Travel Bug

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list. - Susan Sontag

Travelling has always been one of the biggest inspirations in my life and I still don't fully understand why that is. Obviously some of it comes from seeing the stunning scenery, experiencing the unique cultures and the people I have meet along the way. Although the excitment I get from travelling doesn't have to come from an 'around the world' expedition it can be as simple as a short weekend away or even a few weeks of travel I just find that anytime I leave my comfort zone everything I come across has a major impact on me. As I design I still pull on things I saw in Hong Kong, explorations of Australia, summers in Vermont and even unseen corners of the UK that I have never been to before. I think there is a certain level of inspiration gained from how I change as a person from these travels something to do with shrugging off a mundane life feeling, my everyday woes and other peoples expectations of me and there is no pressure as it's not about achieving anything but self-fulfillment.

I have recently arrived back from a tiny town in Tuscany-Italy called Barga which was amazing. I think some of my enthusiasm about this town comes from experiencing it along side some wonderful people but I also think that it was so different from the life I live in London and this escapism was exhilarating. Barga and London are polar opposite, here I sleep below ground level where in Barga I was up high with a breeze blowing through the window, in Barga drinking and eating with friends & family every evening is a big part of life while in London my lunch break today lasted 10 minutes, London is a hub of activity while Barga is so sleepy it falls asleep for a few hours each afternoon. The difference in life between what I am used to and where I went is what I was inspired by. I do believe we have to accept a certain level of reality, paying bills and working but I also think this can easily become a treadmill and we live just going through the motions becoming accustomed to a way of life which is sociably acceptable. In other cultures and also within our own cultural history we have always travelled and we only found new places around the world with this adventurous human spirit. Life is for living and part of that is experiencing the joys of the world we live in, I believe travelling helps break the monotony of our accepted reality and helps us test ourselves through our experiences in unfamiliar situations and environments. From these experiences you can only learn more about yourself and this creates a passion for living life to to the fullest. This is what I find impossible to keep out of my creative work and I now understand it is one reason why my work grows and becomes stronger the more I travel.

I am not the only person to find inspiration from travel there are many such as Paul Gauguin and his visits to Tahiti he not only drew on inspiration from his travels but literally painted the colours and passion he saw around him. It wasn't until I left UK shores that i understood exactly the source he was drawing from for his creativity.

Another was American architect Frank Lloyd Wright who found inspiration in his designs from his travels and love of Japan. The simplicity of his designs especially in Fallingwater in Pennsylvania was previously unseen in western countries and in part came from what he saw around him in Asia. Also Earnest Hemmingway who travelled from Cuba to Spain, Italy and onwards relentlessly. His experiences, and there were some good and some bad, inspired him to write many novels winning the Nobel Prize in Literature and Pulitzer Prize. The list of those inspired by travel is endless but those who do travel have undoubtably created some of the most thought provoking work of our past and those who travel now, who dare to leave their comfort zone and see the world with open eyes are the ones whose work I am excited to experience in the future.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Tunnel 228

I found out about the wonder of Tunnel 228 through Facebook. A friend posted a status saying tickets were on sale, I wondered what he was talking about so I asked and all he gave me was the web address www.tunnel-228.com. I went and visited this site to find a very basic dull and boring website about cleaning tunnels, the whole thing confused me so I clicked on a few links none worked until I clicked the 'Contact Us' link. At this point I was transferred to a fast moving modern website telling me about the tunnels below one of London's major commuting train station Waterloo Station. You should take a look at this website then all what I have just said will make sense. Still at this point not that sure what was going on I found the whole concept very intriguing so I booked my ticket anyway and was sent this through.

