GUERILLA FASHION SHOOT & INTERVIEW

No.1 : JANUARY 2011

W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M | 32 | W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M

MELANIE HOWSE IS on a modern crusade. For the past two months, she has

rarely slept, getting up at five to spend her days spraying enamel colour with

a gun and fielding wisecracks like some latter day Barbarella alongside the men

on the factory floor of AJ Wells in Newport on the Isle of Wight, where she

is firing her tactile, curvaceous sculpture in the giant kilns used to make the

iconic signage for London Underground. It is also home to the Charnwood

wood-burning stove, sustainable lust-item and winner of The Queen's Award

for Export.

Her mission? To push the boundaries with a single sheet of spun steel to createtwo, burnished, shimmering vessels with the ability to fire the public imaginationand ignite Christian Aid's Poverty Over campaign.

The Master Glass-Painter and Queen Elizabeth Scholar from Chichester

looks spookily like a young Elizabeth I, with a halo of spun, bright orange,

candy-coloured hair and translucent skin. She certainly fizzes with the kind

of restless talent, energy and, at times, steely optimism and determination

that turns grown men immersed in the noise and hurly burly of the factory

floor into gallant accomplices. Surely nations will soon follow.

That is why curious, whirlwind, lovely Mel, in her burnished biker Timberlands

and grandfather's vintage top hat is my muse for the first Guerilla Fashion

Shoot & Interview for The Ethical-Hedonist. My aim? - To champion charity,

which begins here with a dynamic collaboration between great, innovative,

soaring art and British manufacturing excellence. To that you can add old-

and new-style journalism, and sublime, sexy, and sustainable British fashion

to make you yearn to invest.

The Eyes

Of The WorldCAN INCENDIARY THOUGHT-PROVOKING ART

BRING AN END TO POVERTY? IF MEL HOWSE HAS ANYTHING

TO DO WITH IT, THE ANSWER IS YES.

Interview & Styling : Alison Jane Reid Portraits : Mike Owen

W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M | 54 | W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M

Mel didn't hesitate for a moment when she was offered the commission, even

though it meant putting more lucrative work on hold. "Christian Aid asked

me to create a sculpture that would be thought-provoking, hard-hitting, and

hadn't been done before - the fact that poverty still exists in the world is an

abomination, and quite unnecessary. My piece explores those living in poverty

and those who are not, and provokes the question - why does poverty still

happen?"

"Quite early on I made some preliminary sketches of two giant all-seeing

human eyes, and knew at once that I could create something special, that

would appear almost surreal.”

"I am very drawn to surrealism. One of my cousins was Paul Nash, the surrealist

painter and war artist. He was a quiet chap, and I am not sure he gained the

recognition that he deserved. He organized the first surrealist art exhibition

in London, The International Surrealist Exhibition, in 1936."

“On a recent QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) project at AJ Wells,I developed some experimental ways of working with their bespoke, enamelcolours and knew they would make great 'spiritual graffiti'. I like working inindustrial environments because it allows me to achieve results I could neverattain in a studio," she adds.

“Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest," she adds, her blue eyes twinkling

intently. "The idea for the sculpture was that one eye would have power over

the other. The smaller and more conspicuous eye represents the human eye. It

stares challengingly at us. This is society's conscience. Beneath it sits a hidden,

deeper bowl, which has darkness to it. When we come closer, another eye is

revealed, looking up from its base. This is the eye of the poor - unseen from a

distance, and lost as we walk away. This eye requires more of us to get our

attention. The juxtaposition of the bowls implies that one has power over the

other, but also that one vessel draws attention to the other. In essence they

are the same. Poverty is staring at us and can be uncomfortable to witness."

"The challenge, once we have witnessed it, is to act."

The sculpture will be unveiled by Loretta Minghella, CEO of Christian Aid, [and

sister of the late film director Anthony Minghella], amid the soaring splendour

and antiquity of one of London's great landmarks, Southwark Cathedral, on

the South bank. Accompanied by a photographic exhibition, it will be on

show at Southwark Cathedral, before a tour of English cathedrals in 2011/12

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/resources/churches/cathedral-tour.aspx

W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M | 76 | W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M

Christian Aid have certainly come up with an exciting way to get the poverty

message out to a world that no longer responds to rattling tins and pictures

of hollow-eyed children suffering in far distant countries.

At a time of increasing economic hardship, and compassion fatigue, perhaps

art is the one frontier that can still make a difference? And what better way

than through the work of a visionary artist whose thoroughly modern

approach to glass art and enamelling is to conjure up windows and installations

that work with light and appear as if they are on fire, with flowing rivers of

molten colour that appear like living streams of lava. The effect is mesmerizing,

exciting and strangely enticing, in such a cold, rainy place as Britain.

Whether it is the shopper's catwalk-cum-art facade at Sainsbury's supermarket

in Milton Keynes that Mel has cheekily christened 'a cathedral of commerce', or

an ancient church, the effect is startling, and akin to a warm glow on a sum-

mer's day. By creating this reaction, Mel is helping to changing our response

to the mundane, the everyday, and the ancient, and helping to transform them

into exciting focal points for communities - and that is inspiring.

