Bank Holidate

Nature documentaries are wonderful things - particularly those exploring the deep sea. There is nothing more incredible than seeing high definition footage of underwater worlds, therefore these programs make regular week-night-time viewing for me and the bf. I think he is in love with Monty Hall, but then again I have serious lust for Attenborough's voice, so I'd call ourselves even. 

So with an entire day to ourselves and each other exclusively(!) this August bank holiday (mostly because we're both too broke to have gone away with friends), we decided to further indulge this mutual interest. And to the Natural History Museum we went! (Along with half of London's parent-infant population...)

Standing in the queue to get in was actually particularly enjoyable (despite all my boyfriends' jokes involving the Britishness, summer days, rain and queuing.) It allowed us to appreciate the amazing architecture of the building, an activity that continued inside. I also liked seeing all the umbrellas in the landscape, I wanted to draw them (and shall in due course.) 

Coral Reefs: Secret Cities of the Sea.

I really liked the design of this exhibition - with complex 3D structures made of slotted plywood hexagons, used to guide visitors around the displays, representing the structure of coral itself. This method of construction is one I am pushing in my own personal work, and it was interesting to see it on this scale.

As a scientific exhibition (rather than of art), I wouldn't say my review could be in any way critical or analytical. I thought it was really good fun, really informative and had lots of nifty highlights. The 4D interactive viewing chambers were genius (a installation pioneered by the sponsors Caitlin Industries). I liked that the museum had provided some coral you could touch, as most of the specimens were behind glass cages. 

The grouper made a fantastic selfie opportunity! 

The use of video, text and visual displays together  explained things very well I felt. Lastly the tank with live coral and fish donated by the Horniman Museum, and video explaining their studies into breeding in captivity were a perfect end to the show. 

Coral interests me as it really does form underwater architecture. I'm not often drawn to nature as inspiration due to it's wildness and rounded edges, however coral really does have a clear pattern like structure to it, so a nice juxtaposition of nature with architectural-like structure. The colours are so vivid and fantastic, and patterns are formed everywhere you look. 

I very much look forward to drawing (from memory) the coral I see. Though it would be fantastic to have an underwater camera, I think I will make interesting illustrations this way. I can always top them up with visits to aquariums. I particularly liked this print that I saw in the gift shop.

After leaving the exhibition (which was nicely peaceful), it didn't take much spent in the overrun permanent collections for us to have had enough of screaming children. Still I got some nice shots of the building, which would be a joy to go back and draw on a more quiet day. The marble floors and warm glow of the stonework reminded me slightly of grand central station in New York (one of my favourite buildings ever.) 

The rest of the day saw us enjoy a delicious Dim Sum dinner at New World Chinese in China town, and wonder through the back streets of Soho, where we each picked up some gifts in little purple Liberty bags! Though I shopped in the stationary department (HAY), I spent a good while fawning over the prints in the scarf hall. All the more motivation to get some of my own textiles made up! (Though unlikely on such fine silks..) 

Our last stop was the Chesham Arms pub, a jolly little local near Sutton House in Hackney Central. I particularly love the fact that it's at the end of 'Isabella Road'. I literally could buy a house with my name on it! And what a great local to have. A game of monopoly and a few pints later, we were ready to roll home to bed. 

With one last thing to do of course...; decide what nature documentary we'd be watching tonight... 

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery

'History'

I was originally drawn to go to this gallery because of it's heavily advertised and rather disappointingly small exhibition considering changing attitudes to female body shape within art and design. I feel this could have been further pushed, however It was a collaborative show with the arts collage here so there is merit to be had there.

Lace jackets demonstrating changing size of women 

Still, silver linings. I very much benefitted from visiting the 'Ponte City' exhibit, an installation presenting two artists study into a socially and structurally troubled high-rise housing complex in Johannesburg.

