Monday 15 December 2014

The Nutella Drinking Glass

A Nutella drinking glass

Recently in one of the classes I've been taking as part of my MA in Curating Contemporary Design I had to give a short presentation analysing an object. Any object at all. And while there are billions of objects in the world, and at least tens of thousands of brilliant ones, I came back to an old favourite. The Nutella drinking glass is one of the simplest but most clever things you'll find on a supermarket shelf anywhere in the world, and here's why.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Christmas Gift Guide...ish

Nordic pattern Christmas Card, available from notonthehighstreet.com

I had thought of doing this last year, then life (or laziness) conspired against me and it didn't happen. So I thought I'd make an extra effort to get in gear this Christmas season and started doing some research into things for you and me to buy for him, her, them and everyone else... But then I thought that there are probably plenty of blogs and magazines and online shops listing gifts for different categories of people and presents at various price points, and would I be able to contribute much to the 'BUY THESE OBJECTS NOW!' conversation? I'm not so sure, so here's something slightly different:

Monday 1 December 2014

Here's the Heads Up #24

Work by NATALIEBCOLEMAN as part of Second Skin

'Tis the season to shop, eat, drink, be merry and shop. If you need a reprive from any and all of those, here are some cultural palette cleansers in Ireland and London worth catching before the end of 2014...

Monday 27 October 2014

Creativity Hits the Classroom

My Architecture Design Journal by the Irish Architecture Foundation

This article first appeared in Image Interiors & Living, September/October 2014

It's hard to argue that those with a creative streak benefit from arts education, but there's an increasing argument in favour of exposing everyone to art, design and creative processes, regardless of their ability or career aspirations. Being informed about how and why all the things that surround us are the way they are, and being able to apply creative thinking to a myriad of tasks is of benefit to everyone, and two organisations are working hard to expose young Irish people to design, architecture and plain old creativity.

Friday 24 October 2014

Here's the Heads Up #23

Describing Architecture at the City Assembly House, image by Orla Murphy

Here's the latest Heads Up on exhibitions and designy deadlines in Ireland and London. The emphasis is on what's coming up or ending soon to serve as a reminder - to me as much as to you guys - to catch things while we can...

Monday 20 October 2014

Central Saint Martins

Studio space in Central Saint Martins, Stanton Williams Architects

Up until about a month ago I worked in the Students' Union at the University of the Arts London (UAL), which is a relatively recent bringing-together of six of London's top art schools. UAL has a host of campuses all over the city, designed in different eras or repurposed in different ways. While I wasn't based there all the time, one of my favourite sites within UAL's impressive portfolio is the recently completed Central Saint Martins campus in King's Cross. Designed by Stanton Williams Architects, it's the anchor in the ongoing redevelopment of the King's Cross area by developers Argent and it opened its doors to 5,000 students in 2011.

Monday 13 October 2014

LDF 2014

1-2-3 Mirror by Klas & Schenk-Mischke at LDF 2014

London Design Festival returned from 13 - 21 September, with heaps of exhibitions, trade shows and events all over the city. I excitedly began attending talks, launches and happenings and really enjoyed the more curated or discursive aspects of the festival. But by the time I reached my third trade show, my energy - and patience - began to wane. There were a whole host of great new products launched, and then A LOT more that weren't great at all. And while different but not great is one thing, when I saw product after product after product all looking the same... sigh. BUT there was some cool stuff on display, so I thought I'd take the four main recurring themes I noticed and show you my favourite versions of them (or antidotes to them). Behold:

Monday 6 October 2014

Post Tropical Lighting



Last night I went to see Irish musician James Vincent McMorrow play at the Shepherd's Bush Empire. This was the second time I saw him perform live, the first being in the Barbican back in January (how dreamy!). James is an amazing songwriter and performer and his most recent album Post Tropical is one of my favourites of the past few years. But great music aside, his performances of late have been done amid stunning lighting design by Conor Jacob. Conor has filled the stage with pyramids of light, each glowing, pulsing and changing colour as each song unfolds. In the background, 3d mapping brings a round surface, interruped by yet more pyramids, to life. It's not so easy to describe in words what he's achieved, and I certainly can't do it justice. Instead, click through to watch a video of the lighting in action, directed by Emma J. Doyle and made by James "purely to capture something that I love, and to share with people ... This video is all about the lights." James is currently on tour around Europe, so you might be able to see the show in a venue near you...

