Eileen Gray at IMMA

Visited the Eileen Gray exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin today. A perfect activity for a bank holiday monday - and we weren't alone in thinking that, a government minster and a radio broadcaster also visited the museum at the same time!

We claim Eileen Gray as one of our greatest Irish architect/design/artists. But she spent her working life in France. The houses she had built are on the Côte d'Azur. But of all the copies of letters, the video recordings, imagery etc, there wasn't any in French; we didn't get a feel for the francophile aspect of Eileen's life. Even though the exhibition is supported by the Centre Pompidou.
There are beautiful pieces on display, and personal letters to someone called Pru (I never did find out who she was or what their relationship was), and articles by contemporaries praising Ms Gray's works and ideas. Le Corbusier makes an appearance. There is information about lacquering, the shop she had on Rue de Saint-Honoré in Paris and more.

Having studied architecture, I was familiar with her work and E-1027. I appreciate the effort of her design, the consideration put into finding solutions to particular problems in unique situations.
For example, a stunning dressing-cupboard. Used as a divider between the sleeping section of the room and another section (can't remember exactly).

There are shelves of different heights. Glass shelves. Wonderful hinged-drawers which swing out from one side. A full-length mirror. It's wonderful. All the more wonderful considering the precise location for which this object was designed. And the multiple functions it fulfills. The obvious functions which we can see in this exhibit - a dressing-table/cupboard; and the not-so-obvious which we can deduce from house plans and photographs - as room divider in a particular house interior.

And that's the problem I have with the exhibition overall. It's wonderful for a designer and trained architect like myself or to someone who is not coming to Eileen Gray for the first time, someone who reads plans and drawings, is familiar with the design scene of the age... but without that education this exhibition seems to be about objects of furniture, items without context, rug designs without rooms in which to put them or clients to own them.

Which is not what it's about for me. See this interior photograph - see the circular rug and circular pattern, that uncomfortable circular Michelin-man-esque chair, and the wall decoration with it's semi-circular arc. The objects are designed to be in this space. The chair is ok if it's uncomfortable - the room is a bedroom not a sitting room!
I'm disappointed. Nevertheless, the exhibition showed me some new sides to Eileen Gray - lamp designs and that interiors shop. She was great - but why was she great, oh curator, why?

Museum of Bags and Purses, Amsterdam

Didn't actually visit this museum, just popped in to the shop. Not sure what I thought. Potentially interesting exhibition on Schoolbags later this year.
Museum of bags and purses

Dirk Wynants

When I posted about the Visit to The Design Museum in Gent, I mentioned I'd write more about the exhibition about Dirk Wynants.
I loved this product:

• Arthur

I liked this product:

• Picnik

And I kind of liked this one:

• Donut

I did not like this one:

• Kosmis 'oris

A kind of podium thing. Too "designery". Too "cool". A bare bulb? An overall unaesthetic shape. But I thought the internal step, the space for computer/notes to be hidden etc were good. Good ideas but badly manifested (in my opinion, of course, I think the Museum in Gent are very happy with it and they use it for launches and speeches).

But back to my very favourite of Dirk Wynants designs for the Extremis range: Arthur.

Arthur is a fold-up / flat-pack table that can be put together temporarily for a dinner party. Move the usual, regular, day-to-day bits of furniture and life aside, and fill the room with a table for friends and food. Everybody can have a large dinner party!
Comes in three different sizes for 8 or 10 or 12 people.
And the centre circular plate rotates (which I love and experienced in Cairo for eating mezze).

Design Museum Gent

During a Month in Europe, I made a day-trip from Brussels to Gent.

Gent is a very picturesque city - quite Dutch with it's canals and bicylclists. It was very cold when we were there and not the most comfortable to walk around. We went to the Design Museum first but decided not grab lunch before heading in to the exhibitions. Nothing worse than an empty stomach + trying to take in what a museum has to offer (well ok, there are many many worse things...)

The guy at the desk was odd. He never gave us tickets although we paid, nor a map of the building. And pointed us in the direction of the cloakroom. We then entered into some period-style decorated rooms, a tour of which brought us back to the foyer and the ticket-man. Utterly confused, we wondered if we should cross the hallway and go through a passageway marked with a do-not-enter symbol. Perhaps the "do-not-enter-ness" applied if you hadn't yet bought your ticket...?!

We overheard a French couple being told the way... and on we went...

Much of the museum is housed in the rear building behind the courtyard. A modern insert behind an old facade. Apparently the floor is hydraulic and can be adjusted depending on the items being exhibited - a two-storey boat, I assume! Or a dinosaur...!

The permanent exhibition focusses very much on style - Art Nouveau, Rococco, Art Deco. This is not my own personal strong point. Historic referencing. Nor is it something I am interested in. Style and Period and School. Bah.

There were two temporary exhibitions which we visited: 'Design Works?' - a collection of the designed products by Dirk Wynants and 'Eternal Spring' - Barbara Nanning's glass sculptures.

We think, although it is not listed in the exhibition, and we somehow missed it on our walkabout in the galleries, that there was also an exhibition on Tablewear. Qui sait. As I said, this museum is not the easiest to manoevre about.

The Dirk Wynants exhibition started very bizarrely with an information board telling the story of how much globes meant to this person. No introduction about who the person is. I felt it was a marketing exercise for this designer. A chance to justify his designs and "explain" them. I think I will do a separate blog post about what I liked about his work and the pieces I liked.

Barbara Nanning's objects made me think that there is a distinction between creating or artistry and being a designer. I think "design" must define a separation between thinker and maker. The designer must communicate ideas through drawings or models or verbal instructions and someone else then produces the finished product as closely, hopefully, to the intentions and 'vision' of the designer. I think that is where the magic or the mystery occurs. In laying down the ideas, in describing them, and in their interpretation. There is a process of:

• client describes brief
• designer interprets brief and describes solution
• workmen produce solution
• client lives with the production

That process, I think now, is what fascinates me about "Design".

