In profile: Shane Connolly

by Joanne Petty

The wind blows gently through the large windows that overlook East London and two cats pad over the bare floorboards of the large warehouse flat.

There is a low buzz from the washing machine in the kitchen running. Shane Connolly, 24, leans back on the sofa and sips his tea thoughtfully. “If you want to be a pioneer, you have to do things your own way, not that I’m saying that I’m a pioneer or anything" he says quickly, "but I want to do something different.”

Connolly graduated from the London College of Communication after completing a BA in Sound Arts and Design. He has recently set up a new free monthly art magazine called Sweet and Sound.

Published online since June of this year, he has now launched a print version which he plans to distribute around London. When he talks about the project he becomes really animated, reflecting on ideas that are in the first issue.

The inside cover explains that the intention of the project is to: “Create a platform for artists, musicians and writers to  give exposure to their work. Art should not be judged on the quantities sold or by celebrity, but by the quality of work,” he says.

The website is very simple, along the lines of Vice, the pictures are sometimes basic and grainy, but encapsulate the trendy London lifestyle.

The print version of Sweet and Sound is thrust into my hand; a few hundred have recently been printed and are piled up around the place, ready to be given out.

In print

The print version is just as basic as the website: it is printed in a newspaper style format, with the pages loosely slotted together. However, what is inside reflects Connolly’s message: he wants to keep it simple, and let the pictures and content do the talking.

He had toyed with the idea of setting up a website after becoming involved in the grime scene as a teenager. He never considered himself to be an academic student and said that he was at a ‘loose end’, but after his friend applied to LCC, he decided to apply too, and embarked on the Sound Arts and Design BA course.

Connolly admits that he never really got good grades on his course, however he says the course gave him a great insight into the industry and helped him learn about aspects that he had never thought about before.

“The course made me realise there was procedures for your art – a way of presenting it to people.” He says, “I can’t say that I enjoyed it that much, but at the same time I benefitted a lot from it.”

Music influences

Sweet and Sound stems from when Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 nnolly was trying to get people to listen to his hip-hop music. He stresses that his passion has always been music, and it has been a part of his life since he was a teenager.

Connolly and a friend tried publishing their music on the internet, but he describes it as ‘putting a needle in a haystack.’

After some thought he decided to get together with the artists he had come to know from working at the record label XL to create the magazine. XL Recordings is one of the UK’s biggest independent music labels, and originally started as a label for rave and dance music in 1989.

It has since expanded and boasts artists such as Adele, The White Stripes and Radiohead. Connolly gathered together obscure artists to work alongside more established people.

This time round he revelled in taking on all creative fields: writing, photography, art, and music. “All of a sudden it got very serious,” he says, “I didn’t want it to be a blog that could fall off at any time: I wanted it to be the best.”

New found talent

Working from his bedroom Connolly is principle photographer, website designer, and writer. He hadn’t really considered himself a writer before, but now has embraced it fully, making it a part of his life.

He says that he takes inspiration from a lot of things, and talks enthusiastically of his days in the grime scene. He clearly loves living in Dalston too, describing the culture as unique, and this reflects in his work for Sweet and Sound.

Connolly says he owes his part-time job at XL, where he works one day a week, to his degree: “I’m moving forward because of the education that I had. The university is so respected, and even though it sounds so clichéd – it’s up to you what you make out of life, so you should make the most of the facilities and people there.”

The two cats dance over his lap and he plays with an empty cigarette box as he discusses his plans for the future.

As regards to making money from Sweet and Sound, and after some thought he says: “The idea of making money would be great, because obviously I need to make money to survive and I want to make money from something that I enjoy, but even though I’m not making money, I’m still getting such a buzz from it that I can’t complain.” 

Video

Sweet and Sound not only has a print and online platform, but has also ventured into video at the website dontwatchthat.tv. At the moment a new low-fi conceptual band grace the screen; their music having been recorded on to 8-track and VHS tapes. Connolly plans to get together the ‘crew’ from his old grime days to have a bit of a reunion for the next issue.

 

His relaxed attitude towards just about everything helps reinforce the idea that he wants as many different and diverse people to contribute to the magazine, and he admits he knows what it was like being a student and “going to PPD classes, feeling so confused” over how to get his work out to the public.

 

“To me, this is a great platform without having to feel any pressure. A lot of contributors have studied at the UAL and they always get good feedback, especially as we always put a link to their website or Flickr or whatever.”

It’s clear that Connolly has put his heart and soul into Sweet and Sound and he really believes in the project.  As the washing machine suddenly stops spinning, he says with a huge grin: “The idea that people are actually enjoying Sweet and Sound is one of the best things, and I’ve never felt this sense of achievement ever.”

 

See also: Getting to know you: Shane Connolly