Here are some notes I made touring (for personal recollection) 

Ponte city - recording location one place

Repeated views

Many windows

Many lift encounters

The beauty in repetition - studying people

Presentation thought - long table of books like zines - images words. One big box with picture of skyrise. Layers of paper like the layers of floors

'Visual essays'

Use of photography as powerful medium

I really enjoyed the spatial presence of this exhibit, bits of photographs and collage were strewn across the room. It wasn't like each item was separate, they all merged into one, meaning their presence was greater. The one tying elegant example of coherent structure came in the form of the series of visual essays (each an A5 booklet, placed  in sequence out on a long white table). I feel the presence of these well formatted items enhanced the fine art surrounding it, and vice versa. It all brought the focus back to the fact that this is an important social study, whether conducted by sociologist  or artist. 

Also lunch was very satisfying, and the neo-gothic building is a beautiful thing (as most Edinburgh buildings seem to be!). 

Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood - Exhibition review

With next season's knitwear proving a bit hit at the recent London Fashion Week, 'Knitwear; Chanel to Westwood' displays a concise yet informative history of the prominence of the textile, showing it's rise from kitsch housewife garment to statement-shouting catwalk-construction (and a lot of things in-between.)

With stunning architecture and  regularly changing high profile exhibitions, The Fashion and Textiles Museum does well to promote the importance and influence of design to a diverse audience. Young and old, first-time and returning; visitors come in a range of sizes but all with one essential linking thread. That is an appreciation for fashion and fabrics, whether that means loving it or just understanding how large and significant of an industry it is. 

The exhibition is curated to show the progression and changing styles of Knitwear through the 20th century, up to the current day. From the knitted swimming costumes of the post WWI 'sportives' and the recycled garments of Make do and Mend initiative, up to the fashion rebels leading us into the new century, the displays are informative and cover much ground within knitwear's contextual history.

I personally very much enjoyed the

'Artistic Afternoons' section depicting luxe loose clothing from the art deco 30's. The garments feature "metallic yarns, deco colouring and exotic details", all presented in a way to accentuate their simple yet elegant style. I was drawn to the juxtaposition of weighty colour blocks against intricate pattern.

I was also drawn to the 1940's american knits, with their ultra glamorous and luxe quality. Featuring smart tailoring and embellishment, they contrasted strongly to the prudent war-time and gaudy folk inspired garments (though I will still always have an appreciation for Fair Isle Knits!) 

One element of the exhibition which linked the swiftly changing and vastly different eras was the display of fashion photography. From vintage family photos to fashion shoot, this medium truly demonstrates the versatility of the image. Whether the image depicts a kitsch happy housewife or a prim and proper model, they all ooze a sense of glamour, being well dressed and styled. One can happily state that Knitwear is safe fashion, and Jerry Hall's photo shoot for Vogue in 1975 proves it can be dam sexy too.

Uni-sex outfit by Comme des Garcons

Examples from big name contemporary designers take prominence in the latter part of the exhibition. Pieces by Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes and Julien MacDonald line the walls, each with high cultural significance and stylistic factor. Pushing boundaries with processes and materials to make innovative looks is a clear theme within modern fashion

I made an illustration of a MacDonald top on which he layered transparent yellow acrylic on top of knit in an exciting manner.

Visionary Knitwear, a separate part of the main exhibition, displayed designs which reinvented the concept of knitwear. Many of the garments featured came from graduate collections, as they are unafraid of bending and breaking rules, similar to their Haute Couture counterparts.

I particularly liked the fact that a design graduate from my own university (Rory Longdon) was featured next to a Julian MacDonald number. The designs themselves were exquisite, and this style of curation goes to support the notion that current and future knitwear design can still do innovative fresh things, still unseen and yet done by the big names on the catwalk.  

Knitwear has done itself a favour by developing a stigma of being traditional and kitsch as it sparks more and more radical design. Hopefully this transfers to highstreet with more definition, to give push knitting further out of the craft category and more into that of high end design. 

I feel this exhibition is a must see for anyone that knits, that enjoys the history of fashion design, or even just appreciates beautiful clothes.

And of course, I visited both the gift shop and the Teapod café, both of which I'd recommend too!

Design Museum - Designers in Residence and more

I always tour the design museum working from the top down. Aside from being a logical way to view it, my primary draw has long been the annual Designers in Residence exhibition, situated on the top floor.

