For me, the joy of Dark Mofo is in the purity of a single idea, beautifully and consistently and unwaveringly executed across every brand touchpoint. Even as I use the word ‘brand’ I shudder, as I’m sure anyone working at DarkLab – the creative studio for Dark Mofo – might. It seems such an inappropriately mundane word for such a fuck-you festival. Be this as it may, the attention to detail, everywhere, is simply astonishing. It’s in your pre-festival experience – the instagrams and e-newsletters beautifully considered both in design and expertly-written content. The enigmatic text messages inviting you to be part of something ‘secret’ -  if you wish, putting a smile on your face before you’ve even packed your smalls. It’s in the enigmatic message greeting you atop the terminal building, before you’ve even steeled yourself with a deep breath and stepped off the plane.

It’s in the wayfinding, signage and graphics all around town, it’s in the toilets of the ferry terminal with its lighting altered to the distinctly red Dark Mofo glow. It’s in the choice and colour of materials that dress the spaces, the curtains, the lighting, the bar menu, the horses taking people for a canter around town. The goddamn horses, people! They were sporting pointy red devil’s ears.

More than any of that. I’m astonished at the level of local buy-in. As you gaze around Hobart, you can see commercial and private buildings all getting into the Dark Mofo spirit. The atrium of the Telstra building is lit up like some ghastly red horror movie scene, as are its neighbours. Dotted about, here and there, they have all decided to join the party – presumably masking their current lighting with red filters or replacing with red bulbs. But here’s the thing. It’s not just any red filter. It’s THE Dark Mofo red. Everywhere. No-one is slightly ‘pink’ or gone for a rusty-red, it’s the luscious, distinctive, blood-curdling Dark Mofo red.

I’d love to know, are they all supplied with PMS-matched red filters? Have Dark Lab gone to the extent and expense of distributing brand kits across town? And even if they have, how come there are no rogue elements? Or are Hobartians intuitively blessed with on-brand design nous?  Whatever…the fact that it is all consistent astounds me.

The devil is in the detail, as they say. Bravo Creative Director Leigh Carmichael and team. Joyful. Simply, joyful.

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Today is International Women’s Day…

There will, no doubt, be plenty of articles written about the working and home lives of women, and how inequalities and prejudices are still all too common. How research shows that success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women (when a man is successful, he is liked by both men and women. When a woman is successful, people of both genders like her less). How women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world.  Least of all in government –  women make up less than 18% of all government ministers in the world. How, when a woman and a man work full-time and have a child, the woman does x2 the amount of housework the man does, and the woman does x3 the amount of childcare than the man.

You’ll read much of that elsewhere. However, I want to focus on our industry. The creative industries must be better, right? With our progressive attitudes and predilection towards non-conformity? I have to say, my own experiences don’t paint a pretty picture, nor did a quick canvas around my female friends and colleagues in the industry.

A few examples...

Early on in my career as one of the professional ‘public faces’ of a top tier architectural practice I was asked, instead, if I would cover reception on lunch breaks for a while. Surprised to be asked, but young and new and wanting to seem obliging, I agreed. That was until it was pointed out to me by a senior female in the practice that there were plenty of people that could have been asked. Many more junior, freelancers, contractors. That it might not give the greatest impression to our regular visiting contacts, if I was greeting them on reception, only to then hold a meeting with them. Plenty of other options in fact, but….male. They were not asked. As an aside, a recruiter I know in the gaming industry was recently asked to hire a receptionist, female only ”under 30 with big boobs.”

Or the MD of an agency who had a wonderful talent for hiring women and being super-friendly with them in the workplace, yet clearly didn’t take them or their work seriously. It never “quite worked out” having senior women in the agency.  It was clear that they were perceived to be a little ‘pushy’, mirroring the findings of a recent US study that found that women who are seen as nice, modest and self-effacing lack ‘executive presence’. But if they’re hard-driving or ambitious, they’re ‘unlikeable’.

The MD, who, after a dalliance with one of his female members of staff at the office Christmas party was heard saying shortly after “well, I suppose I could always fire her”.

The Chairman and Partners of a practice, who were heard guffawing at the existence of a Women’s Prize for Architecture, “I mean, what on earth are they going to win – a lifetime’s supply of tights?”

