Back to the matter

I originally got this blog along with a Tumblr account as I could see my bookmarks toolbar getting blocked up with curious clutter. Post Summer, new course, new (and first) Laptop to fill up with my - and my only - cyber crap. It's happening again, and though unavoidable I can at least be a responsible hoarder and keep my collections organised. Found this great little source for inspiration;

Obsessionistas Blog

Image from the site

A website run by and for hoarders like me! - except the reason it works so well (snazzy graphics aside) is the beautifully clinical photography and well organised register of sources

Here's a few collections that stood out to me, for reasons such as nostalgia, personal taste, relevance to current projects

RUPERT BEAR ANNUALS #0095

Tiles by William de Morgan #00113

London Transport Maps #0127

I recommend everyone goes explore the site for themselves. There's plenty of curiosities to stumble upon.

Branding Identity

Waitrose Products - branding by Lewis Moberly

The image above is quite similar to what one would find if they emptied out my kitchen cupboards, my mother being 1) a die-hard waitrose fan and 2) a semi-adventurous weekend cook. Thus over time we've amassed a range of waitrose own-brand products, and I've always appreciated them in their sense of quaintness and simplicity.

Following a conversation with a fellow foundation diploma student whose completely changed their creative direction in life (fine art to graphic design), I've started to think about branding, especially the personal aspects. As well as being something I expect to do for myself one day - I was intrigued when I stumbled across the work of Lewis Moberly. The products featured in this blog rouse strong feelings of nostalgia within me; reminding me of my mum, my home, and a childhood spent learning to cook together. In some ways I feel like the naivety of my childhood has been stolen away from me; as it's completely opened my mind and made me reflect upon how this branding makes me feel. I had never considered that it was designed this way to make me feel more loyal to it, so that as an adult I'd go out and buy it. But obviously this makes it highly sucsessful, and the design team can only be congratulated for that. 

I feel there's a lot of inspiration to be drawn from the world of branding - I particularly like the examples featured in this post here : http://www.dandad.org/talent/portfolios/691/katie-allison/17953/make-your-mark

The Magical Amazing Robot Game A fully working board game advertising ourselves and the way we work to Creative Directors.

Scrabble

After Eights

As an aspiring cook/ kitchen assistant with a knack for sewing, I feel the example below could be very relevant to me...

Oven Gloves

...Then again it's probably easier just to send potential employers an email.

Inspiration for Paris Project

Things That Face Outward - Andrew Venell

Collage on 54 playing cards.

I'm interested to invlove playing cards in someway in my final piece. My initial ideas include making my own set, creating a 3D "house of cards" sculpture or using a rready made pack within a collage. To develop these initial ideas I've done some blog trawling - here's a piece I particularly like

It could be quite fun to work with 52 little compositions - as it seems this artist has done here. Then again it would be intriguing to investigate playing cards as a theme. I feel Venell has most certainly been inspired by their playful aspect, though as an artist who "incorporates new media, collage, video, interactive narrative, sculpture and performance to highlight the absurdities and anxieties of the heavily mediated life.", this seems to be a common theme throughout his work.

There's something attractive in their clean-cut graphics, their organisation into suits and the hierarchy which exists by having defined numbers. Card-games vary greatly throughout different times, cultures and purposes. - The ones we amused ourselves with in Paris were mainly to kill time during travel but were also friendly bonding experiences. Poker is a game I enjoy greatly, especially when its played in a smokey badly-lit basement,  with whiskey-based beverages and low-level smooth blues being played in the background. Thus there is are fashions/ atmospheres to consider. There is a rush of adrenaline to be had when playing a card game, from the strained concentration necessary for maintaining a poker face, to the poppy excitment of a game of snap.   

I feel there is a lot to explore within this theme, (and I look forward to doing so once I've finished the college work I'm actually supposed to be doing...) At heart though, I feel I'm most inspired by products/concepts such as a pack of cards; seemingly simple but in fact extremely complex when considered in terms of context.

Images exploring Fantasy/ Fear

Underwater Photography by Neil Craver

What's wrong with a little mess?...

http://www.coolhunting.com/design/the-art-of-clean-up.php

I find this fascinating as both a lover of organisation and an artist with a messy aesthetic. 

