LOGO ENVY // SO WHAT?

While lost around Goodge Street I stumbled upon the 'SO WHAT?' studios, a market research company in the heart of London, just around the corner from Saatchi & Saatchi and other advertising/marketing giants. 

Isn't this the most beautiful logo? No? Well you're mistaken. As I've said a thousand times, I'm a sucker for a circular logo, for reasons unknown to myself. So this with a combination of wirey, clean cut type and you're golden in my eyes. 

GALLERY VISIT // iniva

A friend of mine at St Martins took me to Shoreditch for my birthday. He had bought me tickets to a concert for an arts punk pop band from Brooklyn, and on route, visited a couple of galleries.

Honestly, I can't remember the first, but it was the opening night, so free Belgium beer and oil paintings..

Onwards we went to iniva to see a fine art exhibition inspired by an Indian poet and polymath Rabindranath Tagore:

Tagore's Univeral Allegories is an exhibition inspired by the life and work of Indian poet and polymath Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941). It features individual responses from artists Anna Boghiguian and Goshka Macuga to Tagore's legacy, and suggests how his work and ideas still resonate for practitioners today. While shown in separate galleries, these two installations were conceived in relation to one another, with each artist engaged in the discussion and development of the other's work. Through these works perhaps it is possib to consider how Tagore's approach to art and literature as well as subjects including ecology, education, nationalism and cosmopolitanism, can be reviewed in relation to the contemporary world

In all honesty, I didn't get the exhibition. I just liked the vintage dairy pages and old family portraits.

ANNA BOGHIGUIAN AND GOSHKA MACUGA 

TAGORE'S UNIVERSAL ALLEGORIES // CURATED BY GRANT WATSON

THE MICRARIUM // GRANT ZOOLOGY MUSEUM

Went for a gander around central London and walked past a UCL biology building. Being the nosey bugger that I am, went inside, unearthing a treasure trove of taxidermy and skeletons. You can 'adopt' certain species for a year, for yourself or for a whole family - contemplating adopting the hippo foot for a Christmas present for a dear friend of mine..  

My favourite section of the museum was The Micrarium, containing hundreds of slides of microscopic organisms, making this beautiful illuminated tower of animal pieces. I want a wall like this in my imaginary future home..

Mirrored ceiling to The Micrarium

GALLERY VISIT // ALISON JACQUES

// In heart I'm an American artist, and I have no guilt. I seek pleasure. I seek the nerves under your skin //

PATTI SMITH - BABELOGUE

My obsession with the relationship between Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith will never die. So being the loyal follower that I am, went into London to the Alison Jacques Gallery just off of Oxford Street, exhibiting pieces and photographs connected to Robert's love of fashion. 

The pieces which I were drawn to were his necklaces which he made originally for himself, to portray the kind of creative he wanted to be seen as. Made from found objects, dices, skulls, tackle flies, bone, glass beads and anything he deemed to be beautiful, as gifts for those he loved. Although he was encouraged to take them further, always being a topic for conversation, he never did, wanting to remain an artist and photographer. 

• Robert was always in fashion. Classic and timeless. Then and now •

David Croland

• Much has been said about Robert, and more will be added. Young men will adopt his gait. Young girls will wear white dresses and morn his curls. He will be condemned and adored. In the end, truth will be found in his work. It will not fall away. Man cannot judge it. For art sings of God, and ultimately belongs to him •

Patti Smith // Just Kids

10 FACTS // ABOUT ME

Part of 'things to include' for my blog project for Kingston University is..

"Ten key facts about you. This can be as mundane or as sensational as you like but it needs to be truthful and it needs to b as visual as possible"

So I took some photographs and used some of my older ones to visually link to a fact about myself. Some interesting. Some not. All true. 

In the Next 10 Year I Shall Be..

Most likely living in a cardboard box trading pieces of graphic wisdom for  noodles. 

Design I love // ARTIFACT UPRISING

As un-original as it is to admit, I found this company on Instagram. 

"ARTIFACT UPRISING // inspired by the disappearing beauty

of the tangible / bettered by a community of inspiredstorytellers / driven by the belief everyone has a storyto tell. Tell On."

They're mission statement pretty much sums them up. Their products include; soft and hard cover books, wooden photo boxes, wooden calendars and Instagram friendly books. Apart from generating beautiful designed products, they use dead wood. Doesn't sound too sexy at first, but the dead pine wood from the Rocky Mountains turns from green to red to grey, giving the paper they use a grey-ish blue tint - yum!

With their core beliefs including:

CREATIVITY / for all things, endless possibility. for every story, endless ways to tell it.

COMMUNITY / we seek to cultivate a community of inspired storytellers - of movers, shakers, do-ers, designers, creatives, artists, thinkers, joy-makers.

LEAVE A LEGACY / we believe in the story that is archived for future generations. we believe in moving stories off our computers…and into our lives.

THE POWER OF ONE / to create art. and change the world.

