The Great Pyramid at Giza is the one of the most remarkable building in existence on the face of our planet today. It was built with such precision that our current technology cannot replicate it. This pyramid is so precisely constructed that until recently with the advent of laser measuring equipment scientists were not able to discover some of its subtle symmetries. Among other aspects, there are also very exact relationships between all the structures in the pyramid complex at Giza.
This building is based in Dali's home town of Figueres near Barcelona, Spain. The Museum is home to one of the worlds largest collections of Dali's work. Although he is not one of my favourite artists i do believe that there are few examples of a building mimicking the the work of an artist in such a harmonic way. The building its self looks like it has jumped out of one of Dali's paintings and is a fitting tribute to his legacy.  One of art deco's greatest buildings a truly magnificent example of the exuberance of the 1930's period. Historically it stands out and depicts an era that is important the the changing world of art and design and is a fine example of art and designs relationship with architecture.
The Fang Yuan Building, Shenyang, China. This 25-floor office building, finished in 2001 in the northeastern capital of Liaoning Province, is a weird mishmash of ideas. One is a reference to old Chinese coins, which have square cutouts just like the structure’s square center. Other parts of the design are like a garden-variety corporate building, with a concrete base and, on the sides, steel rims with glass grooves. It is unfortunately classed as one of the worlds ugliest building but given its youth I am sure future generations will look upon it more favourably. Artists   Marion Deuchers, is a British based designer and illustrator. She graduated in 1989 from the Royal College of Art London achieving an MA with distinction. She has worked for major agencies world wide on projects such as, product design, illustration, web design, packaging, retail, brand design and editorial. I have been particularly impressed with this designers Editorial cover work and her ability to juxtapose colour, image and typography. I came across her work whilst researching for the Orion books cover brief during level 2 and her work was very influencial in the development of my project.    Bill Viola, is a contemporary video artist who combines sound and image. His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human experiences such as birth, death and aspects of consciousness. The use of imagery i find particularly pertinent to the work i would like to produce towards my final major project. Throughout his career he has drawn meaning and inspiration from his deep interest in mystical traditions, especially Zen Buddhism, Christian mysticism and Islamic Sufism, often evident in the transcendental quality of some of his works.   During my first year studies Paul Proctor who is head of the degree course at Stockport College photography BADVA gave a seminar to the first year degree students. He introduced me to the Russian avant garde Constructivist artist Alexandra Rodchenko. I was amazed my the images that Paul introduced me to. Here are some examples of his ability to show a different perspective. He inspired a generation, he showed an amazing new media to its full potential. The images are from a book his grandson produced. The first image 'Girl With Lieca' truely revolutionized and changed the way artists would approach imagery forever.
I decided to choose a typographer in this section as it is one of the most fundimental yet for most of us an elusive skill that we may never master. Typographer and graphic designer David Carson became influential in the late 1980's and 1990s for experimental typeface designs. David Carson's designs were featured heavily in surfing and skateboarding magazines. A tribute to other self-taught designers, David Carson broke most of the rules of design and typography. He experimented with overlapping and distorted fonts and intermixed these with striking photographic images. I believe his work to be a fine example of talent that can shine through without education although people like him are indeed an exeption to the rule. I particularly appreciate the manner in which Carson incorporates white space into his posters especially in the second of the above. This is an astute understanding of design, colour and image.
Finally in this category I have chosen whom is arguably my favourite installation artist. His artistic work is haunted by the problems of death, memory and loss; he often seeks to memorialize the anonymous and those who have disappeared. He is Christian Boltanski, French photographer, painter, sculptor and installation artist. I totally identify with this quote from him. We are all so complicated, and then we die. We are a subject one day, with our vanities, our loves, our worries, and then one day, abruptly, we become nothing but an object, an absolutely disgusting pile of shit. We pass very quickly from one stage to the next. It's very bizarre. It will happen to all of us, and fairly soon too. We become an object you can handle like a stone, but a stone that was someone. Christian Boltanski Again I seem to be attracted to the mystery of the dark side of the soul and the power of suggestion especially when it stirs deep emotion and makes one feel uncomfortable with ones mortality and very existence. Websites WikiLeaks Top of my website list is WikiLeaks. Launched in 2006, WikiLeaks, an anonymous forum of leaked secrets, amassed more than a million documents in its first year alone, establishing itself as an invaluable venue for public disclosure and accountability. But the site achieved a new degree of prominence on July 25 of this year when it began releasing to the public tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the war in Afghanistan, stirring controversy within the press and among political pundits as to the handling and prospects of the war. This Website presents the user with the latest conspiracy theories and seeks to expose the corrupt actions of the governments of the world which for the cynical amongst us will note that the majority of the accusations fall upon the governments of the West. Food: Serious Eats I came across this site whilst searching for a decent food website and this one was recommended by Time magazine. Tired of making Tater Tots and chicken fingers? Then turn to Serious Eats for community-inspired recipes, videos and blog conversations about all things munchable. Read about oatmeal ice cream from Washington, D.C., and how to throw a lunch-lady potluck when the kids go back to school, or learn how to make grilled corn with chili-lime butter — yum. The recipes will satisfy even the picky eaters in your house, though you might ask before serving up grilled kimcheese (as in kimchi) sandwiches at the next family barbecue. There is even a video about an egg farm so the user can make an informed choice into what is safe to eat. Although the recipes may seem a bit left field every effort has been made to accommodate different tastes and ages and is well illustrated and documented easy to follow instructions. Design Sponge Online
