The Gateshead Millennium Bridge

On my recent visit to Newcastle, my boyfriend took me on a tour of the city which included a walk by the river Tyne, and along the way I really enjoyed looking at the bridges that cross the river. My favourite was this, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, for its architectural originality and the fact that it is the world's only tilting bridge! Unfortunately I didn't get to see it tilt as it only tilts once a day at 12.00pm, but apparently as it does it looks like the eyelid of a giant eye blinking. According to the bridge website, each tilt takes 4 minutes to occur. It must be a very sleepy eye!

Chuck Close

Ever since I first saw the work of Chuck Close in the San Francisco MOMA a few years ago, I was immediately captivated by his incredible style of painting. I love the way he treats each square in his images like it alone were a masterpiece in itself. I also admire his passion and determination to paint, as he has very limited mobility resulting from an accident a few years ago. Each little square that makes up his portraits has, I think, a cellular quality about it in appearance, which relates in a pleasing way to the fact that cells make up all living beings.

For part of my A level art coursework I had to write an essay about an artist, and Chuck Close was my subject. I wanted to explore his painting style and discuss whether it could be classified as art, as he paints in such a scientific way. My essay was entitled "Chuck Close - Man or Machine?" As I worked my way through the essay I decided that it's nobody and everybody's right to decide what art is for themselves. (Back to the 'what is art?' debate again!) In my mind, Chuck Close has the mind of a man, but the skills of a machine. His work is well worth taking a look at; it is very graphically and perfectionistically done and is very pleasing to look at, from all distances, as the effect is completely different close-up to far away.

Fame!

I've just come back from seeing "Fame" at the cinema, and one thing I noticed at least 3 times on different items of clothing worn by the characters was the product placement of "Lacoste"! This isn't usually something I pick up on very often when at the movies so either they did a pretty good job for Lacoste, or all things advertising / marketing are on my mind at the moment due to this blog and the deadline looming!

"Yes Man" by Danny Wallace

I read "Yes Man" by Danny Wallace a few years ago, and after reading it I was inspired to tell as many people I knew as possible to read it, for its fantastic humour value but also to help people realise how good you feel about yourself when you say yes to opportunities that come up! I told so many people about it, and lent the book to so many friends that I actually have no idea where it is now, but hope that people are still passing it on!

The book tells the true story of Danny Wallace's experience being a 'Yes Man'. He is inspired one day by a man that he meets on a London bus, and decides that from then on he is going to say yes to any opportunity that comes his way. However, only he and his best friend know this so that people won't take advantage of him and ask him for money etc.

The book is very funny. It makes you realise how many opportunities really do come our way every day, whether in the form of questions from friends, invitations, advertisements for products in the form of orders e.g. "Subscribe to *magazine* today!" or things like spam emails. We have so many options these days that it is so easy to say no. E.g. someone from uni that you don't know very well invites you to a party via facebook, purely because you are on their list of friends and you help to make up numbers for their party, but they don't really care if you show up or not. The obvious answer is no, right? Much easier not to go, not to socialise with lots of people that you don't know, not to pay the bus fare to get to their house (which you don't know the location of) and you won't really be missed as the host didn't really care in the first place whether you showed up or not. But what if you did go? You might hear some great music from a band you didn't know about before, or hear some really funny stories, or meet someone you really get on with and end up making a friend for life; it could be anything really. It might be crap, but you'd never know what you'd missed if you didn't give it a go. This is the kind of thing that Danny Wallace was faced with on at least a daily basis, and saying no just wasn't an option anymore.

Saying yes to everything got Danny into various crazy situations, meant he did have to spend quite a lot of money, swept laziness completely of the table but most of all enabled him to have a lot of fun, and really gain something from his experience. I'm not saying that after reading the book that I went out there and said yes to everything though; especially being a student I don't have nearly enough time or money to do something like that, and plus - everyone likes being able to be a bit lazy sometimes! However it is a really inspirational read and after having read it I do try and take more of the opportunities that do come my way, and so far it has paid off!

