Forget the salt and vinegar, chips by the Henningham Family Press don't need condiments to make them palatable.
I love words. I can’t get enough of the things. There’s nothing I like more than trying to string together as many of them, condensed into a clause and crammed in before a full stop, as is grammatically possible. So, as you can imagine, I was a little bit excited by the prospect of having literally any word of my choice printed on a piece of chip board.
For those of you oblivious to the fact that London is in the throes of the London Word Festival, listen up. The Chip Shop, developed by the wonderful family-run art and bookmaking collective, Henningham Family Press, got the festival going with a bang, serving up an ingenious take on that all time favourite, chips. The replica chip shop, built from chipboard and stationed at Toynbee Studios Arts & Cafe Bar, opened on Sunday as a pop-up screen-printing workshop, manned by David and Ping Henningham. The premise goes like so: for the price of a bag of chips (£1 – a snip of the price of most London chip shops) you can have a word of your choice, or one from the ‘catch of the day’ menu screened, inked and wrapped in newsprint to take home.
The reality: I amble down to Commercial Street armed with a selection of my favourite words: 'rush', 'daydream', 'procrastinate', 'fusspot', 'whinge', 'mumble', 'curious', 'peruse', 'guillotine', 'fringe', 'jealous', 'moan' and 'eavesdrop'. While on the tube, I mentally shortlist 'eavesdrop', 'peruse' and 'moan'. When I arrive, however it’s already heaving and hardly everyone can fit into the tiny space. It’s so busy in fact that David and Ping aren’t actually taking requests for words and everyone has to order from the ‘catch of the day’. The choices are ‘chip shop’, ‘jump’, ‘bliss’, and ‘spatula’. Meagre pickings I’m sure you’ll agree when pitted against the beautiful elision of ‘eavesdrop’ and the elongated ‘ooou’ of ‘peruse’.
But I can’t complain, especially as the Henninghams are so friendly and welcoming and amuse the politely hushed throng with their chit-chat. After all, I could hardly expect to make everyone wait while I have my pretentious selections etched out, although the thought does cross my mind more than once. So I shake off my mild disappointment and wait patiently as the Henninghams work their way through the rush on ‘jump’ and ‘bliss' – which bizarrely seems to be a popular choice. ‘Bliss’ is a bit cheesy if you ask me and it sounds like the name of some mediocre cosmetics range – ‘Spatula’ is infinitely better, and naturally what I’ve opted for.
Finally, when it feels like I’ve been waiting an age, people eventually tire of ‘jump’ and ‘bliss’ and ‘spatula’ gets its turn in the print-seat. I have to admit it's still quite fun as I walk up to help Ping hold down the print frame, while she inks the bright blue capitals of SPATULA onto a piece of chip board, and I am in a bit of a show-off mood as I swan back down past Aldgate East tube station with my wrapped piece of board. It’s no ‘eavesdrop’ but how many people can say they have ‘spatula’ printed on a bit of wood?
The Chip Shop will open again on Sunday 14th at Red Art Cafe on Kingsland Road and will be at Keep Printing and carry On on Saturday 20th with Darren Hayman, Jo Neary and Murray Macauley. All words submitted to the Chip Shop will form the basis of the 2010 Festival poem to be written by Ian McMillan. Let’s hope people get a chance to submit stuff this Sunday, otherwise, save a few ‘jumps’, a lot of ‘bliss’ and a sprinkling of ‘spatula’, poor Ian won’t have much to play with.
The London Word Festival is on from 7 March - 1 April 2010.
Click here for all London Comedy
Click here for all London Theatre
Add an event
Minimalism, Van Dyke, Mondrian - Editor's Choice, Exhibitions
From Wednesday 15th February Colin Glen @ TJ Boulting Tangled complexity meets stark minimalism in t...