Vital Interventions: Assemble wins the Turner Prize

Assemble, a collective of London-based 'sort of' architects who design and make urban interventions and community collaborations has won the 2015 Turner Prize, the UK art world's highest accolade, previously won with such iconic conceptual works as Damien Hirst's cow and calf in formaldehyde and Martin Creed's light going on and off. The work that got Assemble nominated is very different: a regeneration project in Liverpool's dilapidated Toxteth neighbourhood, which is inspiring proof of the power of a determined community and enlightened designers. But what does Assemble winning the Turner Prize mean for work of this kind in the future?

Buy Design in Ireland 2015

It's always handy to know where to go when you fancy a little design shopping, but it's especially useful this time of year. I've put together guides to buying design in Dublin and in Ireland before, but here's one with a few of my old favourites, new finds and seasonal pop ups to make sure you have plenty of options when it comes to buying gifts this year. Without further ado...

The Vitrine Project

Cropping up around Dublin on 20 November and launched on YouTube today, The Vitrine Project is a collaboration between advertising agency In the Company of Huskies and Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) that aims to reframe the everyday. Marking the opening of Liminal, an exhibition of contemporary Irish design that ID2015 has brought home to Dublin following showings in Milan and Eindhoven earlier this year, gallery-style vitrines were deployed for one day across Dublin to re-present the everyday objects that surround us. Placed over bins, street furniture, bar stools and products in shops, the vitrines were accompanied by the type of label you see beside a museum artefact, but in this case the labels told viewers what the objects were, proclaimed that 'Design is everywhere' and asked the question, 'Does this object belong in a design museum?'

Nordic Makers

The timing has been pretty funny: as I move to Copenhagen, a Danish duo open a design store in Ireland. Based between here and Dublin, Klaus Kristian Sørensen and Louis Weyhe Funder opened the doors of their shop, Nordic Makers, in Dún Laoghaire three months ago, bringing limited edition work from small studios and emerging designers all over the Nordic region to an Irish audience. And as Klaus and Louis tell me here in Copenhagen, that Irish audience is lapping it up.

New Architecture: Ireland by AP+E

Recently here in Copenhagen Denmark's leading design school, KADK, hosted an exhibition entitled New Architecture: Ireland, curated and designed by Irish/Danish/Dutch architecture practice AP+E. Showcasing the work of six Irish practices to have emerged during the recession, the exhibition included a range of projects of a non-commercial, social or community-based nature. Using custom-designed armatures which frame the work of the individual practices while unifying the exhibition as a whole, New Architecture: Ireland created a space to study a moment in Irish architecture, complemented by its surroundings in the school's library. Copenhagen was the second of four stops for the project in the Nordic region, having shown first in Tallinn, and most recently in Oslo. The show will finish its tour in Stockholm, opening there on 16 November.

Ad Man Glamour

Originally published in Image Interiors & Living in January of this year, this Sandymount house tour, styled by Sheenagh Green and shot by Mark Scott, has taken on a new relevance. It's the home of mid-century furniture collector Geoff Kirk, who swears by Scandinavia as a source of much of his great collection of furniture, lighting and tabletop objects. For a slice of Nordic decor in Dublin, read on...

Maritime Museum of Denmark

Exhibition space buried underground and wrapping around a dry dock, a bridge leading you to Hamlet's castle housing an auditorium underneath and granite seating looping round a new public space, tapping out a message in morse code: I wasn't long in Denmark before I made a trip to the Maritime Museum of Denmark in Helsingør, and from first sight I was hooked. Opened in late 2013, the competition to design M/S Museet for Søfart, as it's known here, was won by Bjarke Ingels Group with a clever approach to a very restrictive brief. The museum was to be housed in a 60 year-old dry dock sandwiched between Helsingør's new cultural centre and Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO heritage site most famous for being the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. The museum would need to make an impression and create its own presence... without disrupting anyone's view of Kronborg. BIG achieved this by putting the museum not in the dry dock but buried on either side of it, using the dock itself as a public space intersected by three bridges: one that leads you to the castle (containing the museum's auditorium) and two that zigzag towards the museum's entrance. The design of the museum is incredibly impressive in that it successfully hides and reveals the museum simultaneously, while carving out a unique urban space in the process.

Back in DK

It's taken a few years, and a few locations in between, but I've finally returned to Denmark! I lived in Denmark's second city, Århus, back in the summers of 2008 and 2009, and it's there that I Like Local began as a sort of personal blog/design blog hybrid. It was a way for me to share the design and architecture I was encountering day to day, and in the six years I've been writing it since, it's always been populated with my finds as I've travelled from city to city. Before I start (re)discovering design and architecture here in Copenhagen, I thought it would be good to share some of those posts from the early days below, and you can read all of my Danish posts here. Enjoy, or as they say here (I think, my Danish is pretty ropey...) nyd!

Framing Family Life

The last of my 'so long London' posts is my most recent piece for Image Interiors & Living, a house tour in London's Islington, styled by Amanda Cochrane and shot by Tim Young. Read on...

