Magic Party Place Are you looking for a unique and enchanting venue to host your next party or event? Look no further than the Magic Party Place! Located in the heart of the city, our venue offers a magical and whimsical setting that will make your event truly unforgettable. When you step into the Magic Party Place, you will be transported into a world of wonder and amazement. The entire space is decorated with captivating and mystical decor, from fairy lights and glittering curtains to floating candles and colorful flowers. Every detail is carefully crafted to create a magical atmosphere that will leave your guests spellbound. Our venue is perfect for any type of event, from birthdays and weddings to corporate parties and baby showers. Whether you are hosting a small gathering or a large celebration, our space can accommodate your needs.
Whether you are hosting a small gathering or a large celebration, our space can accommodate your needs. We have multiple rooms available, each with its own unique theme and ambiance. You can choose from the Enchanted Forest, the Fairy Garden, or the Crystal Palace, among others.
A Dialogue with CJ Clarke on "Magic Party Place"
5 Share Tweet Photographer CJ Clarke had no idea what would conspire years later when he began a simple street-documentary series recording the daily lives of people from Basildon. In ten years, he would find out for himself the growing distrust of the national government, right before Brexit took place. Majority of the residents in Basildon, along with many others, would eventually vote themselves out of the European Union as their expression of discontent -- a vote that the national government feared. "The British people have made a choice, that not only needs to be respected but those on the losing side of the argument - myself included - should help to make it work." - taken from then-Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation speech after the Brexit vote Here, we have photographer CJ Clarke's side of the story.
The series actually seems to work as an omen despite you not knowing this would happen. It was done before the vote. You began the project ten years ago. Were you surprised when UK voted itself out of the European Union?
I begun the project in 2005 because I could sense that the "average" was being over looked. The working class have been greatly photographed, but how many of these stories, projects or books deal in stereotype or in ‘extremes’? Such work reinforces the great patronising middle class attitude that the working class are only relevant and interesting if they are drug addicts, criminals or ‘salt of the earth’ types who know their place. This doesn’t reflect the reality for a majority of people who would label themselves as working class and it certainly doesn’t reflect my reality coming from and growing up in such a community.
Unlike our electoral politics and the unfair "first past the post" system, a lot of people realized that in the referendum it was "one person, one vote"—they could actually make themselves heard. And that they did. A great many people, like those in Basildon, feel ignored by Westminster politics; they feel marginalized even though they are the majority. The great failure of politics over the past decade has been its failure to properly engage with people and tackle their concerns, whether real or perceived.
While I may not have foreseen Brexit when I started the project ten years ago, I was certainly aware of how neglected the working class felt. They have been photographed an immense amount, but how many of these stories, projects and books deal in stereotype or in "extremes?" Such work reinforces the greatly patronizing middle-class opinion that the working class is only relevant and interesting if they are drug addicts, criminals or "salt of the earth" types who know their place. This doesn't reflect the reality for a majority of the people who label themselves as working class—and it certainly doesn't reflect my reality growing up in such a community.
Even ten years ago, the roots of discontent that led to Brexit were evident.
Many news and opinion pieces assume this was a terrible choice for UK. However, your series actually dwells deep into the heart of this decision -- injustice of the working class. As a local in the country, please enlighten us more about the situation.
It's important to understand what Brexit represents. Were people actually voting against membership in the EU? I'm not sure they were. That would seem borne out by the statistic that more people were Googling the term "EU" post-Brexit than before the vote.
The great failure of the political class over the past quarter century, is not to address the concerns (real or perceived) of a great majority of English people, which has lead to an ever growing chasm between politics and between the two. Brexit was the ultimate expression of this discontent. For the political class, the ‘Leave’ vote is to be feared; it is the collective snub, the people have spoken and what they are saying cannot be acknowledged: ‘we don’t need you.’
I’ve just made a film for Channel 4 news following on from my book and assessing the post-Brexit climate. I met up with a few people who feature in the book and who I haven’t seen for a few years and, in the interim, from their perspective very little has changed. Indeed, amongst some there is a feeling that things are getting worse, that we are more fragmented as a society and that we have somehow list our sense of identity and our sense of direction. Such an opinion is found in many older people and the younger generations would probably disagree but that just brings us back to my earlier point about the failure of politics over the past decades.
The book plots the erosion of this trust in politics and maps the roots of Brexit as a consequence.
What were you usually thinking when photographing the series? What were the subjects/elements/themes you were looking for?
Basildon is a new town built after the Second World War, it is a manufactured community, it’s social statistics are close to the national average. The town is largely culturally homogenous, with many of the town’s residents able to trace their roots to similar parts of London. As a result, the media coined the term 'Basildon Man' to charaticsed the residents of the town and the way in which by both left and right their vote was seen as key to electoral success.
When I begun Magic Party Place. I wanted to explore the lives, habits and environment of ‘Basildon Man’ – and Basildon women – to see what that might reveal about the state of contemporary England. I wanted to go deeper, to go beyond this media constructed name as such nomenclature belittles the subject, it is a way of objectifying the working classes and delegitimizing their opinions and aspirations.
I was looking to document life as it is lived by a majority of people - the average, the mundane mixed with moments of the extraordinary.
Political alienation runs deep. For your, how do you think does your photo series connect with the people affected?
Many people who have seen the project locally are very connected with it. It gets a reaction and makes people consider the town, their identity and maybe wider issues about the contemporary UK.
In time I will organise some form of exhibition of screening in the town and that will be a more specific forum to understand how Basildonians react to the work and how they view themselves in the current political climate.
The photographs also work as a documented work of the current social landscape. Where do you usually start off in a serious project like this?
It was always my intention to document one community in depth as a way of saying something about the whole of contemporary England. Basildon is one of the most average places in the UK so it was a good place to be able to do this. The fact that it was my home town was incidental, it just added an extra layer to the project.
Since the very beginning I have had a very developed sense of the project. What I was trying to say and where it was going. This allowed me to work on the project for so long. I wasn't ridged in my ideas - and allowed them to be formed by my experiences so that the project has an organic quality.
To ensure that this narrative had integrity I have always done a lot of research. Reports and statistics are used at the back of the book, in graphical form, to show how Basildon is representative of England as a whole. This is important, important that it not just by opinion but it is an opinion backs up my facts.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
My major influences were and are cinema, TV and theater. It started with Hitchcock and The 39 Steps when I was 13 and progressed through Powell and Pressburger's "A Canterbury Tale", Stanely Kubrick, Peter Greenaway; and later Bertolt Brecht and Dennis Potter.
As a result I came to photography quite late, comparatively, so my photographic influence is small. Still, the impact of that focused selection was extraordinarily powerful. I had three photobooks—Cartier-Bresson in India, Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection and Vietnam Inc. I didn't really know who these people were, but as an autodidact, I found out that they were well-known and their books were meant to be good. They were more than good, of course. In each case, I pulled the works apart: as books, as texts, the sequence and the images and their composition. Through them, I learned about creating a series and taking photographs. Later, I discovered Gilles Peress' "Telex: Iran" and Robert Frank's "The Americans". More defining moments. As was Peress' 'Farewell to Bosnia'. Somewhere on this journey I came across Matin Parr's The Last Resort and similarly pulled it apart trying to understand how such powerful photos were made.
As a photographer, may you share us what you do to keep growing in your craft?
This can only be achieved if you are connected with the world around you. Political and social developments. Development in media, technologies and distribution etc. I saw an interview recently with Nina Simone where she said to be an artist (in the broadest sense) is to be connected and to be political. I would agree with that I and I think that is what drives me to to keep developing.
Lastly, what's next for you? Any upcoming project you'd like to share?
For almost as long as Magic Party Place I have been working on a project on Northern Ireland called "Loyalists" and I will shortly be turning my attention back to this. It is about the loyalist community and there journey to find a sense of identity in the years following the Good Friday Agreement. A small selection of this work can be found on my website. In addition to this I have a couple of film projects currently in development.
If you've enjoyed our interview with CJ Clarke, do read our in-depth feature of his series. The book Magic Party Place was shortlisted for the 'Aperture Paris Photo First Photobook Prize 2016'.
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Reviews for "Step into a World of Magic and Wonder at Our Party Venue"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with Magic Party Place. The decorations were outdated and tacky, and the staff seemed disinterested and unenthusiastic. The party games were lackluster and felt like they were thrown together at the last minute. Overall, it was not worth the price and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable party experience.
2. Sarah - 1 star - My experience at Magic Party Place was absolutely terrible. The venue was dirty and poorly maintained, with stains on the carpet and sticky tables. The party host was rude and seemed annoyed by our presence. The activities were boring and poorly organized, and the food was mediocre at best. It was a complete waste of time and money, and I will never go back.
3. Michelle - 2 stars - I was really excited to host my child's birthday party at Magic Party Place, but it ended up being a huge disappointment. The staff was unprofessional and didn't seem to have any idea of what they were doing. The party room was cramped and overcrowded, and there weren't enough activities to keep the kids entertained. The whole experience was chaotic and stressful, and I would not recommend it to other parents.
4. Mark - 2 stars - Magic Party Place did not live up to the hype. The venue was outdated and in need of renovation. The party packages were overpriced for what was offered, and the staff seemed unorganized and overwhelmed. The activities were repetitive and not very engaging for the kids. Overall, it was a lackluster experience and I would not choose to have another party there in the future.
5. Emily - 1 star - I had high expectations for Magic Party Place, but it fell short in every way. The decorations were worn-out and unimpressive, and the staff was rude and unhelpful. The party games were poorly planned and executed, and there was a lack of variety in the activities offered. The food was bland and left much to be desired. It was a disappointing experience and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and enjoyable party venue.