Design Museum - Drawing Fashion

Drawing Fashion exhibition has on display the exceptional and extraordinary fashion illustrations of the 20th and 21st centuries, drawings and combinations from  international designers known around the worldwide, brands such as McQueen, Dior, Chanel, Vikroe & Rolf and Comme des Garons, the exhibition has got the exclusive drawings and skecthes you wouldn't been seen anyway else I could guarantee you that for definite.

As been a girl, and love shopping and been in to fashion this exhibition has made me love fashion even more.. :) The illustrations and drawings I have seen, I will have to say was amazing and incredible.

The exhibition demonstrates the style, passion, enthusiasm, and character the designers has put in to their illustration to fashion, combining the illustrations with art, but also raising the attraction of  elegance and appeal of glamour within their unique designs. With each design illustrating an different path way of sense of style, and reflecting it to the time of drawing, with drawings representing the time through Pop Art, Art Deco and Art Nouveau, allowing the viewer to understand the culture and spirit of the drawing at the time of the drawing.

Viewing the different style of drawings from different times, has shown me the changes that has occurred and how fashion now is displayed more abstract. Have to say it again great exhibition and inspiring in the ways of use of colour, paint, graphics and illustration. 

Images are uploaded from google images, as Photography was not permitted within the exhibition.

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is designed by landscape architect Charles Jencks located in South West Scotland, an private garden which was designed for his wife, with viewings to the public once a year through Scotland's Gardens Scheme.

The design is primarily based on mathematics and elements of science, mainly based on natural nature methods and scientific courses. The garden is an landscape to be explored and understood by its visitors. As visitors explore and experience the garden they are expected to take in the creation of an limitless mini universe. Every space of the garden will be a different experience for the visitor experiencing the different themes and sculptures around.

 Images are taken from google image search

I must say when I researched about The Garden of Cosmic Speculation I wasn't expecting anything like this. This is definitely a garden I must visit and experience myself in person. It looks like an garden from Alice in Wonderland :) with the structural sculpture, hills and the organic and natural shapes within the garden all looks really well designed. An garden full of inspiration with no boundaries to address.

Santiago Calatrava

''No Matter how significant mathematics and the science of engineering are in the work of Santiago Calatrava, it is art and emotion that drive him to creat works that far surpass the mundane calculation of forces.'' 

                                                                                                          Philip Jodidio

Santiago Calatrava is an artist, architect, and an engineer who has the ability to bring his paintings to live in large scales of structural sculptured architectural buildings. His works from figure paintings and drawings and become a inspirational architectural buildings. He believes Art gives the freedom in expressing feelings and been creative comparing it just alone architecture with less freedom and more boundaries to adjust to, and he just uses his engineering ability to bring his inspiring art and sculptural work to a real life form that functions.

Turning Torse - Malmo Sweden

The above drawing of the ''Turning Torse'' is completion of his strong attraction and interest in sculpture, an art he often treats as study in statics. At first Calatrava created and designed a sculpture in which seven cubes are set around a steel supported structure in order to create a spiral structure, which comparing it to his inspiration to the human body sculptural drawing features the twisting human spine. 

Satiago Calatrava defines the relationship between the sculptural human body drawing to the tower:

''In the Turning Torso building, the spiralling tower is composed of nine box units, each of five floors. The equivalent in the tower of the sculpture's steel support is the nucleus of internal elevators and stairs, through which the box units communicate.''

Since my art and design course in college I always found Calatrava's works are breath taking, his master mind behind his creativity and imagination he collaborates into his art drawings, then turns them in to architectural designs is very inspiring. His passion within his works are un-questionable, his background knowledge  within his work in architecture, art and engineering leads him into an successful architect.
I guess it is important to have a field, or some kind of a topic that your passionate about as your inspiration in order to create and combine it with landscape designsin order to have a stronger concept and design. It's like having some sort of precedent work that you can relate your design ideas back to, but rather than relating it to someone elses work, you can relate back to your own.

 

Isamu Noguchi

''Everything is sculpture. Any material any idea without 

hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.''

Ismamu Noguchi

Ismamu Noguchi was a Japanese American craftsman, sculpture, and landscape architect, had a world wide reputation mainly for this public abstract art work, his richness in culture experience and heritage from Japan, US and his time spent aboard in European countries such as Paris., and having worked with many artist's and sculptors such as Constantin Brancusi, Alexander Calder, and Alberto Giacometti gained him inspiration to become an master mind. His career stretched over six decades from developments and changes of Modernism to Post Modernism.

