Notes on The Delirious Musuem

I recently read The Delirious Museum by architect and exhibition designer Calum Storrie. Here's some of my favourite bits. ----

Introduction pg 3: Robert Venuri:

"I am for messy vitality over obvious unity. I include the non-sequitur and proclaim the duality. I am for richness of meaning rather than clarity of meaning; for the implicit function as well as the explicit function. I prefer 'both-and' to 'either-or', black and white, and sometimes gray, to black or white."

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pg 67: Samson by Chris Burden is a piece of art that pushes apart the gallery it's in as visitors enter through a turnstile.

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pg 138: This is Gipsoteca Canoviana in Possagno, Italy. A building designed by Carlo Scarpa which houses the working plaster models for sculptures. The space is a very simple cube but has the corners removed and skylights/windows (Scarpa described them as 'fragments of sky') installed instead. I really like this deconstruction/dismantling of the gallery space.

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pg 151: The Museum of Unlimited Growth was designed by Le Corbusier in 1939. It attempts to solve the problem of a museum building which has an expanding collection (as most museums do). Visitors are directed through a channel in one side and arrive in the centre of the spiral structure from where they can explore the galleries and rooms. The museum can be expanding by adding more spiral over time. I love the idea of a never ending museum- a continuing process. Or even better one which is both complete (it is a complete building) and in process at the same time (it can be added to when needed).

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Design Reseach Unit & Power in Consistency

I went and saw the Design Research Unit (DRU) show over at Cubitt Gallery in Angel this weekend. I'd shamefully never heard of these guys but they were the original post/multi/trans disciplinary guys. Working over industrial, architectural, advertising and graphic design they were formed in 1943 (cheers Wikipedia). They have impeccably designed material which covers branding for the likes of ICI, Ilford and the legendary graphic system for British Railway. (Which always reminds me of Roundels equally legendary rebrand for Railfreight in the 80s). All of this belongs to a style of solid, accurate and robust design who's strength comes from not just the flawless work but also the consistency of it's application. The guidelines they lay down for the brands are exhaustive and particular and you get a real sense that the brands they created are successful through the rigour laid down by their creators. It is in contrast to the work of one of today's branding forces: Moving Brands. Their offer is based on their brands adapting to different situations and responding to it's audience. This is great for today's twittered up social networked scene but I don't know that it necessarily creates the same kind of well loved, iconic and long lasting work as the commanding and authoritarian brands from DRU. I suppose it has a lot to do with different times and approaches- DRU's work is not very sympathetic to the contexts it's applied to- it imposes itself but then as time passes it's audience grow up with it and it becomes more comfortable. With MB's work it is more immediate and welcoming but perhaps more transient- it will be interesting to see what from the brands created now will still survive and be as iconic 50 years on as British Rail. Perhaps the best name for a design practice ever:

The show is a traveling one and I loved the display which was on very functional and beautiful Dexion racking, mmm:

Offset

Came across a brilliant set of videos from Offset which is a 3 day creative conference. These videos are from 2009- expect the 2010 one shortly. But the line up is brilliant and it's a great resource- all are good but I am a massive fan of the Oliver Jeffers, David Shrigley, Chip Kidd, Harry Pearce and Anthony Burrill talks. All excellent. Offset link: here.

Graphics I'm Loving at the Moment

Don't normally gratuitously post graphics (there's too much pretty stuff in the world). But here are a couple of particularly amazing bits of work- one from Artist and Illustrator Anne Harild who made these collages about the modernist housing estate Bryant Court in Hackney from photos of the area. I think it's the jeuxtposition of modernist building against the irregular shed-like quality of the 'dwellings' that gets me. So much lovely texture.

And this piece buy graphics legend Marian Bantjes speaks for itself- pointless and beautiful decoration of a laser dinghy, referencing another graphic design classic- dazzle ships.

Want.......

Moving house double bike- I think there is a real place for proper cargo bikes like this in 'The New World' (which I'm working on creating) I love the idea that the modern family still has a garage where the car is replaced by one of these.