Matt just spotted me on this year’s Sydney Design 2011 web site. The photo was taken during the 2 day See-saw project I mentored last year.
For more information on this year’s See-saw project, visit: http://www.sydneydesign.com.au/2011/exhibitions/see-saw-mend-make-do-build-anew
A good turnout!
I met Ravi. He’s deaf so we communicated via his iPhone. Highlight of the night for me!
Speeches (in which I was handed a bag of goodies and a bottle of wine!).
Our installation went off. I got so much great feedback on the night and people were actually playing with the 3D shapes which was great to see.
Despite feeling tired (my left eye is twitching uncontrollably!) I made it to the See-Saw opening night tonight. All the students I mentored were there, all the other students, mentors + friends and family too.
It’s been a really fun experience and I’m super happy with how it all went. The emails I got yesterday from my group thanking me for being involved made my day (it’s most important to me that they had fun!).
Today was the final day of the See-Saw project for my group (group 4, one to come). Time crept up on us but we got everything done and displayed by the deadline (Gaffa Gallery shuts at 6pm). It’s been a challenging and rewarding experience for myself and the students in my group too I’m sure.
Day 2. Ben and Yerevan hard at it.
Dave was meant to be the “invisible” photographer but it was hard to not notice the guy, he’s a giant! (PS: top guy too!).
Another killer lunch today.
Setting up our space looking in from Gallery 1.
Our massive golden mean sits on the right wall. Below it you can see the pieces which we cut out of the golden mean to form our letter shapes.
Our little room sits between Gallery 1 and Gallery 2 so we aptly named it Gallery 1.5 (our typeface in action!).
Visitors are encouraged to move the 3D shapes in front of them to form letters from our typeface on the far wall.
Be sure to drop into Gaffa Gallery this Saturday afternoon from 5-7pm for some drinks and to check out what all the groups have done.
For more information visit: http://www.gaffa.com.au/#171073/Gallery-One-29-July-9-August-2010SEESAWGroup
Yesterday morning I headed over to Gaffa Gallery to begin the 2 day See-Saw project (a part of Sydney Design 2010). The 4 students I’ll be mentoring over the 2 days received the brief, basic design materials (paper, card, tape, pens, knives et.c) and a room to work in (a video camera in the room projected our progress in real time into the main Gaffa Gallery space).
Our theme was typography and semantics and our brief was fairly open ended. After an hour or so of bouncing ideas around we ended up de-constructing the golden mean into basic shapes (like a tangram) and using these basic shapes to form a typeface which we’re also creating in 3D for people to play with on opening night next Saturday.
Basic materials we were given to use. No computers? Oh noes!
Our progress was projected all day into the main gallery space which was open to the public.
My team (is awesome).
No compass set. Irina and I creating the golden mean with the tools we were given.
Tracing the logarithmic spiral.
Using the ancient Chinese tangram game concept we cut up the spiral into basic shapes.
Lunch break on the rooftop (so good to get out of the studio!). Food was supplied by The Commons in Darlinghurst (yum yum).
Kids these days, so hip.
Back in the studio we started designing our typeface using the various pieces we cut out of the golden mean.
Numbering the separate parts of our tangram made documenting each letter design easy.
Cressida working on the letter “a”. We made a grid using string and tape and using cardboard cut-outs of our shapes we started laying out our typeface in the gallery.
Ben working on the 3D element.
Yerevan working on 3D element.
One 3D shape almost done.
Type wall almost done.
Yesterday was a blast. We’ll be at it again today from 10am – 6pm so feel free to drop in and say Hi! Otherwise be sure to check out the final show on Saturday where the results from all 5 groups will be on show.
For more information visit: http://www.sydneydesign.com.au/2010/index.php/exhibitions/see-saw-a-collection-of-short-stories
A while back I mentioned that I’ve been invited to be a mentor in a 2 day Sydney Design 2010 project called See-Saw. Yesterday I got to meet the 4 students I’ll be mentoring at Gaffa Gallery where we’ll be participating in the project (as well as where the project will end up being displayed). Each one of them is from a different design school (COFA, UTS, Billy Blue and Enmore) and all of them have been specially selected by their respective schools to represent.
I’m pretty excited about the project and I think I’ve got a pretty cool crew. It’s hard not to be competitive (there are a few groups and disciplines, each with a different mentor) and luckily for me I have the brief before it all begins on the 4th of next month.
The 4 students I’ll be mentoring (excluding the big guy who was taking pics of us).
The brief the students will be getting on the 1st day of the project.
To find out more about the project visit: http://www.sydneydesign.com.au/2010/index.php/exhibitions/see-saw-a-collection-of-short-stories
I’ve been invited to be a mentor of See-Saw which will be one of many events that will form Sydney Design 2010. Fitting as the annual Sydney Design event was where it all started for me in 1999 (I had the opportunity to present the INfront manifesto in front of a large audience at Darling Harbour).
See-Saw will be: ‘a collection of short stories’. 25 students, 5 mentors, 1 story. The art of storytelling is a collaborative effort. Through design we take the same back and forth process of storytelling beyond a verbal exchange into more visual and tangible outcomes.
Yesterday Daniel Dittmar (who’s running the project) sent me an email asking for a little content from me (about me). He asked a couple of questions which I had fun answering (as it all just came out without thought).
I used to do a lot of interviews for various design related online and offline magazines and web sites. I enjoyed doing them too as I found that every time I answered questions I was defining where I was at that very moment. Sometimes I read my own answers back and realised that I was proud of where I was at, sometimes I read it back and realised I had to change my ways or push harder.
