I don’t have a camera right now and this is really annoying. It’s an old cliché that “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” but this really made me think about the way that i document my travels (usually through Flickr) and what inspires me. Have we stopped reading? Are we a see-image-only society of designers? Is the bad joke about designers not reading true? I guess this blog is an exercise for me to try to defend myself. And what better opportunity than the “no-pictures-please” RCA show 2 I went to see yesterday! I have a few friends who graduated this year and I went to their commencement ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on friday and had a peak at the show but quickly realized this was worth coming back to when there would be less people. So I went and spent about 3 hours walking around on Saturday, on 3 floors of all the RCA work from product design, through to animation and illustration and of course the interaction design work i simply couldn’t miss.
Surprisingly enough, there were a lot of industrial design work (or product , but whatever, i hate that term, will leave this for another rant) that started crossing the boundaries into the realm of what interaction design likes to think it is, which gives me some hope about the industry in general. Maybe they’re finally starting to understand what it means to live with objects and technology and that product design can be more than a teacup or a shelving system.
Robert Philips has designed a really lovely wooden stool that produces sounds when someone sits, crosses their legs and bounces it, taking the action of waiting for someone in public space and making it playful. Great portfolio as well and lots of work for children.
Lisa Stroux designed a fashionable bag that unfolds into a raincoat. The execution and attention to details is lovely.
The work of Shay Alkalay was really poetic and inspiring. From head-less teddy-bear-shaped garbage bags to stickers you iron on top of stains on clothing, I was really seduced by his work, and simple website too.
Manolis Kelaidis explored the future of the book with his “Bluebook” and designed a book with a printed circuit at the back which can be read and link to online content.
Emily Simpson designed a really sweet shelving system that uses folded cushions to hide things in. A very tactile experience, like that of searching for one’s pyjama under a pillow at night.
Jennifer Chan designed some nice vases out of Oasis foam called Disposable Vases, which reminded me of my work for the Commitment Radio. I’m not sure I approve of the waste involved in this idea though : )
Bernadette Deddens designed “Vicky had a hickey” a pump that sucks out the blood in the shape of a hickey if you want to fake your “popularity” with the opposite sex.
On the same subject, the work of Bjorn Franke really impressed me and reminds me of my friend Dana Gordon‘s work at IDII. The project was a kit to make your loved one jealous, and another one was a wearable apparel that would give you a small shock whenever the color on the US National Terror Warning System changes.
Yet another project in the same line of thinking (i.e. bordering on art) is Kok Chian Leong‘s work with the Rapid Carbonizer that renders unreadable anything that you write with a pencil by spraying the handwritten note with a spray of carbon.
The Cone Clock by Oscar Diaz is simply beautiful. It’s a cone that moves slowly in a circle as time goes by, drawing the line of time and so spatially making you aware of time and allowing you to manage your space with this intrusion, using it to your advantage to remind you of things to do at specific times of the day. Just brilliant!
Mathias Hahn designed a lovely coat hanger/ light called “the unexpected visitor” which highlights the presence of a guest in a dramatic way.
In the illustration department I really enjoyed Julie Hill‘s 100 Scriptures as well of the rest of her graphic work. (love the Chirst Chip too : )) I also enjoyed the sonic typography of Grit Hartung.
In the animation department I adored Monica Santos‘s film “Your words”.
And of course last but not least I saw the interaction design work of a few of my friends and it was really inspiring. Yumiko Tanaka‘a Plable project, a table which hides an entire world for children underneath it. Mathew Brown’s great work with creativity and musical instruments. I absolutely loved the Sprochs from Daniel Goddemeyer, a series of small containers which release messages after a certain time or with a person’s participation. Again in the “design imitates art which imitates art” section, Sohui Won’s work “Weird objects for weird users” is interesting. And finally in the “brings up more questions than it answers” category, Michele Gauler’s service “Digital Remains” explores what happens to your data after you die.
Ouffff…..my head is spinning…