Abram Games(1914-1996) was a British graphic designer. He made many posters for advertising Britain.
After reading Roland Bathes article on the Eiffel Tower, he explains how the tower has no actual purpose, it is just seen as a symbol for Paris.
Monday 22 October 2012
Abram Games & Roland Barthes
After speaking with my tutor about the idea of basing my boogazine on British icons, he game me two names to look up; Abram Games and Roland Barthes.
Abram Games(1914-1996) was a British graphic designer. He made many posters for advertising Britain.
After reading Roland Bathes article on the Eiffel Tower, he explains how the tower has no actual purpose, it is just seen as a symbol for Paris.
Abram Games(1914-1996) was a British graphic designer. He made many posters for advertising Britain.
After reading Roland Bathes article on the Eiffel Tower, he explains how the tower has no actual purpose, it is just seen as a symbol for Paris.
British Icons.
Since last time I have decided on the British Icons idea as final topic for the boogazine.
Here's some questions I will be answering:
Here's some questions I will be answering:
What is a British Icon?
Who
invented it/started it?
Why
do icons become well known?
Which
British icons are here to stay?
Which
British icons are dying out?
Which
British icons are could be/are being redesigned?
Is
the British icon dying out all together?
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Idea 1 Update.
Instead of just concentrating on the decline of Telephone Kiosks, I thought of widening the topic to the decline of British Icons, as this would include a lot more designs and have a broader interest.
The British Icons could include not only telephone kiosks, but also; post boxes, pubs, post offices, village shops, etc.
Some British Icons that have already been taken out of the British eye are; the concord, Routemaster double decker buses and the British Mini.
Article by The Telegraph on the Disappearing British Icons.
The British Icons could include not only telephone kiosks, but also; post boxes, pubs, post offices, village shops, etc.
Some British Icons that have already been taken out of the British eye are; the concord, Routemaster double decker buses and the British Mini.
Article by The Telegraph on the Disappearing British Icons.
Monday 6 August 2012
Idea Three...
I have just been looking through Dezeen looking for inspiration and stories that catch my eye.
I have found a collection of stories that have taken the 'green building' one step further. Instead of using plants, trees and the normal green energies; sun, wind ect. It uses algae.
These algae buildings do everything, from improve air quality to absorbing CO2 emissions and harvesting bio-methane for heat and power. Waste biomass is used to feed the buildings algae skin while waste water is filtered through the algae to be recycled.
I have found a collection of stories that have taken the 'green building' one step further. Instead of using plants, trees and the normal green energies; sun, wind ect. It uses algae.
These algae buildings do everything, from improve air quality to absorbing CO2 emissions and harvesting bio-methane for heat and power. Waste biomass is used to feed the buildings algae skin while waste water is filtered through the algae to be recycled.
Above is a proposed algae building for Central London designed by Dave Edwards. Dezeen has an article on the FSMA Tower here.
Here is a link to a selection of articles that Dezeen have put together with several buildings and other products that use the science of algae to produce a greener effect.
Friday 6 July 2012
Idea Two...
Recently in my village there has been big news on the Community Centre. It has been redeveloped to make it more appealing, more useful and also one of the most 'energy efficient community building in the country.'
- http://www.eco-hub.info/
This made me think about using community centres as my topic. Many of these building have been around for decades and are now going out of fashion and looking a bit drab in the villages and towns that are all looking to have tight community spirit, however these buildings are necessarily a place where people would want to meet. The opportunity to redevelop these buildings into fantastic eco buildings at the same time as giving them a new lease of life is an added bonus to the community spirit and the earth.
The Gamlingay Eco Hub provides everything for the village. This including; changing rooms for the sports teams, a kitchen for a cafe to run to provide a friendly place for people to meet, three hall spaces for the local drama group, guides/brownies and playgroups, the village local access library, with computer suite,is also now within the hub giving it a more central home than before, it has business rooms and can also cater for weddings.
I think this local eco hub could be a example to other community centres which are out of use or looking dated.
Sunday 10 June 2012
Idea One...
When I first read the brief there was one idea that came straight to my mind.
Telephone Boxes.
The red, old, iconic telephone boxes, that are a British symbol.
However due to the development of modern technology many of these are now in disuse and therefore just left to the natural elements and to vandals.
There has recently been a news story about the declining use of telephone kiosks. Click here to read it. It says how BT are planning on selling 60 of the original 'K6' kiosks, which were designed for King George V's silver jubilee, these will be refurbished and sold for £1,950.
BT have sold off thousands of the original 70,000 boxes, that were nationwide,before. In 2008, BT set up the Adopt-A-Kiosk scheme where local communities could buy their kiosk for just £1. This saw many of the kiosks being turned into libraries, art galleries, information centres, sculptures and even one kiosk in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire became a one-night-only pub.
At least 1000 of the remaining kiosks are Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England. I would have to research what is able to happen with these listed kiosks as I would assume these would have to be left in their original situ and not be able to change.
**Update. I have found another recent article on the red telephone kiosks.
Telephone Boxes.
The red, old, iconic telephone boxes, that are a British symbol.However due to the development of modern technology many of these are now in disuse and therefore just left to the natural elements and to vandals.
There has recently been a news story about the declining use of telephone kiosks. Click here to read it. It says how BT are planning on selling 60 of the original 'K6' kiosks, which were designed for King George V's silver jubilee, these will be refurbished and sold for £1,950.
BT have sold off thousands of the original 70,000 boxes, that were nationwide,before. In 2008, BT set up the Adopt-A-Kiosk scheme where local communities could buy their kiosk for just £1. This saw many of the kiosks being turned into libraries, art galleries, information centres, sculptures and even one kiosk in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire became a one-night-only pub.
At least 1000 of the remaining kiosks are Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England. I would have to research what is able to happen with these listed kiosks as I would assume these would have to be left in their original situ and not be able to change.
**Update. I have found another recent article on the red telephone kiosks.
“At first it was just to put them back on the streets, but the
next few months are shaping up to be hectic. The K6 in particular captures
people’s imagination because it’s such a traditional part of British
identity, like a post box or Big Ben. When people come to this country,
that’s what they want to see.”
The Brief.
Boogazine
In Semester 1 you will be
required to produce a document called the “Boogazine”, a piece of research and critical
enquiry in the form of a magazine. Significant emphasis should be
given to visual material in the work.
You are
required to propose an object that you wish to research and to take a
particular critical position about that object. ‘Object’ in this context is something
that exists, or has existed in historical time. It could be anything as long as
it:
a. connects directly to interior
design/architecture and
b. you can research it in depth in
order to develop and sustain a line of critical enquiry.
It should be also be something that you personally find
interesting. It can be
a building or interior, but it could also be for example, a film, design movement,
item of furniture, architectural style , designer, book etc.. Your Boogazine
should aim to find something new to say about the object.
Boogazine options will need to be approved by teaching
staff at the start of next year.
At the start of the year (Week 2 or 3), you will need to
give a short Powerpoint presentation of your favoured object of study. Please
also present two back-up options, in case the favourite is deemed unsuitable.
In preparation for this you are required to find three suitable options over the summer break and to
begin research into them. Visual research should form part of your enquiry at
this stage.
Where to Research
Use library resources, both on
campus and online. Below is a list of web addresses to help you get started.
Also look in design and architecture books and journals, magazines, online
media , blogs or TV for suitable objects to study. Document your findings and thoughts, copy
relevant articles and save everything you find in a project workbook and/or
folder or, even better, compile your own blog.
Some Websites/Blogs
http://www.metabolicity.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)