<![CDATA[Sø•Edited - Sø•Creative]]>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 11:06:03 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[KARL ALLEN: Ghost in the Canvas]]>Sun, 05 Oct 2025 15:57:25 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/karl-allen-ghost-in-the-canvas
Picture, karl Allen, painting, fine art, portrait, christopher sims, chris saint sims, art interview
Photo: Christopher Sims

​SøEdited Team:
SøEditor-In-Chief/Interview : Chris Saint Sims​
​SøDigital Director: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​​​​​

​Karl Allen resists the word “career.” It suggests a path dictated by outside validation, by endorsements, by recognition from others. Instead, his life is a creative existence, restless, layered, and shaped by different mediums across the fringes of artistic society. Over the years, his practice has stretched through film, performance, and visual installation. But it is painting at this point of focus, a practice he approaches with instinctive surrender rather than strategic control.

​Allen’s first solo exhibition at Jealous Gallery in London marks a shift, not only in visibility but in the intensity of his work. What appears to be a rapidly produced series of paintings is, in fact, the culmination of more than fifteen years of artistic refinement, years spent exploring palettes, textures, and the thresholds between figuration and abstraction. What emerges in his work is less a product of planning than of listening. Is this an inner ghost that guides him? An instinctive process in which he becomes less the creator and more the recorder of what pushes through him.

​Film and painting could not be further apart for Allen in terms of process. In his film practice, the act is one of orchestration: holding together crews, schedules, and compositional elements. Collaboration requires structure. Someone must hold the reins, and that person is him. But painting demands the opposite.

​
​“In film, you manage chaos,” Allen reflects. “But with painting, the chaos manages you.” His process begins with setting the palette, perhaps shifting the canvas around to find a new angle. Then comes the letting go. What follows is a negotiation between the instinctive and the accidental. He courts instability, refusing to let any single image settle too neatly. If a figure emerges, he distorts it; if a motif becomes too legible, he covers or flips it. The act is one of sabotage as much as construction.

​This refusal to resolve images into clarity gives the paintings their peculiar charge. They oscillate between recognition and obscurity, haunted by the suggestion of forms that never quite arrive. The brain strains to make sense, to identify faces, landscapes, symbols, but the work resists. That resistance, Allan insists, is where the work comes alive.

The exhibition at Jealous Gallery came together with startling speed, but Allan rejects the idea of sudden inspiration. “It looks fast,” he admits, “but it was fifteen years in the making.”
​
Those years were spent experimenting across media, building fluency in colour, texture, and composition. What made this body of work possible was the accumulated instinct born from failure, repetition, and risk. When the moment came, he could work quickly because his vocabulary was already internalised. Each brushstroke was backed by years of trial and error.
Jalousie Gallery, art interview, chris saint sims, london artist, painting abstract, abstract painting, Karl Allen, London artist scene

​He resists the myth of the frustrated artist struggling to produce. For him, creation is less a battle and more a craving. 

“I wake up needing to paint,” he says. The urgency is physical. The work is less about solving problems than about answering a call. Once the call is answered, the release comes, the canvas becomes a snapshot of his state at that moment, a record of how his visual language is shifting.

If film once brought chaos, painting now brings release. The tension between the two forms is not oppositional but complementary. With age and experience, Allen has grown more comfortable with the pressures of film: the endless trial and error, the reliance on others, the deadlines. Where once it was suffocating, he now finds a strange rhythm within it.

​That shift has only deepened the meditative qualities of painting. Alone with the canvas, there is no one to answer to, no schedule to hold. If a work falters, it simply becomes part of the journey. This acceptance, the willingness to let mistakes fold into the process, mirrors the way he has come to see his own life. Contradictions are not failures; they are truths.

The theme of contradiction sits at the heart of this new body of work. Layered surfaces reveal different stories pressing against one another: one image suffocated while another pushes through, motifs buried only to reappear in ghostly fragments. These tensions mirror the contradictions Allen observes in the world around him, and in himself.

He recalls noticing artists who wear slogans of rebellion, hats demanding “Suffocate the Bourgeois” while clearly belonging to the bourgeois themselves. At first, it struck him as hypocrisy. Then he recognised the same condition in his own life. “We all carry a bit of the bourgeois in us,” he reflects, particularly in a place like Croydon where he was brought up, or elsewhere in Britain, where the working-class generation of thirty or forty years ago has become property owners and accumulated wealth. People who once had nothing now position themselves as though they still live with nothing. That contradiction fascinated him, and it found its way into his paintings.

The canvases, then, become acts of honesty rather than resolution. They acknowledge that identity is layered, unstable, often contradictory. The works do not solve this tension; they present it, breathe within it, allow it to exist without apology.

