What I love about going to Premier Vision is that not only is it a great opportunity to peer ahead, check out trends and see cutting edge technologies that are the results of years of R&D but you get to pick up stuff (literally and mentally) that you might not normally find or have easy access to. Here’s a good example, it’s a beautifully produced colour journal called ‘Le fil du lin & du chanvre’ which gives an overview of how linen and hemp are being used across the board in design.

I also found ‘Geometric’, a brilliant book by Kapitza – a design studio up the road from here set up by 2 sisters. It’s great fun, loaded with 100 pattern fonts (shapes based on the forms of letters in the alphabet) and something I’m definitely looking forward to playing with. Some of the patterns reminded me of the Dutch artist and designer Karel Martens who is a favourite of mine. You can buy the book from the Kapitza online shop:

One last notable mention from Premier Vision: Jakob Schlaepfer’s brand new, awe-inspiring fabric ‘Secret Garden’, a shimmering silver gossamer with iridescent inks printed onto it. It’s one of those fabrics that photographs really don’t do justice to, you have to see it up close and feel it yourself. So, lucky me! Look out for this in the coming years time in clothing and interiors.

Posted in books, design, graphic design, pattern, review, technology, trends

Still thinking about the Museum of Everything! I think a key to its success is that the exhibition redresses the balance of power held by the galleries, dealers and media, tipping it back towards the artists and the general public. You appreciate what you’re seeing on its merit, without preconceptions of the artists’ fame, reputation or ‘value’.

At the Museum, the presentation and atmosphere, almost like inside an art school, perfectly mirror Brett’s un-snobby and democratic approach to collecting. It feels like an antidote to how I often encounter art in the mainstream institutions, big art fairs and slick commercial central London galleries.

All the elements, from the little postcards, badges, handwritten signs, the sense of humour, tea and cake, the website and large-format catalogue are all executed with real warmth and personality.

Posted in art, design, graphic design