I was happy to see the show had a lot more space for itself than last time. I feel the curation is always excellent and I gain so much from the fresh ideas of these raw talents. 

The first and foremost design which stood out to be was that of James Christian. An architectural design, what captured my attention was very much the fun colourful models and diagrams which presented his ideas.

This speaks to me, and was reoccurring theme in the show, as it shows how a design can be so much more than a singular object. When dealing with an idea regarding design, one can print, make models, write a report, make a film, a play etc. 

Christian's design in particular demonstrated a kind of all encompassing approach to design, considering aesthetics and how they have the potential to improve peoples lives.

(Some thoughts I had whilst drawing;

- Some things get smaller as they move away, some things get bigger

- The negative space between what we can see and what we can't)

Ilona Gaynor's design played with the theatrics of a court case - e.g. having a script/ the line between real and fake. The execution and presentation was again good, though what spoke to me most was her interview in the short film accompanying the show.

She spoke of "Translating ideas" - the idea that research based investigations could be taken into an essay - but think about all the other ways! Such as 3d, 2d, films, plays etc. This obviously speaks to me a lot - I value research a lot in my projects - design can really take any shape or form.

Though being less inspirational for the now, I must give credit to the other two designers. I'm sure I will draw on them for a future project.

Torsten Sherwood's ingenious toy design (making building dens a reality) is something I wish existed when I was younger. A simple idea which has so much potential - highlighting how good an opportunity this competition is for young designers. 

Patrick Stevenson-Keating's design aims to highlight something which goes completely unnoticed which we all use; the design of how money works in today's world. An interactive installation of a fake bank takes up his portion of the exhibition space. A fun idea and well presented through a series of accessories. Fresh and quirky ideas like this are the ones that thrive and get designers noticed.

So overall I (once again) greatly enjoyed the Designers in Residence show, as it is a platform for new talent and radical ideas to reach the public in an un-watered down, commerce-reliant way.

... So it's fair to say it is a massive contrast to John Lewis 'How we live now' exhibition, which highlights the importance of designed everyday objects.

In a way it seems perverse to include a henry hoover in a museum display (they may well have knicked it from the cleaners cupboard) but it's always good for studying and practising designers to recognise the incredible and rapid way certain designs have evolved. 

This is very much the kind of science my lecture series dealt with. So though not as fresh as the DinR, inspiring and interesting all the same (and innovative for their time.)

I hadn't known what to expect from the Louis Kahn exhibit, and as primarily urban architecture I can't say it spoke to me greatly. But it was a good contrast to the bright fun proposed housing that I had seen upstairs. What was different? The patterns/ the colour/ the concept?

I was glad they dedicated a fair section to his research and influences - displaying his impressive pastel drawings showing his appreciation of colour. Also a section was dedicated to 'Travels' as research, with drawings, postcards and stamped passports collected framed and displayed. 

Philadelphia architecture was discussed - which I briefly visited this summer. Though of the images on the walls I most enjoyed Kahn's traffic studies (concept diagrams are always far more interesting in terms of illustration than real ones.)

Inspiring quote; "When the work is completed the beginnings must be felt" (Louis Kahn)

Though the style of architecture didn't do it for me, I was greatly inspired by elements of Kahn's design and research process. Firstly, the importance of folding paper in design. And secondly, the intricate, technically drawn and modelled designs of unbuilt buildings - which still had a presence to inspire others with future designs. This presents the idea that nothing is wasted, down to a simple note or sketch. This is a notion I need to maintain in my own practise. I think it will do much to improve my confidence.

So I made my final descent down the stairs very happy. Goals, ambitions and aims floating around my head. (I will go to the RCA! I will be a resident designer!)

Maybe that's a bit far fetched to be thinking now, but one note I made was;

"I'm sick of designing teapots

There is something huge about us"

The design of the knot is inspirational - these things come from the simplest places. An idea is nothing without confidence behind it, and a drive to make it something, whatever form that something may take 

And as ever, one of the best bits about a museum, I very much exited through the gift shop. (I personally think the Design Museum has one of the best!)