Thursday 2 October 2014

Social House London

World's End Estate, Chelsea, image via tt22e.wordpress.com

Though not my intention at the outset, my first ever Open House London experience last weekend saw me visiting, among other sites, a number of social housing schemes, giving me a little more insight into the work done by London authorities to house thousands of families in the 60s and 70s. While definitely not exhaustive, I got a sense of high-rise in Elephant & Castle, low-rise in Tulse Hill and a mixture of the two in the most high-density development of the three in World's End, Chelsea. Each tour was a fantastic insight not only into the design and intentions behind each development, but the daily life of each scheme, as each tour was led by residents. Britain has an amazing stock of post-war housing, but it's very much a depleting stock: I recommend opportunities such as Open House to see them while you still can, while books such as Concretopia by John Grindrod and A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain by Owen Hatherley give good insight into the rise and fall of postwar socially-minded architecture here in the UK.

Thursday 18 September 2014

Back to School



Next week I start a masters (in Curating Design - hooray!) so this week I'm combining visiting London Design Festival with back to school shopping. Already I've managed to stock up on a few things so once I finally buy a school bag I'll have plenty to put in it :)

Monday 15 September 2014

The Coolest Charity Shop



While visiting Ealing as part of my History of Architecture course we came across Mary's Living and Giving, one of the coolest charity shops I've EVER SEEN. Charity shops in west London can often be pretty great, as west London's full of rich people who buy high quality things and then get rid of them soon after (a complete and utter generalisation I know, but you do stand to find some top notch stuff this side of the city...). But Mary's Living and Giving goes a step further by employing clever design to present their amazing stock to great effect. RCA interior design students Naomi Grieve and Flett Bertram used swathes of coloured fabric, plumbing pipes and filament bulbs to create a unique and inviting space, giving the shop a trendy boutiquey feel. It's unlike any other charity shop I've been to and it's well worth a visit if you find yourself on that end of the Central line...

Friday 12 September 2014

More Short Course Mayhem: History of Architecture

Big Ben and Portcullis House, Westminster

I recently took a 5 day course in History of Architecture and Interiors at Chelsea College of Arts, which didn't actually take place in the college. Instead, we spent 5 days roaming the streets of London and travelling to the city's outer zones to experience England's classical architecture first hand. While at times learning about classicism is like eating vegetables for a modern and contemporary enthusiast such as myself (very good for me, but not the most appealing thing), the course was really informative, interesting and enjoyable. We began our travels at the Banqueting House at Whitehall, the first classical building in England, designed by Inigo Jones in 1619, and finished in Sir John Soane's Museum to see his amazing Regency-era experiments from 1792 to 1824. In between we visited country houses in Ealing, Marble Hill, Chiswick and Osterley, the Royal Society of Arts, Somerset House, Greenwich and St Paul's Cathedral. We learned an incredible amount and I took a HEAP of photographs. Here are some of the highlights, giving you a TINY flavour of what I saw...

Monday 8 September 2014

Irish Architecture is Taking Over the World

Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at LSE, London by O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects

Irish architecture has never before enjoyed the international profile it has gained in the past number of years. In 2008 Grafton Architects won the inaugural World Building of the Year award for their Università commerciale Luigi Bocconi building in Milan and won the Silver Lion for their contribution to David Chipperfield's Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012. Heneghan Peng have won international competitions to design major museum buildings such as the Palestinian Museum, the Grand Epyptian Building and the National Centre for Contemporary Arts in Moscow. London-based Níall McLaughlin was the favourite for last year's Stirling Prize (in a shortlist that was 50% Irish) and was recently announced as the architect of a new extension to London's Natural History Museum. In 2012 O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects were awarded Icon magazine's Architecture Practice of the Year and recently were announced as being on this year's Stirling Prize shortlist for their Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at LSE, their fifth appearance on the shortlist. Younger practices regularly feature in the Architectural Review Awards, the Wallpaper* Architects Directory and other international barometers. Why is that? Why now?!

