Moroshka: fairy tales from the Russian woodlands

Moroshka is the Russian name for the cloudberry which grows in the Arctic Tundra. It is also the name that Russian-born Tatiana Porter has chosen for her exquisite and utterly charming creations.

 Inspired by the childhood fairy tales of the Russian woodlands, Tatiana's beautiful and unique clothbound dolls transport us to the ethereal whimsical fantasies of her childhood. Each doll is painstakingly hand-stitched and hand- painted, sourced from unique vintage fabrics. And each doll possesses a startlingly unique character and a gentle personality all its own.  

So if you're looking for something very special that a child, or a deserving adult will cherish forever, you can buyTatiana's creations at Benjamin Pollock in Covent Garden and also at Niddle Noddle in Crouch End. She has also recently started her online store at www.moroshka.bigcartel.com

Tatiana

Mr and Mrs Fox

Toadstool necklaces

Tatiana at home working on Mr Harlequin Rabbit

Hand-painted wooden acorn necklace

Opening the door wider - a showcase of Eurasian talent

London's is one of the world's truly global cities with a reputation in theatre to match. Yet despite its ethnically and culturally kaleidoscopic nature, representation on stage is less diverse than it should be. East Asians in particular, suffer from a lack of visibility, especially for roles that go beyond narrow cultural stereotypes. Performers of mixed heritage -Eurasians- are particularly affected, often considered either not "white" or "asian" enough as casting options.

Last week a group of Eurasian actors got together to present a showcase of their talents with the aim of creating a wider awareness of the versatile performances they are capable of. It was a fabulous show and will have undoubtedly helped to open the door wider - deservedly - to their impressive talents.

east london nights

A study in fennel

Yoga for life

   

Cynthia Micallef, founder of Om Tribe Yoga, and baby yogi.

   

Celest throwing immaculate shapes.

      Not having done yoga for quite a few years, I'd quite forgotten just how much difference regular yoga practice can make to physical and mental wellbeing. Recently I had a chance to shoot in the beautiful tranquil studio of Om Tribe Yoga in Canary Wharf with the charismatic and inspiring yoga teacher Celest Pereira. It was a great experience, and has prompted me to get back practising again!

Spring shapes and shadows

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Perils of the vox pop or..if only we had politicians who can lead.

Ben Page has a good article in the Guardian today about the pitfalls politicians face if they blindly follow public opinion. This photo I took of him now seems rather apt.

domesticus

Beneath the digital veil

I've recently been reading a lot of Evgeny Morozov and find his thoughts on the implications of our digitally enmeshed society both terrifying and compelling. So much of the underwiring behind our interactions on the web is opaque, and will become even more so with the big data revolution looming. So when my hard drive packed up I thought I'd take it apart to understand the physical aspects of the virtual age.

This is the hard drive, a mirror-like ceramic disk which,if it doesn't yet, will soon be the repository for every important bit of information about you. The arm scans the disk for requested information, much like the tone arm on a record player.

The processor and the circuit board are the means by which data is requested and transported.

Destroying the disk makes data impossible to recover although though how much of your personal information is scattered elsewhere on other servers and held by other bodies and companies is well worth pondering.