Rupert England | Madman/Artist

The Original Evergreen (featuring Ninja of Die Antwoord) | Joburg circa 1997

2012-02-05T19:17:00.004+01:00

See the article in Ostrich here.

Philosophical quote from curves-magazin.com | With Video

2012-02-01T20:15:00.000+01:00

A curve is the most sensuous line between two points – and in a certain way also the most realistic. Almost no one who sets themselves a goal will be able to reach it by the shortest of all routes. And if all our wishes were to come true all at once, we would feel cheated out of the way towards achieving them. Driving teaches us to be in the here and now. And people who live in the here and now are happy. So set out on the quest for the flow, that timeless high plain of being where, for once, cause and effect are an irrelevance, and where only the moment counts.

Watch it here.

Bird's Nest Stadium with Hidden Skies | Beijing 2008

2012-01-24T23:22:00.000+01:00

Click on image for animation

This shot was taken a few months before the start of the Beijing Olympics. While there are many astonishingly regal areas in the city formerly known as Peking, I've never experienced such chronic pollution. On the evening of my arrival, there was a haze inside the airport terminal building – with a distinct dirty wisp of cloud near the ceiling.

When I adjusted the shadows and highlights of these shots in Photoshop, the sky turned red – something I've never seen before. I assume that this gives a clue as to the actual amount of airborne pollutants. This animation seems to expose the hidden danger in the skies above the iconic stadium, with the deathly winter trees appearing as victims of the poisonous air.

Snaps from the Venice of the North | A Photo Journal 2011/12

2012-01-18T15:52:00.001+01:00

Swans in the Red Light District, November 2011

Graffiti with Cloud and Contrails, January 2011

From my Instagram Photos (all shots taken with iPhone 4)

Updated Advertising Portfolio

2011-12-01T18:22:00.001+01:00

View it here.

Postcard from Affordable Art Fair Singapore

2011-11-23T15:39:00.001+01:00

My Exhibition at The Tanglin Club | Oct - Dec 2011

2011-10-24T16:13:00.000+02:00

Instant Karma!

2011-10-12T12:37:00.000+02:00

Whenever I snap photos with a digital camera, I always show people their portraits on the LCD screen. Of course, I would love to send a print to every person I photograph but it's logistically impossible. I would have to give-up photography to become a postman (and not even get a free bicycle).

Today I photographed a Cambodian family living in a shack in Phnom Penh. They were very happy to be snapped and kept me shooting for some time. In fact, the proud grandmother (dressed in pink) was practically art directing me! When I showed the photos to the family, grandma gushed when she saw the shot below. I left thinking how nice it would be to give the photograph to her. Minutes later I walked by a photo lab and immediately decided to get a couple of prints.

Ten minutes and $1 later I retraced my steps; almost skipping such was my excitement at gifting the photograph to grandma and the family. Instant happy memory for them. Instant happy karma for me:) Please click on images to enlarge.

My New Website | Officially Launched on 1 September 2011

2011-09-06T15:46:00.000+02:00

I wanted my new website to be a shop window for my photography. For visitors to be entertained by a slide show of my snaps while having access to a menu of my online activity. I officially launched my new website on 1 September 2011 in recognition of Spring Day in South Africa (where I am currently hanging-out). Thank you to Kirsten Clarke for her assistance in designing the new website and, for actualising it, Benjamin Low and team at d3signs.com

Spring Day | launch of online shop

2011-09-01T21:22:00.000+02:00

I've wanted an online shop for a long time. Kirsten Clarke introduced me to BigCartel.com who host an easy-to-load shop connected to PayPal. Thank you Dave Belnick for the first-ever online order:)

Of the Beauty of Things | Exhibition Catalogue

2011-08-10T06:36:00.000+02:00

It took a while to compile but it is finally ready. Please view "Of the Beauty of Things" online catalogue here.

