Thursday, September 30, 2010
Matilda
Matilda is a new company that imports Australian design to the UK. I regret not taking photos at the launch party, because the gallery was packed and the guests spilled onto Redchurch Street. Here is a look at the gallery before the madness:
Viaduct: Northern Lights
Curated by Gitta Gschwendnter in Viaduct's new exhibition space in Clerkenwell.
Coolest. Toilets. Ever.
A friend somehow became acquainted with the director of Belgrade Design Week and was invited to their party last week at Sketch on Conduit Street. The party was fun as far as cocktail parties go, but the real highlight were the toilets! That might sound funny, but if you don't believe me go see for yourself! I'm obsessed and will be frequenting those toilets whenever I'm in the Oxford Circus area.
V&A Install
This is Innovation Greenhouse, curated by Pete Collard and Katarzyna Jezowska in the Tunnel entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Although I left once plastic sheet was up, the boys stayed all night to get the installation ready for the morning. The greenhouse tied in with an exhibition in the Sackler Centre next door on the innovative use of plant based material in design.
I must admit, my favourite part of the night was sneaking off with my staff badge to wander the halls of the great museum alone. As much as I encourage public museums, they really are so much better without tourists!
I must admit, my favourite part of the night was sneaking off with my staff badge to wander the halls of the great museum alone. As much as I encourage public museums, they really are so much better without tourists!
London Design Festival
Oh la la where to begin... 9 days of madness took over London last week! There were new exhibitions to see every day, from Tent London to the Tramshed, and endless parties to attend every night. Free champagne at ever turn (thanks to the handy sponsorship of Veuve Clicquot) and a few celeb sittings for design nerds such as myself. Here are some highlights!
This is Paul Cocksedge's 'Drop,' a magnetic coin-like sculpture that appears to have fallen from the sky onto the Southbank Centre. Everyone was invited to stick their coins to the piece, and many started to create fun designs and sayings.
Audi set up a mechanical octopus of sorts. The futuristic-looking robots could write out in the air messages that the public wrote in. Unfortunately the messages could only be viewed at night, but the robots themselves were a sight to behold.
The Photographer's Gallery set up a table with scraps of magazines and photographs and invited passersby to help create a large collage to be hung in the gallery after the Festival. As you can tell, I'm quite interested in public projects rather than private viewings..
So speaking of private viewings, The Tramshed hosted a press preview for the 'premier destination' of the festival and I somehow got in.. Featuring 25 design brands including Benchmark, Decode, and Autoban, the newly renovated, well, shed, in Hoxton was indeed a great exhibition despite the sense of exclusivity it exuded.
Tent London, set up in Brick Lane's Truman Brewery, was completely overwhelming. I could create a whole blog for it, but instead I would recommend you visit their website. The vuvuzela lamp pictured above is an example of the many witty design ideas I came across.
The LDF was a real treat to be a part of.. More specific posts will follow.
This is Paul Cocksedge's 'Drop,' a magnetic coin-like sculpture that appears to have fallen from the sky onto the Southbank Centre. Everyone was invited to stick their coins to the piece, and many started to create fun designs and sayings.
Audi set up a mechanical octopus of sorts. The futuristic-looking robots could write out in the air messages that the public wrote in. Unfortunately the messages could only be viewed at night, but the robots themselves were a sight to behold.
The Photographer's Gallery set up a table with scraps of magazines and photographs and invited passersby to help create a large collage to be hung in the gallery after the Festival. As you can tell, I'm quite interested in public projects rather than private viewings..
So speaking of private viewings, The Tramshed hosted a press preview for the 'premier destination' of the festival and I somehow got in.. Featuring 25 design brands including Benchmark, Decode, and Autoban, the newly renovated, well, shed, in Hoxton was indeed a great exhibition despite the sense of exclusivity it exuded.
Tent London, set up in Brick Lane's Truman Brewery, was completely overwhelming. I could create a whole blog for it, but instead I would recommend you visit their website. The vuvuzela lamp pictured above is an example of the many witty design ideas I came across.
The LDF was a real treat to be a part of.. More specific posts will follow.
Peggy
A brief on Peggy Guggenheim:
You may know her uncle as the founder of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, however Peggy was also a driving force in the avant-garde movement. After moving to Paris in 1920, she became bff with the likes of Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. She began to collect and then exhibit little-known artists like Wassily Kandinsky. Following her divorce from the artist Max Ernst, she moved to Venice where she took up a palazzo on the Grand Canal, now the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. She is now buried in the sculpture garden, along with her dogs.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Aussie invasion
matilda-design.com
Launching at the London Design Festival, Matilda is introducing the UK to 13 of Australia's best designers. Grand opening is the night of September 21, so come check it out!
Gallery on Redchurch Street
50 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, E2 7DP
September 16 til October 2
Launching at the London Design Festival, Matilda is introducing the UK to 13 of Australia's best designers. Grand opening is the night of September 21, so come check it out!
Gallery on Redchurch Street
50 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, E2 7DP
September 16 til October 2
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