I couldn't wait to go it was already an exciting experience and that was only going through the process of booking the ticket. So I arrived with 3 friends yesterday afternoon, not sure what to expect but the whole thing had been kept quiet and not much was reported about it in the press which goes with the underground hidden concpet of the whole installation. To find Tunnel 228 was a mission in itself as it was hidden round the back of the station under the bridges and past the graffiti skateboarding areas. On entering we were approached by people in a terrorist style and wearing balaclava masks who then asked us to put on surgical masks and to wear them all the time we were in the tunnel. It was pitch black and a little unnerving as we descended into the tunnels underground. You could hear the trains rumbling over head and below the lighting was dim. We came across our first installation a small beautifully lit piece of art but you could hear noise from the other tunnels so you carried on. As we turned the corner we came across a cleverly orchestrated installation being interacted with by performers pushing and pulling metal coal carts, walking upside down on the ceiling. A spinning bowl of water by Petroc Sesti, so beautifully lit so it was a moving grey mass which transfixed you. Everywhere was being used so you found yourself going round dark corners to find something small and hidden, or knocking on doors to be greeted by an actor who took you in the room and shut the door behind you only to let you out 10 minutes later after putting you through a testing performance piece. I found a small coffin round a corner and on approaching it I could see small birds pecking their way out. The whole exhibition was intense, partly because of the types of pieces put together but also because of the location. Even when we tried to leave after everything had finished we were told nothing and had to go about finding it ourselves, however when you did the daylight hit you and you were led away through more graffiti tunnels with nice uplifting music.

It was an amazing experience and something I would highly recommend to others, although it is completely booked out for now but back later in the Autumn. The space was found by Kevin Spacey and is hidden away near the theatre 'The Old Vic' which he owns. Kevin Spacey has become very active within art events happening around London and has started many projects which would not normally have got off the ground if he wasn't associated with them. This one was funded by many charitable art organisations and Bloomberg and I think this is due in part to Kevin Spacey and his experience on how the UK art industry works and who to approach successfully. Whatever way it was brought it together I thought it was really inspiring. The group mainly responsible for how things ran were Punch Drunk who have become famous themselves for creating novel art events which are slightly different from what you would normally experience. This is the first work of theirs which I have been to but in the future I will definitely go see something else which they are involved with in. I pass Waterloo Station almost everyday and I didn't realise all those tunnels existed and I haven't been to an art exhibition quite like it. It really proves that 'art' doesn't always have to be in a gallery and sometimes by pushing the boundaries of what we are used to then you can create something quite unique and inspiring from start to finish.

Advertising To Distract You From Your Driving

Advertising campaigns which are unique and different are always the adverts which stop us and make us look for a few more seconds than we normally do. Being on the road driving can get boring and anything different there would be a great distraction but most of the time we just see the Coca Cola logo and the words tell us to take a refreshing break, or the nearest theme park is only 20 miles up the road. It all gets quite boring and tedious. However these advertising concepts would be fun to see along your journey, although maybe they could be a little too distracting and cause you to not watch the road and crash, ao then it could be a good thing not many companies have the guts to actually do them that often. All the same here are a few to see and appreciate, i hope you see them on a road near you sometime soon.

Tweenbots

Tweenbots is a great by project by Kacie Kinzer from ITP and is being tested out in New York. The project is not that complex but it works, the main aim is to see if this little robot with a sign on it's back can get to the destination on the flag. Of course he'll get stuck, fall over etc. but it is more to see if people are too busy in their day to stop or if they put the robot in the wrong direction on purpose, help it out or even start talking to it. All have been proven to happen in this experiment and I think it is very funny to see how a piece of cardboard with a smiley face and a note can create so much human compassion that people actually stop and it's a great way to see examples of human interaction within a big city.

Anyone For Chess?

I don't have a brain for Crosswords, Bridge and I don't play cards that much but that's mainly because I don't really know what I am doing. However there are two games which I play to chill out with, one being Sudoku which I would like to think I am a bit of a master of! Although for longer than my interest in Sudoku I have always been an avid fan of Chess.

As a child my dad taught me the intricacies of the game, it was a hard game to master but as soon as I did I became addicted to playing it and wanting to work out ways to win. Since then i think I have become a bit rusty and gone backwards in skill level so I wouldn't say I was up there with Garry Kasparov or anywhere near his league but the game of Chess still intrigues me.