Ismamu Noguchi as an great profile of works worldwide that has gained him the international reputation , but his reputation tends to be more on his artistic side as an sculptor rather then a designer.  His sculptural style of representing public art work had a whole different design language. He believed in that his job has an sculptor's was to shape the space, giving the space a meaning and value. 

Noguchi had a passion and valued space and landscape that gave him the understanding of the space to bring art into the space to compliment the landscape. His work changed in scale from small pieces of sculptures to large open public spaces and parks. Noguchi had the ability to engage with the with the space, throughout his career path for six decades , his drive to experiment, with his dedication and passion to design and create art, pushed many boundaries and limits. 

As an Landscape Architect Noguchi created and design number of parks, playgrounds, gardens private and for Universities. His work within landscape didn't stop him to be expressive and bold about his designs. His designs within landscape also screamed out his name. He had his signature from beginning to end.

Within my research I came across Noguchi and I am glad I did, reading about his life, his work and success has inspired me. He was a man that didn't really care what people said about him, his work was excepted after when people saw his passion for what he creates and designs. His gardens does remind me of Martha Schwartz style of designing, then again Martha Schwartz followed and admired Noguchi's work as well. 

For further information and to view all his work visit http://www.noguchi.org/ The Noguchi Museum.

Red Cube by Isamau Noguchi

Moerenuma Park 

189 Hectare Park all designed and created by Isamu Noguchi. Well if you ask for my opinion it also looks like a Masterplan., an amazing Masterplan which has been designed and created with such passion and imagination.

''The Whole Park is a Sculpture''

 

Forest of Cherry Trees

Moere Beach

Play Mountain 

Tetra Mound

Music Shell

Aqua Plaza

Sea Fountain

Glass Pyramid ''HIDAMARI''

Mt. Moere

For more information on the park and detailed information on all the spaces designed by Isamu Nogcuhi can be found on this link  http://www.sapporo-park.or.jp/moere/english.php 

Images have been taken from the actual website.

Peter Walker

Peter Walker (Image taken from google images)

An landscape architect with an international reputation for his work from small scale work gardens to large scale urban city plazas. His approaches to landscape designs are minimal been inspired by minimal  art believing it has an unique expression as well as inherent inspiration from the past from Zen Gardens, Geek Temples and also Renaissance. As well as approaching designs in an artist mind, Peter Walkers  analysis the relationships and approaches designs with diversity of geographic contexts and cultural contexts.

''Peter Walker: ''Landscape as Art'' : by Process Architecture - An great book to read if your interested or inspired by Peter Walker and his landscape architecture.

Here I will like to share an interview/conversation between Peter Walker and Yoji Sasaki, which did get me thinking and to understand Peter Walkers approaches to designs in his own style and how he separates - Art from Design - Design from Art or -  or How both relates to each other.

A conversation with Peter Walker Yoji Sasaki (page 25) 

Yoji Sasaki: Then What is the difference between art and design?

 

Peter Walker: The main difference between art and design is function. Design MUST function. Art MAY function. When design ceases to function, it can only be considered as art. When design DOES function, it can be considered as art AND design. Now, a building or a garden must in some manner be enter able. Therefore, even if you're going in only mentally, it has to be spatial. At the simplest level, the viewing gardens are functional. They function as elements of religious ceremony - of contemplation, if you will.

''a sculptor or a painter have a signature, or some obvious way of making his work recognisable. It's very difficult, but not impossible, for landscape architect to have a signature. The more site-specific your art is, the harder it is to impose a signature, because the art is interacting with the forces of the site - the smaller the project - a series of small gardens, for example - easier it is to develop a signature, because the situations are similar and constant, and the form can dominate the site. Architecture tends to dominate the site. Urban architecture tends to dominate the site even more than suburban or rural architecture. In Landscape architecture, you rarely have the power to totally changed the site. You're always playing what you are doing  in the landscape against that which you aren't doing: that which somebody else has done, or which is there before'' (page 26 - Peter Walker)

I could say I agree with the statement Peter Walker has said within his conversation with Yoji Sasaki. Landscape Architects tend to have a more difficult job to identify themselves within their landscape designs, if an landscape architect is designing an landscape surrounding an building, the landscape architect tends to approach the design in a more suitable way for the landscape to fit in with the surrounding architecture. So the landscape architect designs an landscape that suits the architecture and compliments the architecture, fits in with the architecture, so wheres the signature of the landscape architect if it's all about the architecture :)

Do you agree with Peter Walker ? What do you think ? :)

Martha Schwartz

 

Martha Schwartz (image from http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/people/faculty/schwartz/)

One of the other Landscape Architects I also looked in to within my research. Her background is in both fields of Fine Art - Print Making and Landscape Architecture. An landscape architect who raises solutions to the level of fine art within her landscape designs. 

