Café Art: perspectives from London's streets

Café Art  produce a yearly calendar out of the MyLondon photography contest and exhibition, supported by The Royal Photographic Society and endorsed by Homeless Link. It is currently on sale online and will launch officially at Spitalfields Arts Market on World Homelessness Day, Monday 10 October, 2016.

I met Michael right at the beginning, when the dream had just found a name.

Some years ago my coffee-loving Kiwi-bird flatmates returned from an East London fair with a flyer: Café Art it said, as I recall –  a humble print out with a few words on homelessness and an e-mail address.

I was in the midst of curating artwork for the launch of Kahaila Café, a commission driven by a desire for a multi-purpose space that would host and foster community, contributing to Bricklane’s iconic creativity. Now I had cubic metres of floorspace anticipating years of coffee-fuelled confessions and inspired debates about the joys and absurdities of life, and as much wall space awaiting to be filled with counterpoint artistic expression.

Artwork by Mateus El Samaria, Kahaila (London, Bricklane).

It has always seemed to me that placed in interiors, artwork acts much like windows – breaking up the planes of walls and reminding us of what lies outwith. They stretch our imaginations and probe our memories, part of a geometric dialogue, stories on the pages of our walls. There was complete coherence in including the voice of the city’s streets in a space seeking dialogue with the city.

Michael’s story was very simply given. He was certainly not “artistic”, but had responded to a growing awareness of London’s homelessness by volunteering. Over time, he correspondingly noted the quality of art produced in workshops and the repetitive prints adorning the walls of the city’s booming hospitality sector. 1+1... Café Art arose as a platform to give a voice to some of the most unrecognised of unrecognised artists, to validate perspectives born of experience, to affirm creativity.

“The purpose”, I remember him saying, “is to provide the world with an opportunity to engage with this art and its artists”. For someone who was "not an artist”, here was a firm grasp on the personal growth that accompanies creation, on the value of sharing to creating community and shaping culture.

Kahaila launched its Bricklane context for community in the fine company of artist Mateus' compelling black and white acrylic abstracts. 

Café Art now has an international presence. In addition to bringing together "homelessness, great art and coffee", it yearly produces a My London calendar presenting the city as viewed by its homeless photographers. It is one of the outcomes of a photographic competition, when 105 disposable Fuji cameras are given out with training offered by the Royal Photographic Society. Twelve photographs are chosen by a panel of judges including the likes of Amateur Photographer magazine, Christie's and Ken Lennox.

 You can support this project by buying a calendar and photographs on Kickstarter until Saturday 10th September. 

And if you are in need of artwork with a story, this is a fine place to start.

@monologue on PLUMES

Meet the subtle styling of Ramona (better known as @monalogue), and a glimpse into her beautiful, sharp, curious mind. 

1. How did you start off on your stylist-photographer journey, and what are you doing now that is of particular/new interest to you?

Monalogue started as something very simple. I didn't have expectations for anything to become of it, I just enjoyed taking photos of my breakfast in nice light. I used my phone. After six months of taking photos and getting to know other instagrammers, I became an Instagram suggested user, and over two weeks my following grew from 10k to 36k. It's been two years since this, and I've maintained my love for taking photos of food and getting to know others who share this interest. I am now running a lifestyle blog, and have invested in professional photography equipment for use on my blog. 

I finished my studies at the university of Bristol this spring, and was contacted by a local online food retailer with a job offer. Today I take photos of food and write about local producers for work, whilst pursuing @monalogue on Instagram and Wordpress as a hobby. I'm very happy with this structure.

2. In what contexts do you style-photograph, and are there any words or thoughts you associate with your relationship with what you create and how you photograph it?

My favourite foodstuffs to photograph are baked goods, and my favourite styling props are vintage and rustic items. I feel that using aged cutlery or trays helps to tell a story, which is one of the most important aspects of taking a photograph. I try to incorporate flowers and plants into my photographs when possible. This gives them a homely and peaceful feel, as well as giving the viewer information about the time of year, again helping to tell a story. 

3. How did you approach working with PLUMES?

PLUMES has a great balance for photographing. The items themselves are subtle and clean, so they don't detract from the food and props used during styling. The artwork is delicate, the edge of the feather curves beautifully around foods placed in the centre. Ultimately the food compliments the shape of the artwork, and the artwork compliments the shape of the food.

Ramona Jones recently graduated from the University of Bristol. After finishing her studies, she started working as a food photographer and writer for a sustainable shopping service in the South West. Ramona spends her spare time documenting food and travel on her Blog and Instagram, Monalogue.