Thursday 28 August 2014

Michael Dignam's Print Fund

Fragments (Orange) by Michael Dignam

Michael Dignam is an Irish artist on a mission: he has a place on Goldsmiths' Masters of Fine Art course here in London and needs some more dough to ensure he can afford to study and live in London for the next two years (this city is damn expensive, BELIEVE ME). He has created a series of limited edition prints at Damn Fine Print in Dublin and by buying one you'll be supporting Michael's studies: a pretty worthy cause, is it not? Not only that, but the prints are pretty beautiful: exploring Dublin's architecture and playing with geometry (hello, triangles!), they'd look good on anyone's wall. Now, which one to choose...

Tuesday 26 August 2014

London MA Shows, Autumn 2014

B-Pro Show, Bartlett School of Architecture

In keeping with some of the most popular posts on I Like Local this summer, here's one last degree show listing. There is a small number of masters shows coming up here in London this month and next that I thought I would list. I have updated the overall London Degree Shows post but thought I would post them here too so they don't get lost amid all the other shows that were listed earlier in the summer. Enjoy!

Monday 25 August 2014

Here's the Heads Up #22

American Embassy, Dublin, designed by John M. Johansen, part of Open House Dublin 2014

Upcoming goings on at home and here in London, including one-off events, festivals, exhibitions and designy goings on. Enjoy!

Thursday 21 August 2014

Clay Creatives

Built by Orlaith Ross

This article first appeared in Image Interiors & Living, July/August 2014

Ceramics has a history spanning millennia and providing archaeologists and historians with key information on how humans have shaped their surroundings and manipulated materials all over the world. In Ireland ceramic artefacts have been found, now part of the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, dating back to as early as 3500 BC. But Irish pottery and ceramic ware is not solely an artefact in a museum, Irish ceramics live and breathe, they develop and evolve today both in functional and sculptural terms, with a number of artists, designers and makers all over the country creating beautiful work worth celebrating. Here is a look at just a small number of those makers pushing the boundaries traditional techniques and exploring contemporary aesthetics, functions or concepts.

Thursday 14 August 2014

Fabric by Donna Wilson

Mountain Home fabric by Donna Wilson

Scottish designer Donna Wilson has just launched a range of fabrics to buy by the meter, encouraging people to make their own products and textile items. Inspired by her upbringing on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the fabrics combine Wilson's trademark illustrative style with a sense of homeliness and comfort in nature. No need to say much more on this as far as I'm concerned, just click through and decide which pattern gets your creative juices flowing...

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Best of Year #5




I Like Local is five years old! If it were human it would be running around, causing mischief and starting school in a few months. As it's not actually human, instead it's grown to be a bank of over 300 posts about design and architecture in five different locations with a small but perfectly formed readership from all over the world. It's one of the only places you'll find writing about Irish design and architecture online and - call me biased - it's a damn good read. Year number five has brought with it a move to a fifth location (this time it's London) and as a result, a wealth of design and cultural inspiration. Some of the most popular posts this year have been my now annual degree show listings, but there have been other highlights too, you'll find them below. Year number six will see me stay put for the first time in ages (I'm about to start a masters in Curating Contemporary Design here in the big smoke) but I'll still be covering the best of Irish creativity amid my inevitable London discoveries. Make sure you're signed up to the mailing list for updates, keep in touch on Twitter and keep enjoying the blog!

Monday 11 August 2014

Jeffry's House, Ards Forest Park



Framing views of the Atlantic ocean from Ards Forest Park in Donegal, Jeffry's House is the first architectural folly of its kind in Ireland. Following in the footsteps of Norway's National Tourist Routes, Jeffry's House is created by architect Thomas O'Brien and artist Emma Mannion and the thatched structure combines contemporary design with traditional building techniques in a unique setting. Designed to invite and intrigue, O'Brien and Mannion aim for it to be 'a respite from the elements and from the everyday'. Jeffry's House reveals the sea, sand dunes and mountains of the area through its architecture, while the project reveals the potential the right architecture has to enhance our experience of our natural resources. Initiated by Donegal County Council with the Irish Architecture Foundation, Coillte and Earagail Arts Festival, I look forward to experiencing it in the flesh. If you get there before I do, you'll find Jeffry's House along the Sand Dune Trail from the main car park and you'll get more info over on the IAF website...

