To the Affordable Art Fair (AAF) Private View in Battersea last night. Always mobbed and proved to be so last night. Just getting there was epic, with traffic at a standstill along Chelsea Bridge Road. No matter, once safely inside and with tickets picked up (thanks to Hobby from TAG Fine Arts) we embarked on our tour. Mission: see it all in 2 hours and don’t be too sniffy about what’s on show.

Refreshingly there seems to be a move away from a majority of pieces priced either in the under £500 or £3,000 - £4,000 brackets with little else in between and as such there was much to enjoy. Also much to sneer at - the definition of ‘contemporary art’ is a broad one, but some dealers/ exhibitors stretch this with pedestrian classical offerings (fine in themselves as long as they are well executed, but sometimes they are not. Buyer beware.

Beelines were made for TAG Fine Arts (handily placed beside the main bar in the centre of the hall), StolenSpace gallery and as always Rebecca Hossacks who had this fantastic Toby Burrows photography entitled Breathe hidden away in a corner.

Fuelled by cheap wine, spotting Kelly Hoppen and a chat with hairdresser Richard Ward, we ploughed on. But the wallet remained shut despite temptations including new Shepard Fairey album cover pieces from his latest show (£1,500 each from StolenSpace gallery), Samuel Hick’s Impala print on the Crane Kalman stand (see below), Morgan Silk’s work on the same stand - and that Burrows piece.

Mercifully there were few interpretations of Battersea Power Station (a favourite a few years back), but still too many cut out butterflies in perspex boxes. Obviously good sellers. Innovations seemed few and far between, but this is good clean fun and the variety on show is always interesting. Just don’t expect a bargain.

Affordable Art Fair, Battersea runs from 25 - 28th October in Battersea Park. See the website for details.

Legendary US graffiti artist Sherpard Fairey has just completed a new wall in Ebor Street, Shoreditch to coincide with his forthcoming show at the StolenSpace Gallery. The Obey “Sound & Vision” is showing from 20th October to 4th November.

The Sound and Vision show is Shepard Fairey’s first UK show in five years and will feature a range on new material including mixed media paintings on canvas, works on paper, retired stencils collages, rubylith cuts, and as well as serigraphs on wood, metal and paper.

The new wall replaces the piece produced by FLIP earlier in the year and is keeping the calibre of creative collaborations at a peak.

Check out this piece and then get down to the gallery to see the rest!

If you’ve been hiding and know nothing about the artist…

Shepard Fairey has been on a meteoric rise over the past five years. In 2008, his ‘HOPE’ portrait of then Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, became an internationally recognised emblem of the campaign and a symbol of political change for many. In 2009, Fairey’s Obama portrait was inducted into the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery as the official presidential portrait.

Since last exhibiting in London, Fairey has continued to progress with his art and with a 20 Year Retrospective museum exhibition that began at the ICA, Boston in 2009 and continued to the Warhol Museum and Contemporary Art Centre in Cincinnati. In 2011, he was commissioned by TIME Magazine to design his second cover for the magazine.

To The Old Vic Tunnels last night for the opening of Lazarides’ final instalment in his dark art exhibition/ experience trilogy, following successes with Hell’s Half Acre in 2010 and Minotaur in 2011. As before, the show gets out of the traps before Frieze starts and serves as an antidote to the bright lights of the Regents Park based fair. As Steve himself has said,

“Bedlam over the years has become synonymous with madness, chaos and pandemonium, it seemed like the perfect theme for a world gone mad. Be afraid.”

It is with this in mind that we entered the fray and after a beer to settle the nerves, set about exploring the tunnels and the pieces hung, installed and found within. And what a treat it was. From the disturbing works of Dan Witz set into the crumbling brick walls to the cinematic staging of Conor Harrington’s paintings. And from Doug Foster’s immersive Psychotron to his frightening yet mesmerising Brainwasher (that no one I saw dared sit in) there was plenty to keep you engaged.

My favourite piece in the show is Doug Foster & Nachev’s enormous projection entitled Lidless which shows the movements of a human eye - absorbing, distrubing and beautiful all at the same time.

Participating artists: Conor Harrington, Doug Foster, Nachev,Tessa Farmer, Karim Zeriahem, Tina Tsang, Tobias Klein, ATMA, Del Naja, War Boutique, Jane Fradgley, Klaus Weiskopf, Lucy McLauchlan, Artists Anonymous, Michael Najjar, Dan Witz and Antony Micallef.

‘Bedlam’ is brought to you by Steve Lazarides and The Old Vic Tunnels and is running from 9th - 21st October.

Free tickets are available here.

Fashion idol Tommy Nutter, the original rebel of Savile Row, who created the outfits for both the bride and groom at Mick Jagger’s and at John Lennon’s Weddings, died 20 years ago.

Tommy Nutter

His groundbreaking perspective on the three piece suit equaled narrow, square shoulders, wide lapels, tightly flared trousers, and waistcoats.

