EB & Flow: An Interview with Margherita Berloni and Nathan Engelbrecht

 Earlier in the week I caught up with Margherita Berloni and Nathan Engelbrecht, the founding members of EB & Flow the latest contemporary art space to open in the centre of London's Shoreditch area. Residing in a disused prints workshop, the gallery (which opens on the 2nd of April) acts as a platform for emerging artists to exhibit their work and develop their professional practise. The premier exhibition 'Since Tomorrow' celebrates the work of the gallery's current artists in residence and is curated by Atilla Fattori Franchini. 

When did the two of you decide to open a gallery?

We met whilst studying, clicked over shared views and aspirations and decided to open a gallery together.  We felt that the support network for emerging contemporary art and artists was not entirely in place and felt the need for a large high quality permanent exhibition space that can provide this support.

What makes EB & Flow so unique?

What makes us unique is the commitment and dedication we have to all our artists.  We have guaranteed all 11 artists a solo exhibition, we assist them with their professional development and we provide them with secure and stable representation throughout. We are also committed to supporting the scene and marketplace for emerging artists in general. We want to support artists and educate and encourage new collectors so have a series of educational events and talks, where informed professionals discuss a variety of topics with the public.

What drew you to your choice of venue?

The East London art scene is much more vibrant, avant garde and contemporary than the West end so suits the type of artists we show. The venue is around 3000sq feet and as such many new exciting and interesting artists can be exhibited. Galleries in Shoreditch have coped with the recession reasonably well and this has meant the East London art world has refocused on Shoreditch wheareas before lots of galleries were around Bethnal Green and Vyner Street.

How do you see the British arts scene changing now that the government has made such drastic cuts to funding?

In order to nurture future generations of artists, commercial galleries have a responsibility to step in and provide support for emerging artists. Cuts have meant that the art world is going to have to look to new sources of funding and there will be a space and necessity for a new breed of benefactors to come through. We work closely with Acme studios who share our ethos of supporting emerging artists. Organizations like this who can provide artists with resources, affordable studios, living space, residencies and awards are going to become increasingly more important especially for artist’s at an early stages of their careers.

How did you go about selecting the core artists for the opening exhibition?

Through constant research. We spend all our time visiting degree shows and exhibitions. We also have relationships that allow us access to a lot of artists’ private studios. The artists we represent were generally amongst the most highly praised artists in their respective graduation shows and many have won or were nominated for prizes such as the Jerwood Prize, Catlin Prize, Future Map and Saatchi New Sensations. But first and foremost we choose our artists for aesthetic reasons. Our personal tastes are important as are our aspirations for the gallery but we have also taken in to account their achievements and level of study they have reached.

What have you got planned for the opening event?

The opening show will be a presentation of the 11 artists we represent working across disciplines from installation and painting, to sculpture and photography. With our curator, Attilia Fattori Franchini, we have developed a show that conveys our artists’ reaction to space, be it urban space, natural space or personal space.  On the opening night, Alessandro Librio, an Italian sound artist who is at the Venice Biennale this year, will be doing a live performance.

Imagine the gallery 10 years from now, what do you hope to have accomplished?

We hope we would have created more awareness of the emerging art scene and put on numerous shows that have been enjoyed and ultimately have encouraged people to be genuinely excited by art rather than alienated by it. We also want all of our 11 artists to have advanced their careers to be critically acclaimed professionals with work present in public collections making a living through their art.

EB & Flow's premier exhibition Since Tomorrow opens on the 2nd of April and runs until the 26th of May.
For further details pop over to their website

He Made This Ltd.

 

Alistair Hall, Director of We Made This Ltd shares with us his journey from graduate to running his own studio, blogging and how failure can ultimately lead to success..

Tell us your elevator pitch:
We Made This is a London based graphic design studio specialising in delicious print work.

Did you have any business knowledge prior to setting up your company? 
I had worked as a production assistant for a commercial production company making TV commercials for a couple of years before starting my degree at St Martins, which helped teach me how to multi-task. After my degree I worked at CDT for a year and a half, where I learnt a huge amount about the process of working with clients, budgeting, pitching, presenting and so on, as well as about pure design. Then I got a place on NESTA's Creative Pioneer Programme, where we were taught a lot about the nuts and bolts of running a business. I run We Made This on my own, and share a studio with two other design companies, David Pearson Design and Fitzroy & Finn.

