Laura Ashley Design Services Competition

Laura Ashley have launched an interior design competition where amateur designers can submit a moodboard representing a room chosen by Laura Ashley and a made up client. The deadline is the 31st October, here is the brief. 


The Challenge:
Create a design using Laura Ashley products according to the following project brief. Present your design using a moodboard and include a description of your scheme, listing your product choice and the ideas behind each of these per room.


Client Profile:
The husband was a banker and the wife a florist. Both are recently retired, their children have flown the nest, but often visit with their grand children. Their home is a spacious house in the country. They love their garden and spend a lot of time in it. They also enioy entertaining and spending time with family and friends.


The Rooms:
KITCHEN: This will be the heart of the house and has space for dining and living. There is one window above the sink and some French doors leading to a patio area.


LIVING ROOM: This should have a "Drawing Room" feel, featuring a large bay window.


GUEST ROOM: This will normally be used for the grand children and occasionally used as an adult guest room. The room has a full length window with a balcony.


The Budget: 
There is no set budget for the project as the main objective is to allow you to create your Inspired Designs for the room of your choice.

Fundació Joan Miró

Exhibition Summary

This exhibition in Barcelona, is a huge showcase of Joan Miro’s work dating back as far as 1914. The collection includes a variety of his pieces including paintings, tapestries, early sketches and a rooftop terrace of sculptures. The gallery space also in includes an area for temporary exhibitions featuring different artists on a regular basis. 

My Thoughts and Experience

I was particularly excited about visiting this gallery, not only for Joan Miro's work but also for the temporary exhibition which was on based on projections on light, which I felt related quite well to project I have undertaken. The exhibition really played with light, in some areas films were projected onto the ceiling, shifting the viewers focus and supplying them with beanbags to view the films lying down. The exhibition also had fabric layers that could be walked through in bright colours with text projected onto them that moved around. I found it amazing and it made me realise the power of lights within artwork and the atmosphere they can create in a space. I feel this could be something I look into doing in future projects.

Aswell as the temporary exhibition Joan Miro's work was also a great experience. I had seen his work previously and presumed most of it was simple, using just primary colours but I was surprised to see a real variety of his work. Although the paintings and sketches interested me, my favourite area of the gallery was the collection of sculptures. I find them both humorous and clever and though they perhaps hold a deeper meaning to them they are something that can be enjoyed by every age and I think this is a great thing to be able to achieve. As I have been creating props for a play which are of similar sizes and have a surreal element to them, Miro's work helped me grasp a sense of how to go about making them for myself. I have made hands that are three feet tall and I can't help but be influenced by what I saw at Miro's gallery. 

Barcelona Buildings II

Building Outline


Barcelona is full of historical buildings dating back to medieval times, some even as far back as the roman settlement in Barcelona. From Gaudi's quirky architecture from the late 1800's to traditional cathedrals, Barcelona is full of exciting, unusual and fantastic architecture.


My Thoughts and Experiences


I have always been interested in architecture, particularly buildings which are extremely old as I find history a fascinating subject. When visiting Barcelona's old town the whole area is full of amazing buildings which have stood for many years. However impressive these are, the Gaudi buildings really are breath taking. They are over one hundred years old yet in comparison to other buildings from the era they are incredibly different. His work is unlike any of its time and the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and the building in the image all help prove this point. I love how they almost look imaginary and something dream like. The window shapes remind me of something you'd find in a theme park, not in the middle of shops. The stained glass shows beautiful curls and I love the colours he uses on the outside of his buildings, contrasting with brick of surrounding buildings. Although I don't study architecture houses and interiors remain something I am fond of and as my work can often reflect this I find architecture a very inspiring subject. 

Barcelona Buildings

BLOG

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am Emily, a third year Interactive Arts student. My work often focuses on interior and fashion objects aswell as looking at recycling as a common theme. I hope my blog will help convey my own practice aswell as what influences and inspires me along the way. 

Lacoste, France. Student Exhibition

Exhibition Summary


I came across this exhibition whilst visiting Lacoste in Provencal, France. The exhibition was in a tiny town which had been taken over by the Savannah Art School, an American university which had set up their own study area within the town. The students spent a certain part of their semester studying in this picturesque area and held an exhibition with their conclusive works for sale at the end of their stay.


My Thoughts and Experiences


I found this exhibition particularly interesting as it was by students my own age or younger. Although the exhibition was fantastically diverse, showcasing sculptures, painting and textiles I found that the location is what made it so spectacular. The exhibitions were either in small rooms off a central pedestrianised hill or outside on the pavements. The work really set into its surroundings and a lot of the students work seemed completely affected by their environment. Many students showed images of landscapes and people they had come across on their stay. The exhibition showed real diversity between the students and fantastic views across the landscape. One piece I particularly liked was a wall which previously had been ruined with graffiti, painted to look like brickwork to make it blend in with the old, traditional walls. The exhibition as a whole was a great thing to stumble across and I enjoyed exploring the vast rooms of work. In terms of my own work the media was so diverse that it became easy to find certain pieces that related to my own practice. I also came away inspired to draw and paint, whereas normally I make things this had me wanting to try something different.