The original game of Chess came from india in the 6th century but developed into the game we know today in the mid 1400's with the Queen becoming the most powerful piece and the power of each piece changed and was influenced by politics within Italy and Spain at the time and their reigning royal families. When l playing chess I always think of the history behind the game how the same game has been played for hundred of years and who might have played it in the past. I found there was something about making your move with a strategy and working out new strategies with the changes of the game until you work out the ultimate checkmate move and knockout your opponent. I love seeing people playing chess in the park out on the tables in the sun, the old men who live their lives around those tables and bet on the outcome, I could watch them endlessly.

In September the Design Festival will be held in London and as part of the festivities designer Jamie Haydon will be arranging aninstallation in Trafalgar Square with chess pieces at human height around 2 metres high and he will be encouraging the public to play giant scaled matches against each other. The inspiration for the design and installation comes from the Battle of Trafalgarand this chessboard will be played under the watchful eye of Admiral Lord Nelson's statue in the square. Jamie Haydon is an amazing designer and I get a lot of inspiration from his work, but he has so much to show that i will post another blog on him soon. So for now here are some images of his chess installation and be sure I'll be brushing up on my skills and heading out to play a game and I hope to not embarrass myself too much.

Production Design- Batman Begins & The Dark Knight

As I love this subject I will always be writing blogs on it but as there was quite a bit of interest in my first production design blog I thought I would put up some information about the recent Batman films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight as I find them very inspirational. These films are a huge step away from previously released Batman films and are filmed in a completely darker and raw style, using less of the comic hero side of things and instead showing the depth and despair of the dark Gotham City and it's villains. I think it works superbly and I have been completely captivated by what i have seen so far. These are perfect films to see in the cinema too with the larger screen, the Dolby Surround Sound and additionally The Dark Knight has been filmed in IMAX so this film has an even larger viewing impact on you. I would also like to start detracting people from watching bootleg, not just in part because I want to help protect the film industry but because if you are watching bootlegs then you felt it was okay to give yourself a more diminished viewing of a film just so you could tick a box to say you had seen something. You lose out on so much of the quality and what was thought through to create maximum impact during filming has been lost with bootleg, you lose clarity of film, colour, speed, sound etc.. In Batman Begins there is a scene where hundreds of bats fly towards the camera, in the cinema people was so absorbed that they ducked as they felt the bats were coming towards them, I am sure those watching the same film on a bootleg copy lost of out on the impact of that scene. Why would you deny yourself that to save a small bit of money aren' t those things part of the the joy of seeing a movie after all.

These new Batman films were directed by Christopher Nolan, who is a new generation of director. He is part of a new wave of film makers coming through who are cutting edge and using more modern technology with a new approach and it's enthralling to see them pushing the boundaries even further. They see film making with a new perspective which is refreshing and they put you in a position where because you are unsure about their directing style, partly because they don't already have large established films in their portfolio, you find yourself gripped to your seat in anticipation.

I'm a big fan of action packed, futuristic or magical movies and this in mainly due to the design. A set has to be recognisable for what it is but the depth of this can be stretched as far as the imagination can take it for example with Batman, Gotham City doesn't exist only from a magazine and the whole concept of the Batman character is fictitious so this gives the designer greater parameters to design within. However one reason why Batman Begins and The Dark Knight work so well is in part due to the work of Nathan Crowley and his team. He designs with superb elegance, it's not clumsy but very sophisticated, it revolutionary in pre-production and execution during filming. He created quiet believably the immense size of Gotham City all the way through to the confided wet underground of the Batcave. The feeling of size and confinement were portrayed in such detail that you were dragged into the scene and felt that you were actually there watching from the side.

The third film in the Batman series is in pre-production now.

Production Design- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Most people enjoy some medium of art, they'll get pleasure out of seeing a painting on a wall, a photograph, a sculpture, a graphical design or even a performance piece. I have an admiration for all these forms of art and even more, but out of everything which inspires me I am most passionate about the medium of film and would happily spend most of my day being absorbed into it. I love to see where a film might lead me, the emotions stirred, how I am transported from where I am sitting into the world created by the director, cinematographer, designers etc.. I am amazed how audiences from all different realms of life lose connection with everything except the film they are viewing and then become a willing spectator of what's happening on screen. There really is something magical about what the film industry can create and that it has the ability to capture a viewer total and complete, it's a powerful medium.

