Thoroughly modern Manchester?

I recently spent a couple of days in Manchester with work and was shocked as to how different it was to what I remember.

On the train in from Crewe (where I had to change from Birmingham - look after the pennies and all that) I sped past streets that looked as if they were a set, dressed and ready to shoot the opening titles of Coronation Street or even, dare I say it, Blitz Street. The two up, two down set ups with cobbled streets were something I wasn't used to - even as a Brummie!

However, as I hobbled (juggling a wheely suitcase/laptop bag/holdall/handbag) off the metro (why don't we have them in Birmingham? So fast and cheap!) I was greeted by the most wonderful red bricked Victorian building in the shape of The Midland Hotel.

The more I discovered of Manchester the more I found beautiful old buildings maintained in great condition and all being used for modern purposes - be it hotels, shops or businesses, and I was so surprised. It's a real bug bear of mine that it seems new builds are all trying to "out modern" each other (case in point - The Cube, Birmingham) and then look incredibly out-dated 10 years later, while 100 year old styles remain classically beautiful.

I wish I'd had time to take more pictures but here are a few I've managed to snap from the confines of the GMEX!

Aimée L’amour x

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Thoroughly modern Manchester

Thoroughly modern Manchester

Thouroughly

Simpsons sweatshop

Following on from the from the previous post, it has emerged that Banksy has created a title sequence for The Simpsons, aired for the first time in the US yesterday.

True to form the Banksy opening sequence portrays the contentious issue of sweatshop workers using imaginative methods to create Simpsons merchandise as well as liberal use of the Banksy graffiti tag.

According to the BBC the title sequence has proved to be quite controversial, with the storyboard leading to delays, disputes and threatened walk outs.

If you cant wait until October 21st, when the episode is aired in the UK to see what all the fuss is about, you can find the clip here.

Personally I think it's great and they all need to lighten up a bit! If you cant poke fun at yourself...

Aimée L’amour x

Heart Street Art

On Thursday (07/10/10) I was lucky enough to be able to attend the opening of a new Street Art exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry.

Although concrete Coventry is seemingly the most unlikely venue for showcasing the best of worldwide street art, the V&A collection featuring work from the illusive Banksy, Gorillaz illustrator Jamie Hewlett and the American artist who created the image that became the cornerstone of the Obama presidential campaign, Shepherd Fairey looks at home on the crisp white walls of this very modern gallery.

 On top of the big names, the opening also featured local artists taking part in an "art off" to crown the best in local talent, with MC's on hand to give the whole evening an old school hip hop vibe.

In the main gallery the Herbert had commissioned six emerging artists from the UK street scene to present their work and had the West Midlands most renowned graffiti artist Mohammed Ali on hand to discuss the themes of his work: freedom, justice and equality.

                                 Mohammed Ali

I had a great time wondering around taking in some very famous, and some completely unknown artwork, and as the exhibition is free and also features screenings of Banksy's 'Exit through the gift shop'  (if you haven't seen it yet - its great!) and Florian Gaag's 'Whole Train' I would recommend that anyone who would usually pass Coventry by, takes a little detour and checks it out.

                                   Jamie Hewlett

                                             

                                Shepherd Fairey
                                                 

                               Shepherd Fairey

                                       Ben Slow

Aimée L’amour x

Lippie love

Whilst stuck inside on a drizzly autumn afternoon lunchbreak, I flicked through the pages of Heat magazine and had to smile when I came across this aray of gorgeous red lippies!

As a girl who is always looking out for the best of the best in red lipsticks (they've got to stay put, have a strong colour and withstand the smooch test) and as the namesake and inspiration for this very blog, I have now made it my mission to try each and every one and report back. Will they live up to my current fave - Maybelline 18 hour super stay colour?

Aimée L’amour x

First post pressure!

So here it is, my first post! I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now but wasn't sure what I had to offer that thousands of other blogs out there don't already cover. After giving it some serious (and some not so serious) thought, I have come to the conclusion that I will write about what presses my buttons, makes me smile or makes me stop and think.

First a little about me:

 Name: Aimee
Hometown: Birmingham
Current place of residence: Birmingham (It's a long story...)
Previous residences: Brighton, The Gambia, France
Age: 24
Loves: Snowboarding, 1950's fashion, dying my hair, Bill Bailey, The Sopranos and of course, Red lipstick
Hates: Baked beans, washing up, bad grammar, finding a great sale and then finding everything is a size 8
Guilty pleasure: The Saturdays 24/7
Favourite book: Mother Tongue - Bill Bryson
Icons: Debbie Harry, Brody Dalle, David LaChapelle, Dita Von Teese, Shepherd Fairey, Kate Adie

I see this blog to be a commentary of the trials and tribulations of a 24 year old girl trying to make her mark on life and all of the bits and bobs along the way that perk me up or get right up my nose! I hope my mad musings will entertain you, and that you will enjoy sharing in my discoveries.

Aimée L’amour x