If there is one discovery Allen names as the core of this exhibition, it is trust. Trust in his instincts, in his palette, in his shifting motifs. Trust that the work need not justify itself with a singular narrative. Trust that contradictions are not weaknesses but the essence of honesty.
​
This newfound confidence is visible in his recent approach. Where once he may have second-guessed each compositional choice, now he embraces them. If a painting fails, it is not a personal failure. It simply wasn’t meant to exist. That lightness—that refusal to be crushed by expectation—has given him freedom.

​“I don’t apologise for the contradictions anymore,” Allen says. “They make the work real.”

An inner ghost captures much of what his practice has become. It is not mysticism so much as a recognition of forces beyond conscious control. The ghost is instinct, memory, contradiction, subconscious imagery pushing through layers of paint. The artist becomes a conduit, a witness to something larger than himself.

In this sense, Allen’s painting is closer to excavation than construction. Each work uncovers fragments of something hidden: half-formed figures, disrupted landscapes, unstable narratives. What emerges is not fixed but fleeting, always on the edge of recognition, as though the canvas itself is haunted.

​Though the Jealous Gallery show may seem like a beginning, Allen views it as one more moment in a long continuum. He is not interested in milestones or career markers. The work is ongoing, a flow of cravings answered, contradictions lived with, ghosts recorded.

Painting remains the medium that allows him to explore these forces most directly, but he continues to move between projects, each feeding into each other. What unites them all is not genre or discipline but the same commitment to ambiguity, contradiction, and instinct.

As he looks forward, Allen speaks less about goals and more about process. What matters is staying present to the cravings, allowing the ghosts to surface, and refusing to lock identity into neat categories. His art is not about resolution but survival within complexity.

Karl Allen Solo Show
9th - 18th October 2025
Jealous Gallery
53 Curtain Road
London EC2A 3PT

]]><![CDATA[Henrik Johansson: Where Classical Art Meets Contemporary Fashion]]>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:46:54 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/henrik-johansson-where-classical-art-meets-contemporary-fashion
Henrik Johansson, Alexander McQueen and Yohji Yamamoto, fine art, painting, soedited, socreative, fashion, painting,

SøEdited Team:
SøEditor-In-Chief/Interview : Chris Saint Sims​
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​​​​​

​Henrik Johansson’s work exists in a fascinating space where the past and present collide. He draws from classical art, particularly the dramatic genius of Caravaggio, while embracing the boldness of contemporary fashion.

“Caravaggio’s use of light and shadow, and the raw humanity in his figures, creates a timeless beauty,” Johansson says. “I love painting fashion against his works. Each gesture, each fold of fabric, becomes almost mythological when set in that classical world.”

At the same time, contemporary fashion excites him. Bold silhouettes, experimental materials, and designs that challenge expectations fuel his imagination. “Designers like Alexander McQueen and Yohji Yamamoto create garments that are conceptual yet wearable,” he explains. “I’m drawn to how modern fashion can push boundaries while still feeling alive and present.”
​
By placing contemporary garments within classical compositions, Johansson explores a tension between the eternal and the fleeting. Classical grandeur meets modern audacity, creating work that feels both timeless and urgent.
​
The human figure lies at the heart of Johansson’s work. “Every body has its own story,” he says. “Gestures, expressions, and form tell something unique, yet there’s a universal grace that connects us all.”
​
His fascination with classical portraiture informs this approach. Caravaggio’s dramatic realism, combined with the influence of Swedish artist Ola Billgren, teaches him to balance emotion and form. In fashion, he looks to individual masterpieces rather than entire collections, citing McQueen’s sculptural dresses or Jil Sander’s minimalist silhouettes as sources of inspiration. The result is a dynamic mix of classical beauty and modern design.
Classical forms, particularly from the Renaissance, have long shaped fashion imagery. Johansson uses these ideals as a framework, blending them with contemporary textures and silhouettes. His paintings often pair a modern figure with a classical motif.
​
“Even when there appear to be two subjects, they form a single story,” he explains. The contemporary figure might echo the gestures or emotions of the classical one, creating a dialogue that spans centuries. Past and present meet, proving that human experience and beauty are timeless.
Henrik Johansson, fine art, painting, fashion, painting, pink fabric, glasses, masks nude

​Johansson’s fusion of classical and contemporary began in school. Copying Caravaggio wasn’t just practice, it was meditative, almost spiritual. “I was drawn to his dramatic use of light, shadow, and emotion,” he recalls. This fascination sparked the idea of placing modern subjects within classical scenes, bridging centuries in a single composition.

Masks frequently appear in Johansson’s work. They aren’t about hiding identity, they’re about exploring it. “Masks let viewers project their own stories,” he says. “They also represent the personas we all adopt. Identity is both universal and elusive, a performance we all play.” These hidden faces invite reflection, adding layers of meaning to each piece.
​
Henrik Johansson, fine art, dresses, socreative, soedited

Johansson’s studio life mirrors his art: sometimes quiet and introspective, sometimes vibrant and busy. Working from home since the pandemic has allowed him to follow these rhythms naturally.

