HELEN DAVENPORT

Autumn falls !

2011-10-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

Have not been here for a while, was a productive summer, never a dull moment .
Designed and made some colourful costumes for Ryde Carnival won 2 x 1st Prizes for Ryde Illuminated for Quture, very encouraging for all those who participated !

Am now working on a range of designs for the bijou shop in IOW but with plans to expand online...halloween is looming up and being productive with spooky costumes, have enclosed a favourite picture of couple of youngsters in Ryde Carnival wearing "The Tropicana theme".. more later ....!

2011 Good start to a good year

2011-04-22T03:36:00.000-07:00

Have not had the time to get on here, it's been hectic, one way or the the other .. The Island Games , Bollywood Baraat and Blue Touch Paper projects ...a case of switching swiftly from one to the other .
Then along came a surprise commissioned project and before I knew it was in a new land bit of a whirlwind to say the least... surrounded by lots of talent, in amazing location with lovely people !!!

Amazing architecture, the infinity pool at the Meydan overlooking the Racecourse, Dubai is awesome !

The latest

2010-10-02T01:46:00.000-07:00

it's Saturday and I am preparing for next week .... it's the Big Blue Draw, at The Carnival Learning Centre in Ryde IOW, with a few other artists , Jon Adams and Andy from the mainland, Sharon and myself mentoring the first day of our project , the ideas that spring from this will nurture the concept for the big creation that will be going into the procession to the Island Games next year, a massive event !!!
One of our group will sadly not be there as he passed away during a routine operation last week , this is Bron, Bron was a the kind of person who always bought not just a smile to your face but would have you creased up laughing, with his enthusiasm for life and proud to show off his accomplishments , like getting on the bus in the morning with his carnival hat to come to the workshops, he just made your day !

I will always smile when I remember this lovely man, that I had the pleasure of knowing x

After this I will be making my way to Luton for the Conference there this week and presenting my work for Carnival Couture... connecting with new people, meeting old friends and work associates... then its back to the IOW for the "Knobs and Knockers Ball" at the Yaught Haven ... a charity event , supplying hospitality and some decor.....
At the moment having a reflection on what today may hold, something always pops up unexpected !
My website is getting there and it's a learning curve for me, to the frustration of some who seem convinced that really I am a genius at all this technical stuff... Jeeze it's frustrating for me too...
will keep going on these courses and one day be reliant upon my own knowledge , thanks to the patience of those who have taught me and my own perserverance !
The bells don't work anymore over the road at the local church, will have to get the tin out try and raise some funds to get it fixed or both of them, you can't have a church without bells, it's funny how something like that can be so important... apparently the bells at Spitalfields at the back of Brick Lane are not allowed to be rung because it would offend the local Muslim community...is this really true !!!
Anyway I went in there, its a awesome church and has a lot of history around this area going back to the times of the Jewish community that settled there in the 18th century and founded the weaving factories and fabric warehouses...... times move on it's now Banglatown and all designer markets and trendy stuff, arty etc Use to love living in the East end many moons ago, but love living here now even more !

I LOVE THIS PICTURE !!!!!!! Vic Mason took it captures the moment carnival is good fun !!!!!!

Carnival Summer over for the moment, was fun though !

2010-09-22T01:16:00.000-07:00

what a busy summer with carnival here on the island first with residents of Abbeyfield Nursing home after designed all the costumes on Flora and Fauna to go along with The Mayday Theme then produced them at workshop, decorative part finished in workshops, had fun at Mayday Jouvay, then onto the Yarmouth Carnival winning 1st prize, took them to Ryde Illuminated Carnival adding different performers involving adults and children with Coco P as the compere DJ on our float.

Winning 1st prize Illuminated Cat A5 also The Bestival 1st Prize fancy dress, we all had a party on the street going round the route then to the Carnival After Party at the Royal Squadron , this is being re-furbished and next year going to be looking hot, have already booked it for our next one !

This is a picture of the Silk batik workshops that I did at Medina High School "Arts Blast" this year creating 30 flags for school events with the students, do love these workshops colours are so vibrant x

Bestival was fantastic on the island this year, the creativity that everyone brings to it is truly inspirational, the atmosphere is great, almost surreal as if you are in the middle of a theatrical arena, just truly fun fun fun...

