Into the Wild

Well, I'm afraid this will be the last post for a few weeks. We will be moving from the UK back to the US and will be without internet for a while. We are also taking a slight detour through South Africa... for a little safari, beach and wine tasting. In the spirit of this trip, here are some pix from the "Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year" show, currently on at the National History Museum in London.

Click here to see more of the entries.

Typographic London

I've been seeing these posters around London for a while now, and they never fail to catch my eye. They're so well done, and they highlight iconic features of London in an extraordinary way. The concept and design is simple (from the iconic standpoint), but they are intricate in the information they contain. It is a great example of what design is supposed to do: simplify the message and use imagery to enhance understanding.

The series was designed by Oscar Wilson (a specialist in hand-crafted typography) for the Mayor of London's campaign to promote tourism. From the Creative Review Blog: Each image is composed from multiple lines of hand-drawn copy, which includes the names of famous places, pursuits and – as with the somewhat psychedelic guitar – some of Camden’s most famous music venues. The work, commissioned by agency RKCR/Y&R, is currently doing the rounds on buses and tubes throughout the city.

You can see more of Oscar's work here.

100% Design (Part 2)

I'll continue reporting on the materials section of the show for the moment. I was really happy to see so many reused, recycled and sustainable products on the market. The great thing is that they don't always scream "eco." They are smart, and well thought out, and simply beautiful.

I fell in love with the products from a company called 3-Form. According to their website: 3 form is the leading manufacturer of award-winning, eco-friendly materials and architectural hardware solutions for the Architecture + Design industry.

Beyond their more natural looking panels, they have an offering called "hi res," which reproduces graphics on large sheets of EcoResin. You can achieve a stunning and dramatic look, especially if the panel can be back lit. Just gorgeous! Check out their portfolio here.

Below is an example of "hi res", along with some of my favorites from their Organics line including: bamboo rings, bear grass, birch grove, and ithemba (beads and wire). And a few from their Graphic line! The pictures are great, but I wish you could see them in person when the light filters through. It's unbelievable.

Etchings

These past 4 days, an annual show called 100% Design has been going on at Earl's Court in London. From the website: 100% Design is the UK's premier contemporary interiors event for the contract market. There is no other show that connects the worlds of architecture and design with innovative, contemporary interior products, creativity and an exciting mix of new and established talent.

I was lucky enough to visit yesterday as a member of the trade, and all I can say is WOW! I have so much to go through, and tons write about, but it will take a little time. In the meantime, I will entertain you with one last find on our Scandinavian trip... this time from Helsinki, Finland.

Helsinki has a lovely little market down by their marina. Stands are set up by local artists and crafters. In the midst of the craziness, we we lucky enough to find the stand of artist Maarit Kontiainen. She creates beautiful hand-painted etchings of wildlife and nature. She was also a pleasure to talk to. Unfortunately, her website is still under construction, but I've posted the few pieces that I could find. The deer is a piece that we actually bought, and I just adore it. There's something whimsical, and sweet about her work.

You can visit her current web page here, but it's more of a CV than anything else. Here are the pix...

Navitrolla

We first saw this work on the side of a ferry linking Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland. I was drawn to the appeal of the cartoon-type characters painted on the ferry. But on further look I noticed the surreal quality of the art, such as the six legged cow, and the giraffe with his head literally in the clouds. It was cute and entertaining, and not something you usually see on a commercial ship.

Then, we unsuspectingly stumbled upon the artist's gallery as we were wandering the streets of Helsinki! There is apparently another Navitrolla Gallery in Tallinn as well. Anyhow, the art of Navitrolla was so much fun, and I just had to share some pieces.

All work is the property of Navitrolla Gallery. Click here to visit the artists site.

Shopping

Well, yes, we also managed to do a little shopping on our tour of Scandinavia. Mostly we bought some beautiful pieces for the home, that will remind us of where we have been. But I was also keen to snap up a few design pieces. My first victim was a set of greeting cards. They're so beautiful, that I plan on framing them.

The company is called 1973. And while they're located in the UK, I actually found the cards in Copenhagen. Go figure. The series is called Paper Nature and was designed by the talented Emma Emerson. They are printed on an earthy brown card stock, and stamped with striking foil figures. I've posted some eye candy below.