Thursday 7 August 2014

Summer Screen Prints

The Royal Tenenbaums by Concepcion Studio, exhibited at Summer Screen Prints
From today until 20 August Londoners who were on-the-ball enough to grab tickets before they sold out (not me) will enjoy new, old and iconic films screened each evening in the courtyard of Somerset House. This is the 10th year that the folks behind Film4 have presented Summer Screen at Somerset House, and to celebrate they've enlisted Print Club London to curate Summer Screen Prints. Summer Screen Prints brings together 16 artists and illustrators to each create a two-colour screen printed poster for a film in the programme, with varied and wonderful results.

Monday 4 August 2014

The 100 Archive

IBMblr by Susan Murphy for Ogilvy & Mather, part of the 100 Archive

A steering committee of four, 100 founding supporters and 600 submissions: from this comes the 100 Archive, the first and only living archive of Irish graphic design. In development since 2012, last week saw the launch of the first batch of selected work, from 2010 to 2013, and browsing through the HEAPS of top notch work was a keen reminder of just what high quality work Irish designers are creating and clients are commissioning. I thought I'd pull out a few of my favourites, but I really encourage you to wander through the archive to find your own - you'll have no shortage of work to choose from...

Monday 28 July 2014

Portuguese Patterns by Nevoa

Kith & Kin trays by Nevoa

New Portuguese design brand Nevoa has launched a range of objects for the home combining traditional joinery with one of Portugal's Best Things Ever: tile patterns. Intricate patterns are screen printed on carefully made wooden boxes, frames, stools and more to create attractive contemporary items with traditional roots. I'm a particular fan of the geometric bookends (pictured at the bottom), but click through and maybe you'll find a favourite of your own...

Monday 23 June 2014

Here's the Heads Up #21



Here are a few upcoming events in Dublin and London (including one I've got going on in LSE's new student centre... ahem), should you want to spend some time indoors and away from the warm weather...

Thursday 12 June 2014

Infra-Éireann

Infra-Éireann at Venice, image by Alice Clancy

The 14th International Architecture Exhibition, the Venice Biennale, opened last weekend. Running until 23 November, it is curated by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and takes the title Fundamentals. The theme Koolhaas has given to the national pavilions is Absorbing Modernity: 1914–2014, questioning the Modernist movement and considering, among other things, to what extent Modernism in various countries around the world created either homogeneity or diversity. Irish curators Gary Boyd and John McLaughlin have responded to this theme with their exhibition Infra-Éireann, exploring how the Modernist aesthetic and ideals were employed in the design and development of Ireland's infrastructure from 1916 onwards, running parallel to the development of Ireland as an independent nation.

Monday 9 June 2014

Present & Correct



Present & Correct is a stationery shop selling a range of great original designs, delicious items from around the world and vintage finds too. Two designers have turned their long-standing obsession with school and office supplies into a constantly evolving store, beginning online in 2008 and last week celebrating their first birthday in their real life premises on Arlington Way here in London. Their website and shop are both full of SUCH TASTY STUFF and I would like to own pretty much all of it. You can browse and buy online but if you're in the area, their physical shop is well worth a visit for a look at their stock in the flesh, a chat about stationery lust and a go of their stationery gumball machine (slot in some pound coins and get a surprise treat - in my case it was colourdy gum dots. WIN!).

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Glasgow School of Art, May 2014



On 23 May 2014 one of the most beautiful buildings in the UK - the Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building - suffered a very serious fire. Designed by native Glaswegian Charles Rennie Mackintosh and built between 1897 and 1909, the GSofA is an incredible example of Art Nouveau architecture as well as a space designed meticulously for its purpose as an art school. The Glasgow School of Art was awarded 'The Stirling of Stirlings' when it won a public vote run by the RIBA in 2009 to find the best building in Britain. It's a building I've admired for a long time and one I feel - especially now - so lucky to have visited.

