Plaster staff Christmas gift guide

Milo Astaire – Loxy Tattoo

A tattoo is for life, not just for Christmas. Treat yourself to a piece from London-based artist Joe Fox (@loxytattoo)

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Finn Constantine – DoBeDo Membership

This one’s for your friends who will never sign up themselves. Get them subscribed to DoBeDo’s free membership to access some great photography resources. The gift of knowledge is priceless.

Harriet Lloyd-Smith – Sophy Rickett, Pissing Women 1995

Some acts are, unequivocally, more straightforward, for men. One of them is public pissing. So when I came across Sophy Rickett’s new photo book, Pissing Women 1995, for which she and her friends are captured urinating in the streets of London clad in power suits I was smitten. It also marks the inaugural publication of Climax Books, which has just set up a new shop for erotica and ephemera in the heart of seedy Soho. That Shewee I got in my Christmas ‘08 stocking is beginning to look rather redundant. If a girl’s gotta go, a girl’s gotta go.

Jacob Charles Wilson – Blackbird Spyplane CLA$$IFIED-tier subscription

Blackbird Spyplane is an essential inbox accessory. Founders Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylie have changed the game (and the vocab) of fashion and culture. How many other ‘sletters will have you browsing a jawn index and hailing the sun god Helios? You get a lot of insights and reccs on the free tier, but the real ‘Mach 3+ unbeatable recon’ is behind the CLA$$IFIED tier paywall. At just $50 (or £41) per year, this gift won’t break the bank.

Izzy Bilkus – Sofia Coppola, Archive

Tapping into my teenage obsessions, the top of my Christmas list is Sofia Coppola’s Archive, her first book featuring behind-the-scenes snaps of her films, from The Virgin Suicides (my fave) to her upcoming feature, Priscilla. The book also includes a collection of Coppola’s personal photographs, scripts and moodboards from her archive. It’s the pink scrapbook of my girly dreams (and Jacob Elordi pics are always a plus).

Dave Spence – Troy Town Pottery

This is an amazing workshop run by Aaron Angell that collaborates with artists to create their ceramic works. They stock beautiful ceramics online and run residencies that you can apply for. It’s open to first-timers as well as established artists. I’d recommend taking a trip down to the workshop in Hoxton to see for yourself.

Laurie Barron – George Henry Longly prints

Top of my list this Christmas is a suite of hot new prints by George Henry Longly. He explains to Plaster, “The motif of the snake has multiple and contradicting meanings throughout cultures. It’s the simplicity of form and their beauty, and the complexity of meaning and the power that has as a symbol I’m drawn to. They represent horror to some, but I have always been deeply intrigued by them. I still remember having vivid dreams about snakes when I was a child. The design was made during the pandemic as an inlaid marble table top.”

Henry Gibbs – Mathmos Telstar lava lamp

What do we want? Warm neon lighting. When do we want it? Christmas. I saw two Kaspar Müller light installations this year, one at Frieze London, and one at Paris+, but, of course, money is always an obstacle. So, unless Santa is real, what’s on my Christmas list this year is a Mathmos Telstar rocket lava lamp in silver. I always wanted one as a kid and my parents are finally taking my request seriously. If you also can’t afford a Tracey Emin neon, Dan Flavin or Keith Sonnier then this is your best bet. My Mum did still have to check that I “100%” wanted it before purchasing it on Black Friday (yes I find out what I’m getting before Christmas and yes I often change my mind). My efforts to make my apparently ‘sterile’ bedroom more cosy are underway. I went for the violet and red colour combination: a warm, neon glow meets space-age metallics – tasteful yet cozy, arty yet accessible. Why the rocket you may ask? Read into it what you will, but put a phallic structure on a pedestal and you’re halfway there… I’m just waiting for lift-off.