Made Madd » Inspiration

Tiger shaped sunshine.

Lydia — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:35:39 +0000

I do not really like nature. I suffer from hay fever, get bored when ‘walking’ , never relax, usually moan, and have to have some sort of picnic or food orientated goal to dilute the arduous task. However, yesterday was very different. It seemed that the sun was perfection and there was a lovely welsh breeze. My new baby sister had been born merely 3 days earlier and my other siblings (Tiger and Millie) were being complete legends.

Nature was lovely.

We walked along the fields, sat on the grass outside our house, raced each other and played games barefoot. It was all very Rousseau. I can truthfully say that i really enjoyed myself. I liked being muddy, not having to worry about anything and not caring what my hair looked like. Perhaps this is my post-finals-mother-nature-rehab recovered self… or perhaps my Claritin (Hayfever drug) had distorted my cynicism.

Either way, i even made an ‘aww’ noise at a passing lamb.

Despite their nostalgia and subjective sentiment, what i love about these pictures is the warm LIGHT, the youthful MOVEMENT, the playful saturated COLOURS and dare I say, the nature.

All pictures by Lydia Pang

Nostalgia; going forward?

Lydia — Thu, 13 May 2010 10:25:46 +0000

I have noticed… perhaps due to my dissertation being centered around tracing childhood memories and adult introspection… that ‘nostalgia’ has become a massive part of our visual future. Carol Mavor, in her stunning theoretical study ‘Reading Boyishly’, rescues nostalgia from an idealised cliche, and postulates that is it really about the notion of home, comfort and Heimlich (Freud’s familiar).

In the light of my thesis and by reading childhood memories as future projections, rather than past introjections, i can suddenly see this ‘home’ feeling everywhere… and i like it.

Traces of a past, subjective fragments and materials that connote a feeling of ‘home’ seem to have formed an established ‘visual’; it is naive, the fabrics are soft, aged, recycled. Designs are simplistic, minimalistic even, embracing the future yet through the past.

I love this Corsage straw hat (ASOS), it looks like summer, impractical decadence and country morale.

This is the book cover of ‘Recycled Home’ by Mark and Sally Bailey (check out their project: http://www.baileyshomeandgarden.com) – they own a warehouse project and workshop/farm that specializes in giving new life to old objects imported from France. They make concrete and glass seem warm for the home.

This paper alarm clock (http://joonjung.com/category/portfolio/) perfectly encapsulates what i mean about fusing delicate fabrics with functionality. The hybridity of soft paper with wires is a nice contrast.

Lace and socks (Kron Kron S/S 10 collection) signify, for me, home. Childhood and naivety. Topshop are rinsing lace at the moment so contrasting it with less contrived fabrics dilutes the disposable nature of this trend boom. And socks, well, they’ve always rocked (especially with open toe)

This cloud stool is amazing; modern, sleek and covetable it genuinely looks comfy but still not ‘twee’… nostalgia and fantasy brought into life. (http://joonjung.com/03/2010/cloud-stool/)

A gift off Roo one Christmas, these cups are made from the imprints of Victorian lace and yet brilliantly nod to the uncanny bizarre of surrealism in a utility object. (http://www.undergrowthdesign.com/)

Feels like home.

The Genius of Design

Andrew — Sat, 08 May 2010 19:03:28 +0000

Just a quick post to say watch ‘The Genius of Design’ on BBC iPlayer. Quite a comprehensive little documentary, and it is nice to see the details of the industrial design world being brought to the attention of the public eye. Hopefully this sort of education will breed a more responsible consumer and together we can vet out the companies that produce the junk this planet could desperately do without!

The Genius of Design, Episode 1: Ghosts in the Machine http://bbc.co.uk/i/sc85s/

Memoirs of a Moonbeam

Lydia — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:56:41 +0000

“the camera always separates the subject from the viewer” Susan Derges.

No nonsense, no studio, no click, just light, water and paper. At London Art Fair 2010 these photographs struck me due to their natural intimacy with light, and the fascinating fact that they are created without a camera. I love the idea of a camera-less image being processed of nature and through nature. Totally negating our growing dependence on the camera as an extension of our eye, Derges explores the relationship between us and nature, our separation and connectedness. For her, I suppose, the lens is merely a barrier between our gaze and the moonlight.

For more info on her go to (susanderges.com) or her representatives at LDN ART FAIR 10 (purdyhicks.com)

(Photo one by author, Photo two courtesy of www.inglebygallery.com, Photo three courtesy of www.3ayak.org)

Basic As

Ollie — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:21:47 +0000

The Basic Table by Resource Furniture is good for guests who wanna bitch about eating your food on the floor or the small coffee table you found in a skip.

Available in square and rectangular shape, made from veneered MDF and aluminium feet, it looks pretty solid if you’ve got the room for it.

BUT what about the seating situation? A second set of chairs to deal with the new seating and eating situation?

Not too many meals are on enjoyed on feet!

http://www.likecool.com/Home/Design/Basic%20Table/Basic-Table.jpg

Seat

Ollie — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:38:19 +0000

Check out this sweet piece of furniture, the Berta Chair by Alexander Gufler. I’m a fan of the v.simple look and build.

From the man himself:

“In this shell chair the legs are held directly by the seat- and back shell. In combination with the substructure this parts become a stable unit. The intersection of the shells and legs results also into the armrest. The chair impresses with its easy-held outside and comfortable seating. Another focus has been laid on a low and good manufacturability. Berta is made from solid ash and ash veneered plywood.”

via the Contemporist

By the way, I’m Ollie.

Expect all sorts