London Design Guide designed by We Made This

When you were growing up what did you want to be? What happened which made you become what you are now?I'm not sure I ever wanted to be anything particular. Actually, scratch that, I wanted to be a film director. That's why I started working in commercials, but after a while I realised it wasn't for me. While I was looking at jobs in that industry, as research I read a book called something like Diaires of Film-makers - it was a Faber & Faber book which detailed the daily lives of a variety of folk working in the film industry. One of the diaries was from a film producer, and she talked about going to meet the guys who were making the poster for her film. I knew instantly that I didn't want to make films, but to make posters instead.

What do you wish you had been told in college/university about the real world?
Nothing. College is a good time to dream. Though it might have been useful to know how long it takes to pay off a student loan. But heck, even if I had known, I'm not sure I would have done anything differently.

IPA identity designed by We Made This

Have there been any big mistakes/failures which have lead to success?
NESTA were offering business funding to some of the folk on the course, and I didn't succeed in getting that funding. I think if I had got it, my journey might have been quite different. Whether that would have been a better or worse sort of different... tricky to know. I'm happy where I am though.

What advice would you give to yourself 5 years ago?
 Get out of the house and find a studio. Book more holidays. Don't try and ride across that roundabout at full speed - you'll break your arm. Again.

What can you only learn on the job?
You learn a huge amount once you start work, and you keep learning. Don't expect to be perfect when you start. But be honest about the fact that you're not perfect.

How important do you think having an online presence is and how signficant a role does your blog play in marketing your brand/service? 
 I find it difficult to quantify it to be honest. Obviously having work online is really important - people rely on being able to see your stuff immediately. Jobs are just starting to come in on the back of the blog, which is great. I'm in the middle of building a new site - once that's up, I'll have a bit of a marketing push.

Teenage Cancer Trust promotional material designed by We Made This

Who would be your dream client?
The one with a solid and well thought out brief, as well as a realistic budget, who then lets us just get on with the creative work. And who says thank you at the end of the job.

What aspirations do you have? do you see We Made This expanding further?
I want to do more self-initiated work, I've kind of been letting the blog take the place of that for the past few years. As for expansion... I've got a few ideas bubbling around my head, but nothing firm just yet.

You've had interns at We Made This, what do you look for when choosing potential graduates to join your team?
Brilliant work and a general air of loveliness.

Calum Ross interview on XpatLoop.com

Head over to xpatloop.com where I'm currently featured on their interviews page.
Xpatloop.com is a Hungarian website which serves the international community living within Budapest. I am among such interviewed expatriates as Catherine Dickens (the great-great-great granddaughter of Charles Dickens) answering such questions as 'what is never missing from your refrigerator?' Want to find out what I keep in the fridge? Sure you can handle it?  Read the full interview right here: http://www.xpatloop.com/interview/473

Perspectives on Serigraphs

This past year has been an exciting one for Printa. Since opening in January 2010, the Budapest based screenprinting studio has exhibited numerous works from the likes of the Swiss Urban Salon and Supalife. To celebrate their first birthday, Printa is exhibiting a collection of limited edition serigraphs produced by some of Hungary’s finest contemporary artists.

Exploring the mediums of watercolour painting, street art, photography, drawing and graphic art, the majority of the pieces were produced specifically for the exhibition and were created in the Printa workshop.

To read my full review go over to artsthread.com 

BANG! POW! It's HOWKAPOW!

We're very excited about new online creative venture Howkapow. Founded by husband and wife team Cat and Rog How, the shop/creative PR agency acts as a springboard for emerging designers from all creative backgrounds. 


Since the official launch they have been keeping busy setting up shop at Christmas fairs across the UK, popping up at the Somerset House 'Poundshop' and Bristol German Market as well as receiving nods from The Guardian and Venue Magazine. 


Creative Director Cat How tells us more:

What is your background and where did you get the idea to start Howkapow?

I initially trained as a journalist and worked for Metro for a couple of years after I finished uni. I then moved to Australia and retrained in graphics, coming back to start a two-year MA at Central Saint Martins which I  completed this summer. Throughout this time I sold my jewellery at artist markets in London and Melbourne and not only liked the idea of working for myself, but of being able to showcase the work of the new and emerging talent that I came across every week.

When I was at the artist markets, I was struck by how few of the designers either had online shops or knew how to promote themselves. They had great work, but no one knew about them. Howkapow sprung from this really - we wanted to create a platform for new and emerging designers to showcase their work. Our shop works as a financial support for the designers, while our agency offers PR advice and guidance on how to work with the press.