Of the Beauty of Things | Exhibition Update | Monday 18 February

2011-07-22T06:11:00.000+02:00

Thanks to all the friends and new friends who visited the show over the weekend – past midnight on Friday AND Saturday (and quite late on Sunday too). It's been awesome and exhausting. So much nice stuff to do, I dont know where to start! This evening I need to post some documentation and rest-up so won't be at the gallery tonight. I shall be there from 6 pm tomorrow and on Wednesday evening.

Massive respect to those good folk who have been buying my prints: 35 editions have been sold so far. In case you did not know, I'll only ever sign twenty of my large format prints and forty standard size prints – no matter what the medium. There will soon be an online directory of the owners of all my certified prints.

The big acrylic photo "book-ends" are proving popular. They do illuminate the cars beautifully. Please note that you can choose any Havana car you like and I will make-to-order as they are quite costly to produce. Get your #1 edition before it's sold:)

"Photos of the Photos"

Of the Beauty of Things | Exhibition Poster

2011-07-22T06:05:00.000+02:00

Very excited to present my first solo show. Click on image to enlarge. For info click here.

“... of the beauty of things,

of lights and shadows,

and motions and faces...”

From “The Diamond as Big as The Ritz”

Collected Short Stories

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Of the Beauty of Things

Exhibit I: Earth People 2006-2011 (Fine Art Prints)
Exhibit II: Earth People (Smokin' Gun) 2010 (Fine Art Canvas Prints)
Exhibit III: Scenes from Earth 2006-2011 (Fine Art Prints)
Exhibit IV: Earth People (Gimmie Skin) 2006/2010 (Fine Art Canvas Prints)
Exhibit V: Selected Black & White Work 2008-2011 (Fine Art Prints)
Exhibit VI: Earth People (Transsexuals) 2008 (Fine Art Prints)
Exhibit VII: Coches Americanos de La Habana 2007 (Fine Art Prints/Acrylic Photo Blocks)

Exhibit VII: Midday in the Bairro Alto, Lisbon 2010 (Fine Art Prints)

Exhibit VIII: Doors 2006-2010 (Fine Art Prints)

Show runs until 1 August

For info, click here.

A Winter Willow | Emmarentia 2010

2011-07-22T05:40:00.000+02:00

Having spent the first 19 years of my life in Johannesburg, I have a sentimental attachment to the largest city in South Africa. Anyone who has lived in "Jozi" will appreciate the terrifying electrical thunderstorms, the awe-inspiring big-sky sunsets and the magical golden light that illuminates the highveld in winter.

On my recent trip back for the 2010 World Cup, I took these photographs on a late afternoon stroll through the parkland near Emmarentia Dam. The colours stir memories of my childhood and unlock a certain longing; perhaps it is a desire to return to the innocence of an era long gone.

While it is heart-warming to contemplate the miraculous sociopolitical changes that have occurred in the last 19 years, it is also comforting to consider how little has changed beneath a willow tree near a stream, in the profoundly beautiful country of my birth. Click on images to enlarge.

Three views taken with my Agfa Isolette

2011-07-22T05:29:00.000+02:00

These medium-format shots were taken with a vintage camera gifted to me by Annali Roux-Pigott. It's not an easy camera to operate, that's why I am so pleased to have pulled-off this series of landscapes: 1. Rome, Italy. 2. Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar, Singapore. 3. Essaouira, Morocco. (These are scans of the negatives, no Photoshop was used.)

Young Pipe Smoker | Iran 2010

2011-03-27T17:38:00.000+02:00

Here's a composite of four photographs taken in Isfahan, October 2010. Click on image to enlarge.

rupert takes a photo | an overview

2011-03-19T05:21:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday, I decided to create a photography blog: a showcase for my raison d’être. By Sunday evening, I had created "rupert takes a photo" – basically an online scrapbook of my favourite snaps taken over the past 5/6 years.

It's a joy to finally have a place for all my favourite shots. An online library for everyone to enjoy. I do hope that rupert takes a photo serves as inspiration to you.

