design – The Cultural Exposé

Quirky pop-up We Built This City returns to Carnaby Street

Matilda — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 08:30:48 +0000

I stumbled across We Built This City a few months ago. It was a Friday evening and I found myself in that awkward position of needing to kill a bit of time, but couldn’t be bothered to drag myself to the nearest Starbucks for an extra hot chai latte and the wi-fi. So I strolled along Carnaby Street, popping briefly into Monki for a pair of new earrings, and eventually found myself gravitating toward’s WBTC’s chaotic graphic display, all the more intriguing because of the bold, creative references to London:

Just discovered this wonderful, alternative souvenir store on Carnaby Street. Seriously funky fresh.

A photo posted by Matilda (@megerecooper) on Aug 28, 2015 at 10:35am PDT

It didn’t even dawn on me that the pop-up, which sells city-inspired gifts and souvenirs from over 300 home-grown designers and artists, wasn’t a permanent shop – so I was pleased to hear that it’s recently returned for the festive season.

Along with their usual fun stuff, they’ve now set up a Christmas shop offering cards, decorations and a Christmas jumper printing service in collaboration with London design duo RUDE (they’re ace) – and if you’re feeling creative, you can sign up to one of their creative workshops that include jewellery-making, the art of wrapping and even how to make a Christmas piñata.

How cute are these? We Built This City staff rock the Christmas jumpers you can design yourself

The shop is currently open and can be found at 56 Carnaby Street, but for more details, visit www.webuilt-thiscity.com

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Somewhere you should go… Secret 7″ at Somerset House

Matilda — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:30:45 +0000

It’s been three years since Secret 7″ arrived in the capital, inviting creatives from across the globe to design record sleeves for songs by well-known musicians. But there’s more to this project than just a very cool collaboration of art forms; it’s an open brief for a collective of renowned and budding artists to let their imagination run wild with some of the biggest songs in the world as their inspiration, while it also offers a clever way for art and music lovers to lend their support to a charitable cause. The 700 sleeves are sold at the end of the exhibition, with all proceeds going to the Nordoff Robbins charity which offers musical therapy to vulnerable children and adults. And with contributors including Yoko Ono, Martin Parr and Sir Peter Blake creating their interpretation of hits by The Chemical Brothers, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Maccabees, Peter Gabriel, The Rolling Stones, St. Vincent and The Underworld this year, the £50-a-pop sleeves are well worth the investment. Check out this show before it wraps up on the 3rd of May – the sale takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, but for more information visit www.secret-7.com. Click here to check out a photogallery of our recent visit!

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Somewhere you should go… Digital Revolution at Barbican

Matilda — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:00:17 +0000

It’s fair to say that the world’s digital explosion in the last 40 years has been something like a phenomenon. Rapid, progressive and artistic all at the same time, we’ve seen it stretch across many facets of life and industries – and this generous show at the Barbican does its best to present as much of this under one roof. Visitors are first met by retro games and inventions in the Digital Archaeology section. As the unmistakable ching-ching-ching of Sonic the Hedgehog collecting coins in the legendary platform game resonates around the room, there’s a chance to play Pong and Super Mario Bros and see the first website by Tim Berners-Lee. Walk further into the exhibition and you notice greater nods to technology in music (musos can feast their eyes on a Linn LM-1 drum machine), education (remember Speak & Spell?) film (Inception and Gravity get a look-in) and home computing, with screens showcasing old-school browsers like Netscape while you can see the development of Apple computers back when the corporation had a rainbow logo, and later spread some colour to the bulbous iMac G3.

Chris Milk’s The Treachery of Sanctuary at Digital Revolution

And that’s just the beginning. You’ll spend hours admiring and playing with creative art as you experience commissioned works from a range of digital filmmakers, technicians, artists, fashion designers and musicians including willi.am. A graphic of the pop star towers over visitors like a modern day Pharoah in the State of Play section, watching you as you move and belting out a new track – autotuned, naturally – that he penned exclusively for the show. It’s kind of freaky but still impressive, like the rest of this mighty project that presents digital technology to creative extremes you simply couldn’t make up. And yet incredibly, some very clever people did. On until 14^th September. For tickets, visit the website. Digital Revolution Trailer from Barbican Centre on Vimeo.

