These past two weeks have been like no other in the wonderful city we call London. The Olympics are here in London. Luckily I managed to get last minute tickets to two events, the mens Volleyball at Earls Court and the Water Polo in the Olympic Park. I only decided to go to the latter because I had such a buzz from the Volleyball, I just had to have more! In particular, I wanted to go to the Olympic Park. While I’m sure you have been watching it all and don’t need a tour of what happened, I thought it would be nice to offer you bunch a peek at the games from my view. In true LeeWeston style.
Even if this is a design blog, I have an urge to include more ‘life’ posts. Lets face it, as much as I would like to think I live and breath design, its nice to break things up a little bit. Ultimately I would like to hope its a sign of things to come.
So, the Olympics in London. On both occasions transport was a dream, all so well organised and fluid like. Bravo to LOCOG and TFL for that, a big pat on the back. Security was a breeze, Just like airport security, but without the long lines simply down to the fact there were plenty of screens. But most of all, everybody is cheery and happy, volunteers, policeman, spectators, the lot! Not for one minute would you think the world is in the middle of economic stagnation.
Which brings me on to the legacy of the games. If what they say is true, and the games will have a lasting legacy, then I think the Olympics will be one of the best things to hit London in a long, long time. Particularly the design of the venues, most of them being temporary, which in turn will leave vast open spaces for potential residential and mixed use developments. Something very unbelievable a few years back in what was a very deprived part of London.
And to top it all, Team GB have parred their result to the Beijing games in 2008, and we still have a few days left, its on track to be a record breaker!
Well I hope you have enjoyed the games as much as I have? leave a comment below and tell me what you think…..
So its that time of the year, when Design students throw everything in their armoury into showcasing their talent. Its an accumulation of over three years of hard work in one event. So, considering I am a design buff and edging ever closer to my final year I thought it would be worth my time visiting a couple of degree shows this weekend. Luckily I managed to squeeze in Central Saint Martins Degree Show and Made In Brunel all in one day. It was a good opportunity to weigh up the calibre of produce coming from similar universities to Bournemouth, whilst also getting a fresh bout of inspiration on ideas for my upcoming final year project. Seeing as this post is more of a memoir rather than the more mundane product review, I thought the some pictures would make the post that little bit more appealing. However before I loose your attention, why don’t you pay a quick visit to my friends site (P.S. His that piss-head with the beer bottle in his hand in the picture below!)
Yet again it has been another long wait for something fresh to come up on my blog, for this I apologise. Its the same old excuse to be honest. Work. Anyway, better late than never I say!
I thought a few pictures from my visit to the 100% Design exhibition would keep the creative juices flowing for now until I put something a bit more worthwhile on here. I have a few things lined up in the coming months as regards to portfolio work and new projects, so keep your eyes on this space, you can’t get rid of me that easily Mr. Worldwideweb.
Top:
The Convertible by Tutto Tondo Design
Transforms from a dining table into a work station
Like Design? Like my blog? Then why not pop along to the Bournemouth University’s Design Society on the 15th December where I will be doing a PechaKucha style presentation on my time at Tom Dixon’s ‘Dock’ which was part of this years London Design Festival. The Design Society aims to bring all like-minded individuals of various creative backgrounds from in and around Bournemouth together in one place to waffle on about design, cool ayy! You do however have to be a member of the society if you want to attend, I think the its only a small fee of £2 pound which hardly burst’s the bank!
Want to find out more before about PechaKucha and what it is? Give the link below a try.
The New Simplicity Design Exhibition showcases the work of both established and emerging international product designers, all unified by a shared belief in the pursuit of simplicity.
I first saw this exhibition advertised in one of london’s weekly design magazines and thought it would be somewhat interesting to go and see. Simple design still and always will interest me, from the celebrated Dieter Rams, Jasper Morrison and Sam Hecht to the much newer designers such as Min-Kyu Choi who designed the award winning folding plug. The folding plug was one product amongst many that featured in the exhibition. Alongside the classic simple designs, many new objects featured which exploited the latest Rapid Manufacturing technologies.
Although most of the products that featured in the exhibition were well thought out and brilliantly designed, one really caught my eye. It was Mathias Hahn’s Lantern, which is a height adjustable light made from spun aluminium, copper and glass which sort of finds its environment between a floor lamp and a pendant lamp. Its hung from the ceiling via a chord which runs through the middle of the lamp, this works by means of a clamp mechanism which allows the user to adjust to a desired height. The configuration of lamp shade and cable utilises the geometry of the production processes and puts the traditional materiality into a new aesthetic and functional context.