And, in line with my love of all things green (environmentally speaking), I was happy to read that 1973 has gone green with cards printed on recycled materials, and vegetable based inks.

For more info on 1973, visit their website here.

DDC

So, we were in Copenhagen, on our way to visit the Tivoli Gardens (a beautiful amusement park opened in 1843) when the skies let loose a deluge. Well, the prospect of an amusement park in the rain is less than ideal, so we began looking around the area for a cafe to duck into to wait out the storm. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? The Dansk Design Center. Art AND a cafe to warm up in. What could be better?

The Design Center was a small place, but full of wonderful exhibits, design icons, and a pretty cool shop. The 4 main exhibits consisted of fashion, innovative bicycles developed by design students, design icons from the 20th century, and the danish design awards for both new designs and lasting designs. Below are some pix of the exhibits.

To read more about each exhibit, click here.
And if you have an interest in Tivoli Gardens, you can visit their website here.

Index: Design to Improve Life

The second of several open-air exhibits that we found was in Copenhagen, Denmark. As we were walking through the center of the city we noticed these plastic bubbles (pods?) throughout the square. Within each pod was an example of design that was created to improve the way we live. Some were functional, some were environmental, all were innovative and inspirational.

Here's what the website says: "INDEX: AWARD EXHIBITION, which runs from August 17 to September 23, displays the designs top nominated for INDEX: AWARD in a large-scale outdoor exhibition in central Copenhagen. Since its opening, the exhibition has been drawing crowds, and no wonder: 106 large transparent acrylic spheres adorn the beautiful 17th century square Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen, creating one of the most spectacular exhibition spaces ever seen. The spheres act as innovative display cases, exhibiting the top-nominated designs 24 hours a day, and in the information center on the square, you can see video footage of the designs and get more information about INDEX:

The exhibition offers an exciting, amazing and visionary insight into the solutions created by designers to improve life for people around the world. Divided into the five award categories BODY, HOME, WORK, PLAY and COMMUNITY, the exhibition will present designs relevant to all areas of human life and be equally inspiring for laymen and professionals, young and old.

The designs on display represent all seven continents. In the spirit of the INDEX: theme “Design to Improve Life”, they address such diverse problems as water shortage, CO2 emissions, environmental sustainability as well as health and safety at work.

As in 2005, a team of about 70 volunteer seniors, in INDEX: terms referred to as “design grannies”, act as tour guides at the exhibition, and admission is free of charge."

For full information, check out the site here.

Vigeland

Let's spend one more post in Oslo, Norway, shall we? There you will find the stunning "Vigeland Sculpture Park." It's a site to see. The park is 80 acres, and contains 212 life-sized models of human figures in bronze and granite, sculpted by Gustav Vigeland. Most of the sculptures are placed a long the main pathway, leading to the central monolith. The sculptures portray human life cycles and emotions. They're fascinating.

Here are some pictures below, including a statue to the artist. For more information, click here.

Bloomin' Fabulous

Through our travels of the past week or so, we happened upon a lot of outdoor art exhibits as well as great architecture, museums, and galleries. One exhibit we stumbled upon twice (once in Oslo, Norway and once in Stockholm, Sweden)... therefore, I figure it earned some kudos on this blog.

It was a huge outdoor photography exhibition in a public square, displaying 100 images by photographer Steve Bloom, accompanied by thought-provoking quotes by legendary thinkers. The images were so striking that you couldn't help but be drawn in. The exhibit was entitled "Spirit of the Wild." According to Steve's website, this is worldwide event with work also being showcased in Leeds, Dublin, Moscow and Amsterdam. He has also published a book of this work, which is available for purchase.

Click here to see his entire exhibition slide show. Below is a teaser of his work. All work is the copyright of Steve Bloom.