The Partner of a practice who, when conducting an Annual Review with a senior female architect who was asking for a pay rise, exclaimed “What on earth do you need that for, your husband is minted, he works in Property!” Speaking of which, data released only last week in the 2016 AR Women in Architecture Survey, show significant discrepancies among male and female salaries at the top of the profession. UK men at director, partner or principal level are earning 31% more. For the creative industries as a whole, the figure from the Office for National Statistics shows a 12% salary gender gap. People – this is more than four and a half decades after the Equal Pay Act was introduced!

But, wait, there is some good news!

Studies show that households with equal earning and equal responsibility for childcare have half the divorce rate. They also have more sex. Is that good enough motivation for everyone?

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There were some gems. The talks and debates at the V&A were superb, as always. Such a variety of topics, and they have the pulling power to bring in the big guns. Typographer Alan Kitching shared some stories of old and new in his most inimitable way, proving his continuing passion for his craft. His recent collaboration with Monotype honouring some of the great names of graphic design can be seen at the LCC in Elephant and Castle until 16 October.

There were also, however, some flops. The flagship installation in the V&A – a mirrored ceiling in the Raphael Galleries by design duo Barber Osgerby – was a clear case of the reality crumbling under the weight of the idea. On paper I’m sure it really worked, but in situ it felt clumsy and fell flat.  

100%design proved that it really has lost its way. Once, it was a destination of discovery with top quality designer-makers sitting alongside only a scattering of commercial, contract furniture. Now it’s like walking through a high-end Homebase…with poor lighting. Designjunction has usurped its position –  firmly placing itself on the map as the go-to destination for a good mix of everything.

My most welcome discovery at Designjunction was the beautiful work of illustrator Malika Favre. Represented by Handsome Frank with prints sold through OutlineEditions at DJ, her monochromatic work has such a mesmerising quality to it.

Balconies

Images by Handsome Frank

Another stand-out exhibitor at Designjunction this year was Patternity with its collaboration with the Imperial War Museum, London. Drawing inspiration from the iconic Dazzle camouflage patterns painted to disguise and protect ships during the First World War, they have designed a range of products dressed in striking monochrome geometric pattern.

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Lucky enough to attend the opening of this new terminal by Studio Fuksas in Shenzhen, China, I can honestly say that the overall effect was DAZZLING.

Incredible light that reaches the terminal floor through the perforated honeycomb roof structure above. Designed and constructed in less than 3 yrs too. The Chinese – they don’t hang around….!

Part of the team responsible for the worldwide publicity of this project, it would be remiss of me not to include contact details! Contact Caro Communications to learn more.

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Delightfully topsy-turvy. What else can I say…?

Find it at 20 Blackfriars Rd, London. It’s not easy to miss!

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‘Endless Stair‘ by dRMM  - this year’s landmark installation for the London Design Festival. Caught here under construction. Very Escher. Very beautiful. Hope it holds up under this terrible weather!

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The perfect pewter penguin! Cast out of cuttlefish at Arup’s best Penguin Pool event yet. Material scientist Mark and his team at the pioneering Institute of Making thoroughly entertained us all with their tales of materials, now and in the future.

Imagine a time when structures will heal themselves? Bridges won’t crack, power stations won’t melt and we can all live a little safer in the knowledge. Well, that time is now. Almost. R&D currently underway with organisms inserted into concrete, that when fed, excrete a substance to repair the damage. If you get the chance to hear him speak, make it so.

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Over the Bass Strait, lies Australia’s answer to the Tate Modern. Only darker, dirtier and joyously more disconcerting. A unique museum experience, its owner the multi-millionaire and local man David Walsh has decided to share his private collection of art for all to see.

Contained within a subterranean bunker, courtesy of Fender Katsalidis (who surely must have been jumping for joy at this commission), this $150 million ‘museum‘ is more a “subversive adult Disneyland”, as Walsh himself likes to call it. Sex, death and defecation are regular features of the collection and all humorously narrated by Walsh himself. He entertains us with his ‘art wank’ through iPhone touch screen technology – the first system in the world designed to replace traditional artwork wall labels.

He has collected many of the most notable names of the moment, Damien Hurst, Erwin Wurm, Chris Ofili, Wim Delvoye… There is no order here, no captions, no themes, just random-ness – if he liked it, he bought it.  And he wrapped it up in a movingly, spectacular building, carved out of a sandstone cliff.

