Cycle in Heels : Fabulous Fashionista

For her birthday celebrated at the Saint Pancras Hospital gallery, Sue asked me to make a little performance so I made this "present dress" covering my glitter dress with empty parcels recovered by red gift wraps (the only I had at home).

During the performance, I was singing Happy birthday and offering the present on my dress to the audience. But inside it was just crap gift like a little plastic piggy, a little doll hand or nothing. Then I took from behind the table a box of Crustie fruit that I have hidden, giving it to Sue.

But actually inside the box I put my gift to Sue, a golden baby birthday holding a cake necklace". It made me think about the performative aspect of offering present. Birthday and celebration generally speaking are always stage in a way and the best present are not always in the best boxes!

Amazing painting of Sue and Me as "the birthday girl" by Elton Darlo

Gillian Horsup about my earrings:

"I admired her earrings which she had made herself out of jelly sweets. She said she had tried varnishing jellies but it did not work very well. At least she could eat these on the way home if she was hungry!"

I like the concept of eatable jewel! I had them for dessert on the day after!

I also made a birthday hat with a barbie legs coming out of a parcel.

On the 18th of november, Sue organised the screening of the documentary Fabulous fashionista, really inspired not about ageing of fashion but about expressing yourself and make the most of your life, inspiring and really revitalising.

The film maker Sue Bourne about her documentary "The film’s called “Fabulous Fashionistas” but it’s about a lot more than that

Really, it’s about life and attitude and spirit. The station wanted to call it “Aging Gracefully,” but it’s also not about aging gracefully. It’s about the opposite – it’s about being individuals."

Because of the title "fabulous Fashionistas" and because the documentary is about older stylish women I chose to wear my favorite vintage dress with dolls stitched one.

MC GaffE, the great live artist was also attending the event. I made her a necklace with a little gaffE barbie face,trying to reproduce her characteristic orange hair cut and her unique crazy face paint.

2 GaffE's face on an a crazily colourful body!

Sue asked me to make an alligator necklace for her because of the Urban legend of the alligator living in New York .

Sue telling about the story of the the Sewer alligator.

The original story was that wealthy families would return from vacation in Florida and ignore the laws in New York City, bringing multiple alligators with them as pets for their children. The time frame of this tale is rather vague, but it most likely originated in the late 1930s. When the alligators grew too large for comfort, the family would proceed to flush the reptiles down the toilet"

Of course, I integrated some barbie on the necklace and I am pretty proud to have created a new mythological creature, especially for Sue's bestiary, the Mermaid Barbie alligator of the Croco-dolls necklace!

Melusine the snake woman and mermaid in the Odyssey, create your own mythology!

I also included the mermaid element that Sue love.

"While editing and working on her 27th cookbook late one evening, Sue remembers picking up a marker and drawing a mermaid on a piece of scrap paper".

It's like the crocodile version of the Melusine snake woman legend and also in the Odyssey, Mermaid are not only fish tale but are also half women and half birds.

I came the day when GaffE and Rubbish Fairy had a photo shoot at Sue's house, with amazing tribal head pieces made from junk and beautiful objects.

picture by Richard Kelly

My necklace around Sue's House, It's great to feel that you leave a part of you in this wonderful place, even if you are not physically there.

I am really happy and honoured to present my work in Cult Moutain

Cult Mountain

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Cult Mountain is dedicated to finding and exposing the finest emerging talent in all artistic fields, Cult Mountain - NEW ARTISTS EMPORIUM is a Concept Store, Cafe and Gallery, showcasing the work of these fantastic and original hand-picked artists."