Live it: Places and Spaces - The Design Museum

Something a little bit different for you today.  I wanted to share some places and spaces that either mean something to me, inspire me or relax me, so that maybe they might do the same for you, or we can share spaces and see what makes us more us.

The Design Museum has always been a favourite of mine and when the opportunity to work in collaboration with them for my Masters came up over ten years ago, I jumped at it.  It has just moved from its Shad Thames roots to its new home at the old Commonwealth building in High Street Kensington.  This had always been a favourite building of mine, since when I used to get the number 9 bus passed it when I used to live in Hammersmith.  I am so glad that the building is in use again and even better that it now houses one of my favourite museums.

When you walk in, it certainly makes you look up!  There is so much space!  Lots of open walkways and seating for visitors to sit up and stare.  Which is what I did!  There are some paying exhibition spaces and a free space that takes you through the story of design. Some people think that design is not something that they are a part of, think about or that includes them, but as the Design Museum says itself 'Design is everywhere and continues to transform the lives of everyone around the world through the partnership between the designer, the maker and the user'.

From your bed you woke up in, to your bowl you had cereal in and the car you went to work in this morning, everything incorporates design.  Without it, nothing would be the way it is, whether ergonomically designed for comfort, or aesthetically pleasing for fun.

The beauty of the building itself really does make the most of the design in it though.  It sets the scene and makes you feel comfortable.  As a museum and gallery goer/worker I feel my most comfortable in these spaces, but the Design Museum certainly lends itself to feeling relaxed and thoughtful.  I could happily spend an hour or two sitting on the benches looking around and people watching.

Is there a favourite Museum or Gallery that you guys like?  Anywhere that always gives you inspiration?

H,xxx

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Love it: H's RA Summer Exhibition Adventure

I love a good gallery visit and you may have noticed (if you are a long time reader) that I love going to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition every year.  Last year I was not that impressed as it was starting to feel a bit samey, but this year, thanks in part to an injection of colour from Michael Craig-Martin, they have upped their game!

Also, due to being able to take photos in the gallery spaces, I can share all the joy with you guys.  You have never been able to take photographs before and they are now asking you to share, so that's another plus from me!

If you have never been to the Summer show, it is an exhibition made up from artworks that come from well known artists right thru to people who submit the work they do on their kitchen table.  Every year there is an artist who takes on the overall curator role, keeping all the other artist rooms in check.  This is what makes it so special and so different.  So lets take a look at what I saw.

The gallery spaces at the RA flit between the small to the large and so there is always going to be a different hang in each room.  This year Michael Craig-Martin had painted some of the walls in these vibrant colours, which many would think compete with the artwork on display, but I love!  I think it makes the artwork look great and gives a totally different feel to the gallery spaces.

I love the way some of the artwork is hung, it is never uniform and always interesting, I do wonder how they get away with hanging some pieces quite so high, as I know we couldn't at the place I work.  A good example is the way in which the pictures are hung in the middle picture above.

These are some of my favourite artists, from Fiona Rae on the left who I have loved for a long time and a new love from Frank Bowling to this Rainfall stunner from Ermioni Avramidou which is Acrylic ink on paper.  It really looks like it is wet.  I could sit and look at these for hours.  I find it fascinating to see what people love and hate in galleries, it's all about individual taste after all.

 The architecture room is always one of my favourite's.  One of my favourite things to do when I was at uni is make models and so this may be why.  I loved this colourful model, only annoyed as I didn't manage to get who it was by.  This sculpture by Tim Shaw is huge and considering it is actually made from painted foam, polythene and steel - it looks very like a bronze sculpture close up.  I couldn't do a post about the RA show without showing the stairs!  Truly the best way to enter and leave the building!

I couldn't resist showing a few more of my favourites of the show and all by new artists - to me.  Which is another great reason I love going to the show every year, finding new artists I like.  I love how this piece by Gordon Cheung is hung with all the other smaller ones around it and the mysterious nature of the painting is great too.  This large moon quickly got my attention and Jock McFadyen has done a brilliant job of pulling you into the picture.  Lastly but by no means least was the X room which was dedicated to Tom Phillips, A Humument, this was one of my favourite pages.

Talking of Tom, here is a little more about the piece.  There was a whole book, individually drawn on pages that had been worked and reworked by the artist.  You can find out more about the piece here.

So all in all, I think you could say that I really enjoyed the show.  If you get a chance between now and the 16th August to go, I really would check it out.  But hopefully if you cannot make it, this has given you a good flavour of what it's all about.

Can't wait for next year!
H

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Love it: The Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts 2011

One thing that I love to do is go to the Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts every year and today with my recovery day after Glastonbury I thought it would the perfect time to go for a little wander.


Every year people from across the country apply for their work to be in the show and some get the chance to be selected to hang their work alongside some famous artists.  My favourties are always the Photography and Architectural model rooms which show the different sides of art as just a painting form.  The architectural models did not disspoint this year, although I felt that they had been squashed into a small room.  There was not as much photography that has been previously, but I guess that as each year is curated by different Royal Academians, then they each have their own idea of art.


I also saw that some of the work that doesn't get selected, gets a second chance at a gallery over near Waterloo, so that might well be my next port of call!

Live it!
Heather