Her use of unusual materials, bright colours and interest and attraction to Pop Art artists such as Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns. Martha Schwartz is a woman who expresses her feelings within her designs freely. 

'' I'm the Queen of Low-Budget Jobs''

 (Martha Schwartz interview in the book - Martha Schwartz - Transfiguration of the Commonplace)

She is an landscape architect who has her own style and language within her designs, her landscape designs gives the audience an insight to her own thinking and her own language in design, but also allows the audience to interact within her landscape designs to understand the concept behind the design.

One of the things that has interested me while researching about Martha Schwartz is that like any other landscape architect she also works closely works with architects, but one of the factors about Martha Schwartz is that within her landscape projects, she requires architects to open up their buildings in order for the buildings to communicate with the surrounding landscape. So there wouldn't be isolation between the two or one over powering the other. 

In my opinion I think this is very important aspect especially in today's world we do get massive architectural designs were architecture does take over the landscape and does over power it's surrounding leaving the landscape in shadow. Working alongside architects in projects and designs that include landscapes in the surrounding when two professions come together I will say a more successful approach will be taken.

 

Burle Marx - A Man full of Inspiration

 

Burle Marx 
(Image taken from web http://www.macumbabeach.com/2010/03/burle-marx.php)

As one of our module for third year we were asked to write an critical essay on a topic of our own interest within Landscape Architecture. I decided to look in to the aspect of how art takes part in landscape architecture, how landscape architects combine art within their designs with the boundaries and limitations they take to make an successful design. Art & Design are both totally two different fields of media, both nowadays are used within landscape designs, which tend to be more artistic and expressive landscapes, art been opinion base and design been based on function and use so how does both blend together. Is Landscape Architecture becoming more of Art forms then Design?

So within my research I looked in to the background of many Landscape Architects who had a background history of Art then later on turned their career path to landscape architect but still had the influence of art within their landscape designs. Burle Marx was one of the Artists/ Landscape Architect caught my interest and has widened my inspiration within how I could approach landscape designs of my own work. 

Burle Marx is a man with talent that doesn't stop, been an Artist as well as Landscape Designer/ Architect, Painter, Sculptor, Jewellery Design, and a Singer what more talent can you ask for. Who has a master creative mind, where all his works are as successful. A great artist, whose mind and heart has no boundaries within his designs in landscape. His designs have a feel of culture and tradition, he combines his artistic mind with his designs.

His work has no boundaries, he doesn't worry about limits, his work has culture, love, passion, and spirit that has gained him an international reputation, these many not be the ideal things Landscape Architects first look into within a design, but surely I could see how different time has changed and how things has developed over the years of art been used within design.

The reason why I was hit by Burle Marx is mainly because I have been searching the right direction for myself as a future landscape architect, not knowing the balance between combining Art and Design in to my projects, I have came to the conclusion that I tend to have a more artistic side in approaching designs and don't much look into design functionality of my projects, this research has opened my outlook and ways how I should be more careful while approaching a design. I personally believe nowadays designs look more into functionality with a style of art involved within the design. 

A great book to read is Burle Marx - The Lyrical Landscape, which is foreword by Martha Schwartz a other very successful Landscape Architect who adds her artistic side to her landscape designs, and also admires Burle Marx's work has one of her inspirations.

As quoted within the book by Martha Schwartz;

'' When I think about Burle Marx, I am stuck by sheer gratitude for his existence. As I have always felt a bit of an outsider to the landscape architecture profession, I am forever searching for those kindred spirits who might guide my own exploration and give me faith that my own direction might be of use and bear fruit. Burle Marx has always been and will remain for me a shining light in the somewhat dim universe of landscape art and architecture.'' 

A book full of inspiration landscapes and garden designs with abstract landscape drawings, the use of bold strong colours. And the true story behind Burle Marx and his success.

(Images are taken from google images)

Anish Kapoor - Turning the World Upside Down

Anish Kapoor sculptor, whom amazes people each time with his sculptures, his work does not have any limitations of scale, materials, structure or imaginations, which gives his work a powerful aspect. His an artist with no fear to express his feelings, influence or inspirations. His audience's are set to question his work and think deeply of what it represents, in a way he challenges his audiences imaginations and thoughts.

