Hello, a few weeks algo I popped on a train to visit Somerset House in London to look at the Design Biennal exhibition. The exhibition showcased the work of different artists exploring the theme Utopia to different countries. This is two.
This exhibition was very interesting and everything had an element of fascination to it. I won't go through everything I saw but will pick a few things that I found interesting and things I didn't find interesting and explore why - I'm going to write a part one and part two for these. I actually didn't like much from this exhibition when looking at the the work but I liked how in a way it took you to another place, it felt enchanted. Many of the installations where interactive, you could walk through the work, touch it, hear it and be apart of it.
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Things I didn't find interesting.
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| Top Left to Right: India - Chakraview . Saudi Arabia - Water Machine | Bottom Left to Right: Sweden - Welcome to Weden . The United Arab Emirates - Al Falaj Water Systems of the Gulf's Oases |
India - Chakraview
This installation was in a large room with a smaller room at the back of it. To the side of you the walls were filled with traditional textiles ancient mythology weaved together to create a sense of modern India, above you were hanging tassel chandeliers and the floor (along with the back wall) was like a mirror girded like a disco floor. The installation is to show India's multiple utopias to explore the continuities between India's past and future. To me these looked cheap and tacky by the materials chosen and I don't like the printed textiles nor the mix of colours however I do like effect of the layering of the hanging circles.
Administering Body - India Design Forum (IDF)
Designer - Sumant Jayakrishnan
Curator - Rajshree Pathy (Founder, IDF)
Supporting Body - Aditya Birla Group (Principal Sponsor)
Saudi Arabia - Water Machine
Designer - Sumant Jayakrishnan
Curator - Rajshree Pathy (Founder, IDF)
Supporting Body - Aditya Birla Group (Principal Sponsor)
Saudi Arabia - Water Machine
This installation created by sisters Noura and Basma Bouzo is trying to highlight the need for global structural change towards sustainable use of resources and I found it somewhat disappointing. You couldn't actually use the coin hole to buy a blue ball (water) and also I feel the idea doesn't really work, this installation is a gumball machine but instead of giving out sweets, it gives you water. As a kid there used to be these ''gumball'' machines that gave out bouncy balls, so this installation just reminds me of them. I also find it very hard to take this piece seriously for its wariness about usage on resources as gumballs are fun and not serious.
Administering Body - Saudi Design Week
Design Team - Basma Bouzo, Noura BouzoCurators - Basma Bouzo, Noura Bouzo
Supporting Bodies - Alf Khair; Baraboux; Saudi British Sociiety; Oasis Magazine
Sweden - Welcome to Weden
I don't think much of this installation, I feel it's just a collection of home decorations but I think that the concertina surface they are sat on is interesting. This installation is looking at design and manufacturing as collaborative work, inviting 15 designers and manufacturers to work together on different and more equal terms. The installation is inspired by the ''we'' in Sweden and wants to promote a more inclusive future society - a ''wetopia''. The designers and manufactures worked on this piece together towards smaller-scale and non-hierarchical local production challenging the existing model of unethical, far-flung and large-scale mass production.
Administering Body - The Embassy of Sweden, London
Design Team - Form/Design Center (producer); Katja Pettersson (exhibition architecture); Varv Varv (graphic design)
Curator - Jenny NordbergSupporting Bodies - Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Swedish Arts Council; The Swedish Institute; Department of Culture, City of Malmo
The United Arab Emirates - Al Falaj: Water Systems of the Gulf's Oases
As like the gumball machine I'm kind of disappointed with this installation, I really enjoy minicher things like mini towns and was excited by the little palm trees but there's hardly any detail to these little towns. The installation shows how A1 Falaj: Water Systems of the Gulf's could be relevant to the UAE's rapidly growing cities by giving private realms somewhere to meet, facilitating exchange, dividing water, a measured way of allocating resources in a hot and dry climate creating a utopian idea in nature. I feel like this installation doesn't give us that idea of what benefits A1 Falaj; water system can give as it only shows you the layout of the water system.
Administering Body - Cultural Engineering
Design Team - Cultural Engineering; Case Design
Curators - Rashid Bin Shabib, Ahmed Bin Shabib, Samuel Barclay, Anne Geenen
Supporting Body - Embassy of the UAE in London, UK
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I have done another post talking about the things I did find interesting, linked below. I will also link below the website to London Design Biennale 2016 if you are interested seeing more. See you next week! xx
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Personal Blog: http://victoriaannewhatimupto.blogspot.co.uk/
Part one: http://vaartanddesign.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/a-visit-to-somerset-house-london-design.html
London Design Biennale 2016: https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/london-design-biennale-2016
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