“I mostly work from reference material, but occasionally friends pose for me,” he says. “Having a live model adds depth you can’t get from a photograph. It brings a certain immediacy and life to the painting.”

​In a contemporary art world often driven by trends, Johansson values classical approaches. “Understanding artistic heritage gives you roots,” he explains. “It allows for growth and new expression.”

He also embraces a classical lifestyle, prioritising meaningful moments, art, and the simple pleasures of life, good food, conversation, and beauty, over the relentless pace of modernity. His work aims to endure, inviting viewers to pause and reflect rather than chase the fleeting.
​
The music that plays a role in his studio and creative world include Tracks like Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, Bach’s Cello Suite No.1, FKA twigs’ Cellophane, Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight, and Agnes Obel’s Riverside create a contemplative and inspiring backdrop for his practice.
​

​Johansson’s paintings are more than visual experiments, they’re conversations across time. Classical references meet modern fashion, and human figures act as bridges between centuries. The contemporary figure asserts relevance, while the classical form deepens the story.

For Johansson, painting is both meditative and expressive. Each work explores identity, elegance, and the interplay of eras. Classical grandeur and contemporary audacity coexist, creating harmony that is provocative yet contemplative, bold yet timeless.
​
In Henrik Johansson’s world, fashion becomes myth, classical forms converse with modern silhouettes, and the human figure stands as a testament to enduring beauty. His art invites viewers to linger, reflect, and engage in a conversation that spans centuries, a space where the timeless and contemporary meet.
]]><![CDATA[BIBi LUCILLE - NEW SINGLE “42]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2025 08:57:00 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/bibi-lucille-new-single-42

Bibi’s new single “42 explores humanity’s fascination with the meaning of life taking inspiration from Douglas Adam, Creating vagueness so a personal interpretation can be lived…
​
SØ
How the “42” song is a nod to the weird comfort that can come from complete existential collapse, based on a bluesy, soul-searching pop track.
​
​BL
“42” is absolutely a nod to the comfort of the void and the optimistic nihilism that nothing means anything. “The Hitchicker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is the philosopher’s bible when it comes to opening your eyes to the absurd, and realising the level of emphasis and seriousness we put into our lives. Once you realise and acknowledge that life is short and we’re just a very small blip in the timeline of the earth, then you are truly free to start living. “42” also explores the beauty of hitting rock bottom; in the book, Arthur Dent’s house is demolished and the world begins to collapse around him, which is where to story truly begins. At rock bottom, the only way is up.​
SøEdited Team:
​SøInterview: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​​
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims 
SØ​
Why, according to Douglas Adams, is the number 42 “the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”

BL
​This is a great question and Douglas Adam’s has an even better answer. According to Douglas himself, there was no profound meaning behind it. No hidden numerical code, no esoteric wisdom, no nod to the mystical or mathematical. He simply chose it. Plucked it from the ether. Because it was, and I quote, “a funny number.”
And there’s the genius.
By choosing 42 as “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything,” Adams was poking gentle, yet profound, fun at humanity’s eternal quest for meaning. We so desperately want the cosmos to whisper secrets into our ears, to reveal a grand pattern, a divine logic. And instead, we get... 42.
It is, in effect, the perfect answer. Not because of what it reveals, but because of what it doesn’t. It reminds us that perhaps the universe isn’t here to make sense, and that the joke, the absurdity, and the laughter... are the meaning, if there is any to be had at all.

SØ
How Bibi transforms Adams’ dry humour into a heartfelt meditation on modern disillusionment.

​BL
With every song I’ve written so far, I have tried to make them all a little bit vague, so listeners can add their own meaning to the songs. This is usually what I do when listening to my favourite tunes; whatever it’s actually about, I’ll usually just apply it to stuff going on in my personal life. With “42”, the first verse describes Arthur Dent’s situation - drinking his sorrows at the pub, wanting to protest when his house is being bulldozed but finding himself powerless to the decisions of the council. It ties into so many lines in the chorus, especially the

one that says “Let the world take it’s toll and lose everything you own”. I would say this feeling is pretty relevant to the current state of the world, and how powerless we’re all feeling - we’re watching a lot of ‘bulldozing’ going on (so to speak), and no amount of protesting seems to make a difference.​
SØ
Why Bibi’s NEW SINGLE “42” is FFO Amy Winehouse, Florence + the Machine, Regina Spektor, with a twist of Douglas Adams.
​
​BL
I would say that list is generous but also not totally inaccurate. Along with the rest of the world, I love Amy Winehouse’s voice and her raspy tone that perfectly compliments her jazzy songs. In terms of Florence, I have always loved the way her songs are just so dramatic and all sound like film scores. She adds so many layers and harmonies to her tracks that I wanted my own songs to be reminiscent of that and Andrew O’Halloran (producer/mixer/genius) does it beautifully.
SØ
Has London shaped the song’s sound or story?
​
BL
haven’t actually thought about this, but I suppose it must have. I’ve lived in London my whole life, so I’m sure my urban upbringing has leaked into everything I’ve created. Maybe the mania of living in a busy city has bled into the song, in the way that the song has a slight frantic feel to it.