How do you see the brand evolving?

We want Howkapow to grow to a point where we can then afford to open some physical shops around the country. We want to do this so that we can then organise exhibitions for all our designers, and start to look into collaborations. We also want the agency to expand so that we can offer designers a more complete service overall. 

How did you choose your designers?

As our focus is on new and emerging talent, many of our designers are recent graduates - quite a few from my old college, Saint Martins (like Eleanor Meredith), but also from the Royal College of Art. We spent most of the summer traipsing around graduate shows and design festivals - we felt it was important to meet as many of our designers in person before taking them on. 

Describe the work available on Howkapow:

Bright, colourful, original, unusual, affordable and well-made.

How can other designers become involved?

By having a look at the site, seeing if their work fits - and then emailing me! 

Finally, what would you like Santa to bring you for Christmas?

Um, the sensible (and mind-numbingly boring) side of me would a laser printer, some studio lights and a bike basket. Crap. But obviously the glamorous side of me would have to say two return tickets to Tokyo with a stop off at Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. Yum!

Visit the Howkapow store now @ http://www.howkapow.com/

Budapest Arts Fair 2010

On the 28th of November I was one of many art lovers mad enough to brave sub-zero temperatures and slide across Budapest’s historic Heroes Square to attend the Budapest Arts Fair. Now in its 4th year, the event is now one of the most important on the Hungarian arts calendar. This year saw no fewer than 25 galleries from 12 countries showcase their finest collection of contemporary art....

Read more about the highlights of the Budapest Arts Fair in my report for ARTSthread.com. Just follow the link

ARTSthread issue 3 OUT NOW!

The third issue of ARTSthread's printed magazine is officially available to purchase online. I contributed towards the Vis Comm section with an article titled See What I Can Hear which explores the visualisation of sound in Graphic Design.

Other highlights of this issue include:

Painterly - a look at fashion and textile designers who reference paintings and photography from the past in their collections

Workwear Accessories - a study of  the renewed interest in workwear and denim in fashion accessories.

In Character - a piece about the evolving world of character illustration

You can buy both the printed and the e-mag edition of ARTSthread Issue 3 along with issues 1 and 2 on the ARTSthread website. Click here to visit the shop!

Graphifest 2010

2010 marks the bicentennial anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s (1749 – 1832) Theory of Colours. To celebrate, the Society of Hungarian Graphic Designers & Typographers (MATT) launched the international Goetherie competition. A wide array of posters, logotypes, publications and typographic works were submitted by some of Hungary’s most accomplished graphic designers with the 50 best entries being showcased at Graphifest 2010 in the Budapest Design Terminal. 


ARTSthread asked me to share some of the highlights of the show. To read more head over to the ARTSthread.com blog

Q&A with Lady Gaga Director Kathryn Ferguson by Calum Ross

Self taught film-maker Kathryn Ferguson has created short films for fashion designers Richard Nicoll, David David and has even collaborated with pop phenomenon Lady Gaga. Her films have been showcased on Dazed Digital, SHOWstudio and Vogue.com. Kathryn is currently showing four new videos at the Work in Progress Show at the Royal College of Art. The show opens on the 26th and runs through to the 3rd of December.


How did you make the transition from stylist to film-maker?

I began experimenting with film in the final year of my BA degree at St Martins. I had spent months slaving over a magazine that I'd written, styled etc while at the same time I made my first video as an accompaniment to the magazine. At the final show I got a bit of a shock as while the magazine seemed to interest people up to a point, it was the film which really seemed to grab people's attention. I think I realised then I had to seriously consider which way to progress from there.  After leaving St. Martins I tried a lot of different things, styling, art direction etc and began making more videos initially as a hobby. However, the major breakthrough I had with my video work was when my college film 'Tingel Tangel' was chosen for the Birds Eye View Film festival at the Institute of Contemporary Art in 2007.  Following that screening, BEV asked me to come on board and curate a fashion film strand of the festival the following year. It was this vote of confidence that pushed me into making more films and I owe them a lot for having given me this opportunity!

What's the driving influence behind your work?

Right now I'm being driven by a need to express myself visually. I felt quite stiffled for a few years after graduating and I'm just over the moon to be able to work in a medium that allows me to express myself fully so I am churning out a lot of ideas whilst they are still coming!