PASSION / without it, we are nothing.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY / we strive to be kind stewards to mama earth and her happy forest. we are committed to using environmentally responsible papers and are always seeking ways to minimize our impact on the outdoors

AUTHENTICITY / in all things. in our communication. in our company. in the transparency of our supply chain. in our own story.

Check out ARTIFACT UPRISING online

MAGMA BOOKSTORE // Earlham St.

Not being local to Londinium I researched the bookstore online. The one which caught my eye was one titled ART DIRECTION EXPLAINED AT LAST.

Written by two of the world's leading experts on the matter, Steven Heller and Veronique  Vienne, and published by my favourite London based publisher LAURENCE KING, the book claims to provide 'students with insights into the world of art direction and professionals with a bible to the profession.' 

"It also provides an insight into what makes a successful art director, what an art director actually does all day, what makes things go right, and what makes things go wrong." - Something which appeals to me, being that it could me a career path for myself..

Pages from the book - beautiful layout, balancing words to image to dilute the number of pages strictly text based. Definitely one to add to my shopping list.

TED Talks // Why Google Glasses?

My first encounter with Google glasses was in Union Square, New York. I was sitting with a friend when he started yelling 'GOOGLE, YEAH YOU, CREEP! GOOGLE'. He pointed out a man, maybe in his late twenties, in a shirt and a pair of some weird clear sports glasses. He told me about these new glasses and how they record what you see. It sounded, in all honesty, creepy. I then saw the same man again a few day later in a cafe, sitting in the corner. Just the thought of him recording his visual memories and always wearing these new-age glasses was a weird concept to get my head around.

So when I visited the TED Talks website and saw a talk on the subject, I went for it.

I have to say that after hearing Sergey Brin talk about the origin of inspiration and seeing examples of the footage made from the glasses, it altered my perspective. 'Brin calls for a new way of seeing our relationship with our mobile computers -- not hunched over a screen but meeting the world heads-up.' 

Hearing Brin talk about trying to look busy on his phone in public is something which everyone does, no doubt, and so I liked the fact that Brin is providing a solution to a problem in that sense. Keeping your hands free and being more aware of your environment, but advancing technology at the same time, not simply removing the problem - which is now impossible in the lifestyle of our generation.

Codenamed 'Glass', you can ask the lenses to take a photo, video, ask directions, search the internet, video call and send photos. It does all of these but on demand, not continuously - which was the 'creep' factor for me, and in all honesty, looked really cool.

  

DESiGN DISCOVERY // 2

The Bearpit Improvement Group (BIG) consists of a team of volunteers with various skills (including architecture, urban design, horticulture, planning, financial management, arts and play) who have formed a community interest company to transform the “Bearpit” (the sunken area at St James Barton roundabout, Bristol) into a space that is welcoming, safe, diverse and inclusive. The BIG is working towards these aims in collaboration with Bristol City Council, which has designated the site a “Community Action Zone”.

  

In the ditch that is St James Barton roundabout, Bristol, lies a creative community built from nothing. Having a reputation for the place to pick up drugs and get in to punch ups, the local neighbourhood took it upon themselves to turn it around. My dad showed me this gem, undetectable from the road above.

Today, The Bear Pit has installed numerous positive themes through the help of BIG;

Communications // free WiFi is available at the Bear Pit

Greenery // Hundreds of bulbs have been planted. The BIG arranged for local organizations and companies (including the Soil Association, Oxfam and the Avon Organics Group) to “adopt” hexagonal planters on the site. Flowers, fruit and vegetables are now being grown in these planters.

Play // A permanent outdoor table tennis table has been installed.

Trading // The BIG has arranged for selected independent traders to operate on the site. Currently there is a daily fruit stall, coffee cart and gourmet sausage grill. On Saturdays this expands into a market with additional food outlets and craft stalls.

During my visit to the Bearpit there were a number of buskers, fruit and veg stalls and visitors enjoying the Bearpit Social café and grill. Aswell as large, bright pieces of graffiti artwork, adding vibrancy to an otherwise concrete, stagnant roundabout. Creative community at it’s best. 

GALLERY VISIT // Saatchi

'PAPER' Exhibition 18 June - 3 November

This was my favourite piece at the Saathci exhibition, 'Floating City' by Han Feng. An entire city landscape made of laser printed tracing paper and hung with fishing tackle. This photo was taken on a disposable camera, and so makes the piece look much darker, when in reality these huddled frames float (surprisingly) most delicately, rippling with any hint of a breeze. Really rather beautiful up close and at a distance.

"Neither sculpture nor drawing, Feng’s piece is composed of hundreds of tracing paper buildings of various sizes, their laser- printed details deriving from images of city architecture, which are grouped in dense clusters and hung from the ceiling with transparent fish tackle thread. Hovering a couple of inches off the gallery floor, Floating City has an ethereal, almost spectral quality; it shivers and sways with the movement of visitors."

Can Design Touch Someone's Heart?

Reaction video for Stefan Sagmeister's class Can Design Touch Someone's Heart 

"My approach was to touch the hearts of metro musicians by making posters for three of them, that I randomly picked on the L Train. Aim of the project is to touch a community's heart by usign the elements of design." - Ali Emre Doğramacı Shot by Sabri Akin & Qian Gao.