Well yesterday did a flag batik workshop with 16-18 year olds at the Carnival Learning centre which was very colourful and instead of silk used muslin, not as fast but will have another effect as the fabric is quite diaphanous, letting the light come through...mmmmmm be nice for a window effect.
Then onto a meeting for some future events involving carnival showcases here on the island!
Going for a lovely swim this morning get me going for the day, forecast hot so will be out there in the sun enjoying it whilst it lasts.. later on this week taking some fab shots of Soriani backpack on a beach in Ventnor looking forward to it, going to be some fantastic shots !!!
Busy soon with Blue Touch Paper Project working with disabled and young people with special needs, am looking forward to this too, as everyone has a great sense of humour , enjoying the moment,
we are gearing ourselves up to the big carnival costume that the core team will be making from our workshop events with everyone's participation to present in "The Island Games Procession".
check out: www.btpcarnival.co.uk
here are some pics from this years carnivals we have produced ! x

this is The Abbeyfield Float at Yarmouth Carnival, the winners !!!!! Carnival is for all ages !

and all that Jazz...on the Meadow

2010-05-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

what a great day at Ventnor Botanical Gardens , with some choice friends and family, showcased a few costumes for the lovely Airon from Blunt Events, belle singer and songwriter Keri Highland floating around in a silk gown that I made from crepe de chine and silk chiffon for her debut as backup to Courtney......
Courtney Pine and talented band were awesome ...and the weather was divine, next year this event is going to be a weekender , a real classy intimate event.

..... the next day the weather continued and was then up in The Royal Botannical Gardens installing the bats with the Kew team who were great , we were all in the greenhouse sweltering away ....all day loonnnnggggg getting it right for the pollination theme bats , butterflies and beasties !!!!

Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew... sculpture commision Bats

2010-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Helen and the heron...not the stork ...get them confused...

2010-05-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

Saw the heron this morning and this time got a picture of him...fantastic you should see it gliding through the air, with its big wings ...bella .
Anyway have a little picture of the bats, nearly completed and mission being accomplished, then it's onto the carnival costumes again, may even have time to do a bit of gardening, it's a bit of a jungle out there.
Also this Saturday it's Aeron's Jazz Summer festival at Ventnor Bottanical Gardens, supplying some walkabouts and making Keri a lovely outfit to wear on stage, she is singing before the man Courtney Pines comes on ...and she has a delightful voice , tres charmont...sure the crowd will love her.
My mother's birthday too this Sat , 69 and doing fine... have a surprise for her....
Black Orchid re-opening this week, we have a brand new window frame looking good, very swank!
After a brief rest at the end of the month it will be the Renfest, supplying site decor for the lovely Park Centre, Cora and Barry who are working very hard at the mo for raising charity money for this event, fun day out, hope that the weather stays hot and also the next day.... as we are off to Luton to take the costumes up there and showcase them... looking for more extroverts.. Facebook: Carnival Couture
bye for now x

Bats , long nosed Mexican Bats ....

2010-05-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

Well it's a project have already started on and am now completing, it's for the Princess Diana Consevatory, the Cacti zone in The Royal Botanical gardens at Kew gardens in Richmond.
Am making 3 largescale pollinating bats, quite ethereal looking sculptures, they are made from, wire, willow and fragile fabrics. So far so good !!!
Also the carnival costumes for CCTV up North to be finished by the end of the month, so they look fabulous when out there performing, the choreography looked good when I was watching in rehearsals, so imagine they must be perfect by now.
Yesterday confirmed working for Claudio, Drumming for Business, school workshops, an insect theme, headdresses and mobiles seem to be popular with the creepy crawlies at the mo, so long as not in the human form that's coolio.
Then summer will be here !! Busy up till mid June give or take a few days .
It's always like this, I never know what's happening next, it just happen's, but always prepared for a challenge and eventualities x

Abbeyfield Nursing Home Yarmouth

2010-05-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

This was a workshop with the elderly to participate in the decoration of the costumes and float for this years entry into the Yarmouth Carnival also a preview on Mayday JOUVAY.
Last year I helped them voluntarily with their theme, they won 1st prize we are hoping they will do it again, it's a fantastic team effort through workshops.
This year we have funding from the Carnival Learning Centre in Ryde involving friends and carer's all working together a wonderful memory and a great day out.
Designs Helen Davenport.

Mayday Jouvay

2010-05-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

was brilliant , the weather Thank God' turned out ok cept for a spring shower, Abbeyfield float had a good time and looked lovely , worked on this for a couple of months , the designs and workdshops, the elderley in the nursing home worked considerably hard and it shows , the results are beautiful it's going into the Yarmouth Carnival this year they are looking forward to it and will add a bit more to it by then .

