The Flamingo House Blog
1-Your Open House is called The Flamingo House. Can you tell us about this name and the artist group you’re hosting?
Ha, well my real name is actually Fleming so my family have always been known as the Flamingos, hence why we decided to call our home the Flamingo House. Contraire to popular belief, the beautiful pink birds came on trend later… Oh and I love to migrate to exotic places! Does that count?
This year, we have a very exciting mix of artists: five ceramicists including world renowned Atelier Stella, jewellers including Rosie Odette, sculptures from local & African artists, talented painters and printmakers including Penelope Kenny, whose work is featured on the current AOH festival guides & posters.
2-Can you tell us about the upcoming events/workshops that you’ll be hosting for Africa Day on 21st May? Why is Africa Day important to you?
We’ve teamed up with some incredible people to host our very own special event called ‘Africa Day’. With so much conflict in the world, we want to bring Peace to the fore while delivering a creative feast for all the senses. Our aim is to bring awareness to our visitors, which is why we will be working closely with Peace Direct and donating 10% off all sale profits made on Africa day to this charity, in order to help rebuild the lives of the victims of war and violence.
We’re delighted to have musicians Zimbaremabwe play for our event. If you’ve ever wandered through the Royal Pavilion Gardens on a sunny day and heard an enchanting mix of Mbria and saxophone played, you’ll know what magical sounds I’m talking about…
We will also have live action painting from Sierra Leonean Artist Pierre Bamin, whose stunning work is exhibited in the main room.
Kunaka stone have brought a wonderful selection of sculptures from Zimbabwe to be displayed in Brighton and help the artists share their fine talents in the UK.
Why not flock to the Flamingo House, sit among the banana & palm trees, listen to some uplifting music, admire beautiful Art & wax cushions and enjoy some delicious healthy food lovingly prepared by Viva los Vegan.
It’s all good Karma, you know.
3-Can you tell us about the events you have planned for launch day on 6th May
Yes, we’ve been busy preparing our show since last summer and we simply can’t wait to fling our doors open again to the public. Clever Mister Phil will be giving a live demonstration at 2.30pm on how to create intricate vinyl decals. There’s also a great deal for children to enjoy with trampoline sessions, face painting and stickers to collect in their Hove Trotter passports. We’ll also be serving lunch, cakes and hot drinks throughout the day.
4-Where can people follow news about The Flamingo House?
You can follow the action through our Facebook page @flamingoarthouse and on brand spanking new website www.flamingohouse.co.uk
5-How do you feel about being voted Best Open House Runner Up in 2016?
We were over the moon to be nominated as best open house runner up last year, especially with so many amazing other venues across Brighton & Hove. It was a fantastic month for all of us and incredibly rewarding to be recognised for the all hard work we put into last year’s show. It has given us the drive and inspiration to make things even more special this year! Thank you.
6-Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
We look forward to welcoming you to the Flamingo House and showing you the beautiful work of our talented crew of 17 artist makers. You will be given the chance to meet the artists, taste some mouth watering food, take home some unique art and support some truly worthy causes.
You can find the Flamingo House on the Hove Trail: https://aoh.org.uk/house/the-flamingo-house-2/
Blog words by:
Idil C. Bozkurt
Freelance Video and Multimedia Producer