'I'm all about framing moments' says Dublin-born Irenie Cossey as she reaches for a piece of artwork by her youngest daughter, Clara. It is a box frame displaying two dolls that Clara, aged six, made from paper and wool, sitting on a shelf surrounded by other colourful creations. As you look around the room you see a host of other keepsakes and mementos, and soon you realise that throughout this spacious north London home you can find ornaments and gifts, family hand-me-downs and children's artwork. Don't let the white walls and modernist furniture fool you: this is a house that treasures memories and perfectly frames the many moments of family life.

Lasdun in London

Denys Lasdun, born in 1914 and alive until 2001, is my favourite British architect (for now, at least, though I can't think of anyone likely to outdo him any time soon). Sometimes classed as a Brutalist for his big, bold, uncompromising buildings, his work is some of the most notable of the British modern movement and he is one of the most distinguished practitioners in the 20th century. I had never considered his work before moving to London, but his buildings there are some of my favourite in the city, so I thought a post about them would be an apt farewell to my former location before moving on to posting about Denmark.

The Freeborn Exchange

Another 'so long London' post, this one takes a look at a lower key exhibition than all those in the V&A (but nevertheless well worth looking at), The Freeborn Exchange at Chelsea College of Arts back in April. Gavin Freeborn is a London-based Irish photographer I met while we were both working at the University of the Arts London. He mounted an exhibition and pop-up photography studio at Chelsea, one of UAL's campuses, showing a host of his portraits exchanged in return for objects, experiences, skills and hospitality all over the world. Complementing Freeborn's portraits was a room filled with work by UAL staff and students which touched on travel and exchange, while you could propose your own exchange for a Freeborn portrait in the show's pop-up studio.

Design, Museums and Society

Studying Curating Contemporary Design and working in the V&A meant I spent a lot of time over the past year thinking about what the V&A's cool dude Contemporary team have been up to. I think they've been doing more interesting stuff than anyone else in the design museum world lately, and here's an abridged version of an essay I wrote about whether or not I think they're being successful in their quest to renew the V&A's position as a public institution and design's position as an agent of change in society. This is the first of a few 'so long London' posts before I start sharing my Danish exploits, so read on and enjoy!

Best of Year #6

Phew, what a year! What has been a quieter 12 months here on I Like Local has been a crazy one offline: I completed a masters in Curating Contemporary Design, spent six months working in the V&A during its most successful ever exhibition, started writing for Image Interiors & Living and just last week made it out of London. I'm compiling the best posts of Year #6 in location #6 as I've just landed in Copenhagen, which means the coming months are bound to be full of some TASTY design and architecture, hooray! That said, there are still some things I've been meaning to post from my masters, some London things I haven't yet shared and of course, as always, heaps of Irish design, architecture and creativity to talk about. But before I get all those new posts up, here's a look at some of the most popular posts from Year #6, pictured clockwise from the top left above.

Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity #3: Now and Next

Here is the third and final part of my series of posts on how Irish design and exhibitions have presented Irish identity, with Parts #1 and #2 available for you to read back on. This final part looks at recent and current international exhibitions of Irish design to see how they continue in a particular tradition of... well... tradition. Read on!

Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity #2: 19th and 20th Centuries

Welcome to Part #2 of my look at how Irish identity has been explored, constructed and presented through design and exhibitions. This part looks at some key exhibitions and presentations in the 19th and 20th centuries, contrasting the different ways that design and manufactures were presented at home and abroad, and exploring the struggle between presenting tradition and rurality and presenting progress and modernity. Read back on Part #1, while Part #3, looking at Irish design exhibitions now and next, will be posted next week, so stay tuned!

Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity #1: Designing Irish Identity

I've just handed in two more essays for my masters, one of which took a whirlwind trip through the history of Irish international design exhibitions. I really enjoyed researching and writing this one, so thought I would share it with you. As it goes on for ages (by blog standards, not academic ones), I've split it into three parts. Here is Part #1, which introduces and explores the role design has played in the construction of Irish identity, particularly the identity of Ireland as a fledgling nation. Part #2 will look at how Irish identity was presented in key international exhibitions and displays in the 19th and 20th centuries and will be posted later this week. Finally, Part #3 will take a look at recent and current international exhibitions of Irish design to see how certain identities are being represented even now. Enjoy!

Here's the Heads Up: LFA Edition

The London Festival of Architecture returns for the month of June, exploring the theme 'Work in Progress'. I've already been making my way to a few events, exhibitions and parties, and here are my picks for the remainder of the festival. Enjoy!

Irish Degree Shows 2015

Here it is, your guide to Ireland's art, design, fashion and architecture degree shows in 2015! More than 20 shows across the country, north and south of the border, are listed below with more to come as I find them. They are listed by county (kicking off with Dublin, as it's the one with the most shows and the biggest audience) and wherever a county has more than one show, they're listed by date so you can see what you need to get to first. You can start planning your summer now...