Home Sweet Home

Well, it's been a whirlwind tour of Scandinavia. We took a 12 day cruise stopping in the ports of: Oslo, Norway, Copenhagen, Denmark, Stockholm, Sweden, Helsinki, Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallin, Estonia. Every city had its own personality and charm. They were gorgeous in their own right, and had so much to discover. Besides the architectural beauty of the cities, the artwork was wonderful. We stumbled into open air exhibitions, design museums, sculpture parks, etc. It was so exciting and enriching from both a cultural standpoint and an artistic one. Though I suppose those two are often intertwined. I'm still working through all the pictures and info that I want to share. So in the meantime, I thought I would just post a few pictures of the cities from our trip. I hope you enjoy them. I will be back soon with some more substantial posts :)

In order these are: 1. Farmland seen by train on the way to Harwich, England. 2. The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen. Dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen. 3. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm. 4. Stairway leading up to the Astronomical Clock in City Hall, Copenhagen. 5. Yusupov's Palace, St. Petersburg 6. Church of the Spilt Blood, St. Petersburg. 7. Tallin building. 8. Water ways.

Transport Museum

Perhaps this may only be of interest to those who love London, but I hope it will appeal to those with an affection for iconic design, history, or transportation.

The London Transport Museum has been undergoing extensive renovations of both the museum and the shop. The Museum is due to open in August, but the shop has been open for a while, and it's really fantastic. I usually find gift shops a bit cheesy, but this one is nothing of the sort. From the architecture, to the prints of every tube poster, to an extensive library of transportation, art and design... it's just great. We spent hours there one day, just looking around. So, if you're in London, definitely pop by. And if you're not... well, you can still shop online!

Click here for the museum website.
And here for the shop.

Greek Out 2

Ahhh, Greece. What a wonderful place. We spent time in Athens and then moved on to the islands of Crete and Santorini. Each place had it's own charm, style and appeal. Below is some eye-candy. Enjoy.

Greek Out

I'll be taking a little hiatus from blogging for a while. We're off on holiday to Greece! Ancient art, ruins, and maybe some beach-time. Be sure to check out the links to the right for some inspiration while I'm away.

In the meantime, keep a look out for Grecian inspired clothes this summer. Courtesy of Urban Outfitters:

What's old is new

Following on the heals of Wednesday's post... here is some more inspiration from Italy. This time we're looking to the past. It is important in design to know where things came from, and to respect the past. Looking at ancient buildings, symbols, and art is interesting from a historical sense, but also an artistic one. Techniques and style, patterns and colors, can often be a spark for modern interpretation.

Below are some shots from Rome (first 2), Amalfi (next 3), and Pompeii (last 3). It's such a wonder that we're able to study art and architecture that is thousands of years old.

Natural Beauty

Recently, I spent several weeks writing about present and future trends. After my trip to Italy I have rediscovered the beauty found all around us in nature. This is beauty without a past or present. It just is. It's not trendy, or cool, and sometimes we don't even see it. But if you need a lick of inspiration, it's a wonderful place to start.

You can find the most amazing colors and textures in nature. And the interplay between nature and human creation (buildings, gardens, streets, etc) is equally intriguing. So, I leave you with a few pictures that remind me to stop, smell, and look, at the roses.

Italia

Tomorrow we leave for a week in Italy. We'll be indulging in all the local wonders. Perhaps in between the wine and cheese I'll have time to take some pix for this blog. Stay tuned...

Street Fair

Say what you will about graffiti. It's dirty, ugly, rude, degrading, illegal. Yes. Sometimes. But it's also raw and expressive and interesting. It can be inspiring if you look at it for the art it is.























Lisbon: crazy cartoon characters in bright colors were prevalent.














Retro style: graffiti made of tiles in Paris























And graffiti as advertising? Yes. This is for a trolley tour around the city of Lisbon. I've seen more and more of this lately. It has a cool look, but I'm not sure how I feel about advertising invading this form of art and expression.

If you want more info on the history of graffiti, click here.
If you'd like to see some more examples, click here.

Tile me crazy

Tiles, tiles everywhere! Oh, what a sight. Lisbon is a stunning city, full of history and art. Not only public displays of art (of which there were plenty), but of more functional art... ceramic tiles to be exact. These tiles are a typical sight throughout Portugal. While functional in nature, they add distinct character and beauty to the city. For more info on the history, click here.

But enough of that. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Next up: street art.

Sunshine, here I come...

Taking a holiday today to enjoy the delights of Portugal. (And hopefully some brighter weather than London!) I look forward to bringing back some inspiration from another country.