The Carnival of England costumes were the designs that I did in 2008 and are now going into a collection of the new theme called "Carnival of England" this time they looked how they should do except for a few blips which we are working on,. The early morning start was tough going but worth it and would do it again xx Thank you to everyone who put themselves out and made the effort x

2010-04-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

a pic of my grandma Annie Evelyn Wellings in her heyday ! As a Sherman Fisher girl variety
artist/ dancer she worked at lots of venues including the London Palladium, films with George Formby and Tommy Trinder to name a few, also the Crazy gang. She is one of those underneath as a bunny..xx

Party time

2010-04-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

went to a friends 50th Birthday party , what a good time had by all a bijoux house called Kasati's in Ryde now a private club for certain individuals appreciating glorified decadence
To cut a long story short my hair set on fire, the candles looked great but as I was taking pictures of Carnival Cabaret they drew their attention to my lovely locks and I was thankfully patted out by alarmed guests, didn't quite comprehend the enormity of the incident could have been a hot act to follow.

ps check this link out think I will pop up to have a look sounds good, been around for years and think should be interesting ....alternative fashion show at Spitalfields, East London.
www.alternativearts.co.uk

Work

2010-03-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Just popping up to work in East Cowes, have so much to do now, Abbeyfield in Yarmouth IOW creating new costumes etc for the Mayday Jouvert, 1st May, very early start like dawn aghhh but will make some great photographs.
Leaving Fort Victoria into Yarmouth with procession, being celebrated in the south coast and something going on in the Solent, will all be filmed.

Another project coming which is up north in Teeside, based on the Orixas, Bahian traditional gods and goddesses coming to life... once again, first time I did this theme was with Kinetika and I designed the costume Oya and a section of whirlwinds, was shown on the brochure for the Thames Festival promoting the following year, it was fantastic and enjoyed every minute of being Oya, well it's good to perform as well as design and make, become a part of the whole process, portray the costume too.
This was a picture of me the following year with Ken Livingstone, with the costume called the Bride and the wedding section that I designed, I was given a substance material called Shola from India, bought over by Ashis a master at his work of decoration, who lives in a small village outside from Kolkata, with this substance an amazing largescale costume was developed on the IOW, being employed on a mas making course through the Arts Unit, now the carnival learning centre and Kinetika, then I performed in this costume in India, Kolkata, which was absolutely amazing , a memory that will be there forever, their 1st western carnival sponsored by HSBC and the High Commission, then Canterbury UK, then The Thames Mayor Festival UK.....whew!!!!!
Was very heavy too !!!

Saturday girl ...

2010-03-13T02:04:00.000-08:00

Good morning ...things are moving and every day I am busy , not enough hours in the day am creating a new range of silk scarves with a screenprint, very nice . Also the burlesque scene is still rampant, enough for me to create some new style burlesque skirts to get out there in the media and sell sell sell .
Carnival season is here , its not just the fun of it all I love the creation side of it all you can really go to town with some outrageous headdresses etc etc . New website upgraded be here soon check it out. www.helendavenport.com
Stuck on the Saatchi online my Jimi Hendrix sculpture but the voting system is cranky , I think it is being voted for and then it says it will be on the following 2 weeks , then it does it again been like this for 6 weeks now , will I get a look in . Maybe I will change it something else, do some more artwork and have a grand exhibition .
Gutted about Alexander Mcqueen , what a terrible shame the poor man x
My friend Helen in Camden, is really getting to grips with city life and its all go now . Fifi is on a rollercoaster and being snapped up left , right and centre , she has a unique look and the most gorgeous hair like a flaxen goddess, nearly 16 then she will be off all over the place with her modelling career.
Check her out Fifi at Models 1.
Going to watch Alice in Wonderland this Sunday in Newport with my lovely girls.
Can't wait pure delight, loved Avatar in 3d of course , well better get up get on with it yeeeeeha
I am up new day new dawn...

Snow Snow Snow

2010-01-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

It's changing my lifestyle , am wearing 4/5 layers of clothes, walk everywhere in wellies, no post had to go down there see what's going on, 2 letters in 2 weeks Heyyy ! They have a backlog as the worker's could not get in, so will pop down again tomorrow see how far they have got, made a successful attempt to get out in the jeep 4 wheel drive , got stuck in the snow/ice... seriously stuck on a treacherous road.
Taught myself.....well with help of Shel how to work 4 wheel drive and got out of the hole was in, staying only on main roads, drove all way to garage thinking this 4 wheel drive is very slow, to find out had left handbrake on and stunk of rubber. So am at the garage.... saying Shel get out of the car think it's on fire..gonna blow up Tesco's garage. ....it didn't and still alive !
Today catching up on accounts asap! to give to accountant asap! so he can do books asap! before end of month! ughhhh and prob get sidetracked along the course of the day from doing it cos it's a labourious job X

2010-01-12T02:46:00.000-08:00

Going to Venice for the Carnevale extravaganza very soon with few friends , we are going to enjoy this event and all the other Carnavalistas around the world, enjoying their choice of carnival too. Staying near the Rialto Bridge centre of it all cannot wait yehhhhh

Get some great pics, masks and memories X