Creativity
Dream signs
12/07/1019:23
I defy anyone NOT to get excited about typography once you click on this link, amazing work: typarchive.com
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Newspaper Club
18/03/1008:07
‘Helping people make their own newspapers’ is the tagline. There’s not too much more that needs to be said about this, other than it’s the closest ‘anyone’ can get to on demand newspaper publishing. From the examples I’ve had the pleasure to see, the quality and service is superb. Just make sure your deadline hits at the same time as the presses start rolling and order the number of copies you need.
For more news... webfeed your browser to: http://www.newspaperclub.co.uk
Creative cleaning in the urbane jungle
18/09/0920:09
Clean streets, free from litter. We love that idea, largely because it has something to communicate about our civilised nature and the way we prioritise our surroundings in the same way as we do our homes. Just as our homes reflect different characteristics from controlling through to dangerously ignorant, our use and prioritisation of public space is similarly diverse, often seeing rubbish and vandalism rule over a seemingly impossible minimalist space which is the dream of architects. We do live in a dirty world. However there is probably something in all of us that are creative that take pleasure in seeing graffiti, so long as it is crafted, well done.
Though it’s a relatively small gesture the project by the British street artist, Paul Curtis who is known as ‘Moose’ is a really interesting one: Moose specialises in ‘reverse graffiti’, yes that’s it, reverse graffiti. Taking an area such as the Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco – the walls of which are caked in dirt from 20,000 vehicles which currently pass through it each day – the layers of grime are cleaned back to expose the light coloured concrete surface.
Check out Paul’s website, Reverse Graffiti. What a fantastic, creative way of inventing a new medium out of dirt. All the better that the work has been sponsored by Green Works, manufacturers of a plant-based cleaner. A what a cool bit of marketing on their part, cleaning up a dirty world...
Innovate, then innovate more
21/07/0910:04
I had the good fortune to spend time with Bill Buxton a few years back, a talented multidisciplinarian, renowned for his work in computer interaction and interface design, he brings a fascinating openness to probe new questions. When I noticed his recent article on the value of being a multidisciplinary practitioner, I couldn’t resist putting it up here, having the same enjoyment of different modes of practice. He suggests that there are personal value limitations to developing personal excellence, and if the goal is innovation then that makes a lot of sense.
Here is a potted version of Bill’s list on Businessweek:
Always be bad at something that you are passionate about.
You can be everything in your life—just not all at once.
Life is too short to waste on bad teachers and inefficient learning.
Remember: You can learn from anyone.
Check out the full detail behind these points on: www.businessweek.com
DesignArt bends over backwards?
02/02/0918:54
Sebastian Brajkovic: Lathe V, Bronze, embroidered upholstery, Edition of 8.
Over the past few years the term ‘DesignArt’ has been growing in use. That’s not Design and Art, or even the old educational combo Art & Design, but one word, ‘DesignArt’. Whilst this is clearly a rather fuzzy label, it is an attempt to reflect the sprawling borders of creative practice.
Generally fuzzy labels can obscure the point, but if nothing else it gives writers and bloggers something to bash against to help determine and define the scale of any paradigm shift in practice, and the markets and audiences it serves. With a training as an artist, and years experience as a designer, this is a title which intrigues me as I’m constantly jumping over the parapet to see what design can learn, borrow, and steal from other creative models, no matter how divergent. If DesignArt is a new model of practice to be taken seriously, why stop there, shouldn’t we also consider DesignLiterature, DesignAirtrafficcontrol, or DesignCircus?
There’s no doubt that multidisciplinary practice has something to offer the world, which specialism cannot, I’ll be writing more on this in a following post which looks at connection between sustainability, the markets and the need for design practice to adapt to those changes. Having worked as an installation artist for a number of years, it does feel like the world of design catching up the world of art in a lot of ways. And there’s a lot to glean from art practice,context is 50% of the work, understanding human relationships to space and to objects, storytelling, the list goes on.
So what are we to make of the market being created for DesignArt such as that of Sebastian Brajkovic, currently on show at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery (a business which specialises in promoting the converging fields of art and design through editing limited-edition works). On analysis, the majority of the galleries DesignArt practitioner’s are actually defiantly artists, rather than designers. (Marc Quinn, Atelier van Lieshout, Ron Arad, Wendell Castel, Ingrid Donat and extends to the current generation : Sebastian Brajkovic, Robert Stadler, Pablo Reinoso, Demakersvan, Xavier Lust, Vincent Dubourg and Mathieu Lehanneur.
Maybe it’s about recognising the role which art brings to a world; it is our cultural lifeline, the thing which keeps us growing, innovating and creative, and yet in less certain economic times it might otherwise be demoted. Personally, I feel that the longer that DesignArt refuses definition, the better; the questioning which pushes practitioners from all backgrounds to extend their practice, to risk working across boundaries, will create some interesting and engaging results.
You can see the work of Sebastian Brajkovic at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in from 5 February to 14 March: http://cwgdesign.com
Further links on DesignArt can be found through:
In your element?