What was it like working with Lady Gaga and how did that collaboration come about?

The Gaga video was a great experience. I was commissioned the day before the shoot by Dazed Digital to make a video with her whilst she was rehearsing for Glastonbury wearing outfits by some of London's most progressive young designers.  She was super friendly and  my only gripe was that we had forty minutes or so to shoot her so we kind of had to grab what we could and hope for the best.

Do you plan on diversifying beyond fashion films?

Yes definitely. I am currently studying experimental film on the Communication Art & Design MA course at the Royal College of Art. My work is already moving in a different direction. I do love working with fashion designers but I'm also very keen to branch out into other genres of film.

Who would you love to make a film with/for?

I'd love to make videos for Psych bands Bo Ningen or White Magic.

How did you get your films noticed and what advice would you give to budding film-makers?

The Birds Eye View and other festivals have helped me get my films noticed but I think the best thing is believe in your work, create as much as possible with confidence and put it out there. I began with posting on Youtube a few years ago and  I have constantly used the internet since to get my work noticed. 

Kathryn Ferguson's Official Website:  http://www.kathrynferguson.co.uk/
Article first published by jotta.com

One To Watch: An interview with Amber James by Calum Ross

Creating products which outlast highstreet brands and reduce the levels of waste at all stages of production is the driving influence behind Graphic Designer Amber James' work. Mixing her formal training in Adobe Creative Suites with traditional hand crafted techniques, she creates tactile products with contemporary aesthetics. Amber talks about her aspirations for her label Bambooteak and the core values which inspire her.


Tell us about your label Bambooteak:

Well I guess it all started in secondary school when a friend suggested I use the lexicon 'bambooteak' (stemming from an old nickname: bam and boutique) as a name for all the things I was making and giving to people as presents. That gave me the impetus to develop the traditional craft practices I was enjoying as hobbies, and the identity of the label. During my degree in Graphic Design I began to incorporate the craft element into the work I was producing and in turn my craft work became more 'graphical'. It is this relationship between the tactile and the visual that I try to explore in the work I make now.

Do you have any core values which seperate Bambooteak from the rest of the market?

For me, quality is paramount, I have always valued the hand-made over the high street and believe that clothing should be made to last. It is well known that the fashion industry creates a huge cycle of waste, discarded with each passing season which means buyers only look at the price not the quality or method of production. The time and skill put into well made products is what needs to become more important to consumers so I try to provide them with that option.

What is it about using traditional craft techniques which appealed to you?

I find it very difficult to throw away anything vaguely useful so I have always had a cupboard full of odd bits that get cut-up and remade. In trying to work out how to make something better by altering or fixing it I developed the craft skills I use now.
When I look at a piece of fabric or a ball of wool it speaks to me, I see what it could be and what it could be combined with to become new and unique.

Is there a particular product you specialise in, or do you like to be diverse?

The variety of products I have at the moment is the result of many years of experimentation with materials and techniques, getting familiar with them and building up a skill-set. Even though I could never settle on one craft I am now starting to specialise in print patterns, knitwear and accessories. I think as the label grows I will bring in others to share the responsibilities, but to successfully manage others you need to have an awareness of every aspect of how the business is run. I love learning new skills so at the moment I am enjoying the process of discovery involved in establishing a design label. 

Do you see the label expanding beyond its online presence?

Oh definitely, there is a very long list of wonderful things I want Bambooteak to be in the future but at the moment I am focusing on getting my existing products seen online. Next year I would like to get into some boutiques, find some other designers to do collaborative projects with, and later in the year I plan to launch a winter clothing collection.

You use a lot of pattern in your work, where does this inspiration come from?

I came up with my most recent geopattern designs after doing some research on The Bauhaus Weavers and german quilting patterns from the 1960's. I was inspired by the use of geometry and saw how it compliments many traditional crafts because they both depend upon the unit in an overall structure. I enjoy the challenge of trying to find a visual interaction where all the elements fit together and are evenly balanced, pattern design and the use of patterned fabrics in clothing relies on this balance.

Are there any other designers you liken yourself to?

Well if there are I wish I knew where to find them, I would like to sit them down and discuss knitting patterns. Crafty people tend to hide themselves away down muddy lanes in Wales.
In terms of design, I aspire to have the same playfulness and variety of MM Paris, and the magic touch with style that Maison Martin Margiela has.