I have become interested in this site as it pertains to provide the user with a step by step guide to how to solve design issues. In the image above a stencil has been used to produce this innovative presentation of a restaurant table. Design Sponge takes you step by step, using plenty of imagery and guides you through the process of how this is achieved. In my opinion this could be a very useful tool especially when one may not chose a particular route for fear of not knowing how to achieve the final out come. A very insightful website. Design Can Change This I found to be an informative and contemporary site. Launched by Canadian studio SmashLAB, this website is a network of graphic designers focused on creating products with the lowest possible carbon footprint. The goal is to positively address climate change, one designer at a time. I this time of alleged global climate issues it is positive to see that some designers are making an environmental effort. Their goal is to help bring the design community together and to encourage sustanable practice. I do feel that they are playing a little into the do the right thing scenario and it seems a little to gimmicky and i do believe it will run its cause. barackobama Yes this is one for the more cynical amongst, those that have been exposed to American incompetence in the world of politics for decades and finally realized the evil that the great satan has done since the dropping of the nuclear bomb during world war ll. In my opinion George Bush is as great a criminal as Adolf Hitler and should be tried at the Hague. A group of Iranian journalists sympathetic to the world view of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has launched barackobama.ir, a website set up to address "an Iranian viewpoint on Barack Obama's opinions". The news of its creation first appeared this week in a series of government-sponsored websites and news agencies, which endorsed it as an independent source of information about the life of Obama, his administration and issues such as 9/11, Israel and Iran's nuclear programme. I have found this a refreshing change to Western media and as it is produce by journalists sympathetic to the present Iranian government it has a none extreme context and a Middle Eastern political view point. For this reason i would highly recommend paying it a visit if you are open to an alternative perspective on the world. Films
The biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis has a wealth of material and a startling soundtrack including fresh material. His melancholic undertones reflected his personal struggle with life and severe depression. Anton Corbyn directed 'Control' having come over to England in the 1980's purely to photograph the Manchester band Joy Division who the film was based upon. Kill Bill  Well thats the plot and i particularly enjoyed the way Urma Thurman fits into her character and very well thought out series of films. They also have a creditable graphic style that is well represented in all the advertising literature. Terminator  Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from the year 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, played by Hamilton. Biehn plays Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future sent back in time to protect Sarah. These films push the boundaries of technology and i found them compulsive viewing when i was younger. Its the old cliche of good verses evil but it does have a suggestion that this could be a real possibility to those with good imaginations. Pulp Fiction  Another classic from the Tarantino stables. The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. This is another cult status film from my youth acted to the highest level this is one of my all time classic films. Butch: Will you hand me a towel, tulip? Fabienne: Ah, I like that. I like tulip. Tulip is much better than mongoloid. Dead Poets Society  Dead Poets Society is a 1989 film starring Robin Williams and directed by Peter Weir. Set in 1959 at a conservative and aristocratic boys prep school, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students to change their lives of conformity through his teaching of poetry and literature. This is just one of those nice easy to watch films. It has a moral message behind it about respecting others, humility and empathy. Agencies/practitioners  Nicolas Bourquin (1975) lives and works as a creative director, publisher and artist in Berlin. He was born in Switzerland, studied graphic design at the Art School in Biel. Since 1999, he works in conjunctive fields of photography and video, producing films and short video series, installations and performances. In 2006, Nicolas Bourquin is invited by Pro Helvetia and the Embassy of Switzerland to stay in Cairo for 3 month, as artist in residence. Collective exhibitions and performances: Schirnkunsthalle Frankfurt, Volksbühne Berlin, Transmediale Berlin, Kunstverein Hartware Dortmund, Austrian Center New York, Kunsthalle St-Gallen, Kornhausforum Bern, Centre Pasquart Biel. In 2000, Nicolas Bourquin found the studio onlab in Tamelan and in 2002 the affiliate studio in Berlin. He co-founded in 2003 the independent Berlin publishing house. Nicolas heads and supports the onlab team working on commissioned, collaborative as well as self initiated projects.
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