gerald jenkins 06/04/2018 gerald jenkins 06/04/2018

Dough Lover 99 Trafalgar Street Brighton BN1 4ER

Recently I was approached with the most amazing request from a Chef - Ronke Arogundade who was opening a cafe in Brighton 'Dough Lover' which she described as a Cafe from the Future.

After a very short time during our first initial conversation it was apparent that Ronke was a visionary and she had debilitated as to what she wanted her Cafe to say in terms of philosophy and human expression.

She had carefully directed the textiles and fittings and now it was time for visuals. Her instinct had answered to have images of the Sun Ra Arkestra and she found me on the web. From our conversation I created a layout from her wall dimensions and things evolved quickly from there.

Portrait of Atakatune - Sun Ra Arkestra photographed in 2013 at The Barbican in an Oak Box Frame with an Ivorine Title Plaque

Marshall Allen - Sun Ra Arkestra photographed in 2013 at the Barbican Centre

We had a lot to say to each other and the White Peacock image became an addition due to the significance of the symbolic meaning of White Peacocks - of enlightenment,and incorruptibility . When I suggested to image transfer a motif of the birds feathers onto the frame we both knew it had to be done.

'Knowledge Without Love is Lifeless' 50 inches by 60 inches Giclee in an Image Transfer Box with an Ivorine Title Plaque

James Stewart & Cecil Brooks - Sun Ra Arkestra photographed at Islington Town Hall 2015

Developing the Installation further Ronke discussed her other musical influences and instead of just petering out with the same material we wanted to create a 'snug' feel to the room as the viewer travelled through. Two names came up. That of Gil Scott Heron and Mark E Smith.

For the smallest panel of the Installation Two Contact Sheets were printed with Lyrics to significant songs by the Artists. These being 'Hexen Definitive'

Gil Scott Heron with Lyrics to 'B' Movie

Ronke also wanted to have reference to her childhood in West London included and so the next panel became an overview of my Notting Hill Carnival work.

7x Black Box Frames w/ Giclee prints and Ivorine Title Plaques

The final panel has direct reference to Brighton itself and one of it's most famous residents Nick Cave. Ronke had met Nick on several occasions and my portraits of Nick and Kylie and an additional Studio session I shot with Nick were comissioned for the wall.

This became the most technically intricate installation work I had ever attempted.

Work Bench for Image Transfers to the frames

Two of the frames have image transfers of a picture I took of the Ceiling of the Taj Mahal

Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue 'Where the Wild Roses Grow' Nine Giclee Prints mounted on Black Velvet in an Image Transfer Box Frame with a Distressed Mirror and Ivorine Name Plaque

The Red Velvet needed to be 'Casino' Red

Nick Cave 'HQ Session' 3x Giclee Prints mounted on Red Velvet in an Image Transfer Box Frame with Distressed Mirror and Ivorine Title Plaque

Two samples of the image transfer frames.

The main Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue frame is an image transfer of Rose Thorns

My heartfelt gratitude to Ronke for such a wonderful commission. This is a permanent installation.

gerald jenkins 23/10/2016 gerald jenkins 23/10/2016

The Inertia Variations

I had known Matt and his family for several years when he asked me to work on his film ‘The Inertia Variations’. It was to be a film centering on a 12 hour radio show where he would interview prominent authorities on poingnant subjects with the intent to outline contemporary society and the direction it is taking.

It was also to be about Matt and his decision to step away from his career as a singer songwriter. The intent of the filmmaker Johanna St. Michaels was to get Matt to perform a new song written during the film production. It would be the first time he sang in over 16 years.

As I filmed them walking we discovered this wall and a production still was shot.

Johanna St. Michaels directs Matt Johnson

The Radio show was incredibly intense - complex and multi layered.

Film director Tim Pope was a guest on the radio show

Stefan Dickers who works at the Bishopsgate Institute was another interviewee

During production Matt’s brother Andy passed and we would not work on the film again for over six months.

Andy was Matt’s older brother and a phenominal artist. If you know Matt’s music I hardly need say more. These pictures are the original artworks for ‘Soul Mining’ by Andy Dog. (RIP)

Matt and Zeke on the day of Matt’s first performance in 16 years.

Norton Folgate is a street of huge historic significance - yet in the main is boarded up awaiting demolition and redevelopment

Towers of Liverpool Street begin to invade Shoreditch

Matt is extremely proactive in council meetings with his attempts to stop big developers steam rolling the heritage of Shoreditch.

Much of the 12 hour radio show and the narrative of it was removed from the final edit of the film and the film itself became guided by the passing of Andrew. The song Matt wrote is about Andrew and his inevitable demise.

Johanna and Matt - on a day I was filming Matt being interviewed as they walked.

Below are further images with Matt relating to the 30th Anniversary box set release of ‘Soul Mining’ and the 30th Anniversary screenings of ‘Infected’ at the ICA in London.

Matt on Brick Lane - just after his interview about the Soul Mining box set release.

Matt with his brother Gerard - signing the Soul Mining Box set - Rough Trade Records

An Installation of Matt by the artist Peter Wilkins

30th Anniversary screening of ‘Infected’ at the ICA London

The story of the filming of ‘Infected’ and why it was produced is fascinating. Matt reasoned it would be too costly to tour the new album live and so the film was devised-the tour would be of cinemas and not music venues.

The budget allocated to the film was unprecedented at the time. It was a massive gamble.

This You Tube clip is profoundly revealing. The ambition!