Visit the Bambooteak online store: http://www.bambooteak.com/

First published  23rd November by jotta.com

One to Watch - an interview with Jaime Antonio Leme Jr by Calum Ross

Blurring the lines between theatrical and documentary photography, Jaime Antonio Leme Jr's work portrays a diverse cross section of society in vivid colour and high production. The São Paulo native embarked across the pond to London to do an MA in Image and Communication at Goldsmiths and has since joined forces with his fellow graduates to form a collaborative group - AIRIMAGES, bringing photography to the community in an exciting new way.


Who else is involved in AIRIMAGES?

We are composed of fashion designer Bettina John and multimedia designer Sebastien Freuler. We all met during the MA in Image and Communication at Goldsmiths University, where we started this project, which was exhibited at the Truman Brewery for the Free Range.

Tell us about your aspirations to work within the new media environment

The new media environment, characterized by digital media, has changed the understanding of photography today because of its possibilities through retouching and animation. Photography is not seen as a reference to reality anymore but as a way of seeing the world through a camera lens' point of view.

Having this in mind, for the project called AIRIMAGES, we started to use the moment of taking photographs of someone as a moment when the image represents someone else's imagination and is not superimposed by the photographer or the art director. We translate their thoughts into an image.

How do you engage the public/community with your photography?

Working in a closed space or directly on the streets, we use the photographic set as a platform where something is about to happen, like an open stage ready to operate for those who have something to say or show. It is a media channel ready to produce the image the public wants to show.

How do you see this project evolving?

Ideally, we want to bring this stage to different environments where we will have different reactions and responses from the public, creating images that represent their imagination and ideas. We think that this could be developed together with an institution like a school or club, where this process of creating the images brings lots of subjects for discussion. We are there to facilitate the experience of the process: instructions, ideas, topics, props, clothes and make up.

Where do you see your work being displayed?

We are working with live experiences of image and documenting it as photography. The photographs can be displayed in any kind of media that connects to the use of our project as a subject of information (a fashion magazine, a newspaper or a cultural website) but the experience of creating images can only happen once as a live event. This is flexible as it could happen in a gallery, on the street or any other environment.

Do you feel your upbringing in São Paulo influences your work?

I think the social reality in São Paulo and Brazil somehow makes me see and understand the uses of media in a particular way, due to the social differences and the difficulty for public to access information. Somehow, it makes me wonder about possible ways to engage with the public, showing the production value and providing the opportunity to work collaboratively. At the same time, it was only here in London during my MA that I discovered all the different aspects of photography and image used in media today, through collaborative work with a fashion designer and a media designer, we were able to develop this project to the point where it is right now. Therefore, I think the collaborative work with other artists, coming from different parts of the world, gives a fresh perspective on my work.

Who inspires you?

I particularly like Jeff Walls, Philipe-Lorca diCorcia and people who look into theatrical techniques like August Boal with his Invisible Theatre. Also, the  Fluxus artists and Catherine Sullivan who push boundaries between the disciplines.

Originally published 13th November @ jotta.com

Design Less Ordinary - An Interview with Michael Antrobus by Calum Ross

Product and furniture designer Michael Antrobus' curatorial debut 'Design Less Ordinary' featured 30 new works from 11 London based product and furniture designers, including the internationally renowned designer Ryan Frank. Following his success at the Brick Lane Gallery, Michael chats to jotta about stationery, exhibiting and reconsidering the familiar.
Design Less Ordinary was your first curatorial effort, how do you feel it went ?


It all went surprisingly smoothly considering it was our first show. But we owe this to a huge effort on the part of everyone who exhibited. My main advice, as obvious as it may sound is to have everything possible in place well in advance. We were very well prepared and setting up in the gallery only took us half a day. Also, sort out sponsorship first. We underestimated how long this would take and left it too late for this show, but we will be ready for next time.

Would you like to curate more exhibitions?


Design Less Ordinary was the beginning of a run of shows, as those who exhibited intend to re-group annually. However I would jump at the opportunity to put a new show together. I'd also like to show outside of London, in cities Like Milan and New York.

The exhibition showcased designers' personal responses and reconsideration of the familiar, what was your reaction to this brief?

'Hello Stranger' is a collection of public objects that clamp to existing infrastructures; fences, benches, lamp posts and railings. But unlike typical municipal furniture these objects are flexible, tactile and playful. The objects are also open to a degree of interpretation. But wether they are used to 'frame' an impromptu photo opportunity or to create and highlight points of focus in the landscape, the ultimate aim was to get people talking.


