Industrial Facility exhibition

Epson Picturemate, for Epson, Japan, 2006

Little Disk Hard Drives, for LaCie, France, 2007 / 2008



Innovative design needn't be glamorous or revolutionary. Whether the client brief is to create a space shuttle component for NASA, a concept car for Ford, or a new corkscrew for IKEA, the requisite mental ingredients remain fairly consistent: creativity, originality, and vision.

A new exhibition at the Design Museum will showcase a selection of work from Industrial Facility, a London-based design studio that deliberately embraces the mundane - think coffee makers, toilet brushes and door handles - and applies the rigours of high design to objects most people might otherwise think little about.


Jetlag Travel Clock, for IDEA International, Japan, 2008

Coffee Maker, for Muji, Japan, 2006

Toilet Brush, for Muji, Japan, 2007

Beam Lights, for Established & Sons, England, 2007

Two Timer Clock, for Established & Sons, England, 2008



Since its inception six years ago, the small firm has cultivated an impressive roster of clients: names like Herman Miller, Yamaha, KitchenAid, Whirlpool and Muji, among many others. Much of their work is commissioned for foreign markets so the exhibition will be a first look for most London locals.

Running in tandem is 'Under a Fiver' - a selection of almost one hundred items amassed by Industrial Facility co-founder Sam Hecht over the last fifteen years, all of which cost less than five pounds. That he chooses to collect and surround himself with such items offers an insight into his firm's mentality - at all times simple, functional and smart - and reminds us, as does the exhibition generally, that good design need not sparkle and shine. Sometimes it just has to turn out a good cup of coffee.

Ten Key Calculator, for IDEA International, Japan, 2007

Second Telephone, for Muji, Japan, 2005

Lo Cost Cutlery, for Taylors Eye Witness, England, 2007

IF4000 Knife Rack, for Taylors Eye Witness, England, 2007

Wine Opener, for Muji, Japan, 2008

Cantilever Piano, for Yamaha, Japan, 2008

'Under a Fiver', a collection of objects all costing less than five pounds

The objects were chosen by IF co-founder Sam Hecht

Paper Cup, for Takeo, Japan, 2005






INFORMATION

Event dates
9 May 2008 to 7 September 2008
Website
http://www.designmuseum.org
Telephone
+44.20 7403 6933
Address
Design Museum
Shad Thames
London SE1 2YD

Andy Warhol exhibition

An exhibition of black and white photography by Pop Art icon Andy Warhol is now on at London’s Timothy Taylor Gallery until 29 February. ‘Portraits and Landscapes’ is a compilation of unseen photographs shot by the seminal artist during the last ten years of Warhol’s life and work, and coincides with the 21st anniversary of his death.

Click here to see images from the exhibition.
During his time spent in Manhattan, London and a plethora of other cities, Warhol photographically documented his everyday life. Consistently preoccupied with objects and matters of the every day, as made famous in his silk-screen paintings of consumer goods such as Campbell’s soup cans and dollar bills, the collection of images gives a fascinating insight into the artist’s life and mind as he captures commonplace objects that were to shape his existence.
From dog food, toilets and storefronts to teacups, mannequins and pigeons, ‘Portraits and Landscapes’ documents everything that Warhol happened upon, illustrating his love for the everyday. Although most famous for his prints, the exhibition reminds the audience of the importance of photography in Warhol’s career; often using the camera as a visual tape recorder and inspiration for his compositions on canvas.
The way in which Warhol used photography to chronicle everyday life has influenced many an aspiring artist, as seen in the recent exhibition from Stephen Shore. Drawing influence from the artist, Shore used Warhol as his muse, capturing his Factory years on film at the tender age of 17.
Through his own exploration of banality, Warhol aimed to democratise all experiences and celebrate the ordinary. In his works ‘Flea Market’ and ‘Litter’, he manages to evoke a sense of melancholy that exist in objects, forever changing the way people view the world – every bit as influential and holding as much resonance today as he did during his own generation.

ControModa exhibition, Florence

If you're under the impression that Florence is nothing more than the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance (admittedly, no small claim to fame) then you're somewhat behind the times. James Bradburne, the inspirational director of Palazzo Strozzi is on a singular mission to bring Florence's burgeoning status as an alternative fashion hub to the fore.
His first venture is an exhibition dedicated to the memory of Gianfranco Ferre, the recently deceased fashion supremo, called ControModa. The aim of the exhibition is to highlight how far traditional concepts of style and fashion have changed in the past three decades in four different areas: construction, materials, form and concept.

Click here to see some of the designs on show at ControModa.
Showcasing over 200 fashion creations from Armani to Westwood, Issey Miyake to Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, each outfit is individually captioned showing over the whole exhibition how fashion has relatively recently become such a powerful force for social commentary. Added to these are curatorial texts, displayed on panels throughout the exhibition, in the form of a virtual discussion between six of the world's leading fashion commentators including Suzy Menkes, Franca Sozzani and Holly Brubach. We've been given exclusive access to the panels, which you can download by clicking the links on the right.
In conjunction with this initiative to highlight Florence's culturally progressive status, Bradburne has also masterminded the opening of a new Centre for Contemporary Culture with an exhibition titled Emotional Systems. Exploring the relationship between contemporary art and its effects on the human brain, the exhibition is the first in a series intending to open up a dialogue about contemporary art and culture.

Click here to see installation shots from the new Centre for Contemporary Arts at Palazzo Strozzi.
Speaking about his dynamic vision for Palazzo Strozzi, and the cultural perception of Florence as a whole, Bradburne explains, 'All Palazzo Strozzi exhibitions aim to create a rich experience for a wide variety of audiences - families, children, teenagers. This openness to other voices is a hallmark of the Palazzo Strozzi's approach to exhibitions. We don't want our visitors to come to the exhibition as if they're going to church - we want the exhibition to be a genuine pleasure, on a par with going to a good film.'