When and where did you last have a really good night out (not working)….where and why? I get to travel a lot, but am always working when I’m away! When I was in New York in April,, I went out after a concert with some friends, drinking exclusively in painfully trendy speak-easy bars in Manhattan, ending at a very well hidden burger joint (it oozes a self-proclaimed ‘Rock Star Cool’ – and it’s totally true). Hidden behind a velvet curtain in Le Parker Meridien’s lobby, this is just the best place in the city – they only do beer by the pitcher and the burgers are incredible. We then went back downtown and continued the speak-easy crawl/stumble. 

 What’s your favourite item of clothing and why? Lolo has assigned me a stylist who’s job is to sort my clothes out. That should tell you plenty.  

 When did you last shed a tear?I watched “Up” on a plane recently. There was definitely a single man tear in there somewhere… 

 If you could own any piece of art in the world, what would it be?Anything big by Jean Michel Basquiat (Warhols protege). Love it. 

 Who makes you go weak with desire? Scarlett Johansson  

 When was the last time you embarrassed yourself to the point that you blush inwardly when you think about it? In an attempt to charge my iPhone in a very well known recording studio, I literally flipped the switch that controls the power for the room, turning everything off and meaning the whole place had to be manually restarted, all in wasting about 30mins of studio time. I didn’t have the courage to fess up and face the inevitable mockery from the engineer and producer, so speedily offered up a power surge as the probably cause. It was, in a way, slightly true.

This actually wasn’t all that long ago. I blame it on poor circuit design.

 When was the last time you told a lie?8.30am this morning at Pret. I actually wanted a cappuccino, but didn’t think the craftsmanship of  the one before my order was taken was really up to much, so I went with a filter coffee. I’m a terrible liar, but I think I got away with it. 

 Who is your favourite fictional character? Simon Cowell. 

 If you had to represent your life so far in a shoebox, what would you put in it? My passport, email password and details of where my cello is (it probably wouldn’t fit in a shoebox) 

 What album will you keep listening to and never get bored of? I don’t have one. That’s why I’m a musician… it stops me getting bored. 

 You got a hot date/guest you wanna impress- what do you cook them?Poached salmon with pistachios and pesto with green beans and rice. Pudding probably from Waitrose – frankly, whatever they charge is less than I’d spend in excess ingredients by getting it wrong. Oh, and controversially, I don’t really go in for puddings. Probably get a nice-ish bottle of wine, though. 

 What song will you have played at your funeral? Schubert’s Quintet in C major. If you don’t know it, don’t wait for my funeral – sort it out and listen now! 

 What’s the most embarrassing thing on your iPod For professional reasons, I really shouldn’t answer this. My iPod could be sectioned it’s so bad… 

 If you could be trapped in a lift with any 3 living people – who would they be? With a power trio of Steve Jobs, Rihanna and Stephen Fry, all the boxes are ticked.  

 What makes you happy? Doing what I love to do, which selfishly, is exactly what I want to do and fortunately, what I am doing. Oh, and all the classics: travel, food, cinema and golf.

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PHOTOS BY ANNA ROBERTSON

In Paradoxy, Lost

“With creative icon and inspiring thinker Brian Eno at the helm as Guest Artistic Director, Brighton Festival 2010 has more than ever; 242 performances, 16 exclusives, 14 premieres, and 8 Brighton Festival commissions from internationally acclaimed artists visiting the UK for the first time, as well as Brighton-based artists making waves on the world scene.. .”

Alex Nikiporenko was comissioned by Matthew Stone to composed and perform a piece at the HQ at Brighton Dome on Friday 21 May 2010. It was very touching to see Alex perform in such environement, working along side very strong visuals, the piece was incredibly beautiful.

In Paradoxy, Lost

Flutes – Shane Nugent and Louise Drewett, Soprano – Carolyn Herail, Counter-Tenor – Daniel Keating-Roberts, Piano – Alex Nikiporenko

Music by Alex Nikiporenko. Libretto by Matthew Stone.

You are not who I am.

Ты не тот кто я.

I am not who you are.

Я не то кто ты.

I am the sea, but see she claims me

That I my be what is now we

In Paradoxy, Lost is a path through multiple musical dimensions in search of unity. The piece strives towards the beauty of simplicity having began in the surreal and sometimes conflicting character. The use of multiple languages in the first half of the piece reflects Matthew Stone’s concept of Multidoxy – the belief that there is single truth, yet many ways to approach it. The music highlights the differences between the singers and the languages used.

Tonight is the second installment of Peter Gregson’s alt_classical event series at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden. Singer Daisy Chute (one quarter of All Angels) is teaming up with Peter to present an evening of music from around the world, from Latin American bossas to Scottish folk music by way of the spine-tingling minimalism of Estonia’s Arvo Pärt.

Click here

Scottish filmmaker Nigel R. Smith has written a superb guide to distributing short films

You can download it here

London—Berlin showcases specially created original work from a selected group of 20 young and established designers and design studios and exhibits the results in both London at Idea Generation Gallery and Berlin at Program Gallery.

Read more

When and where did you last have a really good night out (not working)….where and why? Embarrassingly the last big one I had was New Year! Vogue Fabrics in Dalston, dancing and picking up a wig instead of my coat.

What’s your favourite item of clothing and why? Not worn anymore so I don’t know if it counts but a pair of Docs I got out of bin when as a lot younger. They have flowers and barely any sole on them. But they hurt too much now so they are sitting on my fireplace.

When did you last shed a tear? Not saying this to look hard but I find it near impossible to cry. I get upset, shout and all the rest a lot but not tears. So it was a long time ago, I think when a friend and I feel out.

If you could own any piece of art in the world, what would it be? ‘Morning’ by Agnes Martin.

Who makes you go weak with desire? Prince! I saw him at the O2 and screamed like a little girl for 2 hours.

When was the last time you embarrassed yourself to the point that you blush inwardly when you think about it? I was out and saw in the corner of my eye a bar stool behind me. Tried to sit down and it turned out to be woman doing up her shoe.

When was the last time you told a lie? 4 questions ago.

Who is your favourite fictional character? Window; my toy parrot when I was a kid.

If you had to represent your life so far in a shoebox, what would you put in it? My camera; obvious reasons – My necklace; first thing given to me by my first love – A large line drawing I did at school; first time I realised art had no boundaries

What album will you keep listening to and never get bored of? Postal Service- Give up

You got a hot date/guest you wanna impress- what do you cook them? Sushi! On a massive colourful plate!

What song will you have played at your funeral? Destiny Child- Survivor (see if anyone at the funeral is rude enough to point out the irony)

Should marijuana be legalised? Why not?

What’s the most embarrassing thing on your iPod Amanda Lear- Fashion Pack

If you could be trapped in a lift with any 3 living people – who would they be? Anthony McCall, Prince, although I don’t know if he would be very engaging to be stuck in a lift with, Richard Wilson

What makes you happy? Drawing on tracing paper

Samuel Gassmann, one of the CiR art judge launched his cufflinks line which got picked up by the times…. Click here to read the article

Check this out.

Following the success of his exhibition at the Son Gallery’ in Peckam, Alex Shepherds presents: an edited version of Suspended Exhalation for The Hospital Club.

In Suspended Exhalation, the artsist’s exhaled breath is used as a building material to inflate the work. In so doing Shepherd is trapping those moments of shared existence within the balloons, keeping it in a transparent plastic box separate from the world. A moment, which is slowly re-released into the exhibition space as the balloons naturally deflate in time.

“As we inhale and exhale the air around us we, for that brief moment, interact with that part of the world, pulling it down into our selves before relinquishing it to share another moment with another being. This encounter that one has with the world can serve as proof of our existence at any given moment.”

More images on Alex’s blog