This blog entry was updated on 10 August 2011:

The shots now on view include most of the images that I chose for my first solo photographic exhibition, "Of the Beauty of Things" held at The Stipe Collective in Singapore (15 August – 1 July 2011).

The lost roll of film that was found

2011-03-10T13:40:00.001+01:00

I was pretty sad when I thought I had lost this roll of slide film – shot last month in Marrakech on an old Russian Smena 8m camera. A few days back, I discovered it in the fridge in amongst my stash of unused film stock – clearly I was foxed by the little bit of film that did not wind back into the canister. One of the quirks of the Smena is that you have to trim the end of the film in order to wind-on. Was not sure whether to cross-process or see the real colours captured by the glass-coated plastic lens. Decided to go for the latter. Results back next week. Ah... soul food.

Girls with Kite | Meybod Iran 2010

2011-01-14T08:50:00.001+01:00

Meybod is a sprawling mud-brick town that is at least 1800 years old. These shots were snapped from the crumbling Narein Castle in the centre of the town. Click on images to enlarge.

A View of Singapore

2010-10-16T14:00:00.001+02:00

These photographs were taken from my apartment window from October 2009 to October 2010. Click on image to enlarge.

Brands in my Portfolio : 1991-2010

2010-09-30T05:42:00.001+02:00

Here are the logos of some of the most well-known brands that I've created ads for over the past 19 years. Cars, banks, airlines and telcos dominated my portfolio; now it's FMCGs (Fast Moving Consumer Goods).

Style My Coke Bottle Design

2010-06-04T05:07:00.000+02:00

When I was ECD of Espial (2005/6), a brand & design agency based in Johannesburg, we handled the Style My Coke project. The creative department enjoyed creating unique "shrink-wrap" designs for the legendary brand. This is one of my designs that made the grade: a collage of old-school game consoles. We ended-up actualsing over 50 of these very collectible Coca-Cola bottles. Click on image to enlarge.

Bairro Alto | Lisboa

2010-05-05T20:16:00.000+02:00

I snapped these photos in the Bairro Alto, an area of Lisbon that reminded me of the maze-like streets of Stone Town in Zanzibar, crossed with the bohemian charm of Montmartre in Paris. Technical info: Russian-made Horizon panoramic camera using slide film x-processed, April 2010. Click on images to enlarge.

My most recent TV commercial | Knorr "Postcard"

2010-03-10T07:34:00.001+01:00

Knorr Postcard made BestAdsOnTV this month. Watch it here

The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts : Identity

2010-03-02T09:14:00.000+01:00

When I was living and working in Amman, Jordan (2006/7), I had the opportunity to create a corporate identity for the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA). My intention was for the logo to look more like a badge or an emblem, befitting an institution for higher education. The radial design, reminiscent of a camera shutter, consists of red waves, symbolic of the Institute's unique location on the coast of the Red Sea in Aqaba, Jordan. Click on images to enlarge.

My TV Showreel on YouTube

2010-02-22T04:47:00.000+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/rupertengland

secret laboratory : assorted stationery

2010-02-19T04:01:00.000+01:00

Secret Laboratory (Slab) was a Johannesburg-based "production house" founded in 1996 by Paul Hanrahan, Jeremy Hattingh and myself. It evolved into a loose collective of digital visual media producers – mostly music video and documentary makers. While we did shoot one large-scale TV commercial, we were best known around Jo'burg for our live dancefloor visuals (VJing) at clubs like 206 and large-scale events like ICE. My favourite gig was VJing live on stage with Kid Koala and DJ Food (Ninja Tunes Tour) at the Johannesburg Fort in 1999. A compilation of Secret Laboratory's Dancefloor Visuals was featured at Resfest in 2002. I created the above "stationery" in 2000; covert operations continue. Click on images to enlarge.

chedda sticker (circa 1999)

2010-02-18T03:19:00.000+01:00

When I spin the wheels of steel, I go by the name of DJ Chedda. This is one of the many logos I created for my disc jockey persona.

