Hasta La Ideas

Faced with imminent closure, London’s Kemistry Gallery is hoping to reinvent itself as the first centre in the UK dedicated solely to graphic art and design. Next February, it aims to stage a pop-up show which will work as a pilot for the next phase of its development – but it needs your help…

To date, Kemistry has been an exciting space for showing the work of graphic designers and illustrators. From Jean Jullien and Geoff McFetridge to Saul Bass, Milton Glaser and Lou Dorfsman, it has shown an impressive commitment to celebrating both established names and cutting edge talent. I’ve lost count of the number of shows that CR has been to and featured on the CR blog.

But the gallery has recently revealed some sad news, that its home on Charlotte Road in Shoreditch is set to be redeveloped and so Kemistry is likely to be closed within three months.

Founded by Graham McCallum and Ricky Churchill almost ten years ago, Kemistry are adamant that while expensive rents might be moving the premises on, they are far from giving up. Their aim over the next year is to raise enough money – partly through a Kickstarter campaign – to establish Kemistry as “the UK’s first centre dedicated solely to graphic art and design”.

“Rather than mourn the loss of our current digs and admit defeat,” they say, “we have decided to take the challenge on, not only to find a new home but think about reinventing Kemistry Gallery and taking it to a bigger, bolder and more ambitious place.”

According to the gallery’s Kickstarter page, Arts Council England has already committed to support them in their efforts to pilot a new version of the gallery, to coincide with our 10th anniversary. This special exhibition, entitled Kemistry Gallery: 10 years 60 works, will be hosted in an East London location, running from the beginning of February and will present highlights from a decade of celebrating the very best of classic and contemporary visual communication, including work by Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Parra, Jean Jullien, Anthony Burrill and many more.

A mock-up of how Kemistry’s pop-up exhibition might look

Kemistry has raised an initial £15,000 from the Arts Council and now need to match that to cover the exhibition costs over the next 30 days, via Kickstarter. As McCallum says in the video on the Kickstarter page, Kemistry’s success has proved that there is an appetite for a place that shows graphic art and design – so they are determined to move on and to try and do something “bigger and better”.

What McCallum outlines includes a larger gallery, additional spaces for talks and lectures, even screenings, potentially a bookshop or a cafe – more of a “resource” for graphic design than an exhibition space. If that happens, this cloud may well have one hell of a silver lining.

For full details of Kemistry’s plans and how you can donate, visit the Kickstarter page here.

#SaveKemistryGallery design by Jean Jullien

Per tutti quelli che non hanno tempo di spippolare su Adobe Color CC ora c’è il velocissimo Coolors.

The post Coolors genera infinite palette di colori appeared first on Think.BigChief.

Opaque glass cladding on this south London house by Ian McChesney reflects the brick and stucco facades of neighbouring Victorian properties and foliage from a park next door (+ slideshow).

Ian McChesney designed the five-bedroom home, named Tree House, for a plot of land in a conservation area in Sydenham, south-east London.

The London-based architect came up against a number of planning restrictions imposed for the site, which is surrounded by a number of late Victorian properties, including a requirement to adhere to sustainable building standards. Over 68 objections were lodged against the development by local residents.

“It was made clear to us by the planners at Lewisham that a ‘striking’ and high-quality design was sought for this site,” McChesney told Dezeen.

In response, McChesney designed “a simplistic and crisp form” made of two conjoined volumes topped by a butterfly roof that pitches up at the edges and dips in the centre.

“Given the variety of forms we decided not to mimic the existing massing but to create something obviously new,” he said.

The two timber-framed volumes are clad in sections of black polished glass, favoured by the planning committee for its perceived ability to blend into the surroundings. A layer of insulation between the prefabricated wooden frame and glass facing gives the house warmth.

The glossy surface reflects the facades of neighbouring houses and planting, “helping it to sit harmoniously in it’s leafy setting.”

The larger of the two volumes houses the main open-plan living space of the property and a bedroom on the ground floor, while four further bedrooms are located across the upper floor.

Windows with wooden frames, set neatly into the glass panelling of the lower floor, face onto the gardens.

Attached to the side of living space, the second volume forms a slim windowless stairwell that creates a buffer between an adjacent property.

A doorway at either end of the stairwell provides two entrance points to the building, which is positioned between two small tracks.

Off the hallway there is open-plan living room and kitchen with light wooden floorboards. The kitchen is centred around an island finished in a contrasting dark-stained wood, while in the living room a wood-burning stove with a flue that rises through the ceiling.

Sections of wood-framed glazing overlook the garden and a set of timber steps lead from glazed doors onto an area of raised decking.

Above the living space there are four further bedrooms, and two bathrooms situated at either end of the stairwell. Panels of high-level glazing in the bedrooms sit flush with the polished glass facade and give views to the park.

The post Black glass facade mirrors scenery at
south London home by Ian McChesney appeared first on Dezeen.

The Cat Grooming Bag.”Two front zippers allow cleaning of front paws, as well as nail..(Read…)

Apropos word that industry stalwart Smart Design is closing its San Francisco studio after nearly a decade and a half in the Bay Area, our Discussion Boards are abuzz about what may well be an industry-wide shift that finds its epicenter in Silicon Valley. OP jarman65 follows up to his opener with a link to a Peter Merholz blogpost unpacking the phenomenon; forumite Cyberdemon initially chimes in with the pros and cons of in-house vs. consultancy and a general shift in the industry, later concisely summing it up: “Smart and the big guys got contracts from the mega-corporations who could afford their hefty price tag, and those are the guys who now have fairly large and mature design teams internally.” Meanwhile, Surface Phil puts it bluntly:

I think it’s time to face the music that if you are an agency whose core offering is industrial design alone (i.e. designing plastic) chances are this service can be found elsewhere. Whether it be in-house design resource or outsourced overseas. You better be bringing something else to the table. UX, business innovation, commercialization strategy. Something…

Commentators also note that Smart Design recently opened a London office (after quietly dissolving a Barcelona satellite) and there is no indication that the company is in anything less than ship-shape—which is precisely why some, such as Merholz, conclude that the trend is a symptom of the ascendancy of tech companies. In short, these juggernauts are increasingly investing in design, which may spell the demise of the brand-name consultancy as we know it. That, or maybe it’s simply the case that Shoreditch is the new SoMa:

All told, it remains to be seen as to whether the shakeup at Smart Design is a Bay Area bellwether or an isolated incident. The second page of the discussion thread broadly addresses the facts, with more of the nitty-gritty from industry vets bepster, Yo, FluffyData and slippyfish; speculation though it may be, their comments speak to the dynamic—and sometimes outright political—nature of the relationship between consultancies and their clients.

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