clients.

Kazimierz

This trio of shots was taken in and around the old Jewish Quarter of Krakow in Poland.

Bingo the Clown

I was rooting through a load of archive discs the other day, looking for something totally un-related, when I came across this disturbing animated short. Thought it would be better to source it from the mighty YouTube as my file was huge, so here it is. Based upon a performance entitled 'Disregard this Play' it features a nurdy, spectacled fellow trying desperately to hold onto his identity despite the efforts of various authorities, officials and peers to break him down. Love the powerful silences in the dialogue which really enhances the outbreaks of violent audio. Check out the little gir's eyes.

Origins of sayings 1 - Eavesdropping

Everyone has come across this delightful saying, maybe even taken part in it at some point. But where does it come from? Listening furtively to other people's conversations, as conveyed by this unusual word, may seem a far cry from architecture, but that is where it's origin lies. In the case of buildings without gutters, the 'eavesdrop' was a narrow strip of ground around the outside of the walls, where water dripped from the eaves. So, anyone who wanted to listen to what was being said inside the building, had to stand 'within eavesdrop' in order to hear. Now you know.

Kiss Me Quick Hats

Cockles and mussels, alive alive'O. This is part of a series that I shot in Clacton (I wasn't there on holiday, just in case you were wondering). Atop the pier you will find fairground rides, slot machines, ghastly haunted houses and freeze-dried starfish. There IS however, a lovely Victorian tearoom (which reminded me of the film 'Wish You Were Here' with Emily Lloyd). unchanged since they poured their first cup of 'rosie'. You can buy pinks and lobster tail from the famous 'Tubby Isaacs' fish stand, and enjoy a jar of foaming ale on the prom, whilst you giggle at overweight Londoners blubbering in and out of the nut-brown 'briney'. Wonderfully enigmantic I thought to myself. So, I ventured underneath, where I found this; a sea of military precise pillars that created un-nerving alleyways as I walked back and forth through the shallow waves.

agarbase.com is now live

After weeks of concepts and code going back and forth between myself and Sue (Coghlan), I am VERY proud to announce that this the best web presence I have ever had. Special thanks to our stunt co-ordinators, tea-making team, RedBull, Kevin the kestrel and Sue's brand new (massive screened) iMAC .... lovely!!!