CBS Outdoor - Digital Advertising and the London Underground

I think I am at an age now where I am really starting to notice the constant developments that are occurring in technology. I remember when my parents told me stories like "I remember the first time I watched a TV programme on a colour TV - it was amazing!" I feel like I am beginning to store up stories like this myself now; having grown up through the huge developments that have been made by mobile phones, portable music players, computers - that it fascinates me to wonder what sort of thing will be around in 10 years if this is how far we've come since 10 years ago.

Living only a short train ride away from central London, I am very familiar with the London Underground and the advertising situations that are present in the stations: up and down the escalator walls, on the sides of the corridors, on the trains, on the walls across the tracks. There is a lot of waiting involved when traveling on the tube, whether it be waiting to get to the bottom of the escalator, waiting for the train to arrive, waiting for one's stop whilst traveling on the tube or waiting to get to the top of the escalator in order to exit the station upon arrival, so you can imagine that advertisements placed in tube stations are observed by thousands, and welcomed to help pass the time during the wait. In fact, according to CBS Outdoor, 87% of commuters welcome Tube advertising - more so than any other form of advertising (TV: 26%, roadside 6s: 37%) The London Commuter Research 2005.

If that many people welcome static advertising i.e. posters, banners etc, imagine how many people welcome it now that much of it is becoming digital! It was only a matter of time really, until this happened, and I'm sure it was envisaged and expected by a huge amount of people, but still it is a big change when something you are you used to - in this case Underground static advertising - makes a big step in development. Last time I was on the Tube, I didn't see people just glancing at the adverts, but rather staring at them, addicted to the moving images on the screens as people now are so used to digital pictures and entertainment in so many aspects of their lives: television, mobile phones, computers, iPods, games consoles - the list goes on.

As commendable a step in the technological world this is, it still makes me a little sad, and makes me wonder if in future years still images just won't be enough for people anymore. There's so many fantastic pieces of static advertising out there, really clever stuff that doesn't need moving images to make it effective. Posters and banners also save a lot of electricity which is something these advertising companies should probably be thinking about, but I guess that digital advertising saves the trees so it's hard to know who to root for. Anyway I'm it's only another matter of time until we'll be able to watch TV on the Tube screens, or interact with them somehow, but what will be after that? The future is an exciting and scary thing and I guess we just have to enjoy the ride!

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Directed by Peter Webber, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, Girl with a Pearl Earring is quite a quiet but striking film based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier. By quiet I mean that it is not a movie bursting with conversation, but more focuses on the subtlety of body language and interaction. Whilst I was watching the film I felt that what I could understand from the characters' expressions and the eye contact made between the actors said much more than the words spoken.

The movie tells the story of the artist Vermeer (Firth), and the maid to his household, Griet (Johansson), and the interest he shows in her as well as her deep interest and understanding of his work. Although quiet, the film holds much tension, as we can tell that there is a connection between Griet and Vermeer, but of course nothing ever happens between them. Griet helps Vermeer mix his paints, and as the film goes on he makes more and more excuses for her to spend most of her time working in his studio. Pieter Van Ruijven takes an interest in Griet, and commissions Vermeer to paint a portrait of her for him. This is when the film holds the greatest tension as Vermeer's wife becomes very jealous, and Vermeer and Griet become more intimate as he paints her. As the film's tagline describes, "She gave him a look that would last forever.."

The film was nominated for 3 Oscars and won numerous awards. The story is a lovely take on how such a striking and beautiful painting came about, and the film, like the painting, is a masterpiece.

Fermat's Room (La habitación de Fermat)

La habitación de Fermat is a Spanish thriller in which 4 mathematicians are invited by who they know to be one of the greatest mathematicians (a man under by pseudonym of Fermat) to solve an enigma in a secret location. In order to choose these guests, Fermat sent out a puzzle to a large number of mathematicians that he knew of, and only those who managed to solve this puzzle were invited to meet him, and solve another - or so the guests thought! When they arrive at the secret location they discover that they have in fact been tricked and the room they are in gradually begins to close in on themselves if they do not manage to solve each puzzle they are presented with in the given time.

