Exhibitions - Stedelijk Museum.

During a recent visit to Amsterdam me and some friends visited the Stedelijk museum. I found this to be a great experience and I really enjoyed myself. I liked how all areas of the arts were covered from Graphic Design, Surface Pattern, Photography, Fashion, Sculpture, Fine Art, Film etc. I found it very enriching and the atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful.

The first things to be viewed were some large scale murals that covered a great deal of space. It is interesting to look at things like this as it really makes you consider size and scale and I am so used to designing for small scale compositions.

There was some focus on three dimensional design like home furnishings and jewellery. I liked seeing how colour and patten were applied to these items and the different take on shape and scale.

I really enjoyed looking around the surface pattern design as this is something that I like to incorporate into my own work. It was interesting to see the different colours and textures and how items like this are displayed.

There were some examples of editorial design but due to it being within glass cases I was unable to see what it was like on the inside pages. However, these cover designs still really appeal to me as the layouts are quite unconventional. The colours also look fantastic against the crisp white.

This piece really caught my eye as I love the three dimensional form and how when you view it from different angles it gives a totally different perspective.

I  love the illustrative style of these pieces, the aesthetic reminds me of decorative tiles and I like how the composition has been broken up and all the pieces fit together. The colours are vibrant and exciting.

These examples caught my eye straight away due to the bold use of fluorescent colours. Not only are the colours so exciting but so is the incorporation of multiple patterns into the composition. I like how everything is overlapped and there is so many point of interest.

Here is an example of packaging on display, it isn't something that really appeals to me aesthetically but it is an example of how packaging could be displayed within an exhibition space. I feel that this isn't the most successful option as it very hard to view and see at different angles. The fact that it is in a drawer means someone needs to pull it out in order to eve see it.

After viewing the ground floor I then travelled upstairs to continue the exhibition. I love the high ceilings and white walls that really increases the appearance of space. On the upper floor the use of neon lights was great and added an interesting focal area.

Upstairs was a selection of really impressive photography. The images were very large scale and rather than being printed were displayed on very high definition screens that really made the images come alive and feel like you could just step into them.

Finally was fine art, what appealed to me here was the use of colour and again scale as it made the pieces very engaging, especially being able to get up close and see the texture.

Exhibitions - Dutch Design Year.

Whilst in Amsterdam I visited a small exhibition called the Dutch Design Year, the theme was around interior design but what interested me here was the similarities between it and areas within Graphic Design that I like including colour and print design.

I love how all the items have their own unique appearance with that being their shape or the material they're made out of. I like how even with these differences all of the elements still work together consistently with the composition of a home environment.

In regards to print design it is interesting to see how designs can be applied to a variety of different products, whether that be on multiple scales, materials or formats.

Exhibitions - Dialogue.

I recently took part in and visited the preview night of the Dialogue exhibition, put together by Nathan and Eve, Yoke. It was fantastic night with a great atmosphere and was amazing to see what the guys had achieved. The prints were really interesting especially seeing what had been paired together. It was interesting designing for this purpose as obviously it was unclear what the final outcome would be. Here is some further information about the exhibition:


About Yoke

Yoke is a duo based in Leeds with an aim to create an exhibition space that spurs dialogue between creatives. In late 2013, Graphic designers Eve Warren and Nathan Bolton joined forces to create 'Dialogue'.


About Dialogue

The exhibition is a week long, non profit pop up print exhibition that will be held at Leeds Corn Exchange from March 27th and April 3rd 2014. The theme is 'dialogue' where a range of the most up and coming designers and creatives studios joined forces and submitted a design with the open mind of their work being manipulated through print and a special pairing process. Over the past few weeks Yoke has created a series of screen-printed artworks that will be displayed throughout the running of the exhibition.


The Brief

The objective is to encourage contributions for a week long, non profit pop up print exhibition and shop that will be held at the Leeds Corn Exchange between March 28th and April 4th 2014. The theme of the exhibition is 'dialogue' where each creative will submit a design that will be used in a blind collaboration. Contributors must be open to their submissions being manipulated through the use of print and the match making process, that will pair the two submissions together. This will create a series of screen-printed artworks that will be displayed throughout the running of the exhibition.


The Exhibition

Exhibitions - Work in Progress.

Work in Progress was an exhibition put on by level 6 Graphic Design. A group of us put ourselves forward to be part of the exhibition committee that would organise the exhibition by creating the space and deciding on themes and names that would be suitable.

The main aim of the exhibition was to show Graphic Design in a way that isn't usually portrayed in exhibitions. We as a course felt that it can sometimes be difficult to showcase work in this environment as usually graphic elements are more suited to real life environments rather than set up spaces. It was suggested by Amber that a successful way to show this in a new way would be to bring the real life to the exhibition and have the space as a working environment. It would be a place where members of the public could come and interact, therefore gaining a better understanding.

As a committee we arranged to meet to discuss the planning of the event and what we wanted to achieve. We visited the space when it was empty to get a feel of it and to determine certain things we could do within it. For example projections, vinyl stickers, and general set up. Another aspect that we decided as a group was that instead of an opening night that usually occurs for these events, we would have a closing night. We decided this as we felt it would be more relevant as at the end of the period all of the work done throughout the time would be up on the walls.

One of the main aspects of the exhibition was the time lapse video created by Greg. A go pro was put up in the corner of the space and showed the final two days of the exhibition and the process of pinning the work up. I feel this was a great success and really added to the atmosphere on the night. Its fun to see everyone interacting throughout the space and the progress as the time passes.

Although the overall process was a success, with a small group of us working within the space every day, due to the time period the exhibition took place not much practical work was produced. This meant that previous projects were used to be put up rather than current work.

Here are some photo's I took of the space once it had been filled with work. The tables and were set up to mimic our real studio as much as possible, with communal and individual work stations. There was also a cutting and crafting area with a guillotine and mats. A social area with seating and books and of course a space to make tea and coffee.

Video showed at the exhibition produced by Greg Ball:

Work In Progress from Greg Ball on Vimeo.