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Somewhere you should go… Pop Art Design at Barbican

The Cultural Exposé — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:33:23 +0000

Though October has just begun, we’re already looking forward to the 22nd, when the Barbican launches a massive new show revealing the playful collision between the pop art tradition and world of design. Pop Art Design is a comprehensive collection of artworks which make those bold statements the legendary genre was best known for when it emerged 50 years ago – so there’s the provocative commentary on the cult of celebrity and consumerism, but it all goes beyond graphics and paintings to feature some of the designs, objects, architecture and interiors inspired by the movement.

Gaetano Pesce’s Moloch floor lamp, 1970-71

There’s over 200 works from 70 iconic and lesser known artists and designers including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Achille Castiglioni, and alongside the exhibition will be events, talks, tours, workshops and film screenings, all running up until February 2014. For more info, visit: www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=14797

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Something You Should See… Endless Stair

Lucy Palmer — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:32:33 +0000

Personally I blame the Shard, that’s what started this obsession with things in London being high and tall. There’s no more mere five storey buildings for us – if you don’t have to crane your neck to look at its very top, it’s just not getting built in the capital anymore. While not quite skyscraper status, the Endless Stair installation – with its 187 steps – will allow visitors to climb up towards the sky and provide a new viewing platform and feature in London’s attractions. The 436 metre interactive structure is made of a series of 20 interlocking staircases, inspired by drawings of M.C. Escher which is clearly evident when viewing the structure. From photos the piece slightly resembles a children’s jungle playground frame with visitors navigating the steps which turn up and down, left, right and everywhere testing our visual and physical perceptions. Located just outside the famous riverbank art space of the Tate Modern the new installation is being raved as one of the landmark and pivotal pieces from this year’s London Design Festival and was designed by architectural firm dRMM.Endless Stair can accommodate a maximum of 93 people at a time so arrive early or be prepared for queues. (Words: Lucy Palmer) On until 10th October 2013, admission is free. For more info, visit www.londondesignfestival.com/endless-stair

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Somewhere You Should Go… Design Junction

Lucy Palmer — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:00:46 +0000

With some many events taking place at this year’s London Design Festival, where do you begin? Try the Design Junction – a hub of inspiration, new ideas and over 100 international design brands showcasing all that’s exciting and innovative in design and culture.

Spread across three floors of a vast 1960s sorting office, you’ll find a wide variety of items from mid-century modern furniture to vintage design classics, fashion to fine jewellery, glassware to ceramics, books, lighting and more. Leading designers and critics will also be engaging in talks and debates covering a wide variety of topics including 21st Century design and its future giving you the chance to share your own opinions.

Further installations in the impressive building include a series of interactive Flash Factories, where the processes of industrial production will be brought to life courtesy of some of the world’s leading design manufacturers including leading furniture designers Thonet. And Art and design collective The Decorators will be producing a hand-built cinema structure to host talks and film screenings entitled ‘Architecture to watch films by’ where the relationship between film and architecture can be examined.

There’s plenty of space to rest your feet, shop and eat with gelato from Gelupo, fresh seasonal British food from Canteen and the best quality coffee and snacks from Soho staple Fernandez & Wells. And in the evening, Design Junction will become the late night destination of choice with live DJs celebrating the best of design and culture, attributes at the heart of London life. (Words: Lucy Palmer)

Open Thursday 20 September 10am-7pm, Friday 21 September & Saturday 22 September
10am-6pm, Sunday 23 September 10am-5pm. Visit www.thedesignjunction.co.uk for further info.

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Somewhere you should go… London Design Festival

Jane Duru — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 10:00:28 +0000

After the brilliant spectacle of London 2012, Londoners can battle their post-Olympic comedown by surfing the crest of the creative wave that’s about to hit. This week sees the stylish crowds strutting in for the start of London Fashion Week but while people-watching can be a diverting pastime, mere mortals should look beyond the stiletto-clad denizens of Somerset House and onwards to the restored warehouse of Central St Martins in King’s Cross, the public space of Trafalgar Square, and the hallowed halls of the V&A. Here’s where you’ll find the various events making up the 10th London Design Festival, and a rather more democratic celebration of the city’s design talent.