London Degree Shows 2015

Welcome to the 2015 degree show season! Here I Like Local brings you a regularly updated list of London art, design and architecture shows so that those of you based in or near the UK capital can find the best new cool dudes in town. I will be updating this list as I get more information on shows so check back often to find out what's opening when and where. Irish readers, I will have your list up SOON. Enjoy!

Yes for Love

On 22 May Ireland votes on whether or not to change its constitution to enable same-sex marriage, which would take the country a massive step closer to the equality that same constitution speaks of for all of its citizens. The answer is obvious and the opinion polls are in favour of equality, but there is a big difference between having an opinion and getting out and voting. Yes for Love is an online repository of pro-equality avatars by a host of great designers, artists and illustrators that you can choose from to use on your social networks to spread the love. I've picked out just a small selection of them, you can browse through them all and pick your favourite(s) to show that you support equality, whether or not you can vote on 22 May (but this goes without saying: if you CAN vote, then DO vote!)

Superfolk at DesignMarch

Last time Irish design studio Superfolk featured on I Like Local, they were showing a range of simple, thoughtful products at Stockholm Furniture Fair in 2010. Last month they returned to northern Europe to exhibit at Iceland's DesignMarch, and Jo Anne and Gearóid got in touch to tell us how they got on. Read on...

Here's the Heads Up #26: Cork Edition

Wait, what?!

So for the first time ever, I Like Local is producing a Cork edition of Here's the Heads Up, because for the first time ever, Cork hosts Open House, one of the most enjoyable and accessible architecture festivals in the world. From 10 to 12 April over 30 buildings open their doors for public architectural tours, along with an OH Plus programme of walks, talks and activities. All of it is free and all of it looks great, but here are a few I Like Local highlights...

Here's the Heads Up #26: London Edition

For those of you based in or near London (or planning a trip soon) here are a few choice design and architecture events to enjoy, grouped based whether they're events happening soon, exhibitions soon to close or exhibitions just opened. For those of you in Ireland, hang on until next week when I have something great planned for you...

Moments in Irish Design History

All this recent talk of Irish design thanks to Irish Design 2015 (from places other than this blog, cos obviously I Like Local is always banging on about Irish design...) has got me thinking about Irish design history. Collected below is nothing comprehensive and doesn't even stretch back that far (I'm useless at knowing anything that happened before the 20th century, in this field or in any other) but it's a selection of 10 important things that have happened to help make Irish design what it is today. And speaking of today, what better time to share this than St. Patrick's Day! Have I missed something? Probably, so tell me!

The Man with the Plan

This article first appeared in Image Interiors & Living, January/February 2015

Irish Design 2015 (ID2015), a year-long exploration and celebration of design all across Ireland and abroad, has just kicked off. Initiated by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland along with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Enterprise Ireland, it promises to be an exciting year with plenty to see, do and take part in, no matter where you are. I caught up with the man at the helm, Programme Director Alex Milton, to see just what's in store...

Contemporary V&A

The second of two recent essay hand-ins, this one takes a look at the contemporary programme at the Victoria & Albert Museum, focussing in on its offering of temporary exhibitions and events that present contemporary art and design. I think that the V&A's contemporary programme is great and its content is really well curated, but for me that's not the whole story. The V&A contemporary programme's success lies as much in its content as it does in its timing, placement and price. The contemporary programme is as accessible as it is well curated, and that's what makes it so good...

Designing Disruption / Disruptive Design

I've recently handed in two essays for my masters, and here's a shortened version of one of them. I decided to take a look at two quite different exhibitions in London - the just closed Disobedient Objects at the V&A and Designers in Residence 2014 at the Design Museum - to compare how each revealed the relationship between design and disruption, in ways not always intended.

Here's the Heads Up #25

DO DESIGN THINGS! NOW!! Here you go, the latest Heads Up about design and architecture events and exhibitions both at home in Ireland and here in London. As usual, these are things happening now, soon, or finishing imminently, so get your skates on...

Irish Design Haul

Well, this is a post that's almost one month too late. Sorry. Better late than never though, right?! At Christmas time I got some fab presents, and quite a few of them were great products by Irish designers. (Let it never be said that I am difficult to buy for.) Pictured above and listed below are the items in my excellent Christmas Irish design haul (clockwise from top left):

Irish Design 2015

A whole year celebrating design in Ireland and showing off Irish design internationally has just kicked off: great news! Initiated by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland with help from Enterprise Ireland and some government departments, Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) presents a year-long programme of exhibitions, events, commissions, practice supports and more. It will also act as an umbrella for already existing events and festivals and an encouragement for designers and design organisations to present new things this year all over the island and beyond.

Edible Future

The first hand-in I've had for my Curating MA was a group project to curate a hypothetical exhibition for the British Council, tying in with their Maker Library Network. If you haven't come across one, a Maker Library provides designers - and sometimes members of the public - a space in which to make things, often by digital means, while complimenting this make space with a library of resources and an exhibition space that explores making and made work. My classmates and I were charged with curating a pop-up Maker Library which would explore making in a hands-on way, show the work of British designers and makers and select relevant publications for the accompanying library space.