My London Design Festival 2011

Last Friday was the opening of the Postmodernism exhibition at the V&A. Before visiting the show I was welcomed by this spiral by Amanda Levete Architects. What a great start to this year's London Design Festival.


This giant gorilla by David Mach introduces The Power of Making exhibition organised by the Crafts Council. Made out of coat hangers, this sculpture perfectly describes the meaning of the show. I just wonder how long it took to make. So eye catching, the giant gorilla stands at the right place.

An office building in Hammersmith also houses another piece by David Mach - an astronaut going up and down a transparent lift. He is visible from the outside so everytime I go past I have to stop and admire the craftsmanship.




The Power of Making exhibition puts together both acclaimed designers and members of the public who love to create. What a great idea. The room is filled with inspiration from top to bottom. Thumbs up for this exhibition.



'Textile Field' by Bouroullec Brothers also topped up my list of favourites. The installation fills the space of the Raphael Gallery with colour and comfort.

I must admit, this textile piece beckoned me as if saying 'Come on, lounge on me'. So I did - together with other visitors to the gallery. What a bliss. I just wish it could stay there longer. I would visit this part of the V&A more often.





Tent London is a fair I always look forward to visiting during the London Design Festival. This year (as well as last) was extra special since my friend (another colleague in crime from university) was showing her work.

Lizzie Mary Cullen is a designer with a heart at the right place. An illustrator throughout from day one. Her enthusiasm shines through her work which is so well demonstrated on her website. Definitely worth visiting since it describes her work and activivties all so well.

Here, I caught her in action when she was writing a letter to a couple of lovely girls. A 'Love Letter' is one of Lizzie's current projects which she brought with her to Tent. A great way of demonstrating her skill on the spot.


The Old Spitafields Market also took part in London Design Festival. It hosted Origin - The Contemporary Craft Fair. There was so much to see and admire but it was two names respectively that stood out (at least to me). Jewellery designer and maker Anna Wales who incorporates touch of colour in a form of textile beads into her Boa Collection and a craft designer Catherine Carr who specialises in glass and textiles. What I wanted to see was her crocheted glass and I was not disappointed. The Origin Fair exceeded my expectations.

There was much more to see and write about. I have just touched it with a few personal insights. Therefore, let me know your experience from the London Design Festival 2011. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kx

Leafy wonders

As much as one tries to ignore it, this image suggests that we are on the brink of autumn. Typical for England, the question will go along the lines of 'What happened to the summer?' Not much I would say. It seems to have gone unnoticed.

However, another rather interesting season is about to start. If summer is filled with energy, autumn is in a way quite a poetic season. Given by the colours it produces, you simply cannot but feel nostalgic. At the same time, there is so much inspiration around to draw from.

The mixture of colours and texture hidden in these images;

the spine and veins running down this leaf.

My translation takes me towards a shape or a structure covered/joined with material/matter.

Very loosely seen as a mirror image, it is also the transparency and the light reflection on the surface that brings my attention to the two leaves on the right.

There is something about all these pictures. It would be worth using them as a base for a project, what do you think? I will give it some thought. In the meantime, have a great week and see you soon with my next post. Kx

Where the inspiration lies

This little creature brought a smile to my face as I was on my way towards duties first thing in the morning today.

I just could not resist and took a few snapshots. This squirrel was so natural making poses... (also showing me its back). Its fur, the gentle tonal differences that are so striking at times, touch vibrant at places. The texture. Even the way the squirrel blends with the pathway.

There I was chasing this squirrel with my lens, enjoying every minute of it and before I knew it there were two of them. Sharing a little patch of the park, looking for food or entertainment?


Observing this for a moment during the morning rush, slowing down in my tracks and taking in somebody else's daily routine seriously made my day. How this little can be enough to brighten up a day.

I remembered this little guy looking at me as if wishing for me to 'take the damn shot'.

Similarly to the squirrel, I was also allowed to indulge myself this time watching a 'catwalk' of Kensington Palace gardens...






Therefore, enjoy the catwalk with me. This is a part of a spring/autumn collection 2011. Note the vibrant colours neatly joined by natural tones of nature. I am sure this theme will find its way to a number of next seasons. Therefore, watch out!

Richmond Park

My latest outing was not so far away from London. This weekend we visited Richmond Park. One does not have to venture far away to see a bit more flora and fauna. Having said that, I still like to remember New Forest with its ponies.

Apart from the size of Richmond Park, it is the deer that make this place special. Soon after our arrival, we came across this herd. Gracefully minding their own business and posing for photographs.

As we walked around, I could not but take few shots of trees, both standing and fallen. I have mentioned my affair with trees earlier. Their structure, complexity, timelessness. Their strength. They are simply perfect.

Yet again, there was a pleasant surprise. If you remember my excitement from New Forest when I found 'hnědák', this time it was 'bedla' alias 'parasol mushroom' that crossed my way.

What you collect here is only the cup and only when still closed...

This image shows them as two pretty creations of nature. However, the parasol mushrooms are at their best when still young therefore, just leave these where found and admire them. They certainly deserve it.







...and so what I did was to 'unscrew' the cup of a baby parasol mushroom and turned it into a bread crumb mushroom dish. Pity I found only one. These tasted delicious.