SØ
What does this song say about where you are as an artist?

BL
think this song really demonstrates how much I’m experimenting. It’s only my third song and it’s very different to the first two. I don’t want to tie myself down to one ‘sound’ - blues is my loose genre base because it’s the tonality I enjoy the most, but from there, the track could go in any direction.​

SØ
Will this track lead into a larger project?

​BL
The track is part of a seven song album, but even when that’s done, I want to continue to make music. It’s fun and creatively satisfying, whether it leads to bigger things or not.​
]]><![CDATA[miquel morla Vicens: SKIN LIVED IN]]>Mon, 02 Jun 2025 13:45:48 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/miquel-morla-vicens-skin-lived-in
SøEdited Team:
SøCreative Director/Interview: Chris Saint Sims 
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​​​​​​​


Miquel Morlà Vicens, born in Porreres (Mallorca) in 1971 is a Self-taught creative and artist, passionate about all form of creativity. But its the visual arts where he is drawn to with his output of illustrations and painting. 

Since he was young boy he has been fascinated by drawing and watercolour, but immersed himself in other fields of creating visuals such as graphic design involving t-shirt designs, logos and merchandising, as well as comics or graphics for magazines, poster design for musical events and theatre, along with the illustration for  books. 
In recent years Vicens has made the transition back to his youth, concentrating more with painting on medium and large format, using acrylic on canvas, card-board and wood as a base. 
​
His recent body of works depicting the portraits of characters from different places, has brought together a strange and intriguing collection of unique portraits, focusing on aging, structure of the face, the depth of the human condition and how a life is lived, expressed and recorded in the individual, and as an isolated human travelling ones own destiny. 

We spoke with Miguel on the narrative behind his work… 
​SO: 
What brought you to this project, and what was it that you wanted to discover about your creativity, and also about these portraits of the individuals? 

MV:
Faces, characters and facial expressions of people have always attracted my attention. I like to observe them, analyse them, imagine what is behind their face. Now with more confidence in my
painting, I try to capture this expression and depth. I also try to go beyond the simple academic portrait, to explore other ways of portraying, academicism, although I know that technique is essential to reach artistic freedom... academic
My way of portraying, sometimes it works and sometimes it simply does not.

​SO:
There is a real sense of mortality with these works. How would you respond of aging and death? 

MV:
​Physical and intellectual decline with advancing age is a very common topic of conversation at home. My partner has worked in a hospital emergency room for almost 20 years. Her relationship with the final stage of life or death was almost daily. We talked about it a lot.

On the other hand, since I was a child, I have had a lot of relationships with older people. It fascinates me that they share with me their experiences, their way of expressing themselves, their synthesis is a great subject, I have always had a great respect and admiration for them.

I am very interested in cultures with little technology, as they still have a venerable respect for their elders because of their great experience of life, within their communities.

In Mallorca, we still preserve this vision of the elderly and revere them greatly.  
It is crucial for me to present this in my brushstrokes when I paint these portraits.
​SO:
There is a haunting atmosphere within the portraits, along with a beauty and the structure in the faces of these aging characters. Can you tell me about this from your perspective. 

MV:
​I choose the people that can move the spectator. But these people have visually moved me, and that's why they were chosen through my own instinct. I am kind of the gate way that records these characters, for other people to then become curious about the skin and human form that is lived in. 

I don't want the viewer to be indifferent to feel questioned, invaded or threatened.
​I personally believe that's what art is all about. 

That atmosphere that exists today in the paintings is very ephemeral. 
I'm always changing, I need to search, I'm an eternal non-conformist.

​SO:
You have been using cardboard which ads to the an atmosphere, and is quite a beautiful canvas along with the use of recycling. Why did you choose to use cardboard as a canvas for these? 

MV:
​It's for several reasons: 
Firstly, I like to take advantage of its natural colour to integrate it into the painting. 
I take the opportunity to scratch it, to leave its internal waves, its texture when I have passed over it with brushes, rags and pigments.

Another reason is that, as it is a very economical format, my hand feels much freer to express myself, if there are mistakes or unsatisfactory results, it is thrown away and that's it. On the other hand, on canvas I work in a more rigid way. Maybe the viewer doesn't see it, but I do.

Finally, I'm interested in the attitude of taking any disposable object, in this case cardboard, to create something beautiful on top of it... it's like trying to give it a much more decent life than its final destination, which, in principle, was the recycling plant.

​SO:
What is your process when painting. Are you painting quickly and are you painting with the models, or from memory or photographers? 

MV: 
​I always carry a small notebook with me wherever I go, in markets, restaurants, airports, etc. There I sketch all those anonymous faces, although suggestive, that catch my attention. 

I really enjoy this practice, sometimes they notice and I share my notes, sometimes they will never know that I stole their face and I keep it in my notes.

