the Future at the Design Museum

Last weekend I went to the Design Museum by Tower Bridge as they had an exhibition called ‘the future is here: the new industrial revolution’

We are in the midst of a transformation in the way we design, make and use the objects that we depend on. It is a transformation that will affect commerce, industry, and the way that we all live as profoundly as any previous Industrial Revolution. The exhibition explores how the boundaries between designer, manufacturer and consumer are becoming increasingly blurred. 

Topics such as open source design, customisation, crowd-funding, 3D printing, local manufacturing are scratched upon, the central theme being the democratisation of design and production.

It suggests that consumers want to be more involved in designing the products they use, everything from their sofas to lemon squeezers and brings up examples such as ikea hackers, made.com’s corwd-source design competition (more on this in next post) and adidas customised sneakers. When it comes to furniture, I certainly would like more of an input for certain objects (wouldn’t it be amazing to decide exactly how long you want the dining table depending on your dining room or kitchen? or draw up a sofa and have it made exactly how you pictured it in your mind?) but I really don’t have the interest of designing my own lemon squeezer. Also, I might not be representative in this question as I’m a bit obsessed with furniture and home decoration.  But can everyone be a designer? Would consumers value this? And to what price?

An interesting aspect is how smaller companies can benefit from these changes. Vitamins, a design studio in Shoreditch uses open-source electronics to design ideas and then quickly churn out a prototype. Check out their website here.

The exhibition poses a lot of questions and I don’t walk out with a clearer view of the future at all. But at least with some interesting thoughts and ideas!

3D printed objects

The Femur stool by Assa Ashuach

The Femur stool is digitally designed and manufactured. The form is generated using an algorithm based on the weight and proportions of a particular user.

made.com crowd-funding competition with 3D printed prototypes

made.com crowd-sourcingcompetition – the final sofa

 

a visit to Tate Modern – Transformed Visions

I recently visited Tate Modern and I really like the Transformed Visons part with lots of expressive abstract art, which I love.

Lee Krasner, Gothic landscape

 

Jackson Pollock, Yellow islands

 

L N Souza, Cruzifixion

Inspiration for Basquiat?

 

Leon Kossoff, Man in a wheelchair

 

The paint in the Kossoff painting is so thick, here are some close ups

Leon Kossoff, Man in a wheelchair – close up

Leon Kossoff, Man in a wheelchair – close up

Leon Kossoff, Man in a wheelchair – close up

Joan Mitchell, Number 12

 

There is also a whole room with Gerhard Richter’s six Cage paintings

Gerhard Richter, the six Cage paintings

Gerhard Richter, the six Cage paintings

Gerhard Richter, the six Cage paintings

Gerhard Richter, the six Cage paintings

Gerhard Richter, the six Cage paintings

Gerhard Richter, the six Cage paintings

“Richter’s monumental Cage paintings were completed in 2006 and first exhibited at the 2007 Venice Biennale. Like his earlier squeegee abstractions, they are the outcome of several layers of painting and erasure. Their surfaces are animated by lines where the squeegee has paused, by brushstrokes, other scrapings, and areas where the skin of oil paint has dried and rippled.Richter was listening to the music of John Cage while he worked on these paintings and titled them after the composer.” (text source)

 

I’d recommend a trip!

upcycled ideas for the garden

My parents have been visiting from Sweden, which is why I haven’t posted anything for a while. But when they were here we visited some places that I want to share with you, like the café and restaurant Canvas & Cream which is here in Forest Hill. They have a beautiful backyard that is perfect for the summer and if you go there you will find loads of upcycling inspiration for the garden (or inside!).

 

So if you have a garden, why don’t you hang some colourful bottles from a string, fill the garden with herbs, make some large wooden balls from sticks, change the door knobs to cute ones, randomly place some odd porcelain items you’ve found at your grandma’s and put whiskey decanters on handmade shelves?

sydenham arts festival

This Friday is the first day of the two week long Sydenham Arts Festival. It’s a festival with more than 90 events – music, visual arts, theatre, dance, film and much more – in our local neighbourhood, Sydenham and Forest Hill in south London. For the past couple of months I’ve been helping out with the marketing, which has been lots of fun.

If you’re in London between 29 June – 14 July, check out the website: sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk for full programme and more information about the events. There’s something for everyone!

I love this area we live in, there’s so many things going on and interesting people who live here. The Sydenham Arts Festival is a community based initiative that was launched in 2009. It grew out of the large community of artists, musicians, actors, writers, singers and poets who live in the Sydenham and Forest Hill area. The aims of the festival are to celebrate the diversity and quality of artistic achievement in the area and beyond, and to bring the community together.

I’m going to buy tickets to La Boheme, which is on 10 July. And then I don’t want to miss Dick Gaughan’s Agit Folk (5 July), the street celebrations on 6 July. I’m helping out on the Sydenham Unsigned music event at the Hob on the 3 July and at the Colors of India event on 11 July which I think will be amazing. Oh and there’s also Irish music night, Balalaika, 21st century folk night, Arts trail where you get to visit artists’ studios or home, BAFTA short films screening, and much much more. Let me know if you’re coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

London in 1927

I found this video of London in 1927

From Tim Spark on Vimeo

“Incredible colour footage of 1920s London shot by an early British pioneer of film named Claude Frisse-Greene, who made a series of travelogues using the colour process his father William – a noted cinematographer – was experimenting with. It’s like a beautifully dusty old postcard you’d find in a junk store, but moving.”

Music by Jonquil and Yann Tiersen.

weekend

this weekend has consisted of unexpected artsy launch party in Dulwich, dinner with friends and open art studios on Havelock Walk in Forest Hill. 

We didn’t know the launch party was going to be a big house with painted street art, lots of people, free cocktails and amazing garden with lots of art. Good surprise. 

 

 

Dinner Saturday night at our place

 

Havelock Walk open art studios

 

 

 

good weekend

Café interiors in Forest Hill & Dulwich

Finally some beautiful weather! We went out for a walk and after spending some time in Horniman Park we went to Dulwich, which has such a cute high street with lots of design shops and cafés. We had a drink at Le chandelier, which has a lovely decor, look:

 

This rose lemonade is amazing…

 

 

Later on, when walking back to Forest Hill, we found this new little café on Dartmouth Rd. It had just opened that same day. I think they said it was going to be called Le Montage, and there’s going to be an art gallery and a garden opening in May

 

Film strips on the window!

 

antiques shopping – camden passage in Angel

Camden passage is a great place for finding things for the home. On a slightly hidden little alley in Angel, there are market stalls, antique shops and concept stores.

Some of the shops and stalls are only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but other shops are open on other days, sometimes you need to ring the bell.

 

Graphic designer Lizzie Evans’ lifestyle store Smug with 50s and 60s furniture

One of many antique stores..

There are also a couple of really nice cafés and restaurants for breaks, like to rather newly opened coffee works, which has a nice interior.

 

 

 

the first Breakfast Club