Music by CAN - Nineteenth Century Man

YES! I am obviously biased, but believe that design can touch someone's heart. What I like about this project is that the people the designer reached out to were performers at subway stations along the L train, New York City. People he probably saw on a regular basis and decided to not overlook them anymore. I love the work he makes, how it relates to each individual performer, and how it makes that individual feel. Not one is accepted without a smile. Point proven. 

WATCH IT HERE

EVENTS // MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1 // LONG ISLAND CITY 

This wasn’t an exhibition so to speak, but the courtyard outside of the gallery, on a Friday night, turned into a venue for experimental DJ’s to perform. I went twice with it being available to 19 year olds, difficult to find in NY. 

It was a rectangular courtyard with concrete walls and steps at the far end, with the decks and speakers at the top. Huge wooden instalments decorated the otherwise bleak venue, with giant balloons filled with water, which showered on party-goers throughout the set. These installations really were amazing, having to withstand 100’s of people, all weather conditions and still be visually appealing, made from the cut outs scraps from skateboards.

GALLERY VISIT // COOPER UNION NY

TYPE EXHIBITION // Cooper Union // New York City 

This has to be my favourite exhibition of the summer. As lame as it sounds, I love everything which is typographically based. The Type Directors Club 2013 Exhibition showcased the winners of the TDC's annual communication and typeface design competitions, as well as student scholarship winners - which I loved, as it gave me an opportunity to see the best student work in the country and a level to aspire to.

My favourite piece within this exhibition was a book about the evolution of Facebook, titled Facebook was never started to be a business. It was beautifully designed, filled with infographics, photographs and statement pages. It was comprised of thick ‘handmade feel’ paper and stitched together with red thread. It turned stagnant facts and figures into a beautiful, balanced and concise tribute to graphic design. 

Page from the book, I loved the statement 'Greatness and comfort rarely coexist.'

GALLERY VISIT // HIGH TIMES

HIGH TIMES // Broadway // Brooklyn. 

I accidentally went to this gallery, after a friend suggested a concert to attend while in the states. Long story short we got there to find that it was an intimate gallery for budding fine artists, which doubled as a concert venue in the basement. There were all sorts of weird and wonderful pieces of performance art and installations, but my favourite was this painting. Untitled and unclaimed, I simply loved the colours and imagery used. The mask and brushstrokes characterize the crucifixion. I’m a fan of any comical jab towards religion.  

EXPLORIN

My dad wanted me to see the house where he grew up, and on the way there walked past a sign for a ‘Vintage Emporium’. Ever the explorers we followed the trail to unearth a gypsy in a garage, full of vintage gems. Everything from dresses and birdcages to shot glasses and photo slides. I fell in love with a ouiji board from the 70’s, which I still regret not buying as I didn’t have a spare £30. I also found a crate of old tobacco tins, and being a sucker for dated packaging, bought one.

DESiGN DISCOVERY // 1

 This photo I shot in Stokes Croft, Bristol. I was on the way out of a pottery gallery with my Dad and stopped in my tracks as I walked past this residence, number 93. I love the font chosen, it was different to that of its neighbours, and clearly a creative brain dwelled within. Beautifully hand painted, which in my eyes instilled a sense of pride for the owner. Want to steal this idea for my own house one day.

Photographer // LEE JUNG

Lee Jung creates neon typographic installations in Seoul, South Korea. I love everything about her work, it is sad and beautiful and brutally honest. What I love is that there is no human subject, proving that when done right, the use of text and image can harbour a more emotive photograph than that of a sobbing child. I believe her work, I believe that they are her words and her feelings and can instantly relate. 

Beaut. 

Fun fact // she studied for her photography BA at Kent Institute for Art and Design, and her MA at the Royal College of Art (three cheers for Britain!)

Design Blogs

Not restricted to design, but all looked at for inspiration. The one I visit most often has to be Lost at E Minor, an Australian blog for 'creative people'. Enjoy. 

This Is Colossal

BeType

Lost At E Minor

Crack Magazine

VICE

VentureThree // Blog

Artifact Uprising // Blog

Places I have Ideas In..

I’d like to say that I was one of these people who can harbour inspiration wherever whenever. Sadly this is not the case. Lightning strikes when I give myself the time to get wrapped up in idea. 

This happens in that awkward space of time just before I fall asleep. I have always had trouble sleeping, and still lay awake for hours letting my mind wander, particularly of recent, after reading ‘Just Kids’. Learning about the art and music scene in Downtown New York during the Seventies gets my creative gears cranking.. so to speak. 

Train journeys as well, any lengthily amount of time where I can zone out with whatever music I’ve downloaded that week. (Most recent addition - The Doors, LA Woman)

I used to love the library at college, every Tuesday morning I’d grab 5-6 design magazines, sit with my iPod and thumb through them, leaving post-its on any page I felt photocopy worthy.