How did you go about selecting the other exhibiting designers?

We wanted to display a variety of approaches to design and everyone featured in the show had created work that was subtly subversive. A glass and decanter are used in Remembrance of Things Past by Owen Wells to present a 'future in which scent memory is used as an emotional stimulant'.

How did Ryan Frank become involved?

Myself and Geoff Marsh (co-curator) both completed internships at Mentmore Studios, and it was here that we got to know Ryan. When we were first considering putting a show together we'd initially asked him for his advice. Later, when we had a clear direction we asked Ryan if he'd like to be involved. He was keen on the format and his live collaboration with graffiti collective Secret Wars added an exciting dimension to the show.

Are his values on sustainability something you yourself try to incorporate into your designs?

The use and re-use of sustainable materials is at the heart of Ryan's approach to design and while this is an important and necessary consideration for me too, it is not the main focus of my work.

 Can you tell us more about your stationery project?

 

'Ground' is a collection of raw industrial tools for the home. Weeks of working with flat steel bar, using self made jigs and press tools. Then continued experimentation with the position of twists, bends, pressing, heating and filing resulted in this first family of stationery objects. Each follows the same logic. The steel is first formed in a fly press, then twisted to create a handle. A blade is then sharpened onto one edge of the steel before being plated and riveted together.



What would be your ideal job or profession?

I have enjoyed the variety of projects that I've worked on both before and since graduating. So I guess my ideal job would be one that allows me to carry this variety forward. Ultimately I want to work in three dimensional design, but a studio which, allows me to switch between designing products, furniture, spaces and installations would be ideal.



What else are you  currently working on?



I am currently working on a collection of Jewelry for a fashion designer at the Royal College and Download Print Fold - A family of downloadable objects, to be printed and folded out of scrap paper. I am also looking for a producer to license 'Ground.'

Finally, if you were a piece of design, what would you be?

I'd like to be Bruno Munari's Cubo Ashtray ash tray, or maybe a mechanical egg whisk.

Originally Published by Jotta.com, 5th November, 2009

Business Card; Modart Art and Fashion School by Calum Ross

The Budapest French Institute opens its doors to lovers of fashion and visual communication as Mod'International and Ecole d'Maryse Eloy unveil the work of their most recent graduates from the Modart Art and Fashion School and the Visart Academy of Arts. In the first of a two-part review of the exhibition ARTS thread takes a look at the collections of the schools most promising fashion designers.


Dora Abodi's M'Amour pret-a-porter womenswear collection is romantic and whistful, full of handcrafted details  pleating and ruffles galore. The pieces, which draw inspiration from medical corsets and fixing rails are produced in different shades of powder and skin tone. Accompanied by luxurious hand-bags, the collection has already received excellent press and industry reviews after it was presented in New York during Nolcha Fashion Week.

www.doraabodi.com


Enikő Horn's Construct collection is inspired by the rigidity of Constructivism and the Soviet Union. In order to express the strictness of the Russian regime, Enikő uses a mixture of dark blended fabrics accompanied by large, heavy lacquered surfaces and coats which she cuts using geometric patterns.


http://modart.hu/Diploma/Horn.html


Márk Kiss' Remixed and Revisited womenswear collection is full of bright, vivid colours and unusual shapes. Kiss takes traditional pattern cutting templates and conventional garment forms before 'remixing' and 'deconstructing' them for his ready-to-wear collection.
http://modart.hu/Diploma/Kissmark.html


Márta Vámosi creates stunning silhouettes with her Architecture Gloss collection. As the title of the collection may well suggest, much of the inspiration is drawn from modern urban landscapes as well as crystals and minerals. Vámosi's structured pieces are made of various materials with contrasting textures - gloss, matte, creased and opaque - in a sophisticated palette of blacks, whites and greys.


Nikolett Ábrahám shows us that children can be just as stylish as adults with her fantastic Cirque collection. Produced for children aged 3-5, this playful collection of clothing inspired by early 20th century circus performers will make any child wearing Ábrahám's garments the envy of the playground!




Published by ARTSthread.com
16th October 2010

AMI Degree Show by Calum Ross

A selection of the best 2010 BA (Hons) graduate design projects from the University of West Hungary's (AMI) Institute of Applied Arts go on display at Museion No1 as part of Budapest Design Week's spotlight on emerging talent. ARTS Thread takes a look at some of the work on show.

