London, that design engine

Earlier on during that designalicious morning, I spent time wandering through the Super Contemporary exhibit. This time a retrospective of an industry within a particular city, the exhibit “reflects London’s diversity, tracking its development over the decades, looking at the intersections between art, design, architecture and fashion” (exhibition brochure). And obviously, running through it all, culture – influencing and influenced by design.

A multimedia timeline runs around the room, highlighting significant designs, events, people and news from the past 50 years. The centre of the room is devoted to the 15 commissions created by influential London designers. Below is just a little taste:


Nigel Coates turns Battersea into a useful building again, this time as a multi-denominational symbol of faith, reflecting London’s diverse culture. How many symbols can you spot?


Listening Station by BarberOsgerby. Stand in the right spot and re-experience lost sounds of the city such as birdsong.


The Freedom Space invites us to interrogate how free… (look it up!)
(Did you know that London has the highest rate of surveillance in the world with Londoners caught on camera an average of 400 times a day?! Yes, each!)

One of my favourite things was the personalised London maps by influential London creatives, illustrating their experience of the city.

And in true innovative spirit, some of these commissions can be experienced at different sites around London (Paul Smith, Ross Phillips, Wayne Hemingway and through the Collabregator.

Super Contemporary is on at the Design Museum until October 4th, 2009. Catch it if you can – it’s a brilliant tale of the city.

(And the logo has an interesting story too…)

Type Love: Mariscal

In the spirit of loving type, I thought Mariscal’s typography deserved a post all to itself. Enjoy:






TAGS: design, typography, Mariscal, exhibition

Installations of a career: Javier Mariscal

On my last trip to London, I indulged in a morning of designalicious exploration at the Design Museum, taking in the Super Contemporary exhibit and an exhibiton devoted to Javier Mariscal.





Mariscal Drawing Life is quite a refreshing retrospective. Key work from the past three decades is turned into a collection of 13 installations, displaying how he sees the world. “Through them, Mariscal offers insights into the language, attitude and methodology that drives him and explores the vital role that drawing has for designers” (exhibit brochure).











What was particularly inspiring was the multiple media Mariscal uses (drawing, painting, furniture design, jewellery, interior design, clothes and textiles, ceramics, film, performance). The refusal to be pidgeon-holed and the spirit of exploration, by whatever means, is something to be emulated indeed.

The exhibition closes on November 1st, 2009. There are related workshops and talks on as well. I highly recommend a visit.

Save the ink

Totally loving my friend Tanja Burgdorfer, aka Mayari's new project: Save the Ink!

Uneasy about throwing away an ink cartridge that needed to be replaced, even though there was still plenty of yellow ink left, she came up a solution that is beautiful "inside" and out.

"SAVE THE INK is not only art (a concept/an idea that might make you think and increase your awareness) but also a well designed product (a practical object). I think art and design can merge."

Challenging words

Words have power, yes, but words can be even more powerful through the use of design. I thought I'd give Ubeautiqous some typography love (continue the affair on ilt).





Visuals above found here. Last but certainly not least - a Mark Titchner piece I once walked past every morning, on the london underground. I used to feel something like shame; looking at it, believing it, yet doing nothing. And then I listened to it!