I am very lucky to be able to travel, and in destinations and cultures far away and different from the western world. For me this is ecstasy, I can't stop taking those notes.

In other cases, sometimes I get a very powerful photo from the net and I can't avoid working it as a portrait.


]]><![CDATA[Luke edward hall: Seaside dreams + painterly prints]]>Thu, 15 May 2025 09:10:00 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/luke-edward-hall-seaside-dreams-painterly-prints
For Spring/Summer 2025, MSGM invites British artist Luke Edward Hall to reimagine the Mediterranean through a poetic lens—where the sea whispers memories and myth dances in the salt breeze.

Hall’s signature line work and dreamlike figures—sailors, sirens, and wistful faces grace flowing shirts and tactile knits, evoking a sense of sun-drenched nostalgia and youthful abandon.

From his countryside studio, Hall channels classical art and English romanticism, blending seamlessly with Massimo Giorgetti’s vision of a modern coastal reverie. The result? A collection that feels timeless yet fantastical—steeped in heritage, but floating just above reality.
​
SøEdited Team:
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims 
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​​​

Hall’s expressive, fluid illustrations—at once romantic and otherworldly—wash across oversized shirting and delicate knits, capturing the spirit of youthful abandon, fleeting summer love, and the enchantment of seaside days.

A celebrated artist and designer, Hall is revered for his ability to blend classical influences with fanciful flourishes. Trained in menswear at Central Saint Martins, he has since carved a niche through his narrative-driven illustrations, often set in lush imaginary realms populated by seafarers, deities, and dreamers. From his Oxfordshire studio—a converted barn nestled in the countryside—he crafts a world where the past and present coalesce in colour, memory, and myth.

This collaboration is more than a meeting of minds; it’s a dialogue between MSGM’s founder Massimo Giorgetti’s vision of a modern Mediterranean dream and Hall’s romantic sensibility. The result is a collection that feels both rooted in heritage and beautifully surreal—a sartorial escape into reverie.

Romantic sailors, mythic faces & summer nostalgia collide in this poetic collab. Sun, salt, and surreal style—welcome to the dreamiest coastline you’ve never been to. 

Luke Edward Hall 
#MSGM #LukeEdwardHall #SS25 
Online msgm.it
Press ReferenceStudios
​
]]><![CDATA[Sacrifice by Paz de la Huerta]]>Wed, 07 May 2025 11:29:42 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/sacrifice-by-paz-de-la-huerta
Picture

SøEdited Team:
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims 
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​​​​

Paz de la Huerta adopted herself, she did it in the placenta of painting, hers, in the womb of her own inner story. In order to fill, recompose the absence of other people's love, in the absence of family, maternal and paternal warmth. Paz finally chose to show herself as the daughter of Paz herself.

​In a now and always autobiographical representation. In her own pain, in her own beauty, in her own broken heart, there is her, Paz. Her painting is essential, barbaric, instinctive, brutal, immediate, trance-like, recalling imprints of her childhood dreams. In fact, Paz has remained intact in the magical and painful domain of her childhood, magical yet at the same time dramatic, almost as if the advent of adolescent fullness has yet to take place, take place in her, inside her, Paz.

​Paz, or of beauty shown carelessly, helpless nudity flaunted as a heroine would do, a martyr of Body Art. Paz who represents herself in a pre-fetal state, almost as if Paz, having overcome the time of pain and solitude, still has to come to the world, but in the meantime is there to await her own birth.

The dense color on the surface of her paintings, almost as if every image is dictated to her, whispered by the ideal inner infant who lives within her, far from any worldly light, far from the glamor that nonetheless brightly marks her in her public history as an unattainable diva and rebellious.

​In fact, it seems that every image of her that appears on the canvas responds to a gospel, the Gospel of Paz, of her, of the religious story of her, mystical her, which finally makes her as absolute as Marilyn already was in the story of her own suffering. Paz Madonna herself, absorbed in a fetal dream, waiting, in fact, to come into the world, Paz who gives herself the gift of her own love, of the enchantment of beauty, Paz virgin and martyr of Hollywood. Paz angel.

​Paz de la Huerta (b.1984 in New York City, US) presents her second solo exhibition,
​Sacrifice, with Ruttkowski;68 in Berlin, in collaboration with Reference Studios.
]]><![CDATA[BIBI LUCILLE Interview: being a woman]]>Tue, 11 Mar 2025 10:02:00 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/bibi-lucille-interview-being-a-woman
Picture, interview, BIBI LUCILLE, actor, theater, so interview, soedited, SoFashion, somuisic, personal space,
SøEdited Team:
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims 
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe​​​​​

​Sø•Interview: Savannah Barthorpe

SoEdited spoke with actor and writer Bibi Lucille regarding the difficulties of being a woman, but also the empowering future we can rejoice in from personal trauma we all suffer. During an exciting period where Bibi has flourished in theater and TV, and more recently casting her creative net wider into writing, her future is one of commitment to growth. Not only in her career, but in her personal life.