Tünde Vagra's 'Aurora' book publishing identity and cover design concepts for their pocket book series immediately caught our eye. Vagra makes good use of vintage stock photos juxtaposed with hand-drawn and digital illustrations alongside bold cartoonish typography.

Diána Egri's graphic identity for 'Balaton Crépe Parlour' plays on the intrinsic relationship between food and sex. Like Tünde Vagra, she takes vintage photography - in this case of 1950's pin-up girls - and replaces the models head with a piece of food, giving the phrase "she looked good enough to eat"  a whole new meaning!

In a similar vein Aliz Krisztina Borsa has also produced a graphic identity for the fictional 'Ms Borsa Piteboltja' (Ms Borsa's pie store) using exceptional hand-rendered typography. In contrast to the illustrative style of Aliz Borsa's work, Milán Farkas sticks to contemporary digital type for his redesign of 'Galaktika Magazine'.

It wasn't all graphic design and illustration at the show though, there were some exceptional product design pieces on show as well. Most notable was Anett Mester who has turned a traditional asthmatic inhaler into a stylish 'must have' design object.

Published by ARTSthread.com 
9th October 2010

Budapest Design Week

Published Articles

Business Card @ French Institute


http://blog.artsthread.com/2010/10/budapest-design-week-business-card/

AMI Degree Show

http://blog.artsthread.com/2010/10/budapest-design-week-ami-degree-show/

Stylist Cards

http://blog.artsthread.com/2010/10/budapest-design-week-stylist-cards/

Prints Of Darkness

The record cover has been an artform in its own right ever since the first long-playing phonograph record was produced in 1931. While Beethoven's Fifth Symphony may not have been a prime example of cutting edge graphic design, the possibility for experimentation was evident right from the beginning. Over the past 80 years we have seen this genre of visual art develop a bewildering range of sub genres each packed with their own micro histories.

However, since the introduction of file sharing, the mp3 and i-tunes,  the quality of artwork has diminished. As there is no longer a tangible element to music - no packaging, no inserts containing lyrics, no physical ownership - the album cover is now merely an afterthought, hastily put together with little or no concept before being slapped online.

Back in the 'old days' the packaging played a huge part in the way we consumed music. While we were always told never to judge a book by it's cover, this was never the case when it came to LPs. In fact, you ALWAYS judged the album by its sleeve and nine out of ten times, you were never disappointed.

As the formats shrunk from vinyl to CD to mini-disk and then to mp3 the ability for the album cover art to shock or entice us has become more difficult. Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals or The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers  would never have caused as much controversy as they did had they been a 75 x 75 pixel thumbnail on the i-tunes homepage.

While record sales may have fallen dramatically, they still bare a strong visual presence as an iconic object or artefact. Records are now being produced for a niche market and are treated as collectable items with hand-made covers on the increase. It is this current resurgence which has inspired Prints of Darkness.

Curated by Sarah Manning Cordwell, Norman Shaw and Edward Summerton, Prints of Darkness contains over a dozen pieces produced by 11 Scottish artists, each exploring the theme of record cover art. The show contains a healthy mixture of illustrative, photographic and typographic designs each one recalling the golden age of the record cover during the 'post-psychedelia, goth-surrealistic, Art Nouveau, apocalyptic landscape explosion'  of the 1960's and '70's.

Norman Shaw channels Salvador Dali in his surreal landscape Princess of Darkness while Mark Wallace borrows from Pop Art to produce Lordin' It.  Sinister looking crows and intricate spider webs  are the subject matter for Edward Summerton and The Lonely Piper and cats are victimised by Andrew Cranston and Malcy Duff.

The dark imagery and twisted sense of humour which runs throughout the exhibition is continued in This is Light Music, an exclusive full-length picture-disc album produced exclusively for the exhibition. Created by award-winning international multimedia artist Vicki Bennett, the disc/audio installation explores the themes of darkness and joy and the irony of subverted 'light music' in popular culture.

In addition to the original pieces on display, the exhibition concludes with an installation of influential and inspirational vinyl album covers selected by the exhibiting artists. Iconic LPs such as Kate Bush's Never for Ever, the Sex Pistols'  Never Mind the Bollocks plus Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath's self titled debuts are amongst the selection - proof that while the devil may not have all the best tunes, he certainly has the best album covers.