Monday 26 May 2014

Mirimalism - the Photography of Miri Berlin

Untitled, taken in Holon by Miri Berlin

Berlin-based photographer Miri Berlin does an envious amount of travelling, taking photos of architecture and cities around Europe and even further afield in Japan and Israel (where she is originally from). With a keen eye for the beauty of minimalist and Brutalist architecture and the patience to wait until the sun comes out before she takes a photo, Miri's work is bright and bold, but with a quiet confidence and a calm feel. My favourite collection of hers is 'Mirimalism', her shots of minimalist or Brutalist architecture cropped to let in the vast blue sky above. Click through to see more (do it! They're fab!) and keep an eye out on Miri's website for upcoming work exploring Berlin, Tel Aviv and the city of Sarajevo.

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Irish Degree Shows 2014

NCAD Degree Show 2013

The dates just keep on coming... Here you go Irish readers: 25 degree shows, catwalk shows and symposia all over the country, both sides of the border, all for your delectation. Most occur in either May or June and are listed geographically (but with Dublin first as it's got the most shows and most likely the biggest audience). Within each geographical area I've listed shows in order of when they occur, so that you know which ones to get to first. Make sense? Is your show missing? Tell me via email or Twitter and I'll add it posthaste. Not spending degree show season in Ireland? Here are the Scottish dates and London dates. Enjoy!

Monday 19 May 2014

Sealed with Irish Love Stationery

Notebooks by Sealed with Irish Love

Sealed with Irish Love, launched last year by interior designer Máire McKeogh, produces a range of homewares and gifts employing patterns and imagery associated with Ireland. Máire was inspired to create the range when living in London, becoming all to aware of how much nostalgia she felt for her home in Ireland (I hear ya, Máire). Using a bright colour palette and a number of handmade illustrations, the products for sale over on Sealed with Irish Love are charming and - despite the subject matter - never over the top or twee. I'm a particular fan of the notebooks on offer, each employing a simple repeat pattern on the cover. Click through for tulips and bird feathers, and get shopping over on the website.

Monday 12 May 2014

Scottish Degree Shows 2014

Exhibition at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, Aberdeen, 2011

Continuing with tradition (or insanity), here's a fairly comprehensive list of art, design and architecture degree shows happening across Scotland this summer. If you're spending the summer down south like me, here's a list of London Degree Shows, while Irish readers stay tuned: your shows are coming soon. If your show isn't here, then tell me via email or Twitter and I'll gladly include it. Enjoy!

Tuesday 6 May 2014

London Degree Shows 2014

London College of Communication MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography show 2013, photographed by Ana Escobar

Holy shit you guys, I have listed OVER FIFTY art, design and architecture degree shows going on around London this summer. Kicking off this week, running right through the summer and into September (with a few TBCs in there for good measure), this is as comprehensive a guide to London creative graduate shows as I can muster. I've listed them in order of when they're opening, so hopefully that's useful when planning where to hit when. Is your show missing? Email me or tweet me and I'll include it! People of Scotland and Ireland, your listings will land in the next couple of weeks following their popularity last year. People of Wales and the rest of England, soz, I'm wrecked. Maybe next year. Without further ado...

Wednesday 30 April 2014

Here's the Heads Up #20

Building by ALA Architecture. Samuli Woolston speaks at NewNowNext

Hello and welcome to the 20th edition of Here's the Heads Up, giving you a rundown of some great architecture, design and cultural events and exhibitions in a place where I am, a place where I like or a place where I wish I was. This time I've got a selection of dates for your diary in Dublin and London in May and June. Enjoy!

Thursday 24 April 2014

Propaganda Porcelain at the British Museum



Created in 1901 but not decorated until 1921, after the Russian revolution, the above plate is on display in the 20th century rooms in the British Museum. Depicting a young worker marching towards a red (state-owned) factory and stamping over cyrillic characters spelling out the word Kapital (meaning capitalism), the plate depicts a reinvented Russia, marching towards a brighter (communist) future.