Why do women need to break away from perfect role models and find imperfect models?

It is entirely up to the individual who they want their role models to be, but I do love this shift we’re seeing in the media - the way women have been represented for decades has been centred around a perfect, flawless form of a woman, whereas now we’re seeing a lot more praise for many different types of women. Growing up, I was completely obsessed with physical perfection - as I think a lot of young girls are.

The media forces a narrative on us that beauty is our greatest asset and the tool that will open most doors. Beauty remains a strong currency, but there’s been a real shift in seeing women who don’t embody physical perfection coming into the spotlight. When I started watching films like Bridesmaids or series like Fleabag and I May Destroy You, it all finally started to click - I was allowed to be messy, imperfect, and flawed. That’s the very thing that made me interesting, that made a person fascinating to watch.

​Worshipping beauty becomes empty, whereas finding work that makes you laugh or cry or feel hope is so much more fulfilling. Finding an “imperfect” role model is what will set you free in your art or creative field. It allows you to stop fearing imperfection and gives you the confidence that flaws are what make a person endlessly fascinating
and relatable.
​
​How rejection and guilt can be used to empower women and girls.
Guilt is something women seem to be born with, and rejection is something no human can escape. Guilt is a horrible, fascinating feeling that can completely consume us. I think because women are born with such a deep sense of empathy - and growing up, we are always pushed into caregiver roles - it’s something that
follows us well into adulthood.

With regard to guilt, as it’s not something that can easily be pushed away, we can attempt to turn it into something useful and good. We can recognise the emotion and attempt to analyse it objectively. What exactly am I feeling guilty about? Would you blame another person in the way you are blaming yourself? Is the guilt productive, or is it only serving as mental torture? We have to analyse our emotions and understand whether we are being too harsh on ourselves.

​Difficult decisions have to be made in life and collateral damage is sometimes inevitable - plus, mistakes happen. More often than not, none of it
is your fault.
Rejection is also a large, inevitable part of life. And rejection is truly a wonderful thing. Certainty is the enemy of a good, exciting life - if you were handed everything you ever asked for, what would be your purpose? Where’s the excitement in always being accepted, not having to work for anything? Working towards something and reaching for a goal is what makes life worth living - it gives us a purpose and always
brings adventure. Without rejection, we would be miserable. It builds our resilience, so when we finally get that “yes,” we’re elated. Something I always think is, what if I’m ten “no’s” away from a “yes”?
​
​How Self-compassion is empowering as it embraces our childhood self.
It can be hard to love yourself in this day and age. We are constantly bombarded with images of perfection, success, and beauty. The entire commercial industry feeds on our feelings of inadequacy. It’s
hard, but it’s possible to reverse the damaging effect it has had on us.

​The tactic is similar to CBT - every
time you feel that negative thought creeping in, you stop it. Observe it, and turn it on its head. Know that
these thoughts are not yours - they are intrusive and caused by the bombardment of perfection in the media.
Change that thought into a positive one. It’s almost like gentle parenting yourself.

​The way that this embraces your childhood self is that it looks after that inner child. You’re cultivating your
mind as though it’s a child again - reinforcing positive thoughts in that impressionable, young brain. It brings
it back to the basics - looking after that younger version of you and knowing that every negative thought you
have impacts that inner child. So, decide how you treat it.
​How the song “To be damned?” is a call for redemption and freedom from guilt.
The song truly is a testament to redemption - the fear that we may have messed things up in our path or taken a wrong turn - and whether we can ever be redeemed for it. And it could be anything; a career choice, a relationship choice. Or maybe something you said to someone that plays over and over in your head - feeding into that unshakeable feeling of guilt. The verses convey all of this through questions like “Will I be damned?” and the image of possessing a “filthy mouth and a soul to match.” The chorus repeats the line “I’m done,” which conveys the sheer exhaustion we feel from constantly questioning ourselves. The yearning to stop our minds from overthinking and replaying every conversation we’ve ever had. It’s about knowing that
redemption is right around the corner when you can fully move on from the guilt.


Why reckoning with the darker parts of yourself aims to find meaning in the chaos.
As I mentioned before, our flaws are what truly make us interesting. The darker parts of ourselves - the parts we can’t fully face - are what make us three-dimensional, fascinating people. These are always the qualities I love to watch on screen; a priest with a morally dubious past, a florist with a dark past… these character flaws are what we can truly look at to find meaning in the chaos. That search for redemption is what gives us purpose and pushes us on a better path; it’s what makes our journey so interesting.

How imperfect role models inspire women to spot confidence-destroying perfectionism.
“Imperfect” role models are so important to the media and for the women consuming it. The range of women and female characters now portrayed on TV and film provides representation and allows many more women to recognise parts of themselves in these people. It allows us to be okay with making mistakes and being completely human - it allows for better art. We no longer have to uphold some strange physical
standard that prevents us from creating good, real work.