24/01/0910:20
Released this month ‘The Element: a new view of human capacity’ is sure to be another amazing read by Ken Robinson, agitator for the enhancement of creativity as critical to education. If you don’t know this guy, look back at my previous post on this brilliant, witty speaker and author, ‘Mr Ken Robinson speaks’. The cover design may not be a great creative work, but the content should be more captivating. Available from all good bookstores.
Mr Rob Ryan
16/12/0820:35
I love Rob’s intricate papercut work and prints, it reminds me of the wonderful illustrations and textiles by the Swedish artist/designer Stig Lindberg. Check out more of what Rob Ryan has does in his own subtle, beautiful and curiously haunting way at misterrob.co.uk
Domestic communication design
26/11/0820:05
Just ‘looking cool’ doesn’t make for good design but there are so many fantastic colours and simple ideas on this site from stickers and wall drawings through to mirrors and product. Hard to believe that anyone ever thought that ‘illustration was dead’ (for the young guns... that was a long time ago it has to be said!), seems very much alive and well at domestic.fr
If you love print and pattern...
16/11/0819:55
This is a page from the astounding book, The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones, architect, visual researcher and artist from the late 1800s. I borrowed a library copy about 20 years ago, having forgotten about it since then. Amazing that its luscious colour plates have been finely scanned by two separate groups and the whole book is now available to view online.
The Grammar of Ornament is now available on Flickr, and through The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture website.
What is fascinating is the level of study and analysis developed by Owen at this period in history, it certainly deserves its place as a widely used ‘Bible of Ornament’. Originally published in 1856, it is thankfully still possible to buy a new edition (2001) by DK Publishing. I’d love to come across the original version again, with it’s rich, striking print.
Just DO something
12/11/0800:19
I’ve just come across what looks like it was an interesting lecture series, thankfully the site contains a good amount of info too lead the casual reader down a long, and interestingly winding path.
Check out the site for more info at dolectures.co.uk
No rain in the Tate Turbine Hall
21/10/0818:42
This erstwhile exhibition will be an engaging encounter for any visitors (particularly if you have an interest in the use of scenarios for visioning exercises!). This is the work of Dominique Gonzalez Foerster. The context for what is encountered in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern is set in text before you enter the space (see above image).
The visitor becomes participant to the imaginary event.
IKEA meets contemporary art space, where are the boundaries, where are the differences, how does it make you feel...
Nothing is quite as it seems, with perfect replicas of work owned by Tate Modern, of Louise Borgeois and Alexander Calder and others; these sculptures are larger than their originals, they confess to being props only when tapped on closer inspection. This isn’t a work about physical objects, but one of a socio-psychological encounter. Definitely worth checking out!
This exhibition runs at Tate Modern until 13 April 2009.
For more information visit tate.org.uk
"Things I have learned in my life..."
09/10/0822:57
Generally I'm not terribly impressed by graphic design (which might sound strange coming from a proponent of communication design, amongst other things), however Stefan Sagmeister's work often makes me smile, his talk at TED earlier this year has some nice examples, showing his playful approach.
Studio visit No. 1
01/10/0809:55
Whilst this isn't the first studio visit for thomas.matthews (by any means!) it marks the first to have reached my blog, so more to come.
Another amazing installation commissioned by the frequently inspirational ArtAngel organisation, this show by artist Roger Hiorns. A quasi immersive experience of blue crystals that coat every wall of an otherwise completely unassuming council flat 15 minutes south of London Bridge underground station.
Many photos are flooding the internet of this space, with relatively few of the close-up (imagine a room covered in with this intensity, so much more than simply a blue wall). What did people do before mobile phone cameras. Go see it whilst it remains in place. Runs to 2 November; the experience is better than the imagery!
For more information visit Artangel.org.uk
Ken Robinson speaks
26/09/0810:01
When I first encountered the challenging mix of wit and tell it like it is approach of Sir Ken Robinson, I must have emailed and recommended it to almost everyone I know. This guy has some really solid inspirational thinking on the relationships of creativity, innovation and culture, and the way in which society continually fails to promote it, particularly within education (however the points are more broadly socially relevant too).
Here is Ken's talk at TED, which - by the way - is an amazing site crammed full of inspirational thinkers and doers from all walks of life, check them out after Ken's talk at ted.com
And if you liked that, take a look at Sir Ken speaking at the RSA
...and now, a book alert: ‘The Element’, to be published in January 2009. Sure to be a fascinating investigation into the potency of creativity, a must read (I can't wait!). Glad he's dropped the 'Sir', replaced by the Ph.D (now that must be an old fashioned Ph.D rather one driven by the current funding takeover of higher education).
One eye on design competitors?
