Up Town Top Rankin

Goldie's be-jewelled hands, halo's in his eyes, a snarl reflecting from his bullion teeth, baggy jeans.

Madonna's veins bursting from her muscle packed arms, Earth Mother / Holy Mother Hair


Bjork's intense eye peeking through her Icelandic wind-blown hair


This is what I think of when I think of Rankin's photography, images that I have looked at and loved for many years..

Now having been Ranked as part of Rankin Live in association with OXFAM I can add sound to my thoughts:

"Ooh you look like a sinister child. Click. Like a sinister child from a film. Click click. You'd make a good witch....Click, I mean a good witch...Click, a sexy one... that's it, talk to the camera with your eyes, Click... put your head on your shoulder, Click, chin up a little, nice, nice... Click, you've got a strong face...amazing eyes, amazing...Click..."

And some new visions:

The void of a cavernous camera lens surrounded by a bright interrogation light, the hair-stylist with a fan, various other assistants doing I don't know what cos I'm trying ever so hard to look like Kate Moss or Anna Friel.

It's comparable to being an altered state of consciousness, like being blind drunk with only the sound of the surrounding world, or that of your own voice to comfort you. Except in this instance, the voice is Rankin's and he's asking me to look through the tunnel, through the camera. He's not unlike a male siren, luring his prey with a song that ends in (flat) death by photograph; A mantic creature whom by default of his medium, simultaneously sees that which has passed (a live moment) and that which is still to occur- frozen, flattened reflections of those moments which with a press of a button, become destined to live on forever as images embedded into monitors and sheets of chemically treated paper.




In other words, Rankin's got some lines and he's not afraid of using them to get the images that he desires.

My own moment of charitable, photographic death by siren-camera was recorded last Thursday at approximately 1pm (see...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8177751.stm "Another woman in a green dress danced to Ultravox throughout her shoot." Note- I requested Donna Summer!).

I hope to be able to point you towards it soon.

this lego thing could get addictive

Wu-Tang Lego: Da Mystery of Chessboxin' from davo on Vimeo.

>...this is best by far!

Jam Hot

Here's a 10 min video and mix from T_! (Macabre Unit / Stink Like Sock) at a Legendary D.O.T.S night. I just came across it on my hard-drive and it's quite a treat! Out to the D.O.T.S massive.

LEGO

Playground
Originally uploaded by Tal (no panic) Bright.

"When you're still young..."

> A sweet little animation that I co-produced with Adrien aged 10; he's entirely responsible for the action packed content.

A reply to the best review of my work EVER:

The review:

"Cook’s installation covers a wide area and I was impressed by the dispersed nature of the work. For example I was greeted at East Croydon station by a friendly bureaucrat who informed me that, despite Croydon technically being in Zone 5 of London’s travelcard system, my Oystercard was not valid there and that I would have to pay a twenty quid penalty fare."

Read the rest here:

http://www.uncarved.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/suburbanpress.jpg

My reply to the review:



Dear John (Eden): [Happy Belated Birthday.]

1. I'm so sorry that you got fined coming all the way to the beauty that is Croydon also affectionately known as Da Cronx because you didn't realise that it's not in OYSTER CARD land. I feel utterly terrible about that and even more that you got lost! Do appeal! PROTEST! And if those horrid train people don't give u ur money back I'll start a demonstration outside East Croydon Station with all my Cronx homies.

2. I wanted to call the show Da Cronx but couldn't persuade our tutors. We settled for Lost in The Cracks, because Croydon is sometimes lost in the cracks and so is our wonderful college amidst the annoying London art colleges that get all the fame (not that i'm at all bitter about that, The Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding, Loefah and as you pointed out Jamie Reid all went to Croydon College!).

3. The title is also a reference to some of our work such as that of Annie Rose for example (who's image is on the flyer). Rose walks the streets of Thornton Heath at night searching for disused flotsam and jetsom which she either photographs or collects in her shopping trolley. She's amazing.

4. Thank-you so much for your kind words about my photos.

5. I'm wondering that if I publicise ur review enough, the art world will believe I'm the next Jeremy Deller, a female version? (Oh I wish I could make it to Manchester on Sunday for his procession.) That way, I might win The Turner Prize and then I can pay you back for your train fine and the delightful punch (alcoholic, violent) that you missed out on at the show.

6. "There was no trace of Georgina Cook, her invisibility only serving to highlight her presence."
Ironically, the quote attached to my statement was "a photograph is always invisible, it is not it that we see," (Roland Barthes).
Maybe you did actually see my work in the college? If not, I'm taking the show down next week, I may be able to sneak you in if u can be arsed to travel there again and can make it in the day? Haha! Yeah right. Ok, maybe I'll just send you some invisible photographs of it instead.

Devas Youth Centre

Devas

I was most pleased to be asked to take some photographs of the young people on the Music Production Course at Battersea's 'bangin' youth centre. The course is run and taught by my old friends Matt and Dave (aka Blue Movies), themselves long-time, seriously talented musicians. I hadn't heard any Devas music since my last visit a year ago, and upon arrival recognised only a couple of the young people, namely the ladies Dvyne and Cyclone, so didn't know what to expect of the performance later on in the evening.

I should have guessed however that the music would be in someways reflective of their personalities and subsequent poses and postures in front of the camera, all of which were highly individual and unique. Contrary to many people I've photographed, none of the Devas group really needed any prompting.

The reasons for the photo-shoot was to promote a competition that was held at Devas called "Southside," (brap!) of which the winning track would be signed to House/Garage producer Scott "It's a London Thing" Garcia's label Kronik.

The winner was 17 year old Cheyney Ranger aka "Lingo" (which was no surprise to me having witnessed his performance) with his track, 'Dance and Skank,' an energetic Grime-electro beat not altogether unlike that of Wiley, Skepta and Dizzee's latest offerings that has already been play-listed on Twin B's 1XTRA show.

All of the music I heard that night was good- Devas is seemingly full of beautiful voices, exciting souls and extrovert personalities (including the hardworking staff). Here I could say quite a bit about the role of youth centre's and initiatives in bringing out the best in people and how they maintain a positive focus on 'da youth of today,' instead of tarring them all with a muddy brush, but at risk of stepping up to high on my soap box I'm gonna shoosh myself.

Love and Thanks to:

Cheyney Ranger, Comfort Emmanuel, JoWayne Farquarson, Luane Rathan - Morgan, Kemar Bryan, Re' Kayle Ferguson - Walters, Tobi Ogunbanwo, Matt Nicholson, Sinclair Cole, Emmanuel Odenuga, Dave Koor, Scott Garcia, Kevin Brown and Ray Henry.


DEVAS PHOTO SET>>

www.devasclub.org.uk