SED*8 Magazine

Edge, the vocational education foundation has launched a new skills initiative in conjunction with London 2012. Looking behind the scenes at the inspirational men and woman responsible for creating the Olympic Games, Edge is pioneering a new skills initiative inspired by the impending Games.

‘Making the Games’ showcases some of the many interesting and surprising roles involved in creating the Olympic Games to inspire young people, and their teachers, to think differently about practical and vocational careers. By following a handful of skilled professionals who are passionate, ambitious and successful, they hope to change perceptions and raise the stature of practical learning within the UK.

Visitors to the www.edge.co.uk/projects/making-the-games can view a diverse range of profiles, from construction workers to chefs, engravers to film crew.. If you’re interested just click on a profiled career where you have the opportunity to send questions to the individuals profiled and to follow their twitter updates as their work progresses. Or get involved through the Twitter page, where there’s regular competitions, games and Olympic multi-media content, as well as personal updates from those making the games happen!

Plus there’s a chance to win a £50 music voucher each week till the end of June. All entrants in these weekly competitions will go into a grand prize draw for a trip to the Olympic Park for a group of ten in October.

More information on the Get Set network and how to join: http://getset.london2012.com/en/join-us/register

Bigga Fish is the pioneer of urban youth music in London. In 1999 founder Nii Sackey convinced his local council their money would be better spent on recording equipment for aspiring urban artists than adding to the CCTV craze that had engulfed the city. What started with a few small workshops around Kilburn and Camden has grown into a wide scale operation co-ordinating over 48 live music events and 1200 hours of workshops for urban artists.
To find out more and get involved check out www.biggafish.com.

Set in the impressive environs of the Roundhouse performing arts venue in Camden. Roundhouse Studios is ‘a place to create’ where people between the ages of 13 and 25 are provided with rehearsal space, recording equipment and an encouraging community where they can develop skills in music and performing arts. Not only does the Roundhouse provide all the necessary equipment at seriously cheap rates, they also runs tutorial sessions for aspiring artists and producers lead by industry professionals. Those involved are also given the chance to showcase their work in front of big players in the industry. More importantly the Roundhouse provides as atmosphere where young creative people can meet, inspire each other and work on the kind of collaborations that are the crux of the creative industries, think Kanye and Estelle, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, Spongebob and Patrick.. For more info visit www.roundhouse.org.uk

A directory of weird and wondrous things going down in East London, from crisp festivals to B-boy championships KungFu London is a blog that has it all. If it happens here, they will know.
www.kungfu-london.com

On the first Monday of every month, Favela Chic in Shoreditch plays host to ILUVLIVE, London’s premier event for emerging urban talent. The night was set up four years ago and ever since has given young artists the chance to showcase their work. Not only to they get the opportunity to perform alongside renowned acts like Wiley, Kano and Miss Dynamite, they also get to do their thing with the backing of a full live band.
Each night participants from the crowd are given the chance to woo the audience with 60 second open mic session and are in with a chance to win a slot in next month’s show. So whether you are gagging get up on that stage or prefer to be part of this discerning crowd get down to Favela chic for a piece of this live action.
www.myspace.com/iluvliveuk

If you’re in desperate need for a new pair of SB Dunks but know that selling your mum’s cat to the local KFC won’t go down.. again.. then take a wander through the charming streets of Whitechapel and you could be lucky enough to come across The East End thrift store and a world of vintage and second-hand joy. Or you could just take out a pen and chalk this down, Assembly Passage off Mile End Road, 11-6 every day.
www.theeastendthriftstore.com

Launched in 2002 Terratag mixes Japanese influences with graffiti, hip hop and home-grown British humour. to create a mash up of loco pop culture graphics. The label mixes things up with t-shirts, sweatshirts, prints and paintings and looks East for inspiration. Think of that drunken Samurai you saw bodypopping to minimal techno last week on the bus through Shoreditch.
Paul Nicholson, the force behind Terratag is a man obsessed with all things manga, a true Japaholic. He set up the t-shirt brand that would become Terratag shortly after leaving University. Also heavily influenced by the music scene in London his past clients include Andrew Weatherall, Aphex Twin, Orbital and Warp Records. To get a feel for Terratag’s original aesthetics head down to their flagship store at 188 Brick Lane or check out their online incarnation at www.terratag.com.

For all you fans of the 59Fifty Original Fitted Cap comes a new departure from renowned cap-makers New Era. No longer content with dressing just the heads of streetwear fans the world over, the hat brand from Buffalo, New York has launched New Era Apparel. The collection is designed in London by urban fashion guru Walé Adeyemi and launches with a menswear range. It comes in two different lines ‘Inspired’ and ‘Fusion’. Fusion has a more casual and urban feel while Inspired works a more classic look. So head down to the London flagship store at 72-74 Brewer St, Soho and check it out.

Appearing like magic mushrooms on a grassy hillock, Adizone’s are popping up all over East London. These public outdoors sports facilities include street-ball courts, tennis walls, traversing climbing walls and outdoor gym equipment. They’re sponsored by Official Sportswear Sponsor for London 2012, Adidas, hence the name. The facilities are open to all and free to use and there will be local coaches regularly heading down to the spots to scout for talent.

Founded in 2001 in the effervescent cool of Soho, New York, the Wooster Collective has become the definitive catalogue of street-art on the web. The site provides daily contributions from viewers in every country on the planet that has been witness to the subversive power of street-art. The site catalogues everything street-art from the famous to the obscure. Its founders Marc and Sara Schiller who were invited to speak at the Tate Modern’s Street Art exhibition during the summer, have become global authorities on the phenomenon.
www.woostercollective.com