What are your upcoming goals and aspirations?
I have lots of goals and aspirations for the coming year. I’m pursuing lots of different creative avenues; mainly acting, writing, music, and design. In terms of acting and writing, the two have been going hand in hand. I want to keep pushing for new projects that I have a lot of faith in - and aiming to collaborate with more wonderful people. I’m aiming to have completed seven songs this year that all fall under one album
(and hopefully start gigging when I can kick the nerves). Finally, I will be releasing a line of couture dresses this spring, the brand being called B.LUCILLE.

Do you have a preferred style of acting or genre of music?
I love all styles of acting - I’ve enjoyed performances from comedy to horror. A particular favourite right now is Hamish Linklater as Monsignor Paul Hill in Midnight Mass. I watched it months ago, and I’m still not over it. My music taste ranges all the time - I’ll listen to classical music whilst working and then rap whilst working out. There’s no in-between. The sort of music that I really appreciate and truly love is blues and jazz.
The upbeat, swing stuff is what I’m really into - Otis Redding, the Dirty Rotten Vipers… also the entire soundtrack from Princess and the Frog.

How would you describe the emotions you experience just before stepping on stage?
What do you love most about acting and music?
I honestly find the nerves torturous before stepping on stage. It’s so painful, and it’s the only moment I really doubt what I’m doing. I always think about how easy it would be to just be the audience member - to sit and relax. But the second I’m in the swing of things on stage, I remember all over again why I love it so much. Making an audience laugh, especially, is a feeling unlike anything. Theatre definitely feels like home,
and I’m so grateful I’ve been able to be a part of the industry, even if only in brief bursts. I haven’t done a live gig since I was fourteen, so I’m definitely terrified to return to live music. But I know it’ll be worth it.

]]><![CDATA[LONDON’S MOCO MUSEUM]]>Wed, 15 Jan 2025 21:22:38 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/londons-moco-museum
Picture, LONDON’S MOCO MUSEUM, art, contemporary art, London, MOCO, Jeff moons, Keith haring, jean-michel BA squirt, Damien hirst

​SøEdited Team:
SøArticle: SARA DARLING 
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims 
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe

​MAKE THE MOST OF CONTEMPORARY ART.

Who knew you could get up close and personal to such an impressive selection of contemporary art just off Oxford Street? Stash your shopping bags and winter coats in the lockers and prepare to immerse yourself in some of the most inspiring creations at the MOCO in Marble Arch.

​Following the success of the MOCO Museums in Amsterdam and Barcelona, the London opening opened last year with a fanfare, and I enjoyed a leisurely morning perusing the three floors- ducking past sculptures and enjoying taking the weight off my feet as I watched a screening and became part of a living performance.
Picture, Picture, LONDON’S MOCO MUSEUM, art, contemporary art, London, MOCO, Jeff moons, Keith haring, jean-michel BA squirt, Damien hirst

​The gallery is more than art, it is an experience with a clear distinction between “spectators” and “witnesses”: the former are characterised by passivity, whereas the latter are conceived as active, engaged story-makers. Created as candy box for art connoisseurs, you’re welcomed in by a vast Jeff Koons Easter egg, topped with an oversized bow,  and the journey continues with hanging sculptures and wall art by Damien Hirst, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat on the ground floor.  ​
​
​Following the spiral stairs to the airy first floor, I was in awe of the interactive work by Marina Abramović who has designed a chair for human use; the idea is to encourage and reevaluate our relationship with everyday objects by interacting and sitting on the chair and experiencing the “Healing Frequency” it provides much needed ‘time out’ where visitors can internally explore the intersection of the physical and spiritual. 
The light filled room also boasts works by the infamous Bansky, KAWS, Tracey Emin and JR. Robbie Williams (ex Take That) has also produced a wall of oversized artworks which give a glimpse inside his head!
Picture, Picture, LONDON’S MOCO MUSEUM, art, contemporary art, London, MOCO, Jeff moons, Keith haring, jean-michel BA squirt, Damien hirst
​
​Continuing to the basement, where creativity and culture become even more entwined, with the likes of Jake Chapman and Lorenzo Quinn powering innovation and inspiration - this is more than a gallery to inspire; it is a showcase of artists who have shaped modern art and dared to challenge the status quo. From Kusama's infinite cosmos to Hirst's iconic butterflies and Koons' monumental inflatables, these trailblazing artists expand our collective imagination and inspire a fresh understanding of the world around us.

​Championed by its founders, Lionel and Kim Logchies, the MOCO Museum is an initiative with a mission to awaken the world to the inspirational power of art. With over 50 years of combined experience working in the art world, the couple have established an art empire showcasing work acquired and on loan that would otherwise remain unseen in private collections.  
 