With a packed schedule of over 200 events throughout the week – many of them free – visitors looking to orient themselves should start off at the V&A, the festival hub. Here, Keiichi Matsuda’s PRISM exhibition, will present viewers with an alternative London, one informed by drawing upon various data flows that are the life blood of the city – traffic flow, environmental data and the like. Housed in a part of the museum that’s usually off-limits to visitors, it’s a rare chance to see the city in virtual terms. Down on Southbank on September 20th, collective Designersblock will be presenting their stable of designers. Look out for furniture makers Hendzel+Hunt, who’ll be debuting the results of their 24 Hour Challenge – a task issued to five teams of engineers, architects and creatives, to make a themed pinball machine out of materials foraged around Peckham, in a single day. With themes ranging from King Kong to Charlie Chaplin, it only goes to prove: necessity is the mother of all invention.

The London Design Festival runs from September 14 – 23. For more info, visit www.londondesignfestival.com

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Something you should see… Terence Conran at the Design Museum

Laura Thornley — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:00:02 +0000

The veteran designer and trustee turns 80 this year and what better way to celebrate than an exhibition of his work and all that he’s inspired? It’s no mean feat considering Conran’s sphere of influence encompasses just about everything design since the 50’s. He’s most regarded for starting a design studio, an architectural practice that worked across the globe and being the co-founder of the influential home store Habitat. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg, as the exhibition proves. Off the back of Habitat, Conran acquired an extensive range of high street stores such as Heal’s, BHS, Mothercare – and even had a hand in designing the Concord Room at JFK airport. Add to that his work on the interior of Heathrow Terminal 1, revolutionising restaurant design and opening iconic restaurants across the globe from Paris, London to New York, and it’s obvious Conran’s quite The Man.

Pretty much everything you see is touched by the talent of this national treasure, both in house and out – and for those who don’t know, this exhibition should set them straight. It will also give an insight into the mind of a design genius with a re-creation of his home study and examples of his design legacy through the work of students who have won his prestigious Conran Foundation Royal College of Art Award. Co-curated by the Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic and author and former creative director at the Conran Group Stafford Cliff, The Way We Live is definitely not to be missed. (Words: Laura Thornley)

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Somewhere you should go…London Design Festival 2011

Rachel Segal Hamilton — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:00:29 +0000

The capital’s creatives have had it scrawled in their diaries (in red Sharpie marker, naturally) for months. It’s a biggie, the London Design Festival – and now in its 9th year, it promises to be vaster and more exciting than ever. But, with a dizzying 250 events and exhibitions to choose from over nine days, it’s hard to know where to begin. We recommend kicking off at the festival’s core venue, the V&A, where you can grab a copy of the LDF guide before hitting the streets to explore what else is on offer. Then head down to ‘Cut it Out’ at Outline Editions, to check out new work by illustrator Noma Bar and bag your own limited edition artwork made with a giant, dog-shaped hole punch (no lies). Also, don’t miss ‘My London’ at Established & Sons, a series of collaborative installations by designers, artists and architects, paying homage to the big smoke, or ‘Mermaids‘ by Marcel Wanders, a watery re-imagining of Dutch design company Moooi’s London showroom. Finally, indulge your wildest foodie fantasies at a ‘secret sensory supper’ in the dramatic masonic temple room at Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel. And if that’s not enough, you can always get up the next day and start all over again. (Words: Rachel Segal Hamilton)

[stextbox id=”custom”]London Design Festival runs from 17 – 25 September 2011 at the V&A and other locations around London. For more info, visit londondesignfestival.com[/stextbox]

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Somewhere you should go…This Is Design @ the Design Museum

Laura Thornley — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:00:01 +0000

If you need a heads up on how the British have made the world a better place with innovative thinking, then the Design Museum has just the ticket. Their new exhibition, This is Design, takes a journey through the earliest mass-produced British design to the newest in contemporary handmade stuffs. Made up of their own personal collection, all pieces have been receiving some quality TLC for the past five years and now are ready for the world again.

Divided into categories such as Identity, Manufacturing Innovations, the Digital Revolution and Lifecycle, the exhibition promises a more philosophical look at how design shapes our lives and helps us interact with objects around us. It will also look at how the smallest of accidental design can impact us so hugely. The pieces included range from furniture, road signs, even replica buildings designed by Sir Norman Foster and of course, the archetypal British Mini.

If the first thing that springs to mind when you hear British design is a Sinclair C5 then this should make for the perfect re-education this summer. (Words: Laura Thornley)

This Is Design opens on August 24 until January 22, 2012. For more info, visit: www.designmuseum.org

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