OUGD602 - Daydreaming with UNKLE - Exhibition - Leeds Docks

James Lavelle is an extremely inspirational figure to me due to his long standing career in all aspects of creativity. I first came into contact with the artist through his music profile UNKLE and record label Mo' Wax however, have since become a big admirer of his work due to his interconnectivity within the music industry and design industry. The exhibition was a collection of his artwork, the noticeable factor for me was that he creates all of the artwork for his own music and vinyl covers and it was a reassurance for me to see this connectivity between the music industry conducted so succinctly. Artists such as James always seem to be a huge influence on me mainly because of the links I see between my ideologies and theirs. I also love seeing work which has been inspired by the music, I find it captivating listening to the music and then seeing the artists visualisation of the piece via the vinyl cover designs or accompanying artwork. As a visual creative, I like to grasp a sense of the emotions within a piece of music just by looking at the visuals, then when I listen to it I can instantly see the compatibility.

This exhibition emphasised multi sensory elements to really engage me with the experience, this has really inspired me to look at how I can further represent music looking at all the senses of the target audience. This exhibition has inspired one of my personal briefs as I hope to look at creating a large scale instillation/exhibition focusing on all aspects of user experience.

Artists in the show: 

James Lavelle
Ben Drury
Futura
3D from Massive Attack
Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones
Doug Foster
Jonathan Glazer
Ty Evans and Spike Jonze
Shynola
Nathan Coley
John Nolan
John Issacs
Norbert Schoerner

Archive merchandise items being shown: 

Medicom
Supreme
Bathing Ape
The Vinyl factory
Mo’Wax arts
UNKLE records
Converse
Nike
Neighborhood
Fourness
Undercover
Hysteric glamour

Personally, some of the most exciting artists shown was Jonathan Glazer, who conducts some amazing material within the film industry, and 3D from Massive Attack. 3D was particularly thrilling due to his connections to the artist Banksy, these connections can be seen in the article, http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/banksy-robert-del-naja-massive-attack-art-who-is-he-identity-real-name-graffiti-music-similarities-a7805741.html

Even if the idea of 3D being Banksy is pure speculation and conspiracy, their relationships both on a aesthetic and musical level is fascinating.

Photographs from some of the most inspirational pieces from the exhibition have been attached below;

OUGD602 - 'Creativity' Article Inspiration

An article in a magazine recently caught my attention as I could relate my professional practice to it so much, this article was headed 'Is Creativity The Cure?'. The overarching theme throughout the article was how harnessing inspiration and creativity can lead to a healthier mindset making you happier, less stressed and more confident. This article was aimed towards the general public and therefore was extremely open towards all forms of creative thinking and self expression. It reiterated that all forms of expressing your personality can be seen as a form of mind yoga and is extremely important to feel more rewarded and well rounded as a person.

My own personal views resonate with this ideology so much as I understand the feeling of reward and fulfilment after thinking creatively. It can often be extremely therapeutic for me when I am designing and can help my mind destress and unwind. This is relevant to all forms of creativity which I undertake whether it be drawing, designing, photography, DJing or music production.

OUGD602 - Evaluating Fruit Packaging Designs / Extended OUGD505 Thoughts

Whilst reading the newspaper, I came across a small article about how sell by dates are starting to be layered onto avocados, saving the need for unsustainable packaging being used around the product. Similarities were noticed with this concept and some of my own fruit packaging design concepts in the OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 project. However, this sell by date concept utilises more of a functional purpose rather than decorative like my wax on banana concept. Both ideas prioritise the sustainability of the product by removing and plastic packaging and applying type or design directly onto the skin of the fruit, this allows the product to be as biodegradable as possible.

Following on from this article, I noticed a coconut product in a supermarket a few days later which also utilises a similar technique. This packaging design however, seems to have applied etching or wood burning to the exterior of the fruit in order to display its brand identity. It has also minimised the packaging design of the coconut water by leaving the water in its natural enclosure and adding a can piercing to the top of the coconut allowing the consumer to easily open and consume the product. This not only makes the product more sustainable via minimalist packaging and waste, but also intrigues the customer to buy this version of coconut water instead of other bottled brands because it appears the most natural and unaltered from nature. The company has identified its demographic to be a healthy and organic customer and capitalised on that characteristic by appearing to be the most natural and organic product.