Andrew Kay: Up against the wall

The phrase is six degrees of separation but I think I have just beaten that. It was a bit of a hot day and I found myself in town and between meetings. There was not time to go home, or need, but more time than it would take to get to my next appointment. So I decided to have a cooling drink in a quiet Kemp Town bar. I walked in; there were a couple of people having a drink and a barman.

I ordered a Diet Coke and he started to chat. Pretty soon I discovered that he had studied drama. I asked where and he said Brighton University. Well, I know a few people who work on that course or have over the last 20 years or so. I asked if he had done his foundation course there too and he said no, he had done it just outside Liverpool. When I asked more, it turned out he had studied in my birth town of St Helens.

We continued chatting and established that he had lived in an area called Dentons Green, where I grew up; then he said it was Speakman Road – the coincidences were uncanny. When we both said the same door number we fell silent for a few moments, it was too odd.

I asked what the house was like, I had left when I was seven and my grandmother lived there until I was 21. The oddness continued as he had rented what had been my bedroom. Too, too weird. I decided to lighten the mood by asking if there was still Pinky and Perky wallpaper. He laughed and of course said that there was not. Sad I thought, I loved that wallpaper, especially after I had supplemented the images with cut out pictures from that week’s copy of my Jack and Jill comic (picture me with plastic scissors and a red rubber stoppered bottle of Gloy Gum).

“That was my first venture into art directing, feeling the need to make my own mark, albeit on my bedroom wall”

I suppose that was my first venture into art directing, feeling the need to make my own mark, albeit on my bedroom wall. I got a spanking for that too, you could do that in those days.

I still love to create an individual home environment and over the years have painted trompe l’oeil scenes onto folding doors and murals here there and everywhere. But now it’s all much easier.

In another coincidence I heard from my old friend Tony Brothers at DoubleDot, a company that I used for years to produce film for print when that was how it was done. Since then Tony has gone on to become top of his game at large format printing. And his newest machinery will do some pretty exciting things, amongst which it will print onto a wide variety of wall coverings and fabrics. Can you see where I am going with this? I am already imagining a pretty exciting Pinky and Perky theme for my bedroom (don’t know who Pinky and Perky are? Look them up!).

So my next stop is to meet up with Tony at DoubleDot and find out a bit more. I have already seen some pretty impressive examples of what they can achieve and with prices starting at around £40 a square metre it’s not that scary for what will, after all, be a unique and totally bespoke result. Two piggy puppets may not be to your taste but you could use any imagery to suit, from photos to drawings, landscapes, night skies, flamboyant interiors… there really is no limit. And the finished coverings can be applied to any suitable wall by an experienced wallpaper hanger. I can’t wait!

For more information call Tony Brothers on 01273 492233 or go to www.doubledot.co.uk

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