Mel is pretty inspiring company herself. She is constantly excited about our

fashion shoot featuring some of the brightest stars of British fashion, to the

point where it is hard to contain her, or her boundless energy, or to keep her

still in the makeup chair for an instant! At one point she declares she wants

to take Carlos - our clever, dapper, makeup maestro - home in her handbag,

and then she talks of her reaction to the extraordinary ideas and workmanship

of each fashion designer's work. She is impressed too, that each piece is hand-

made, and declares that it makes her want to start sewing again, and make her

own clothes.

Canvas 1 (detail) from the masive facade at Sainsbury’s supermarket, Milton Keynes.

Enamelled and toughened glass with antique glass and etched surface, by Mel Howse, installed

Spring 2008.

Memorial window in Boxgrove Priory, West Sussex to Billy Fiske, the American who

enlisted in 601 Squadron and became the first of his countrymen killed in The Battle of

Britain. Stained glass by Mel Howse, 2008

W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M | 98 | W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M

"Of course that's the artist in me speaking. The pieces feel very special."

With her height, lithe body and fizzing personality she easily carries off

Tammam's ritzy, sharply tailored trench, partnered with Beyond Skin's fabu-

lously modish red vintage weave pumps. "So comfortable," she purrs. Finally,

in a moment of feminine abandon, she wonders if she shouldn't splash out

on the sea green, goddess silk sheath by one of Angelina Jolie's favourite

designers, Elena Garcia, which, with her flowing red hair, makes her look like

a Botticelli nymph.

"My husband will absolutely kill me - I've promised not to spend money on

clothes at the moment; but I may not be able to help myself," she says giggling.

On a more serious note, for Mel, the project with Christian Aid, and this fea-

ture, is the culmination of an eight year artistic relationship with AJ Wells,

nurtured by Ced Wells, the quiet and modest Creative Director, and grandson

of the founder of the company. Ced understands how art and manufacturing

can come together in a way where everyone benefits, from the artist to the

factory, who can show how what is essentially a rather unsexy industrial

process can be used in the most imaginative way to ignite the public imagi-

nation, champion art and innovation, and maybe, just maybe, be a catalyst to

end poverty.

"Mel brings a new dynamic into the working factory environment. She

throws the enamelling rulebook out of the window, as she pushes boundaries

and experiments with every stage of the process from the colour mixing, to the

spraying, to the firing. The marriage of commercial enamelling with creative,

experimental art is an incredibly inspiring mix, and as a British manufacturer

it keeps us fresh, motivated and on the edge our seats."

In the meantime, Mel has more down to earth concerns. "Goodness knows

what it will be like when I turn up for work at the factory tomorrow morn-

ing to finish firing the bowls. The boys will be talking about the shoot and

what we've been up for days" she says, laughing with delight.

© Alison Jane Reid January 2011 www.AlisonJaneReid.com

Fashion Feature Credits

Editor and Stylist : Alison Jane Reid www.Ethical-Hedonist.com

Photographer : Mike Owen www.mikeowenphotography.com

Hair and Makeup : Carlos Palma www.carlospalma.com

Editor’s Assistant : Kathrine Clayton

Design: Alexander Crum Ewing

Thank You... to Ced Wells and Mel Howse for

believing in my vision for this feature and their

wonderful enthusiasm.

Location: The vitreous enamel workshop

and Charnwood studio at AJ Wells

Newport, Isle of Wight

www.ajwells.com

Travel to the Isle of Wight

arranged by Red Funnel

www.redfunnel.co.uk

W W W . E T H I C A L - H E D O N I S T . C O M | 11

Mel Howse wears...

Marlene tailored trench in fairtrade organic cotton and peace

silk by Tamman Couture £350 : Maggie high pumps from Beyond

Skin's sale reduced from £121 to £78 : Top Hat, family heirloom

Antique Parasol from Help The Aged, Chichester : Faceted smokey

quartz ring from Dragonfly, Newport £120

Floor-length adjustable ribbon evening gown in tie-dyed organic

satin by Elena Garcia £335 : Berlin cut steel debutante diadem

from Island Antiques Ryde £150 : Ammonite ring from

Dragonfly, Newport £60

Toile de Jouy dungarees by Lu Flux (available from February) £tba : Forget-me-not

vintage headpiece from Portobello antique market £20 : One-of-a-kind silver Buddha

and gemstone necklace £325, worn with a cascade of pretty beaded necklaces

from a selectionnecklaces from Dragonfly, Newport

The Clothes from hot British designers who have sustainability built into their DNA

Tammam www.tammam.co.uk Elena Garcia www.elenagarciastudio.com Lu Flux www.luflux.com

Lu Flux dungarees available February from Labour of Love, 193 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 1RQ www.labour-of-love.co.uk

Accessories Beyond Skin www.beyondskin.co.uk Island Antiques : 11 High Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 2RJ 01983 615025

Dragonfly : 80-81, Upper St James’ Street, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1LG 01983 523278 www.spiritualsupermarket.com

Behind the scenes... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQWzqzYwWNM