Dignan Porch – Tendrils Album Cover Review & Philippa Bloomfield Interview

Dignan Porch drummer, Philippa Bloomfield, is the designer behind this strange concoction. The photograph is pulled from the childhood photo albums of Bloomfield’s mother, and it shows her mother in a school play at the age of eleven. The people seem bite-sized, and the degraded film quality hints at passed time.

“The album has a very nostalgic feel to it and I felt it was important to reflect this in the artwork,” says Bloomfield. The photo has bizarre and surrealistic qualities, despite the innocent and straight-forward subject matter. “I think it’s an amazing photo, so many weird things going on; my personal favourite being the girl dressed as a bear (or is it a cow?) on a string, and there appears to be no one in the audience, which is quite eerie.”

Doubling up as both album cover designer and band member, Bloomfield stresses the importance of music and artwork going hand-in-hand. “… Being in the band gives you [an] intimate understanding of the music and lyrics, which I think enables you to create artwork that compliments what the songs are about,” she says.

Bloomfield is also a photographer and artist and has shot a few music videos, including one for the Dignan Porch track, “Game We Made.” See the video here or more of her work at www.philippabloomfield.com.

Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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