Tuesday 22 April 2014

LX Type

LX Type, Lisbon's new typeface

Lisbon is a city with a particular look, feel, colour palette and lifestyle: all of it beautiful and warm. One of the many things that gives the city character and charm is the tram system, particularly the old yellow trollies that rattle up and down Lisbon's many hills and through its rambling streets. Inspired not just by the trams themselves but the cables that interrupt the city's blue sky, Lisbon has a new typeface. LX Type is constructed from the tram's cables to create a distinct and individual typeface.

Monday 14 April 2014

Grunge and 90s Fashion


Back in February I took a short course in History of Fashion at London College of Fashion. I spent four Saturdays in LCF's campus just off Oxford Street getting an introduction to the history of fashion from the 1850s to the present day, with a particular focus on British fashion. If you're based in London and have a little interest in fashion I totally recommend it. You'll have to hand over about £300 to do it but if you're willing to do that you get an awful lot in return. While I don't tend to cover fashion here that often, I do think it's a really interesting area of design. Of all design categories, fashion's the one that we tend to have the closest relationship to, and the one we make the most conscious decisions about. While we don't always get to choose all of the spaces we occupy or objects we use each day, and while we don't always choose the stuff that surrounds us based on how it's designed (sometimes cost, convenience or apparent lack of choice can be much bigger factors), we tend to be far more discerning about what we wear. We know what we like, we choose garments based on how they look, what they're made from and sometimes even who designed them. While cost, convenience and other factors can come into it, for an awful lot of us personal preference comes into play with regard to fashion far more than with the other designed objects we come into contact with. Fashion is a key way for us to identify ourselves and - when you consider fashion as a historical artefact - how nations, cultures and generations have identified themselves.

Thursday 10 April 2014

Shape - A Film About Design

Shape, a film about design

Recently launched by Pivot Dublin and Dublin City Council and made by Scott Burnett and Johnny Kelly, Shape is a short animated film about design aimed at young people. It poses the question 'If, for one day, you had the power to make your world work better, what would you change?' and shows how changing the look, feel, size or form of something - or replacing it with something entirely different - can change your experience of the object itself and maybe even improve your day, your surroundings or your life a little bit. It makes the point that design is everywhere and that it can make a big impact.

Wednesday 2 April 2014

If Artists were Architects...



Barcelona-based illustrator Federico Babina has something of a preoccupation with architecture, creating series of illustrations on architectural alphabets, the architecture of cinema and more. I recently stumbled upon this one, named Archists, which imagines a city of buildings designed by famous artists in their trademark styles. A simple concept which is delivered in Babina's trademark charming style, click through to see some of my favourites.

Friday 28 March 2014

danishdesign MAKERS

Blind lights by Johansen Faurschou, danishdesign MAKERS

Back in January Danish collective danishdesign MAKERS brought a range of furniture to IMM Cologne, featured on MocoLoco. Entitled Please Do Touch, their display of work was inspired by the hands-on nature of both designing and enjoying design. Echoing the purity and honesty of Danish design culture, they showed some really simple and charming pieces. My favourites are as follows: Blind by Johansen Faurschou, pictured above, is a light which you push up within its shade to reduce light emission or pull it out to increase it; great industrial-looking clocks by Birgitte Due Madsen and Jonas Trampedach (below); Coffee N Rest tables by Thomas Albertsen (pictured third) and table-cum-trays by Signe Hytte (pictured bottom). Click through to find your own favourite!

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Sensing Spaces

Grafton Architects, part of Sensing Spaces at the Royal Academy

Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined, curated by Kate Goodwin at the Royal Academy in London, runs until 6 April and is an ambitious exploration not just of contemporary international architecture but of how architecture can be exhibited. Taking the form of a series of site-specific responses to the Royal Academy's lush Beaux Arts interiors by seven architectural practices from around the world (including Grafton Architects from Ireland, pictured above and Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura from Portugal), the exhibition brings a slice of an international biennale or triennale to one of London's major art galleries.

Friday 21 March 2014

IAF Love

Goodies from the IAF Membership Scheme

Right, so I'm TOTALLY biased cos I used to work for these guys, but the Irish Architecture Foundation have recently launched a membership scheme to help fund all the great things they do and I've signed myself up. Even without being based in Ireland I get goodies like a new tote bag and some of the IAF's great publications and if I find myself back at home any time soon I can avail of priority booking for their events, 10% off in the Irish Design Shop and other great shops in Dublin AND the warm fuzzy feeling associated with donating to a good cause. Man, I am such a great person... More info here and see who else has signed up (loads of cool people - don't be left out) over on Twitter.

