National Gallery Grand Tour

(Photo from the Guardian by David Levene)

I heard about this today and thought what a great idea it was. The national Gallery are going on a 'tour' of London in which they take 30 framed reproductions of masterpieces with them. The plan is that they display the artwork in places that it would never normally be seen for example on the outside walls of pubs in Soho or Covent Garden. It’s a really different way of attracting people to their Gallery that would not otherwise have thought to visit.
As I don't live in London I haven't actually seen any of these or the publicity behind this. If anyone has any images or information on how successful it has been I would be really interested to hear about it.

"Why just a logo is now a no-no" (BBC NEWS)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6765355.stm

I found this article the earlier which I found quite interesting, it basically verifies what we had all thought, that it is now no longer enough to just sponsor an event or put your logo onto something. People have become to used to that and therefore you have to offer something more to interest the very difficult market aware 18-30's audience.


The main focus of the article is on Orange's Sponsorship of the Glastonbury Festival and 02's Sponsorship of Wireless, if you have a spare few minutes I would say its worth reading, although there is not a lot that most people don't already know, it does highlight what two of the biggest competitors are doing to get around this problem.

Rotating Wall, Liverpool

I saw this on the news this morning; I still have mixed views on this as both a piece of art and a gimmick as it is being called.

Firstly, I like the fact that they have taken one of the most run down and derelict buildings in the area to make into something that intrigues passers by. It would really create something new and this concept does fit in with 2008 regeneration. When you are the capital of culture, in my opinion it should be as much about the art being part of everyday life, as well as impressive one off exhibitions etc. For this reason I really like what the artist Richard Wilson has done here with his inside out idea.

On the other hand, I can't help thinking that they could have done something more with exposing the inside of the building, as the current office block is empty it simply is used to expose the space left inside. This part of the concept for me is underdeveloped as I am sure they could have found a way of displaying or revealing things behind it.

The other thing that I think is a shame is that the whole building is due to be destroyed later next year, it would have been nice to think that the money that went into this moving sculpture was a more permanent exhibit.

The various news stories regarding 'Turning the place over', seams to be on one main theme; "is this art?" Having not actually seen it in person I don't really think I am able to comment on this area, however I am visiting Liverpool in a few weeks so I will hopefully be able to discuss this further then.

Beijing Water Cube

This is currently under construction but when completed it will be the main swimming venue for use in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I love the overall look of this "Water Cube". The concept of the structure was based around that of soap bubbles and the way that they appear in a regular geometric pattern yet each one forms an irregular shape itself. The designers and Engineers from Arup have done a really good job at making something new, innovative and most of all original.

The building is currently under construction however when completed it will consist of the large steal frame with each bubble made and altered individually to create the desired look, once they are attached to the structure they will be inflated and have air constantly pumped into them so that they maintain their shape. The actual size of some of these bubbles will be up to 9 metres in diameter.

One of the main things that I like about this design is that the concept is not simply applied to the outside as decoration. The wall of air and plastic is also that on the interior and would create a very surreal and open feeling inside.


On a practical note the only problem that I can foresee with this design is that it will be costly to run and potentially noisy inside. However the designers have anticipated the high maintenance costs and where possible are using things like solar energy sources to heat the pool. I have been really taken with this proposed construction; it appears to be due for completion in October 2007. I think that if they can do this so it is as close to the original design proposal as possible it will be a really impressive building.

Mr Kipling

I came across this roundabout a few days ago when I was driving into Rugby. You see a lot of signs such as Welcome to .... or the odd sculpture occasionally, but for some reason this just made me smile.

I like the fact that it is a sculpture made of shrubs not simply plants arranged in a pattern. Its such a simple form of brand awareness but given the fact that it is on one of the main commuter routes in the area, I imagine it would be successful. It made me wonder how many other companies could do something like this. Martin highlighted in his blog that there is so much "dead space" surrounding us and this in my opinion is one area that could be used effectively.

Alnwick Castle Gardens

I visited these while on holiday recently, we weren't expecting all that much and one of the only reasons that we went was as I had heard it was an impressive castle.









I was actually really taken with the whole grounds. In a similar way to the architecture of Frank Ghery , every aspect had been thought through and designed, from the fountains that the kids could play in to this rock that I came across which had been engraved with the quote by Malcolm Muggeridge.


Another thing that struck me was that Water is often a very overlooked medium in design. We normally would consider using any number of digital shapes or light sculptures when trying to be innovative, but I think with regards to event or exhibition design water sculptures still have a large amount of potential.

The final part of the grounds that I was really impressed with is the Tree house there that has been designed by Napper Architects and constructed between 2004-2005. This really was amazing to see, its the kind of structure that you can't really appreciate from photos alone. It was a tree house containing at least one cafe, several shops and areas for people to explore themselves. Its the kind of thing that makes you think that you are a child again as the scale of it is so impressive. I would like to explore this type of architecture in future.

Casino Royale Opening Credits

I loved these when I first saw the credits at the cinema. I think its really clever the way it builds up and evolves one action, hence setting the tone of the film to come. Although these received very mixed opinions at the time, I personally think that it works well with the style of the james bond films. I understand that it is not in the same format or even feel as those which preceded the other films. However, I admire the fact they are not simply imitating the initial ones, with film remakes you always have to add a modern twist or there is no point in doing it in the first place. I think the Casino Royale trailers work well at their two primary functions getting people to watch instead of simply talking through them and also setting the fight feel for the movie.

Hotel Marques de Riscal by Frank Gehry

I came across this building earlier, it's so innovative and daring, I can't help but like it. This is the flagship building of the Marques de Riscal vinyard in Rioja which is one of the oldest in the area. At first I thought that it was too unsympathetic for it's surroundings, however the more I look at it the more It grows on me. It was commissioned to provide visitors with a unique experience and there is no disputing that this building would do that.

Wine like many other premium products, often need something to place the brand name in peoples mind. This hotel obviously targets the design-conscious customers and uses its gift wrapped appearance to promote the wines name. Yes given the area that it is in it does look out of place, but thats the thing I have grown to like most about it, it almost implies that something new and great can come from anywhere. If I were to look out of my window and see it everyday it may get a bit tiring, however, for the hotel's visitors I imagine it is amazing. There is an obvious attention to detail in every element, for example the pink titanium on the outside or the coridoor;


or the hotel lobby:



I would be interested to see what other people think of this building, as I said, it really is growing on me.

Two Way Shoes

These CAMiLEON Heals have had quite alot of press coverage recently so I guess most will already have come across them. I decided to include it as I think the idea and reasoning behind creating them is really clever. It addresses the practicality v style issue and comes up with a compromise. I believe they have had quite a bit of success in the US and are now being launched in the UK. I have no idea how well they will take off, but I have to admire their idea.

The illustration above is from the mirror, but this has a video of how they work. http://www.camileonheels.com/youtube.cfm

Skoda Advert

I can't seam to find out who made this, if anyone has any idea please let me know. For some reason I really like this advert, its probably something to do with it reminding me of Hansel and Gretel and as someone before me said Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

The overriding impression you are meant to take from it is that Skoda has carefully thought of and crafted every part of the Fabia. Although this may seam very obvious it's the way they have done this, not only through the concept, but the way it was delivered that I found interesting. The skill that the chefs showed as they were handling the ingredients showed that they genuinely knew what they were doing. The close up shots on their hands and the way the camera moved with them made you feel almost like you were there.

In many ways this advert seams a little predictable, but having said this I can't think of any other advert that is too similar, especially not for a car. I imagine that this will be very successful in reaching an area of the market that the BMW type ads simply pass by.