Friday 24 June 2011

Artists’ Books Special Collection in Howard Gardens Library

Some of the items from our 50 new Artists' Books are now on display in a magnificent lighted glass case to be found in the Yellow Room (to the left as you enter Howard Gardens library). Information about the books  can be found by searching LOCATE, the Library catalogue, as normal . The books are for reference only and not kept on the shelves but may be viewed upon request -ask for details at the Library desk. The display in the Artists' Book Collection glass cabinet will be changed periodically to allow the full range of material to be seen.
The collection includes items such as Sioux Bradshaw’s ‘Art Lover Seeks’:  a simple A4 single printed and folded page and Franticham’s Assembling Box of visual poetry and Fluxus inspired works - a set of individual sheets from over 20 contributing artists. Some of Jill Barker’s ‘Somerset Stones’ series include wood engraved prints and house actual stones within the pages, and Jo Wilson’s limited edition ‘Beside the Sea’ is a single scroll contained in a boxed wooded frame. The collection also includes Zines. New artists' books will continue to be added to this new and exciting resource.

Thursday 16 June 2011

Bright Ideas Lighting


Inhabitat (a weblog forum for emerging trends in architectural interior and product design), in partnership with Philips Lighting recently ran a competition called Bright Ideas Lighting. The idea of the competition was to showcase the potential of LED lighting. They were looking for examples of inspiring eco-friendly lamps that make smart use of materials, and are designed to work with low-energy LED replacement bulbs like Philips AmbientLED. (Since LED bulbs are low heat, this was an opportunity to get creative with other materials that might be off-limits with traditional incandescent bulbs). The panel of expert judges selected 20 finalists based upon aesthetics, creativity, sustainability, practicality, and commercial viability. Readers then voted for the winner.
The winner, designer Edward Chew,  cut box drink cartons into hundreds of strips and folded them into pieces to create his Tetra Pak lamp . Along with its retro looks and attractiveness it is also a creative example of upcycled design and craftsmanship – it was even assembled without the use of any adhesives!
Read about the competion and the other winners here

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Ted Prize 2011


TED is devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.
The TED Prize is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, "One Wish to Change the World."
After several months of preparation, the wish is unveiled at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. Over the life of the prize, wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.
This year the prize was awarded to JR
JR owns the biggest art gallery in the world. He exhibits freely in the streets of the world, catching the attention of people who are not the museum visitors. His work mixes Art and Act, talks about commitment, freedom, identity and limit.
JR creates "Pervasive Art" that spreads uninvited on the buildings of the slums around Paris, on the walls in the Middle-East, on the broken bridges in Africa or the favelas in Brazil. People who often live with the bare minimum discover something absolutely unnecessary. And they don't just see it, they make it. Some elderly women become models for a day; some kids turn artists for a week. In that Art scene, there is no stage to separate the actors from the spectators.
JR’s One wish for the World is here. A fabulous talk by the very charming JR and details too on how you can become part of his project Inside Out