Monday 17 March 2014

This is not a newspaper

This is not a Newspaper by Aad for Offset/Transform Your City

As part of Offset's Transform Your City project mentioned recently, graphic design studio Aad has produced a printed project and website entitled This is not a newspaper. While it might look like a newspaper, be distributed like a newspaper and (hopefully) smell and feel like a newspaper, This is not a newspaper doesn't tell you the news, it fills you in on the thoughts some people have had and stories they've decided to tell about Dublin's South William Street, a Georgian street in Dublin's creative quarter full of shops, cafes, quirky basements and - to contributor Andrew Griffin - 'a Machiavellian world of intrigue'. This is not a newspaper brings together 8 short stories and musings along with 8 illustrations and poses thoughts on online and in person experiences, imaginings of a future South William Street and a call for curiosity and daydreams. Grab a copy if you're in the area or dip in online for a sense of one of Dublin's loveliest streets - what it is and what it could be. Find out what other transformations are occuring in Dublin here and click through for more images.

Thursday 13 March 2014

Here's the Heads Up #19



The blog is back to life! After MONTHS of having no internet in my flat I'm finally connected to the rest of the world again, so without further ado, I'd better get blogging. Let's kick things off with a heads up of art, design and architecture events going on in both Dublin and London for me/you/people to get stuck into...

Monday 27 January 2014

Textiles and Patterns by Alexander Girard



Opened late last year and running until 9 February, Pop Art Design at the Barbican is an exhibition exploring how commercial design influenced the art of the 50s and 60s and how that art in turn influenced design. If it's a period of art and design you're unfamiliar with the exhibition provides a really nice introduction, while there are a couple of things on show that might be new to the already initiated. One such revelation to me was the work of Alexander Girard, an architect who trained in Italy and Britain before moving to New York and beginning to work across architecture, interior and exhibition design, typography, furniture and fabrics. He became Director of the Fabric Division at Hermann Millar in the 1950s and most of his best work was done for them. Pop Art Design includes some of his wallpaper patterns, ceramic objects and mural designs while a little look online brings up a whole host of brightly-coloured playful patterns for fabric and other applications. Girard's work is fun and frivolous and I can't believe I'm only finding out about it now! Though I realise as I've looked through his archive of work, some of his stuff (such as the wooden Vitra dolls pictured at the bottom) is familiar, I just never knew the designer behind it. I'm certainly glad that now I do...

Thursday 23 January 2014

O'Donnell + Tuomey at LSE



Late last year I began working in the Students' Unions at both the University of the Arts London and London School of Economics and Political Science. While the former might seem like a more obvious choice of employment for a design nerd like me, you're about to find out why working at LSESU is just as attractive: at the beginning of this term we moved into a brand spanking new Irish-designed architectural icon! The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre (or simply the Students' Union building, as my colleagues and I would much rather call it) is the latest red brick behemoth to come from O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects. It's their second building in the city (The Photographers' Gallery is their first) and houses activity spaces, a bar and cafes, a fully kitted-out gym, various student services and a massive basement venue, all for the students of LSE.

Thursday 16 January 2014

Tom Eckersley at LCC

Exhibition poster by Tom Eckersley. Exhibited at London College of Communication

Last week I went along to the opening of Tom Eckersley: Master of the Poster at London College of Communication. Running until 29 January, this exhibition explores the work of graphic designer and educator Tom Eckersley and shows a range of his work for London Transport, the Whitechapel Art Gallery, the United Nations and the College itself (formerly London College of Printing). In fact, LCC is home to a substantial archive of Eckersley's work, as he founded the College's graphic design undergraduate programme, the first of its kind in the UK.

Sunday 12 January 2014

Here's the Heads Up #18

The Everyday Experience, IAF@IMMA

Welcome to the latest edition of Here's the Heads Up, giving you a quick rundown of the events and exhibitions I hope to go to in London over the next month or so and the ones I wish I was around for in Dublin right now. Enjoy!