Of course not all films match all audiences all the time, but most of us have a film we remember going to see, one that we have found ourselves so stirred by that we got the DVD and watched it several times or couldn't top recommending it to others to go see. A big part of what makes this all happen are the names that roll in the credits at the end of the film. Each and everyone of those people helped put together the film you watched and if they are doing a good job what you see will be seamless and blend into one without you noticing and you'll wonder why all of them were really needed at all.

What exhilarates me within the whole mechanics of a films production are the sets. There are many films that excite me, leave me in wonderment of the beauty that was played out in front of me, but with regards to Production Design there is one film I think of time and time again and which I feel is jaw dropping great and that's Lemony Snicket's Series Of Unfortunate Events. The Production Design is simply amazing and brought together by the genius Rick Heinrichs and his team. From the beginning of the film and it's opening credits everything falls into harmony with the direction by Brad Silberling, cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki and this is all played out through the sets. A Production Designer doesn't just create an area for actors to perform in, its about provoking a feeling visually and in a subliminal way to give something a haunting nature, or maybe portraying a scared angst or a harmonious comforting safe home. Each one is thought through for practically of filming but all to evoke a feeling for the actors to feed from and for everyone in production to work within. Rick Heinrich plays all this through masterfully in Lemony Snicket and he always gives more in each scene than your eyes can actually absorb. For the set design alone I had to watch it a few times to register all the intricacies of his work. I think this is a stunningly shot film and is one of my favourite master pieces within the medium of film.

The Man Has Base & Rhythm

I found myself watching this several times over, I can't figure out how they manage to make so many different beats and noises at the same time. This was recorded at Google's UK Head Office last year. Beardyman is a legend by himself and with Nathan "Flutebox" Lee they sound amazing together. It's hypnotic.

Simplicity Is Often The Most Impressive Form

The type of art which appeals to me is often simple in form but will create an illusion on the eye. I don't find myself stopping that long by a Monet or a Picasso but what I do find myself stopping at is something ingenious and which tests your perception of your surroundings. Something which plays tricks with you or where you might need a few minutes to work out what's going on. Additionally with my inquisitive mind I often start to think later on about the piece of art work and try to figure out the logistics of the design and how it was put together.

This recent interior installation at the V&A Museum in London in the ladies toilet by architects Glowacka Rennie and Swiss artistFelice Varini is a perfect example of this. The idea is to create an illusion with the different levels of surfaces and to further enhance this by repeating this image in the mirrors. It is also an installation which will change with you as you move around the room, you will not see the same thing from any two points in the room. This is art that I enjoy and has me planning a trip to the V&A later this week so I can experience the space.

The Shard

In many modern cities over recent years we have seen such wonderful new architecture changing the skylines with the construction of Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain by the wonderful Frank Gehry to the more recent Beijing National Stadiumin Beijing by Herzog & de Meuron. In the centre of London we have built some amazing new buildings too but nothing which seems to go up that much in height unlike the East of London in Canary Wharf, or America's Manhattan, Hong Kong and Dubai. I am not sure if this is down to planning permission, funding, politics or the fact that we have so many historically listed buildings it is hard to then construct something extraordinarily high without putting into shadow a 200+ year old building or shaking it's foundations.

However recently just a sort walk from where I live in London Bridge the construction has started on a new building which will change the skyline of not only the Southbank area but the whole of London. The Shard by Renzo Piano due for completion in 2012.Renzo Piano is an amazing architect and has been responsible for the Nemo in Amsterdam and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. The Shard will look amazing and will rise out of the rather flat landscape of the river bank over the next few years. This design I find very ascetically pleasing, it is modern and I do belive that we need to leave our own modern architectural legacy in urban settings as long as it's harmonious to the surroundings. The design of this building will also be environmentally friendly and has an integrated Power Plant capable of delivering 1500kWe to power the buildings heating/ air-conditioning.