I find the concept of tidy quite ironic, as it's extremely subjective. How can we say that everything is in its right or wrong place when we have defined where they should go. I feel the image below demonstrates this perfectly;

Take a few minutes... to experience whole days

If there's only one thing you do today to procrastinate, then make watching this it;

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671736/watch-days-pass-in-minutes-in-these-hypnotic-beach-videos#4

There is something so peaceful about watching the sea. I find it's peaceful to different people for different reasons. It's quite a tranquil, personal experience. A time for reflection, or possibly simple appreciation of what we have and/or what nature has to offer us

There's something reassurring about watching the tide ebb and flow, a natural movement and process which will always happen. No matter what happens, the sea will always be there. Faced with global warming (and general environmental crisis), it may become polluted, or even swallow islands whole. But the constant changing of the tides, the whoosing of the water as it crawls up and slides down the coastlines, that will never leave us. That's one thing in this world that we can hold onto, even when there's nothing holding onto us 

 

 

I really want these in my life....

...But first I need a house to display them in.

 

Spice Jars with Rack, Lightshades and Map Suitcase, all by Jennifer Collier 

 http://www.jennifercollier.co.uk/

 http://www.unittwelve.co.uk/studioartists.htm

Stumbling across an opportunity...

Randomly came across this site from an ad on a dezeen mag website sidebar;

http://www.theamazings.com/

From what I initially gather, it's a website by which loads of "amazing" crafters and artists can get people interested in what they do, and sign up to classes to learn the skills.

 

I will definitely peruse the videos some more, and conviently for me the classes are held in London. Though it is possible to nominate your town.

 

This re-ignites my concerns whether wishing to leave London for univeristy is the right move, bearing in mind I want to do an experimental creative course and there are such great and diverse opportunities here.

 

Though I know from experience that there are loads of crafters and traders all around the country (I learnt my knitting skills from Grandmother and Aunt. And the best quilting/ knitting shops I know are in rural villages/towns.) This site seems a simple friendly portal whcih easily encourages and engages the audience. 

 

The best bit is, supporting it is fuin and easy; just get involved!. If everyone does that, it can only grow!  

Spellbinding; the works of Izziyana Suhaimi

 

The Artist's Blog: http://my-bones.tumblr.com/

...It's work like this which proves to me that mixed media is what inspires me most...

The Feel-Good Factor

This Month's Issue

Bought an issue of The Simple Things to accompany me on my trip to Bath, and so glad that I did!. I was caught between this one and Oh Comely, but I'd call them both of the same "feel-good reading" genre. I think it's such a gap in the market, with so many other female-orientated magazine being full of stuff to make us feel bad about ourselves (clothes we could never afford, clear skin we could never have etc...). And though it's a bit on the kitchy crafts side, mostly due to the adverts featured, it's an eye-opening uplifting read. The best bit is that I can still like my glossy glamour and cutting-edge design magazines, but have this as a little guilty pleasure. As I often find in life, the most inspirational things are the simple things that we usually overlook. 

The Magic of Theatre and Puppetry...

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings - Battersea Arts Centre Website

I was fortunate enough to get a chance to see this touring Little Angel Theatre production. I had doubted my chances having read rave reviews in the daily London papers, and getting to Battersea seemed like quite an effort initially. But having been to the arts centre there I would certainly make the effort to return. An amazing culture-ful little treasure trove with a warm friendly down-your-local-pub atmosphere.  Images I've seen online since would tend to suggest it's far bigger than I'd thought when I was there. That's another one for the "Explore and Discover" to-do list... 

 

 I have to admit I'm one of those who says they love the theatre but rarely goes. It's the prices and the in-advance booking which puts me off, so I usually only see small local productions in which I have friends starring. (Nothing glamourous, I'm talking Greaspaint, school performances etc.) But it's the performances like this, with a small cast but such amazing puppetry and staging, that are truely inspiring. It made me want to write stories, illustrate, act, paint, compose music and even set up my own cream tea shop. Though the interpretation of the story line and actor performances were fantastic, what stole the show for me were the puppets. The craft, design and history of these magaical beings are things I definitely want to weave into a future 3D project. So watch this space for that, though I know I'm going to be busy keeping my eyes peeled for any more quirky theatre productions...  

 

The Cast (all four human members and main character puppets - Photo taken during final applause)

"Machine Box"

Maybe it's because of the playful design, calm juxtaposition of different shapes, textures and colours, or more likely because my brain really needs sleep. Either way, Kiki Van Eijk's 'Machine Box' from her “Cut & Paste” collection  for Secondome made me chuckle, this article is going straight into my bookmarks.

http://www.dezeen.com/2010/03/03/cut-and-paste-by-kiki-van-eijk-at-secondome/