The film keeps you on your toes, and it is quite enjoyable too, to try and work out the puzzles yourself before the characters do! The only problem is that as the film is in Spanish, one has to make sure to read the subtitles in order to know what is going on, but as it is a thriller we want to keep focused on the screen as well, so in parts of the film, as it becomes more tense, it is hard to choose between the two!

The film is directed by Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopeña, and has won numerous festival awards. It's a great thriller with a twist and good too if you enjoy maths or logic problems!

Fiona Crisp - Subterrania

One of the exhibitions I did see at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art was the Subterrania photography exhibition by Fiona Crisp. Crisp is an artist who has become known for creating installations of large-scale photographs that question the ontological presence of the photographic image. Her current exhibition shows photographs which, at first glance, do not really seem linked, but they unite in the fact that they are all of sites of some historical importance or interest, but are now open as tourist sites.

The Subterrania series of photographs all create a strong sense of three dimensional space, and when one looks at the pictures we are overcome by the intensity of the interiors; the pictures almost suck you in and make you feel like you are there. There is also a forceful sense of direction in the photographs; we are made to look forward, almost through the pictures as if seeing the route by which we can escape, if the intensity becomes too strong.

Crisp has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, and is represented by Matt's Gallery, London and is held in the collections of The Tate Gallery, The Government Art Collection, The Arts Council Collection, Worcester City Art Gallery and private collections.

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that explores the psychology and meaning behind trends; how some become internationally popular and how others fall to the wayside. For many years people have thought the way that trends occur to be mysterious and inexplicable, however Gladwell's investigations prove that if one looks at the evolution of these trends, the processes involved in each are strikingly similar.

I think back to the major trends that have occurred as I have grown up: the popularity of Converse shoes as opposed to other trainers, facebook as opposed to bebo, UGG boots, and perhaps the biggest trend of all - iPods. Lets take iPods as our example; they were not the first mp3 player to grace the digital market, and looking at the very first models, they were probably not the most attractive either. However, something or someone decided that they were the way forward, and now we see virtually no-one with any music player other than an iPod. This is the sort of thing that Gladwell explores, and explains, and it's very interesting to discover that it's not just good design or good marketing that soars products into international popularity, but that certain types of people play a huge part in getting those products to the top.

Studying a degree where marketing and advertising is a key feature, it is fascinating to learn that a good product alone is not enough to make it sell thousands; knowing lots of the right people (Gladwell describes them as connectors, mavens and salesmen) and making your product appeal to them is really the key to success.

I won't spoil "The Tipping Point" any more for people, but I strongly recommend this book as a thoroughly interesting and insightful read if you are the sort of person that enjoys finding meaning in what before seemed like it could not be explained!

Normann Copenhagen

On a recent visit to Newcastle, I visited the Baltic Mill museum set in a lovely location right on the River Tyne. Unfortunately there weren't actually many exhibitions on as they were working on exhibition changeover, however, we did have a great time looking at what was available in the gallery shop!

Art galleries and museums always, I find, have interesting and fun things for sale in their gift shops, and the Baltic was no exception. I even saw a collection of the Penguin Book deckchairs that we have in the grass studio in the school of design! However what caught my eye were the products by a company called Normann Copenhagen. The company produces modern, innovative homeware by a series of different designers, and you can view their products here. These products were not all available in the museum, but out of those that were, my favourites were the strainer, the cognac glass and the washing up bowl. Shown below is the strainer; I love this product as conventional strainers are usually quite big and are difficult to store without decent amounts of cupboard space, but this can just be folded down flat and takes up so much less space! It would be great to have something like this in my uni house!

Love Food Hate Waste

Lovefoodhatewaste.com is a web campaign that exists to, well, the name says it all really! The website provides tips on saving money when buying food, where to store certain goods so that they last longer, and tips on how to use up leftovers into tasty meals instead of throwing them away.