Tommy Nutter dressed Mick and Bianca Jagger on their wedding day

With the Gatsby look on its way via Essex, expect a resurgence in interest in him very soon…

www.nosr.co.uk

As part of BMW’s sponsorship of the London Olympics, the brand has brought their Art Cars to a brutalist multi-storey car park in Shoreditch. It’s co-hosted by the ICA and their touch shows in the cool, minimalist staging.

It’s the first time in 35 years of the programme that the cars have been to the UK and they are only here for 2 weeks - so we would advise a visit before the show closes on 4th August.

There are 16 cars in the exhibition which span international road and race cars from 1975 to 2010. The vehicles might be highlights alone for car fanatics (3.0CSLs, Z1, M3s, 850CSI, 635CSIs, M1, 535i…), but it’s the line-up of international artists and their interpretation of moving art that impresses most.

it all started with Alexander Calder in 1975 and takes in Frank Stella, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Fuchs, Rauschenberg, Hockney, Holzer and others, ending with Jeff Koon’s 2010 M3 GTR which raced at Le Mans.

Everyone will have their favourites. I’d take Frank Stella’s 1976 3.0CSL as a daily driver and put Jenny Holzer’s 1999 V12 LMR up on my heated garage wall.

There’s no other place like London for discovering innovative, sophisticated, one-of-a-kind design, be it fashion or furniture, jewellery or artwork. The Londonewcastle ethos is all about pioneering great design and the very best emerging talent, so here we share with you a selection of our favourite design stores across the capital, where you can get your hands on something rather special.

SCP Department Store Deserving of our top spot is SCP Department Store, with its flagship store in the heart of Shoreditch. A foray through the warehouse-style shop on Curtain Road uncovers everything from contemporary homeware and artwork to gifts and accessories, with glorious things such as Seletti neon lights, Peter Marigold shelving and Rob Ryan crockery to be found - and that barely scratches the surface. If you’re into Donna Wilson, then even better, because SCP stock an impressive range of her products, from her signature soft toys to especially commissioned, SCP-manufactured furniture. You can buy it all online too and those in West London needn’t worry about travelling east, because SCP has a second store on Westbourne Grove.

Tom Dixon Shop Skip across town to a perennial favourite - the Tom Dixon Shop in its tranquil location at Portobello Dock, Ladbroke Grove. Mainly showcasing the Tom Dixon lighting and furniture collection, the store has some other interesting gems that complement the home range. There are classic Adnet mirrors, embroidered products by social enterprise Fine Cell Work, which trains prisoners in needlework to help their skills and self esteem, Made in Nano tiles and tabletops, infographic homeware textiles by Stuart Gardiner, and Cire Trudon candles for a spot of indulgence, to name a few.

Dover Street Market Whether you’re planning to part with your cash or not, a visit to Dover Street Market is an experience in itself that every fashion fanatic should seek out. Six floors of carefully curated stock, pitching fashion icons such as Alexander McQueen beside lesser known emerging talent, make up the brainchild of Rei Kawakubo, of Commes des Garcons fame. It’s a department store-cum-market-cum-fashion addict’s dream. Be prepared to lose quite a bit of your day, and seek out Rose Bakery on the fourth floor to give your energy levels a delicious boost. We’ll wager you’ll need it!

Aram Store Positioned as ‘London’s best furniture store’, the Aram Store near Covent Garden is a stalwart of the contemporary furniture scene, and family-run too. Zeev Aram, with a little help from Terence Conran’s then-new venture, Habitat, started something of a design revolution in Chelsea back in the sixties, with his first tiny showroom on King’s Road. Today, the Aram Store, in its substantial, architect-designed warehouse space on Drury Lane, brings together innovative, cutting-edge design of the highest quality. The Aram Gallery on the upper floor holds some pretty interesting exhibitions too, with a focus on new techniques, experimental design practice, and fresh talent.

Fab UK

Fab UK Of course, we couldn’t ignore the internet altogether, so we’re throwing a new online design store into the mix. Fab UK is a carefully curated site that has grabbed our attention lately. The team previously known as Llustre, has been taken under the wing of existing design e-commerce business, Fab.com. Now it’s busy signing up some of the most sought after designers around, offering their products at discounted prices, presented as online ‘sales’ for defined periods of time. You have to sign up to be a member, but it’s completely free of charge and a no brainer really if you’re after something truly unique.

Folklore Our wild card, just because it’s brand new, is Folklore in Islington. Opened in January by husband and wife team Danielle and Rob Reid, the company was created on the premise that ‘better living is possible through design’. Well said, we say. Less is certainly more, not only in the design of the shop which features stripped floorboards and upcycled fittings galore, but also in the product range. Folklore sells homeware, lighting, art and lifestyle accessories that have a focus on high quality craftsmanship, be they antique, upcycled, recyclable, or brand new. Environmental sensitivity is another key attribute of their carefully selected ranges. One to watch we think.

The Who? is Londonewcastle and some friends and guest authors that will pop up from time to time giving us and you their views. The What? is London life. What else? It’s who we are, it’s what we do, it’s what we breath. And for us and above all else, it’s where we live. The Why? is to share our enthusiasm for this greatest city on Earth … its richness, its diversity and its ever changing nature.