Facebook Campaign for CelinaAsia

2010-02-03T05:10:00.000+01:00

Click on images to enlarge.

This is a digital ad campaign I did for CelinaAsia – an advertising recruitment consultant specialising in creative talent. A big part of a personnel agent's job is social networking, ergo Celina's profile picture on Facebook seemed an obvious portal to utilise. What's more, it's free! Since the campaign broke in late 2007, Celina has received hundreds of friend requests from potential clients. Advertising creatives have a tendency to blame consultants, rather than their portfolios, for not landing high-profile, high-paying jobs. I do hope Celina is not a victim of the campaign's success!

Who's adventurous enough?

2010-01-27T08:05:00.000+01:00

A spread from the forthcoming "Book of Gnome" which chronicles my travels with the little old man 1999-2004. Based on the urban legend of the 1980s, the story is part fact, part fiction.

Sidney Turtlebaum

2009-12-08T04:58:00.000+01:00

I always wanted to write a line for a movie. Steve Straw and I wrote "He steals more than just the show" as a favour for my dear friend Mandy Belnick who produced Sidney Turtlebaum. The movie has been shortlisted for an Ocsar. Much respect to all involved.

My View of Singapore

2009-10-21T08:10:00.000+02:00

View from my apartment in Tanjong Pagar: the city on the right, Duxton Hill and Chinatown to the left, and Orchard in the far distance. Click the image for a higher resolution.

savethewords.org

2009-07-13T06:11:00.001+02:00

savethewords.org is a website I conceptualised with Kirsten Clarke of Y&R Singapore. It won a Cannes Silver Lion in 2009. As I write this in May 2011, I think how exciting it is to be working in the digital era of advertising. A print ad often lasts a day, whereas a website that is loved, keeps on giving. A portal on the 'net is a chance to start a movement. Driven by nothing but virality, thousands continue visiting the website. Every day, people tweet and blog about it – from Hillary Clinton to Stephen Fry – there are countless mentions on all manner of social media. The New York Times and The Guardian (UK) have given it free publicity – as well as dozens of TV and Radio Stations around the world. (All this goodwill and Oxford UK have at the time of writing this (Nov 2011) pulled their backing!)

Bloemfontein, South Africa

2008-01-15T08:23:00.001+01:00

"It is better to travel well than to arrive."
Buddha

Click on image to enlarge.

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

2008-01-10T11:40:00.000+01:00

"Oh, the places you'll go, oh, the things you'll see."
Dr. Seuss

Click on image to enlarge.

Beirut, Lebanon

2007-10-18T10:35:00.000+02:00

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer."
Ansel Adams

Click on image to enlarge.

19 Shelford Road, Singapore

2007-09-01T22:04:00.000+02:00

Singapore land reclamation seen from the waters between Malaysia and the Republic. Click on image to enlarge.

Last Days Of New York

2007-08-14T20:38:00.001+02:00

"The future belongs to those who believe in the truth of their own imagination."

From "Your Action World" by David Byrne

Lost in New York on 4th of July

2007-08-11T05:25:00.000+02:00

Havana, Cuba

2007-07-25T17:38:00.000+02:00

"You will not find the other ocean if you do not leave the shore."
From "Your Action World: Winners Are Losers with a New Attitude" by David Byrne

Nassau, Bahamas

2007-07-24T22:38:00.000+02:00

Where your daddy from?
Bahamian for "Where are you from?"

Brooklyn Street with Sofa, New York

2007-07-13T07:20:00.000+02:00

Holding onto anger is like grasping onto a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else. You are the one who gets burned. Buddha

Click on image to enlarge.

Two Studies of Lady Liberty

2007-06-20T17:56:00.000+02:00

"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots."
Frank A. Clark
Please click on image to enlarge. These photographs are views of the Statue of Liberty from my current home in Manhattan. The pictures were taken and treated in June 2007.

Bal Harbour, Miami

2007-06-16T01:59:00.000+02:00

Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it.
Southern African Proverb