I saw an A4 advertisement for the site in a magazine whilst I was in the waiting room at the dentist, and I thought it was really cleverly and humorously done. Things like recycling, energy

saving etc are all things that are difficult to encourage people to do; it is hard to know, too, from which angle to approach the issues from. The guilt angle might work on some people but people don't like feeling guilty, especially if the issue is not completely their fault, so in many cases people just try to forget about the issue and then it seems like it has gone away and they don't need to worry about it anymore. The 'do your bit to help' angle might work a bit better but people are so used to that kind of message that it is as easy to ignore as the next.

Love Food Hate Waste takes an interesting approach to the problem of food waste in which the campaign says 'Whatever food you love, we can help you waste less and save upto £50 a month'. This way people feel like the site is made to help them, whereas by taking the site's advice, they are actually helping it too!

IKEA - Futura vs Verdana

In the last couple of months, the new 2010 edition of the IKEA catalogue has been published, however this year's edition has caused havoc in the design world. Not because IKEA have upped their renowned low prices, or that their furnishings are now old fashioned and ugly, but because they have changed their signature typeface from a customised version of Futura to the widely used meant-for-screen Verdana, invented by Microsoft.

IKEA's lifetime has spanned over 60 years and branding has always played an important part in the company's success - with Futura being an integral part of their branding. However, cutting Futura from the brand has seen hundreds of designers complain that in doing so, IKEA have also cut their excellent and much admired understanding of design. An IKEA spokeswoman (Monika Gocic) states that the typeface switch was made as it is now more cost-effective and efficient, as well as being a simple, modern-looking typeface. Verdana is also available in a large number of different languages so the catalogue can be printed in all the countries in which IKEA operates.

But Designers are not happy. According to "Time" magazine, the online forum Typophile closed its first post on the subject with the words, "It's a sad day." A letterpress printer in Melbourne by the name of Carolyn Fraser uses a metaphor to explain the problem: "Verdana was designed for the limitations of the Web — it's dumbed down and overused. It's a bit like using Lego to build a skyscraper, when steel is clearly a superior choice." Some people are so unhappy about the situation that a petition has even been going around - Ursache's petition - and as of August 27th it has gained over 700 signatures! So who knows, will this reaction provoke IKEA to revert to Futura?

Amersham, The Water Tower - Grand Designs

I live in a town called Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, which is linked to a nearby town - Amersham - by the aptly named Amersham road. About a third along this road, on the left, is the water tower that I guess is a kind of local landmark, and suffice to say my family and I were very surprised to see it on an episode of Grand Designs when we were in Cornwall!

The tower was actually converted a good few years ago, but we had no idea that anything was going on, and it was very strange to think that the tower and its extension are now a luxury family home. I don't often watch Grand Designs but when I do it's always very interesting to see people's dreams for very unlikely properties turn into amazing realities. Channel 4 states "There are few Grand Designs with the style, quirkiness, and architectural integrity of this now famous water tower conversion - a triumph that's a fine example of how an empty industrial building can be repurposed for modern and elegant family living." The water tower before its conversion is shown below, and you can visit Channel 4's website here to view pictures of the converted tower and extension.

Undercover - The Evolution of Underwear

The other museum I visited yesterday in London was the Fashion & Textile museum at London Bridge, set up by British designer Zandra Rhodes in 2003. The exhibition they are running at the moment is the evolution of underwear.

Evolution is constantly around us, and it is always interesting to discover why certain things evolve in the way they do; in the clothing world function and fashion are the main duo that go hand in hand deciding what will be next and why, but culture always plays a huge part, and events that happen throughout history also have a great impact on how things develop.

The guidebook states that "Undercover is a celebration as well as an expose of the role of underwear in women's lives, tracing its evolution from health garment, shape enhancer, to fashion 'must have'."

In the 1900s the corset was originally designed for women's health as it removed pressure from the abdomen, making breathing easier and providing greater freedom for movement. It was known as the 'S' corset, pushing the bust forward and the hips back. However the 1910s saw the leaner silhouette and the 'empire line' replace the corset-shape fashion, and the first brassiere was 'invented' by Mary Phelps Jacobs by tying handkerchiefs and ribbon together to form a support that did not show under her evening gown. When WW1 broke out the absence of corsets remained popular as more than 2m women entered the workforce, and therefore required much more functional attire.