Having lived in this area for the past 3 years, this revitalisation of an area which has become very dated, run down and not user friendly for transportation or local residents is a welcomed change. Allthough currently an inconvenience during construction, I feel it will be a remarkable addition to the London skyline. I will report back with The Shard updates during construction.

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

This is a collection of work from a Russian artist Oleg Duryagin from his recent show 'Naked Faces" at Interalia, Seoul, South Korea. Oleg has used several mediums to create these images, photography and then photoshop effects to take away eyebrows and personalising features of the face, he then blended and smoothed the skin down.

There is nothing new with these techniques but I do feel the simplicity of the end results are very striking and very alien like. I also agree with the meaning behind the art which is about making a statement of the relationship between a human’s inner world with a human’s behavior in society. That society still restricts behavior and thought of a human being.

It would be nice to live in a world where the value of ones worth is based on the depth of their personality, intelligence, heart and soul. In western worlds we have become so fickle and base a persons caliber on skin deep beauty and financial value because of this we now judge people on a media's definition of perfection.

Flashing In A Town Near You

In recent months Flash Mob Advertising has been happening everywhere around London. T-Mobile has been the most successful at this though and has managed to gather the largest crowds and create the best reactions. You can see their most recent advert in the video above. This advertising campaign was thought up by Saatchi & Saatchi who I always feel are very cutting edge in most campaigns they are involved in and are successul in leaving a great lasting impression of a brand in your mind.

This new way to advertise has gained so much free publicity with the extra air time it has created by being shown in news reports, written about in newspapers, aired on You Tube and spoken about between friends, it really is a new phenomenon which is working well to promote the brands using them. The idea is to no longer aim your images and brand towards people by talking AT them, but to make the advertising interactive. The more fun people have engaging in the flash mobbing the longer they'll be around to listen to the message and then they'll spread this message on. It's a whole new twist on what we are used to, what's more I think it's fun to see and is even more fun to be involved in so I hope it continues.

The Camera Never Lies

During many recent decades of war we have seen journalists risking life and limb to send home reports and images of what is happening out in the field of combat. Portraying life for the citizens of the countries during conflict, of the troops fighting, the struggle, the pain and the horrific day to day life that befalls all involved. These images can bring about such strong public opinion that they can often alter the end result of wars. In the past this has developed a stronger support for the allies during WW2 but also the anger and upset against the Vietnam war from photographs like Nick Ut's image of Phan Thi Kim Phuc after a Napalm attack.

I believe because in recent conflicts not all public reaction has been in support of the governments actions after seeing such images that we are now seeing fewer of these photo's appearing in the media. We of course see images of the troops in Iraq and the strength of the military invasions, we see the fallen and their coffins coming off the planes draped in flags and the civilians in war torn countries showing how their lives have changed for the better after escaping repressive governmental regimes. However a majority of the hard hitting reality of war has hardly been seen at all. Do we believe that there are less photographic journalist's ready to risk their lives to send us these images, of course not, so the answer must be that in recent years a certain level of war censorship has developed. A few months back I read an article about Zoriah Miller and how after publishing some journalistic war images he was then forbidden to work with the US marine corps and from being allowed to take photo's of the Iraq war from the inside or 'embedded' as they call it. The US armed forces wrapped up their reasoning in small print but I feel this is just covering up an unacceptable level of censorship. Of course the images of dead or injured soldiers, or innocent civilians is never pleasant to witness but we must be made aware of the impact our governments actions are having during international conflicts. Another form of censorship is coming from the media itself, through more reader/viewing friendly images that will not put you off your breakfast when you see the morning news.

Being in a democracy it is our duty to view these images and understand the effects our elected governments actions are having, however good or bad. If we do not see the bare stripped down effects and the end results of these actions how can we truly understand how our countries are being perceived in international relations. How can we understand the hatred against the west in the middle east, how there is a continuing resentment in Iraq against the international armed forces still based there. This is not the place for me to say if I feel the wars in themselves are right or wrong but what I do believe is that without seeing these images we are only understanding half the story. From what little we see we are in support or opposition about something we do not truly know the the real facts of and we will be basing our opinions on a false perception of the realities of war.