Design

Monday, November 10, 2008

African Textiles

“Movement Nr. 13”, 2004, by Owusu-Ankomah
Karen Rosenberg writes:
To the casual Western eye, “African art” equals “African sculpture” — masks, headdresses and ritual figures. As two new exhibitions make clear, this picture is laughably outdated.

A 19th-century man's robe from Liberia.
“The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents 19th-century fabrics alongside a few relevant contemporary artworks. Flipping the scales, “The Poetics of Cloth: African Textiles/Recent Art” at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery emphasizes the place of traditional textiles in works by contemporary African artists.

A 19th-century kente prestige cloth from Ghana.
The patterns of African textiles fall into three categories: woven, dyed, and printed or painted. In many woven fabrics, like kente cloth, narrow hand-loomed bands are joined together. Curiously, the designs of many dyed fabrics echo the structure imposed by the loom.

A print cotton textile from Akosombo Textiles Limited, 2007.
Any show of contemporary African textiles would be incomplete without some reference to commercial wax-print fabrics. The Grey’s selection illustrates the breadth of wax-print designs: some reproduce images of political and religious leaders, while others feature bold abstract motifs.

The World, Up Close

Started in 1974, the Nikon International Small World Competition is held annually to recognize excellence in photographs taken through a microscope. This year, there were more than 2,000 micrographs entered from around the world. Browse through top 10 images and listen to some of the photographers explains their shots.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/16/science/20081016smallworldgallery.html

The Art of Calligraphy

Calligraphy from Iran dated 1603-4.
Holland Cotter writes:
In the hands of artists over the centuries the Koran became a devotional object of surpassing beauty.

A pen case with hinged inkwell inscribed with a prayer from Turkey, circa 1850.
“Traces of the Calligrapher: Islamic Calligraphy in Practice, circa 1600-1900”and “Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur’an,” both at the Asia Society, are perfect in size and proportion, gorgeous, and worthy of the book they honor.

A set of calligrapher's tools from Turkey, Iran, and India.
“Traces of the Calligrapher” is a manual of the techniques of fine handwriting and luxury book making, illustrated by superb examples of tools of the trade and finished products.

A pen case with inkwell from India.
No tool was more essential than the ink pen. The pen was an emblem for the creation of the world, when primal matter issued forth from God like ink on a page. The skill with which a calligrapher trimmed the nib – ideally with a single, deft knife stroke – was assumed to say everything about his force of character.

The pen came with sumptuous accoutrements. Small flat objects, called maktas, originally bits of stone on which the pen rested when cut, were transformed into miniature sculptures of walrus tusk and gold.

Paper scissors from Iran and Turkey.
Parchment was used for early Korans. Then paper became common and inspired yet another line of ornate instruments. The finger holes of a large pair of scissors made in Ottoman Turkey form calligraphic characters that spell out one of the names of God. With every slice, the idea is, you say a prayer.

A calligrapher's table from Turkey.
Over time, an entire industry of calligraphic accessories flourished, including calligrapher’s tables as ornate as altars.

Monday, November 3, 2008

The Best Buttons of 2008, in One Man’s Opinion

The Best
The words may sound sexist, but for Republicans, this button, with its pinkish celebratory hue and the party emblem, signifies a historic shift.

No. 2
Few campaign logos have been so well designed and identifiable. This motif works effectively with and without words, and is likely to have a life beyond the campaign.

No. 3
Parody is a powerful weapon. This button lampoons Mr. Obama’s slogan, “Hope,” and by using the official “O” logo sends the perfect sarcastic rejoinder.

No. 4
George Bush had his “W,” Barack Obama has his “O” (a single initial does not work for John McCain). This spare oval is both elegant and unmistakable.

No. 5
Less is often more. The simple McCain logo does the best job of conveying affiliation.

Honorable Mention
If Jerry Garcia were alive, he’d probably approve.

This long 2008 presidential race has been a wellspring for button designs, some produced by the campaigns and others by entrepreneurs. The computer has made it easy to customize a design for any cause or special interest.

Producing and selling these buttons has become a fairly lucrative business (on average, small buttons sell for $2, larger ones for $10 in Union Square in Manhattan, for instance). With the campaign finally drawing to a close, buttons have been selling like blue spruce on Christmas Eve, and some designs are almost gone.

Above, a nonpartisan look at some of the best.

Steven Heller teaches at the School of Visual Arts and writes the Visuals column for the Book Review. His latest book is “Iron Fists: Branding the 20th-Century Totalitarian State.”

A Sign

We recently received this most robust of invitations in the post. Yes, it’s an actual sign made from Perspex, inviting us to an exhibition of Perspex signs by artist Mark Pawson which will open later this week on 7 November and run until 23 December at Tatty Devine on London’s Brick Lane.

“I made twelve of those [invitational] signs,” explains Pawson, “the colour combinations are all slightly different - a way of working which carries through to the work in the show, and Perspex/acrylic is such a great tactile material to work with – it comes in a curious, limited sort of retro colour palette. Many of the pieces for the show are ideas/designs that might otherwise have found their way onto badges or postcards but have been given a more solid tangible, 3-D presentation as Perspex signs.”

Photography of these actual signs will be used in the bog-standard invites to the show. That’s right, CR got special treatment: “Most of [the actual Perspex sign invites] will go to press/magazines that have covered/been supportive of my work,” explains Pawson, “but if I look at them much longer I’ll want to keep them all for myself!”

The signs in the exhibition have all been laser cut and etched at Tatty Devine, and all the colourful letters in relief have been glued on by hand, by Pawson. Here are a couple of signs that will feature in the show…

What I take from this is the power of direct mail.
Although the cost of the mailer would be massive… so is the exposure!
I am sure it has been worth every penny.

All I Want For Xmas

For the special Christmas edition of their creative get-together, Glug, Ian Hambleton (of Studio Output) and Nick Clement (Made Studio) have launched a seasonal competition. Creatives are invited to respond to the statement, “All I want for Christmas is…” to be in with a chance of winning some rather tasty prizes.

So, here are the entry details from the Glug chaps:

Send entries via post, FTP or email by December 1 to:

‘ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS…’
STUDIO OUTPUT
109 BLACK BULL YARD
24-28 HATTON WALL
LONDON EC1N 8JH

GLUGLONDON@GMAIL.COM using the subject: ALL I WANT FOR
CHRISTMAS IS…

Make sure to include all of your contact details with your entry and any extra information that the judges might require.

Tickets for the Christmas Glug event go on sale tomorrow (November 1) and are available from gluglondon.co.uk. It’s a non-profit event, too, so all proceeds will be donated to a charity nominated by Ian and Nick.

This party is going to be a complete surprise for "all I want this xmas is...."
Completely design oriented!!