'Learning to love more'

'Learning to Love you more' is a book I stumbled across whilst having a "quick look" in Borders. It's photography and endearing name meant that this particular book warranted a peek. After reading the introduction I bought the book. 'Learning to Love you more' is made from the general publics response to assignments set by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher. Participants accept an assignment, complete it by following the simple but specific instructions, send in the required report (photograph, text, video, etc), and see their work posted on-line. All these completed works were then published in this book. The assignments are intended to guide people towards their own experience. For example one assignment reads 'Write a phone call you wish you could have.' With so many people providing a variety of outcomes the collected work shows many different styles and interpretations. What is perhaps most interesting about the book is how the different lives and backgrounds of each person reflects the different work that is created. Seeing so many talented designs/artists/photographers respond to the same question is fascinating.

(Learning To Love You More is also an ever-changing series of exhibitions, screenings and radio broadcasts presented all over the world.)

Requiem for a Dream

Requiem for a dream follows the paralleled lives of four individuals and their addiction to heroin, cocaine and diet pills.It shows the direct and indirect effects that drugs and various addictions have on each of the individuals, and then portrays their downward spirals from their hopes and dreams. What I found inspiring about this film was it's abilities to push the boundaries when representing the effects of drugs on the body. By playing with camera angles and effects, lighting and narrative director Darren Aronofsky created some very effective visuals to go with this impactful storyline.

Love New York

This summer I was lucky enough to visit New York for a third time. Having had to previous trips there and still not seen everything I had wanted I was determined to get up early every morning and explore. Art museums were my first targets before visiting the other tourists attractions. After being overwhelmed by time square on my first visit I was now used to the fast moving city and the typical new yorker. In New York inspiration can be drawn from everywhere. I hope to move to New York on a permanent basis some day to experience this forward thinking culture. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Having heard a lot about this film I felt I should have a look for myself. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind was released in 2004 and was directed by Michael Gondry. Eternal Sunshine picked up numerous Saturn awards, as well as an two oscars for best writing and original screenplay. Eternal Sunshine follows the story of a couple who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship ends. The film, which takes place mainly in Joel's (Jim Carrey) mind replays events from his relationship with Clementine (Kate Winslet) who has had all memories of him erased. We see the events unfold from most recent to oldest memories. Whilst each memory is recovered by Joel they are erased within by the medical procedure. It is only when Joel replays all his past does he realize what he has lost, and decides he no longer wants to erase Clementine. It is at this point in the film where it's creativity is at his strongest- in an attempt to save his memories he tries to hide Clementine's memories in places where she does not belong. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind takes a clever story line and produces a radical example of Maze cinema- in which the story is told backwards. This film keeps you guessing at every turn and you are desperate to see how this story ends. 

Madame Tussaud's, London

The world famous Madame Tussaud's is definitely somewhere a hopeful designer should go. I was astounded at the attention to detail and the careful observation that was used in order to re-create famous characters. It was however quite expensive on entry, and is not a place you would want to re-visit but is a good place to go for the one-off experience.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

After visiting the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield I was impressed by the scale and attention to detail of each sculpture. Although it is only home to a small number of artists the Yorkshire Sculpture park is a great place to visit for inspiration when working in 3D. Designers Edward Padozzi and Antony Gormley (famous for his design of the Angel of the North) have work on display here, with a large section of work dedicated to Gormley. A great place to visit on a warm day!

National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford

The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, in Bradford displays a variety of information ranging from the earliest television footage, stories behind photography, and early animation. It's interactive displays means that you can get involved and request what television, film and animation clips you would most like to see. The museum has a number of permanent galleries, temporary exhibitions and three cinemas-including an i-Max. During my trip I was intriged by the 3D i-max screen so requested that we go see a show. Although the show was on sea life (something that I'm not particulary interested in) I was impressed by the 3D animation and the general experience. With an interest in photography I spent a lot of time reading the background information that explained the certain images. An excellent place of reference when learning about the media.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a place in which I would recommend to anyone looking to take high quality photography. The overall architecture is impressive and there are some innovative building designs to be seen. e.g. Arcam information centre.

Guggenheim, New York

During my time in New York I made sure I had enough time to visit various museums- the Guggenheim being at the top of my list. What is most striking about this museum is it's architecture. It's famous swirled design has inspired many other building and places to have a similar structure e.g. The City of Manchester stadium built for the commonwealth games and home to Manchester City football club have used a similar ramp designs to enable people to get from different levels. The work displayed inside the building provides a wide variety of styles and features, although is not as big as the MoMA I preferred the museum layout and overall experience. 

Gaudi Architecture, Barcelona

During the summer I organized a trip to Barcelona, whilst I was there I made sure I was able to visit the Gaudi museum. Within the museum there is a small, mock version of the actual building which was used when designing it's layout. Its impressive, and well thought out plans show the thought processes behind this unusual design. On the top floor of the museum you are able to look out across Barcelona whilst surrounded by Gaudi sculptures. If the sculptures weren't enough to look at there is always the surrounding scenery which I believed to be equally inspiring. A must see for any designer!