FIGHT FOR LIGHT

Intuitive and inspiring. Rogier van der Heide offers his careful observations on an issue we neglect to entertain on a daily basis. Clumsily we fight darkness with careless light only to gradually diminish the visibility of the natural product we strive to emulate.

Added to the list of human climate contradictions we clearly need to think about for the sake of our well being.


Courtesy of TED talks

NAOTO FUKASAWA

Watching Gary Hustwit's feature length documentary Objectified, I hit pause, then rewind as industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa speaks in earnest of the influences in his life that have informed his designs. In particular, the origin of the small angular object he holds in his palm, his cell-phone.

Red and symmetrically angular, like a diamond, it was designed to be appealing to the eye but also to the touch. By deliberately not creating such an aerodynamic shape his intentions are that one's fingers would inexplicably desire to touch the edges and explore the unique texture of the object. He continues to add that you might not necessarily realise you were doing it unless it was pointed out by somebody. This approach of using the subconscious interaction as a method to establish a sincere connection to an 'object' is of particular interest to him. Fukasawa thought about the way in which people don't think about the tools they use, as they use them. Such as a pen. A pen is held most naturally the less that the person thinks about how to hold it. Establishing this connection is intrinsic to good design.

The cell phone was born directly from a fond memory and fascination of peeling a potato. As you peel part of the skin you carve a distinct composition, you reveal the inner colour, and cleanse it in the process. Yet the further you peel in search of perfection, the dirtier the potato again becomes. and you sculpt a new identity.

HELMO

French creative duet HELMO (Thomas Couderc and Clément Vauchez) have a large body of work which spans from illustration right across to installation with certainly some interesting approaches to each task they undertake. I'm immediately enticed by their 'Coloured Smoke' series, shown above and here. Photography that's both attractive and mysterious in equal doses, capturing a sense of obscurity that compliments the ambiguous subject matter...

Anthony Burrill

I have always been a fan of Burrill's work. Sometimes playful, often mood-inspiring and always confidently positive in form, shape and tone. Much of his work is crafted within the realms of printmaking and as a result, colour, composition and simplicity are always astutely considered...

Shapes

Each shape is a product of straght lines and circles. The only rule governing the way in which the shape is formed is that each remain within an equal sided square. The number of individual lines or circles contained within each design is entirely dependant on my will to stop adding at the point of aethetic harmony. Maintaining a roughly equal balance of white to black. A generous portion of negative space...

John Whitney-Matrix III (1972)

The metamorphosis of varying shapes ebb and flow through one another drifting in an out of symmetry with the delicate fluid movement of water. the precision and attention to detail with which Whitney crafts this animation is staggering. I felt transfixed yet calmed by the varying pace in transition between shape and direction and the entire piece is delicately complimented by a piece of music that fits like a glove.
John Whitney is widely considered a godfather of animation, pioneering the development and execution of motion graphics in both television and film using hardware developed and created by himself at a time when such devices simply did not exist.
His known works include the title sequence collaboration with artist and designer Saul Bass in Hitchcock's 1958 film Vertigo.