Book your visit here
MOCO Museum, 1 Marble Arch, London, UK

]]><![CDATA[DELCORE & FLASH ART FASHION]]>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:29:21 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/delcore-flash-art-fashion
Picture, Del Core, Carlo Cossignani, fashion, art, soedited, sofashion, Bond Street, London, friez, art fair
SøEdited Team:
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims ​​

​Del Core and Flash Art co-hosted In Conversation, an event with boutique owner and designer Daniel Del Core, featuring artist Carlo Cossignani and moderated by Gea Politi. The discussion, followed by a cocktail reception, was held at the Del Core boutique on Bond Street.

Nature and culture are integral to Del Core’s identity. Creative director Daniel Del Core constantly draws inspiration from the wonders of the natural world, blending it with his passion for art and architecture to create a distinctive vision.

​This creative perspective was showcased at the London boutique during Frieze London, where a special installation by visual artist Carlo Cossignani was unveiled. Cossignani, a Milan-based sculptor and painter whose work has been displayed at the Milan Triennale and the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, creates delicate structures that mimic natural formations. His artistic approach aligns closely with Del Core’s design philosophy. For this collaboration, Cossignani crafted a beetle-like installation that harmonized with the brand’s signature Beetle bag.
Picture, Del Core, Carlo Cossignani, fashion, art, soedited, sofashion, Bond Street, London, friez, art fair

​On October 8th, the collaboration culminated in a live talk at the boutique, where Daniel Del Core and Carlo Cossignani explored the artistic influences behind Del Core's approach to fashion. The conversation, moderated by Gea Politi, editor and publisher of Flash Art, provided a fascinating look into how art and fashion intersect within the context of the iconic Frieze Art Fair.

​Photography - Ben Awin for Del Core @ben_awin
Picture, Del Core, Carlo Cossignani, fashion, art, soedited, sofashion, Bond Street, London, friez, art fair
]]><![CDATA[A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN THE MUSICAL]]>Sat, 19 Oct 2024 17:50:45 GMThttps://www.soedited.com/soslashbullcreative/a-night-with-janis-joplin-the-musical
Picture, a night with Janis joplin the musical, theater, music, socreative, soedited,

​SøEdited Team:
SøCreative Director: Chris Saint Sims ​

Entering the Peacock Theatre to Jimmy Hendrix Purple Haze really set the scene. The dimly lit  theatre in central Londons West End felt very swinging 60s, with the stage dressed in Persian carpets, Tiffany lamps, crushed velvet and boa feathers, taking me back to my hedonistic days as a student in london during its second hippy happening, the rave days of the late 80s and early 90s.


‘A night with Janis Joplin’ was more of a late night lock in with a bunch of like minded liberals, some friends, and an open agenda of what ever happens, should happen, it was a wonderful atmosphere. The stage was set for the evenings entertainment, and a heart felt encounter with the great Janis Joplin. ​
.
Picture, a night with Janis joplin the musical, theater, music, socreative, soedited,

​For my age group Generation X, Janis was a legend even at that time 30 years after her tragic untimely death. And when I have spoken to people of her time they will say: “Janis, wow man she was an icon, really she was it, we all admired and adored her”. The feeling I received from these people when asked about her was touching, as you could sense the sadness of her passing at only 27, and what a beacon of enlightenment with her radical personality. That sentiment has traveled decades, with the fondness becoming greater as the years pass, and new generations of individuals, odd balls, the non conformists have discovering her.


Janis is an underground constant and cult hero over half a decade after her passing.  Much like The Velvet Underground and David Bowie, Janis has and continues to influence musicians, artist and rebels alike beyond her times and in to the future. The beatneck queen of rock n roll, a title she would have been happy with, not conforming with corporate stereotypes that have become so generic in today’s music and celebrity industry. And man was she an individual still not rivalled in any form, with a talent that was electrifying, the first, and the last of her kind. ​
Picture, a night with Janis joplin the musical, theater, music, socreative, soedited,

​Accompanied by a blues band, and backing musical dialog from the Joplinaires, and other legends Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Bessie Smith and more represented onstage by incredible live talents. Janis was so influenced growing up by these female singers, and into her own musical existence from these artists, who became her foundation. Most of these greats were commercially and socialy abused, leaving a bitter sweet current in this touching production. 


Hearing and seeing this live performance of such great women in  ‘A Night With Janis Joplin’ written and directed by Randy Johnson is a unique glimpse into the history of popular music traveled over 60 years, and still influencing  musicians and music into the future. It’s impossible to imagin music without the Blues. ​
Picture, a night with Janis joplin the musical, theater, music, socreative, soedited,

​This emotional night with Janis is a ‘speak easy’ experience, emotional and  sensitively flowing between the 1920s blues soundtracks, up to the last album Janis made ‘Pearl’ released just days after her death. Tragically she never experience the accolade the world gave her after overdosing on heroin, ironically at a time when she was suffering with loneliness and isolation. It’s a bitter ending. Janis has the ability to really connect emotional with the world and the turmoil of the times socially, political and culturally, and we experienced this through our blessing to experience her music and performance. ​
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