I thought I’d post up a couple of his questions and my answers:
– A short spiel on your approach to design practice
With more creative stuff (art) I always liked the idea of taking from my personal background. Sometimes I’d photoshop a photo of my grandma (or another relative, or personal belonging, or anything I loved at the time or times before) into a layer and work it into the image. The end viewer might not see it in the final image but I know it’s there and that makes all the difference to me.
With less creative work (design) I tend to try and be as invisible as possible. I still believe that good design is invisible. You can’t/shouldn’t have to see it, it just works. If a client is asking for a mac operator I fire them, if they’re asking for art I fire them too (sometimes).
– The focus of your design practice
I’ve been working for myself for so long now and I’m very inconsistent with the amount of commercial work I take on. But my focus is very much on my passions, or more importantly whatever passion I value the most in the current moment. I’m only ever capable of being in the zone when I am truly obsessive compulsive about something be it art, design, cars or bikes.
Post See-Saw, Christina and I thought we’d duck into The Galleries Victoria for dinner and also into Kino to find my cousin a pressie for his B’day. I was stoked to see fixies still hanging up (I thought I’d missed the Fixed Up exhibit) and I was even more stoked to spot a BMU jersey from the 2nd floor. It was Felix!
Luckily I had my camera on me. Here are a few pics I rattled off:
You can view more here: http://www.bikesmoveus.com.au/showthread.php?t=3565
Just got back home from a crazy day out at Stromlo Forest Park in Canberra.
In attendance was Jing (Trance), Zi (Blur LT), Crazy Dave (Anthem), Simon (Cell carbon hardtail) and myself (Reign).
I had little sleep last night, and was more than happy to bail but with a bit of pressure from Zi and Jing I considered my arm twisted and up I got.
We hit the M5 and stopped over at Pheasants Nest/Mobil for a bite of brekky ($25 for 2 sandwiches and a pie? What a rip!). I handed the keys over to Jing at this point and went to sleep for a couple of hours (thanks Jing!).
The carpark was full when we got there, the park featured all new signage and identity design since I was last here (Word cup). There was a big group of newbies playing around on logs in what looked like an introduction to mountain biking course of some sort (nice). And it wasn’t long before we were sitting at the base of the mountain checking out the trail options.
We ended up going for trail Loop 2
Rating – Intermediate
Time – 45 to 90 minutes
Loop 2 is one of the shorter loops climbing, traversing and taking you to access points to most of Stromlo Forest Park. The trail uses the main trunk trail network to climb gently to the top of Mt Stromlo, before a long, flowing descent back to the car park area. Riders are rewarded with expansive 360 degree views of the ACT from the summit and a descent that will leave you smiling for days. This trail requires a degree of fitness and skill level as there are a number of challenging climbs and obstacles.
As soon as we got going there was a funny log ride structure the boys were standing around. I had Grant’s saying “those who hesitate, masturbate” in my head and despite not being warmed up I did it and that pretty much set my confidence levels up for a good part of the ride. Helps I was riding flats too.
The trail had a lot of tight switchbacks making the climb up the mountain (all the way to the damn top) interesting (ie: less painful). Once we got to the top the view from the observatory was amazing. And from there the descent back down to the carpark was an enlightening experience (yes the climb was well worth it!). Fanging it through the massive green container into a massive series of berms put a smile on everyone’s face.
We had a bit to eat and set out to do Loop 6:
Rating – Intermediate/Advanced
Time – 60 to 90 minutes
Loop 6 is a demanding ride that takes you over the Northern trails, climbing steeply to Echidna Gap before plunging down to the Western side of Stromlo Forest Park. The superb Double Dissolution trail drops you out near the Western Car park before you make your way back along the northern trails to the start point. The trail takes in a wide variety of the terrain and is able to be linked with a variety of other trails. Make sure you have your climbing legs on and enough in the tank to enjoy the fun and moderately technical descent
The climb was a little less fun than the last loop we did, steeper, more relentless but never boring. Again we climbed up to the top of the mountain but the descent down was more along side the mountain than straight down offering more variation in terrain. There was a silly see-saw thing that I had a go on too (only because the boys egged me on!) I almost fucked it, but managed to somehow pull it off :)
I was spent at the end of this, Zi had a few bad cramps, Dave and Simon were done too but Jing and Clifton wanted more, Zi decided the same but he didn’t want to climb up again so the three were shuttled up to the top and did the downhill part of Loop 2 again, at this time the rain came too so I was glad I was all warm and cozy in the car lol.
All in all despite the farking cold weather I had heaps of fun. The signage was insanely clear and you were never ever lost. I did think that the trails we did felt very man made, in the end I couldn’t help but feel that you really just had to climb up to the top of Mt. Stromlo in order to have fun going down.
6.30AM, stinging eyes but ready to roll.
7am at Zi’s. Dave’s Stagea is soooo hot. I love it. Lots.
M5.
A cyclocross event was happening.
Far from the best cyclocross bike there but unforunately the only one I got a snap of.
Decisions decisions!
Main map.
More trails!
Jing and Clifton just checking out some of the double diamond stuff.
At the very top of Mt. Stromlo these were these remains of an old observatory building.
I thought I’d go inside it and take a snap of the Reign.
We thought we’d check out the observatory building whilst we were here.
These things looked like space pods! So sci-fi cool.
Black Diamond warnings.
Loop 6.
Great signage througout.
Great names too.