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Australian Jay Watson’s table coated in a thermochromic varnish, leaves a lasting impression

We all know the Argentinians love their meat. It is heartening to see that something useful is being made from the vast quantities of leather scraps generated each year.

 
As always, there is a cornucopia of talks, events, exhibitions, trade shows and parties spread across town – more conservative in the west and a little more daring in the east. This year, 100%design feels much more like a trade show than the healthy mix of established and emerging, as has been customary in recent years.

Striking chairs by Zhang Zhoujie

Zhang Zhoujie. Incredibly smart guy. Hand scored and somehow he works out how he can bend each sheet into shape.

Closed as a square

Fits in to a corner…

One of a number of combinations..! The DTable by DHaus. In 1908 an English mathematician called Henry Ernest Dudeney discovered how to turn a perfect square into an equilateral triangle. Based on this principle, this rotatable dynamic table can change shape from a perfect square to a perfect equilateral triangle with 6 different shapes in between the 2 well recognised shapes.

Hmmm….

Grotesque and weird.

Very nice…

Dog wallpaper anyone? Just nice.

Designersblock, in the incredible Farmiloe Building, Farringdon.

They always know how to pick a good venue!

Sangmyung University. Made painstakingly out of matches…

Very Wim Delvoye

The Seismometable by JAILmake

Both tables by JAILmake, they are controlled by an RSS feed telling when, where and how strong an earthquake is in the world. The table listens for this data and shakes with a relative intensity in real time.

Formed into shape insitu

A hard one to illustrate, but it is wallpaper that looks like concrete. Brilliant. Expensive though 110 euros per sqm!

As I walked around the show with two of the judges from this year’s Blueprint Awards, we couldn’t help but feel that perhaps the present economic situation of the country has had some effect. This is not lost on the Festival’s organisers who are keen to emphasise the importance of design in driving the UK’s economic revival. Chairman of the LDF, Sir John Sorrell said, “This year the key word on everyone’s lips is growth. With a £60bn creative industries sector that employs over 2 million people and produces nearly 6% of GDP, the government has identified our creative industries’ sector as crucial to growth. We all know design is the engine that drives the creative industries, so this year the London Design Festival will promote design not only as absolutely central to society and to culture – but also to the economy, to growth and the future”.

It is heartening to see that the value of design is increasingly taken seriously. In the recent budget statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne said “We want the words: ‘Made in Britain’, ‘Created in Britain’, ‘Designed in Britain’ and ‘Invented in Britain’ to drive our nation forward – a Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers.” If only Australia could take a leaf out of the UK’s book….

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Highlights from yesterday include the 12m Timber Wave designed by Amanda Levete and her team, with Arup. Cascading down the steps of the V&A, this complex form made from America red oak has been made possible through cutting edge digital tools, 3D modelling and precision engineering. It reflects the interest in design and making that is at the heart of London’s creative industries.

Across town, designer Paul Cocksedge has transformed old vinyl LPs into elegant vinyl speakers that amplify sound from smartphones through their shape alone – no need for wires or electricity. For £25 visitors were encouraged to bring their own 12” record and have it transformed right in front of your eyes. Placed in the oven and stretched into shape. Smart and simple!

St Paul’s Cathedral provided a spectacular backdrop for the fifth presentation of the London Design Medal, won this year by my old tutor Ron Arad. A worthy recipient, he consistently does unique work and applies creative thinking to all manner of design challenges.

A lot of talk has been made about John Pawson’s installation ‘Perspectives’ at St Paul’s Cathedral. Aside from the joy of being able to take a peek at Wren’s Geometric Staircase – usually hidden from view - in the South West tower, I couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. Collaborating with Swarovski, he has created a precision-made meniscus – the largest lens possible to manufacture. Located at the bottom of the stairwell, it sits on a much larger reflective hemisphere, with a spherical convex mirror suspended in the tower’s cupola above. Together these optical devices create a composite image of the view up through the tower for visitors gathered around the hemisphere at the base, allowing them, as Pawson says, ‘to see beyond the level of the naked eye’.

It is supposedly less about the physical piece he has created, and much more about what it reveals. The thing is, you really cannot see a lot! A master of simplicity, it seems that Pawson’s work, this time, was just a little too simple for me.

That’s it for today…Keep posted for daily updates!

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