Modern Museet - Stockholm

Over half term we visited Stockholm and looked around their modern art museum - Moderna Museet. They had a lot of work by the constructivists and a huge exhibition from the studio of Olafur Eliasson.

London Design Festival

Over the weekend I went to the V&A to listen to a couple of talks as part of London Design Festival.

The first was by one of the founders of Europa, who discussed the work they have been doing with infographics for Pick Me up at Somerset House, an industrial estate and for a local authority public space outside a library in Barkingside. Some of the items created were:

Screen printed posters consisting of 3 colours, which were then used as graphic elements on their own by printing one of the 3 coloured layers

Typefaces inspired by protest posters - scribbled infill, outlines

Billboards of the products manufactured by the industrial units

Modular signage and maps hung on a slatted grid frame

Floor signage and pictograms

Walking guide creating a sense of place for residents

The second talk was by Johanna Basford, illustrator of the adult colouring books Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest.

Johanna talked about her very analogue way of illustrating, and the long hours she worked to achieve her success. She also discussed her career path since leaving university and how she came to design best selling colouring book for adults, selling 7 million copies worldwide.

Both talks were very worthwhile and engaging.

Museums and Shows

New Designers 2015

During the summer, I went to New Designers. I decided to visit during the first week as I really wanted to see the textiles and surface pattern designers. The volume and quality of the work on display was overwhelming, but inspiring too.

Fashion and Textile Museum

I visited the Fashion and Textile Museum in London which was featuring an exhibition about resort wear from 1900's to present day. It was interesting, but the museum is really small. Their next exhibition is going to be Liberty's of London which I will be going to.

Geffrye Museum

This museum in London is quite out of the way but had lots of interesting furniture and textiles from the homes of the middle classes from 1600-present. The 1950's room set was my favourite, with the mid-century modern furniture. Unfortunately lots of it looks very similar to what I grew up with in the 1970's. I think people kept their furnishings for much longer in those days.

MoMA New York

Visiting MoMA New York

On my summer hols I visited MoMA in New York. Unfortunately the 4th floor was closed (1940s-1980s), however the floor above with the impressionists' work was totally overwhelming. I felt a bit emotional about seeing so much famous work in one place. I had no idea that the MoMA collection was so vast. I wish I had had more time there...

Paris trip

Inspiration

Photos of anything that inspired me during our trip to Paris Photo, The Louvre, The Pompidou and La Bal.

Pre-course preparation 3

Photographing

I took some photos along the Southbank of the brutalist architecture.  I love the bulk and unpretentiousness of it.  The mass of uncompromising concrete sits really well with the hoarding typography in Helvetica.

I really like the typefaces used on this new pub on the Southbank.  It contrasts really well with the painted brickwork and pavement.

This image was painted on the National Theatre.  I really like the colour combinations and the graphic shapes which look quite typographic.

Pre-course preparation 2

Visiting

I visited the V&A in London and viewed two exhibitions - Wedding Dresses 1775-2014, and Disobedient Objects.  I also looked at other areas of the museum including Photography, 20^th Century, and Prints & Drawings.  I really enjoyed Disobedient Objects which was about showing how ordinary objects were used for activisim. Prints and Drawings exhibited some very moving pieces, including posters depicting the Vietnam war and activist posters.

I went to Tate Modern during London Design Festival.  There wasn’t anything going on for the festival there, but I enjoyed viewing some of the works – Mark Rothko in particular.   I found his Seagram Murals very atmospheric and contemplatative.  

Some other work I particularly like was that by Josef Albers – Homage to the Square. I particularly like the apparent simplicity of the pieces.

Unfortunately I don’t think I know enough about art to appreciate a lot of the work displayed.  Yet.