London Fashion Week Exhibition

This weekend I visited London Fashion Week's exhibition at the Sommerset House and 180 Strand, showcasing two hundred of fashions most creative UK and international brands. The exhibition was intended to mirror the energy of the catwalk, helping to highlight fashion trends, and product selection and positioning. The exhibition was so visually eye-catching, consisting of vibrant, innovative and diverse collections. Features I particularly liked were the floating T-shirt island, that celebrates the T-shirt as a clothing item. 

Also Estethica, The British Fashion Council's eco-sustainable 

initiative. A collection of twenty eight designers, that practice fairtrade, recycling and ethical issues in their creations. This was particularly interesting to see cutting edge fashion can still be made in an eco-sustainable way, with the industry making positive development towards these issues. I think it is very important that well known and high fashion brands lead the way with these issues for others to follow. 

The range of colours and materials used in the different collections provided such a diverse and interesting appearance. This is what I like most about textiles and print design, the tactile experience that they give to the viewer. The extensive array of textures made me realise I need to be more experimental in my own work when choosing materials as they can really reinforce the message being portrayed

9/11 Memorial

As we pass the eighth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, we see a new identity for it's memorial and museum, coinciding with the opening of the new 9/11 preview site. The name has been shortened considerably to a far more simple 9/11 Memorial, the aim of this was to make it more distinctive to the public. Created by Landor, the new identity reinforces the spirit of rebuilding. The clever highlighting of the '11' represents pillars of strength and solidarity, whilst also making reference to the twin towers. I think the identity is appropriate for such a sensitive issue, it is strong, simple and to the point, yet respectful. The symbolism of the '11' is also a clever device and adds a nice touch. 

This identity is for the new memorial and museum dedicated to september 11th and will be ready to open in 2011 on it's 10th anniversary. The 9/11 preview site enables the public to view models, artifacts, images and stories and watch the development of the memorial and museum being built. 

The design for the memorial was chosen from a competition of 5200 entries. Below is the winning design by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker.

The memorial covers eight acres in total, the main feature being 2 giant pools in the footprints of the world trade centre buildings. The pools will have the largest man made waterfalls in the country cascading into the bottom of each. I really admire this design, it emphasises the absence and feeling of loss in the middle of the city using the two large voids, whilst creating a beautiful space to visit. It is a powerful reminder of the buildings and the lives lost. The new identity and plans for the memorial does create a sense of the city rebuilding and moving forward. 

Super Contemporary at the Design Museum

I was really impressed by the Super Contemporary exhibition showing currently at the Design Museum. A lot of detail has gone into the entire exhibition, even the branding of it. Super Contemporary is an exhibition celebrating London's creative community and it's achievements, both past and present. It explores what gives the city its reputation as a beacon for design worldwide, and shows it's creative progression until present day. The focus of the exhibition is 15 specially commissioned pieces by some of the cities most talented creatives, that address London's culture and characteristics. Around the walls of the room is a visual timeline, beginning at 1960, documenting London's creative ascent and key achievements in design. I found it particularly interesting as you can see the impact that culture has had upon design in the past as a chronological order. 

 

Neville Brody's commission was very thought provoking, it looked at the issue of a city overrun with surveillance where you are constantly being watched. His response was a self contained, sound-proof booth; a rare example of a public space that wasn't being monitored. 

The website for the Super Contemporary exhibition is also very good. They have used the interesting logo as a clever navigational tool that works very effectively in the design and to get around the website. The design echoes the layout of the exhibition which is visually striking and also easy to gain information. It gives detail of the overall exhibition and each of the 15 commissions. I find it a very effective piece of online work that compliments the exhibition well, which runs until the 4th of October, and is definitely well worth a visit. 

www.supercontemporary.co.uk

'Sketches' 1941-2005 Jan Kaplicky

Whilst visiting London last weekend I found time to take a look at the current exhibition at the Design Museum: 'Remembering Jan Kaplicky - Architect of the Future'. After walking for an hour from the nearest tube station, trying to find a poorly signed Design Museum, through a maze of streets, most of which in the wrong direction, I finally arrived at what turned out to be a rather disappointing exhibition. However, downstairs in the gallery's shop I found this intriguing book that had the inspiration I was looking for, that the exhibition had lacked.

'Sketches' is a unique book compiled from 60 years of Kaplicky's hand drawn sketches. These illustrations look so rare in todays digital world, their primitive, simple style is striking and full of character when compared to the far more clinical style a computer produces. They almost look as though they are quickly scribbled down as an idea has just been realised. The book consists of initial, very rough sketches and ideas, to more developed whole buildings or detailed, single elements. It is a very intimate experience to look through Kaplicky's sketches in this way, showing his chain of thought and private workings, most of which have never been made. The book is almost like a diary or log book in which the artist has developed over his lifetime and makes it feel very personal to the reader. 

The Bauhaus Museum, Berlin

Top of my list of things to see in Berlin was the Bauhuas Museum. I have always been interested in the modernist movement and it's impact on design, and was therefore looking forward to seeing the work produced here almost ninety years ago. 

The Bauhaus appealed to the german population after world war one, as it was seen as a new beginning and a way of rebuilding a bankrupt Germany. However it's work produced there proved to cause quite controversial reactions. The actual building of the museum is Walter Gropius' late work and is a characteristic landmark of Berlin. Its unique shape is particularly striking when viewing the museum from outside.

The museum's bauhaus collection represents the entire range of the school's activities; art, architecture, metalwork, photography, furniture, textiles, and ceramics. Including pieces by famous teachers such as, Johannes Itten, Wassily Kandinsky, Josef Albers, and Oskar Schlemmer. The Bauhaus taught that an understanding of visual science would improve design. Focusing upon the formal elements of design in their work - colour, page layout, space, shape, line, texture and form. The work in the museum emphasises the Bauhaus' principles of form and function, they designed for a purpose and made art functional. 

I found this very prominent in their furniture and product design which are made up from few, simple shapes with no added decoration, giving them a very modern and minimalist appearance. The posters created in the Bauhaus appealed to me most of all, due to the clever layouts, strong typographic influence and colour used. The poster by Joost Schmidt is a good example of this as it shows all the elements of modernism. 

These principles the Bauhaus was founded upon can be seen so clearly in the work from the museum, and are what interest me most as I can reflect upon them in my own work. We are taught the same fundamental lessons in design as the Bauhaus taught so long ago and they still influence much of the art and design to present day.