And not to confuse the issue too much, but always there is another element to the process:

• consumption

It also fascinates me that the client and their brief, for example "I need to buy a draining board rack", can be influenced by so many factors to do with marketing and shopping experience, and branding, and cost... whereas designers are influenced by creating a piece that is... what? dramatic? useful? etc... and how, in real life, do these needs collide?

To be continued....!!!

Oh - to conclude re the Design Museum in Gent. I saw some Lalique glass. A vase. And am fascinated to see more of his work.

I think Design Museums are tricky. Are they aimed at the general public? At designers? At creating awareness of "design" - etc. I think of the museum in London which Terence Conran was involved with and the wonderful museum in New York.

National Print Museum

The National Print Museum of Ireland is located in an old barracks which now houses, amongst other offices, the Labour Court. It's on Haddington Road in Ballsbridge. I have intended calling in there for a long time and finally, I paid my visit. I think I found the location a bit daunting. After passing through that great stone gateway, would I be able to find my way. A check beforehand of the website helped. A sign in the window of a building in the yard anouncing "Free Exhibition" didn't. The sign and the building had nothing to do with the Print Museum.

The Museum is in the former Chapel.

Passed through the coffee-shop/tea-room, greeted by a girl at reception/shop, given an individual guided tour while an elderly man used the machinery - he was printing a poetry book, I think. All the machines are in working order.
One definite thing I learnt, was that the letters we often associate with old print presses - be they in wood or copper (maybe) - those letters are only moulds. Each time a document is printed, new letters are formed - from a silvery metal, using those moulds. So one of the machines in the process is just making little letters from moulds - either monotype (each letter is done singly) or linetype (where a line of letters is formed stuck together and this of course can be justified - an amazing rotary thing figures out the gap required when all the moulds in the line of print are in place).
Wow! An education! And no doubt, much more to be learnt.
If I brave the yard again!

Museum of Style Icons

The Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons made for a great day out. Free entry. Full of items.

Curating could have been a little less haphazard and a little more organised. The idea behind the displays wasn't always consistent. Having the umbrella from the photographs or the costumes from the films is a gorgeous idea - shame the video screens weren't working.

www.newbridgesilverware.com

The Jewish Museum

At last, I made a visit to the Irish Jewish Museum. I've seen signposts for it in the Portobello area but never quite found it until I made the effort on sunday.
We were greeted at the door by a very helpful man, who later checked if we were doing a project for which he could answer questions and followed us upstairs to ensure the heating was on and the room was warm enough.
The objects and information had a family feel to it, more than community based even. Pictures of people on wedding days, groups of girl guides and boy scouts.
The most interesting panel I thought was about anti-semitism in Ireland, more for the other info that was on the newspaper clippings - an ad from the Dun Emer guild caught my eye.
The panels and display cases were packed full of objects, items, artefacts, newspaper cuttings, passports, documents, photographs, certificates....

Glenview Museum

Went to Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim for the bank holiday weekend. Needed to get out of the city. We had no accommodation booked but drove around, and saw a sign for Glenview B&B. Next to the house, was a notice for "Museum". This morning when we were fixing up with the landlady, she asked us if we wished to see the museum. Yes, we said, we'll pay a quick visit.
Well, it was fantastic! A beautiful vintage car was the first thing we saw when walking into the large, jam-packed shed. And all manner of other objects of interest. The man of the house was willing to give us a tour, and seemed to have stories of interest to share about each and every item on display. Unfortunately, we were limited for time and hadn't expected to discover such a treasure trove so we had to be rude and stay only for a few minutes, making promises to return.
He played music for us on a gramaphone, and showed off a tiny iron for pressing lace collars, a magnificent wall-hanging collapsible clothes-horse, a door with a bullet hole from the black 'n' tans; among others.
As I wrote in the visitor's book "I'll be back".

www.glenview-house.com/glenview-museum.html

Spaces and ground surfaces

The bluish colour of the above picture is awful, sorry about that. My phone was on funny settings when I took it. It's the plaza in front of AIB bank headquarters in Ballsbridge. They've done a beautiful job. I think it's a really nice space now.
There's something that just clicks when the correct ground surface is chosen. Another example is Collins' Barracks. I'm sure people don't even pay attention to the pale salmon finish there - it's the perfect surface. Subtle, unnoticeable and succeeding in placing the emphasis on the buildings surrounding the space.

Quaker Museum

Visited Quaker museum in a wee village in Kildare/Kilkenny today. V enjoyable, interesting quirky. Info about Mary Leadbeater (?), related to Shakletons. Also Edmund Burke was a quarker. Funny layout of info posters - didn't seem to be chronological or informatively ordered, hard to comprehend. Helpful librarian who let us upstairs. One of the three museum rooms was a costume exhibition with a humidifier etc, very professional! I described the experience to a friend this eve and she said "surreal". I just say a different side to life in our wee country - it exists!

Designersblock & book-unit

The Observer Magazine, 9th September 2007.

Article about Designersblock (Piers Roberts and Rory Dodd), London design firm. Apart from my being interested in the fact that their firm is a 10-year old "organisation that mounts design shows and events, often in glamarously dilapidated, disused industrial spaces... including [London,] Milan, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Seoul, Istanbul, Cologne and Stockholm", I fell in love with one of the objects pictured and am planning to make for my own bedside: The article also mentioned the Geffrye Museum "east London's museum of domestic interiors" which was news to me.
http://www.designersblock.org.uk/