Be informed

The exhibition at the beautiful Brighton Museum and Art Gallery in the Dome complex is somewhat mis-named, though no less interesting for it. It less design, more art. Nothing is functional; the output of design normally melds form and function.

Everything has a point to make. For example, Simone Brewster’s provocative Negresse Chaise and Mammy Table (including wallpaper) remind us how recent has been our willingness to use such depictions of black people in cinema and elsewhere for commercial profit. The inclusion of female body parts just compounds this.

Also featuring in the exhibition is some work by enfant terrible, Philippe Starck. Two pieces are on display, both of which are part of the museum’s permanent collection. The stool (below left) was designed originally for film director, Wim Wenders, who wanted a stool on which he could lean rather than sit.

Starck has also got his hands dirty with the Italian firm, Alessi, famous for kettles, amongst other kitchen equipment. Starck’s kettle is a rather un-functional. The cone (right) that dissects the body is a handle, filler and spout. It proved not to work, despite the apparently clever internal technology; Starck himself was unrepentant: “I wanted to get myself noticed [and] make a masterly sculptural object”. That it certainly is. Alessi did not buy that.

Ceramicist Grayson Perry, former winner of the Turner Prize, not surprisingly features in this exhibition. His vase entitled ‘Difficult Background’ (below left) has in the foreground smiling children against a background of war – burning buildings and fleeing civilians.

There are some beautiful pieces with interesting juxtapositioning. For example, ‘Fragile Future Lamp’ by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta (2012, below right) has an environmental theme. It represents the construction and deconstruction of dandelion clocks studded with LED lights. The fragility of the structure maps on to a fragile earth; though the lights represent hope.

Note the arachnid wallpaper behind.

Finally, shoes. There are two challenging shoe related exhibits. Not surprising, both relate to high-heels, one a modification, the other a hybrid of human and non-human form plus weapons (left). Weapons are generally clichéd. Terry de Havilland’s dagger heeled shoes bear the cliché, but the hooves feel very uncomfortable. Belonging to another creature and appropriated by humans.

Other more extensive reviews can be found here:

http://scenester1964.webeden.co.uk/#/subversive-design/4580265764

http://thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2013/10/08/brighton-museum-art-gallery/

The official PR for the exhibition is handled by Lianne Jarrett Associates: http://www.lja.uk.com/index.php?page=4066

Here is a design trend that really needs dismissing before too many people are separated from too much of their money. I do not know if it has a name, but it seems comparable with ‘stressed jeans’ except for furniture. I have just replaced a pair of stressed jeans because they have worn out (afer 8 years). The knees have holes in them and I do not think that I can pull off the stressed look with any credibility.

Equally, I am not that keen on filling my living space with stressed furniture. The example on the left – complete with broken glass – is on sale in a mid-range homewares retailer in Köln. Unfortunately having seen this, subsequently, I found many examples of the look ranging from beds, tables, bookshelves, indeed any wooden furniture.

No!

Source: Evan-Amos, Wikipedia

Some firms are opaque, understandably so. Apple is particularly good at keeping secrets. But when firms go head-to-head where patent infringements are concerned, a truer picture emerges. In one interesting case – Apple v Samsung – we now learn that the iPad as an idea and prototype predates the iPhone. In fact, it might be that the iPhone only exists because the touch screen technology was thought to be too expensive for the market to bear. The logic goes like this: a touch screen tablet would be a niche product because users would likely be those who already have a desktop and laptop. A tablet would be an expensive complement to these. However, a touch screen phone is viable, not least because it is smaller, and therefore requires less in the way of expensive materials.

Pictures of the prototype iPad have been released. You can view them here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/19/ipad-prototype-ive-2002

It is a little pricey at £12.50, but certainly interesting at a number of levels. There is the nostalgia surrounding design epochs and the objects that came to symbolise them. There is the learning – largely historical – about the objects and/or movements that encapsulate British design. And there is a great shared experience – I talked to more people at this exhibition than at any other I can remember. For example, at the balsa model of my former university, I met someone who recently visited with potential students and a former student who also went on to work at the university whilst I was there. A very nice encounter.

The exhibition is housed in three galleries. The first is a bit of a mish-mash of epochs, events and artefacts (e.g. the 60s, the Festival of Britain, transport/architecture). The second gallery revolved around popular culture – Bowie, Mary Quant, Factory records, etc. The final gallery, loosely representing innovation, had Concorde, the E-Type Jaguar, The Gherkin, Video Games and Dyson.

I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through the galleries (it took me over three hours) but I was left wondering what the point was. What was the narrative? Why these artefacts and not others? Even more disturbing, however, is the question, where to now? The innovation gallery was surprisingly uninspiring. It was rather sterile. On leaving the gallery, rather than walking into a new world of opportunity, one walks into the gift shop. Rather unfortunate, I thought.

The exhibition continues until 12 August. The exhibition’s video includes interviews with a number of designers featured, including Margaret Calvert who worked on the road signs and who admits that the little girl featured on the ‘children crossing’ road sign is her own image of herself as an eight-year old girl (with her little brother). The video can be seen from the exhibition’s website http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-british-design/

BBC Radio 4 seem to be having a field day with Apple at the moment. Last week Jonathan Ives, Apple’s chief designer was interviewed, this week it is Ken Segall on simplicity. Segall was the man behind the ‘i’ in all Apple products. There are some interesting thoughts on the nature of perfection. But at the heart is the thought that a product portfolio is best kept short and the virtues of keeping the business running like a small business. Listen here.

Knighted on 23 May, Jonathan Ives talked to James Naughtie of the Today programme on BBC radio 4. Notwithstanding the annoyance of James Naughtie with some of his fascile questions, there are some insights from the man about motivations for ‘making the very best products that we can’. He talks about the beauty in thing functioning intuitively as well as form and colour. He is delighted for others to be using Apple products. The designer’s job is becoming more complex and the consequences of getting it wrong have also escalated. Listen here