DESIGNERSBLOCK LONDON
THE BARGEHOUSE, OXO TOWER WHARF, SOUTHBANK LONDON (SWAYLAMP FIELD, MEMBRANE, POLYTETRA, TETRASPHERE, SPLIT BLOCK) K/F DIVIDED THEIR LARGE RAW BARGEHOUSE SPACE INTO TWO ZONES TO ILLUSTRATE THE THEMES ABOVE. A BASIC VISIBLE CHUNKY / SMOOTH CONTRAST EMERGED. THE DRAMATIC ROUGH SPACE AND NATURAL LIGHT ENHANCED THE PRISTINE QUALITY AND THE BASIC MATERIAL SUBSTANCES OF THE PIECES. PEOPLE PLAYED WITH THE SWAYLAMPS, POLYTETRA AND SPLIT BLOCK AND LAY AROUND ON THE MEMBRANE CHAISE. GENERATED A RELAXED INSTALLATION TO EXPERIENCE SOME BASIC FORMS AND EFFECTS.
THE EXPOSURE TO A FERTILE RANGE OF PRACTICE + COMMUNICATION WITH INNOVATIVE EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED EUROPEAN DESIGNERS, CURATORS AND WRITERS WAS INVALUABLE. THERE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY DIVERSITY OF FEEDBACK. THE DIVERSITY OF PRACTICE TOO REINFORCED FOR US THE VALIDITY OF AN APPROACH WORKING ACROSS DESIGN DISCIPLINES.
THEMES
GROWTH / COMPLEXITY / MOTION
OBJECTS WHERE FUNCTION IS AMBIGUOUS OR EVEN NON EXISTENT. THEY DON’T FIT INTO THE USUAL
CATEGORIES. HOW THAT MODIFIES PEOPLES APPROACH TO THEM, HOW IT AFFECTS THE WAY PEOPLE
PERCEIVE THEM. ABSTRACT OBJECTS AND MOVEMENT AROUND THEM / A SHIFTING VIEWPOINT GENERATING
A PROCESS. FORMS THAT MORE LITERALLY GROW / TRANSFORM : WHERE THE FORM IS MUTABLE,
RECONFIGURABLE, NOT ABSOLUTE. USING BASIC DIVISION OR ADDITION, RHYTHM AND SEQUENCE.
[SPLIT BLOCK] [TETRA] [POLYTETRA] VOLUME / SURFACE / EDGE
BASIC VOLUMETRIC FORMS, AND IN-BETWEEN STATES. EXPLORING CONTINUOUS SURFACES AND THE EFFECTS OF EDGES. [SWAY] [TETRASPHERE] THE SWAY LAMP MORPHS A SPHERE AND A LINE IN A VOLUME WITH A SINGLE EDGE AND ONE CONTINUOUS SURFACE. THE TETRASPHERE MORPHS A TETRAHEDRON AND A SPHERE IN A VOLUME WITH TWO EDGES AND ONE CONTINUOUS SURFACE. WE’RE WORKING ON MORE COMPLEX EXTENSIONS OF THESE IDEAS NOW.