Flatter chests and freedom from corsets remained the craze for the 'flapper girl' throughout the 20s, but by the 30s a high pert bust made fashionable by the likes of Hollywood, in particular Lana Turner, started the 'sweater girl' trend that lasted into the 50s. By the 50s the hour glass figure was back in vogue and Hollywood's influence on fashion hit its peak with bullet bras and pin-up girls. A group that had also not existed before - teenagers - became a hige potential consumer market for these kinds of trends.

The 60s and 70s saw less of a demand for structured underwear as Twiggy's 'waif' look and the launch of pantyhose (tights) came into play. The feminist movement of the late 60s / 70s saw bra sales hit an all time low, as breasts in their unbound, natural shape became acceptable and companies began to develop lightweight 'no bra' bras. However the 80s brought lingerie back in an almighty bounce - bigger was better. With a love for aerobicised bodies and tv shows such as baywatch, women wanted to emphasise their clevage and with their high levels of disposable income, bras started to become more of a fashion statement. The 90s saw the relaunch of the Wonderbra, and the craze for the push-up look encouraging women to flaunt their assets.

The early noughties have followed this craze too, with more and more women getting breast implants, page 3 girls and magazines such as FHM promoting girls with big breasts to be better. There are also shops now which are solely for underwear and bedroom attire: Victoria's Secret, La Senza and not forgetting he infamous Ann Summers. These kind of shops have encouraged women to invest in their own underwear wardrobe, and just as we wear outer-garments to suit the mood, season or fashion, we can now do the same with underwear as a rich variety of colours, styles and patterns are on the market. Younger girls are now investing in bras as the young generation seem to be growing up more quickly then ever. My 5 year old cousin even owns a training bra! Who knows what future decades will bring but from looking at history things could certainly go either way. With the credit crunch now into full swing maybe we will even decide we can't afford underwear anymore, and all go for the 'natural' look of the 70s!

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

On a visit to London yesterday I decided to take a trip to a couple of museums I have never been to before, one of which was the Brand Museum in Notting Hill. I actually found out about it as I saw a picture from the museum's website on Nat Dodd's blog - thanks Nat! So I decided to investigate further as I had never heard of the museum, and it turns out that its incredible collection was right up my street.

I have always found the development of packaging design through history fascinating, and I spent a wonderful morning revelling in designs from the past, that went as far back as the 1800s. On arrival at the museum I thought the collection was going to be tiny, as one can only see into the first room; the ceilings are quite low and we are unaware that the museum has a lot more space than it appears to have. The collection is in fact very well laid out: above the doorways there are signs that inform you what decade you are about to walk through, and the window displays are arranged categorically eg. toys, games, food packaging, clothing etc. Most also each have their own little plaque, explaining and describing the contents from the era.

One of the highlights for me was speaking to a couple of elderly women who were also looking round the museum. Where the visit for me was more educational, their's was truly full of nostalgia and it must have been amazing for them seeing so many things in the museum that they were familiar with, whether they were from their childhood, their children's childhood or their grandchildren's childhood. I wonder of the concept of the museum seemed in any way strange to them; the items there are not amazing artefacts, rather just everyday items, however when seen all together next to their past and future selves they suddenly seem to become pieces of art, and one looks at something like a Frosties cereal packet in a completely different way.

I guess I got to experience a fraction of what those women felt, too, as there was a small section from the 90s! It was fun to see how things had changed, even if some things only slightly, and also to remember things that are not now popular or are no longer made. It also made me wonder what things will be in there once this decade is over, things that we love as they are to us now very modern, but in twenty years or so will be loved and marvelled over for the complete opposite reason.

Even though I took many photos at the museum, the staff there made it very clear that the photos are to be for personal use only, so unfortunately I can't post any on here. However if anyone wants too see them once back at uni I'll be more than happy to show them! This museum is well worth a visit from both design and historical points of view, and is good value for students - only £3.50. You can view the website here.