His latest work in Kensington Gardens ''Turning the World Upside Down'', with four sculptures around the garden, The Sky Mirror, which measures 10metres in diameter, giant C-Curved Mirror, Sky Mirror Red one of Kapoor's first work to placed in water, Non-Object (Spire) which is located between trees on its own. All sculpture's were distanced from one a other. I will say I was fairly disappointed once I saw the sculpture's, knowing Kapoor's work and the drama, character he adds to his work I will say I didn't see much or feel much with these pieces of work of his. I found these sculpture's very simple and plain to address it as works of Anish Kapoor. Comparing these to his work I saw at the Royal Academy of Art's last year,his work tat the exhibition  I will say could easily be defined and interpreted as his work. Where these four sculpture's I believe does not define the true Anish Kapoor. I will say he may have chose a more simple route with the use of materials, and structures with his work at Kensington Gardens. But on the the other hand scale wise the pieces of sculpture's did stand out and could easily be seen. 

Non-Object (Spire) 302 x 300 x 300 Stainless Steel


On it's own it is a strong piece of sculpture, it has a sharp feeling to it, and with the scale it does stand out pretty well between trees. When I first walked into the park I through to myself I will be here for hours trying to find these sculpture's, but i was pretty wrong the scales of these sculpture's are big, and they do catch your eye from metres away. 
I believe if a few more was added around in different scales it would have been maybe a better experience

Sky Mirror, measures 10 metres in diameter.

The boggiest of all sculpture's, even dough I was on the other side of the river to view it on the day as maintenance work was taking place. It felt massive from where I was viewing it, can't imagine how I would have felt if I was close by it. The scale will definitely over shadow anything around it. 
It's a piece on its own again like the rest of the sculptures, having more around wouldn't be as an good idea as like the Non-Object (Spire) as the Sky Mirror on it's own speaks very loud.

Sky Mirror, Red

Similar to Sky Mirror but it's just in red, with a smaller scale and one of the other difference is that it's in the lake. The reflects the changing seasons, colours during the day by time, 

C-Curved Mirror 

Is and distorting mirror, not much can be said. Once seen two of the pieces of works, these last two just did not caught my attention as much as the first two. 
Its just that you know what to expect but just in a different scale, shape and form so the excitement or the interest fades away. The sculptures does not keep you guessing, you don't get questions mark in your mind in what you will be seen next. And this was a big disappointment, I truly expected more. And later finding out that these sculpture's costs thousands of pounds up to £900,000 and all four sculptures are guarded around the clock at a cost estimated to be £120,000 and the exhibition is up till 6months in Kensington Gardens till 13th March 2011. Now I ask the question of is it worth it? My conclusion to Turning the World Upside Down is  a disappointment. When I first read the title it got me, when I saw it was an exhibition of Anish Kapoor I had to see it, had high-expectations returned back home disappointed. Anish Kapoor is an artist to be watched out for, his a artist/ sculptor who has no fear from his imagination, and this brings him to be successful. Everyone has ups and downs, some people may have enjoyed this exhibition and some may have not.

(The photos are taken from the internet, as my photos are not clear due to the weather on the day of my visit was horrible and dark.If requested will be sent to readers)

Arcelormittal Orbit

Olympic Park Sculpture by Anish Kooper  

The first question Im going to ask before reviewing this post is:

Is this Sculpture Suitable for the Olympic Park ?

The second question Im going to ask is:

Is it Worth £19.1million ?

Firstly I do not agree this strutural public art sculpture will suit to be in the Olympic Park, Why? beacuse the twisting and trangling structure which is up to 115meter of height will over power the beautiful green landscape, yet it will not suit the surrounding area. Rather than an Landmark, it looks like a commerical some sort of structure only screaming out Anish Kooper rather than the Olympics, yet that is the theme right? I truly dislike it where it's been place, if it was somewhere else yes a nice strutural scultpure. 

Now forgetting about the location, maybe I could deal with that, but what is the cost of this structure. Rather than spending so much money on this scukpture, I think it would have been more wise to spend the money on more surrounding developments and improving London landscapes, roads, parking, buildings, lighting, drainage, and many more, as we'r going to have thousands of poeple visiting. I dont hate the design, I think it's an great structural sculpture but in the wrong propose.

For full details on the Arcelormittal Orbit please click on the name