18/09/0801:04
Are you competitive? Here’s a great list of
opportunities in one space:
facesofdesign.com/competitions
facesofdesign.com/competitions
Diller & Scofidio
10/09/0800:46
The work of Diller & Scofidio is pretty engaging stuff, thinking differently about architecture, I came across their newish website, the interface of which bows more than a nod to the apple interface, great work though dillerscofidio.com
Japanese woodblock on acid
07/09/0819:03
Two good friends Asako and Jack invited us for a meal last night (fantastic to have Okoniyaki again guys, many thanks) and showed us the work of contemporary woodblock artist, Kenichi Yokono. I really like the quality of illustration in his work produced from 2004: it consists of woodblocks inked in red alone, and interestingly, never printed. Fascinating image/objects.
Check out the work on the website of Kenichisan and look at the 2004 work.
Inspiration on TED.com
15/08/0819:12
I cannot enthuse highly enough about the TED conference, and I’ve never even been; each year a broad selection of thinkers and doers are brought together to share knowledge and insights, these include designers, technologists, futurologists, cultural seers, bio-memeticists, explorers, etc., etc. The list keeps getting broader and longer, but always fascinating.
How is it possible to rave about such a wellspring of innovative thought and action without having been to a single event? Every last talk can be found online of course, at TED.com.
Have a good poke around the site. There are a few duds in any conference, however you’ll be hard pressed to find that here (one or two perhaps), mostly the content will fire up anyone’s hunger for knowledge, exploring the unknown, making the all important link between learning and creativity.
Make it instructable
31/07/0820:14
You have a spare hour, perhaps you fancy building a Stirling Engine? Welcome to the online hangout of the modern Heath Robinson at instructables.com
If you’ve not explored the portal of the Instructables website, some might say you’ve never lived, the reality is more that you will be amazed by the ingenuity of ordinary people looking for home cooked solutions to a myriad of problems so broad ranging it is almost untrue. Yes there are plenty of weird and wacky, with a few neat ideas rolled in to the mix.
Let awe and wonderment begin: Instructables.com
The world according to design...
15/07/0818:02
I have to admit that I was originally curious, and concerned about the principles The Designers Accord being, as it is, an uncertified denomination of designers who would like to associate themselves with the issues of sustainability.
At a time when popular awareness is starting to understand terms like ‘greenwash’ there is obviously a commercial as well as ethical demand for design companies to step towards an understanding of their impact, both positive and negative, on the issues in sustainability. The idea that signing up to the label of the Designers Accord (DA) has been criticized for suggesting your company may have taken ambitious steps towards a sustainable future, yet in an unmonitored and uncertified way.
That criticism assumes of course that the DA is like so many other ‘membership’ organisations designed to give the client a supposed confidence in the members associated green credentials. Interestingly, the DA makes no claims to be anything other than a group of designers of very different backgrounds and standards with an interest in change. Whilst it has to be acknowledged that change ultimately comes out of action, a critical first step must surely be based around communication, and developing a forum to explore pathways through an unchartered future. Perhaps the DA is a first move towards establishing a community, but is it useful if it doesn’t demand an agreed, measured, certified adoption structure for its members.
‘Movement’ and the Internet also make bedfellows that can make people wary, largely because a culture of joining and subscribing must make ‘action’ follow along way behind the click of the mouse.
Bringing sustainable design practice to your own design company requires more than membership, to go further than that, at thomas.matthews over ten years work in the field of sustainable design means that the greater ambition is to go beyond even the expectation of certification (such as the popular ISO 14001).
Point your mouse towards designersaccord.org.
Seven ways to a greener life
04/07/0818:55
Do the Green Thing is a fun site designed to enthuse people about the ease of a more sustainable lifestyle, and the broader experience that results. It’s a creative exploration of the issues raised by climate change; nice design work from peepshow too.
See what you can do to green yourself up, take at look at dothegreenthing and have a smile or two at the same time.
Nathalie de Briey
27/06/0819:00
I was going to pop this in a category called ‘Links’ until my brain caught up with the fact that all blog postings are links. If that had been the case then, my wife’s site would obviously be top of the list. Artist extraordinaire, Nathalie works with the most challenging materials, from breath, to frost, rubberbands, and wind. Check out her site, and most of all her blog at: nathaliedebriey.com
TM in the Consultation Games
23/06/0820:45
Always fantastic to see that an interactive we developed works well, particularly in the field of public consultation (a fascinating and varied audience to work with). We developed this design approach to inform the master plan for developing the approach to the Legacy of the Olympic Park. It’s nice when it gets this amount of press too.
Read all about it on the BBC website
Spacial headspace
09/06/0801:39
The architecture developed by Herzog & de Meuron for Tate Modern in London is largely focused on puncturing levels and creating interesting connections through space. The approach to the walls and ceiling of the ground floor shop forms a small essay in this approach, one I think is daring, and beautiful.
Glass walls fan out as they rise up to meet the ceiling, and you are consciously aware of the ‘hidden’ lighting betraying their slitted homes. Stunning, whilst understated. I love the fact that this degree of detail was reserved for one of the smaller spaces in the building, nice work.