The Wallace Collection

For this collection, because it's more of a home collection and not really a museum exhibit i think that the engraved labels on the frame works well. Also since there are a few rooms with quite an excessive amount of paintings hanging on the walls it would look kind of tacky to have a bunch of labels on the walls adding to this excess. Given this collection i prefer the engravings, but they work in other museums. 

The object that most captivated my attention was the armour room. Immediately upon entering the room you see a 15th century 'Gothic' equestrian armour set, the armour is displayed on a horse and warrior mannequin and the intensity of the armor is quite captivating. It's shininess and intricate detail shows the amount of work and thought that went into making this; it's amazing that these armor sets were designed specifically for each warrior given different sizes and such.  

There wasn't an object, but a room with over the top decor that really put me off. The wall paper/fabric matched the drapes which matched the upholstery on the chairs. I was surprised there wasn't a carpet with the same fabric. I don't even think that this complemented the art work or objects which were in the room. I think a lot of the furniture that was displayed was quite excessive and overly ornate; many of the bookshelves and drawers were onyx and gold, making some striking and eye catching, but then would be painted with extreme detail and then accompanied by an angel woodcarving or something. Some things just got to be too much.  

My favorite museum experience was at the Saatchi Gallery. I enjoyed the tour that included some background to the artists of the pieces we were shown. It made the experience more engaging. I also think this gallery had some really interesting works that I could not imagine seeing anywhere else (i.e. the oil room). The pieces at the Saatchi are very original and through provoking and I liked that they don't provide explanation of the works, it forces the viewers to create their own opinions and ideas of what they see in art. 

I always enjoyed visiting art museums but I enjoyed the fact that with this course I visited some museums i may not have gone to on my own. I have a greater interest in going to more art galleries and now recognize and appreciate the branding and design that goes on more behind the scenes of the institutions. 

Steven, thanks for a great course and semester! I really enjoyed getting to know you and exploring London with you and the class! I was able to see a lot of art that i've studied and appreciate as well as learn about new and different museums and art. :)

Brit Insurance Design Awards: My Votes

Brit Insurance Design Awards

Architecture:

The Tape Installation by Numen/For Use

I found this tape creation to be really cool, and remind me of playing with tape as a child.  I thought it was very interesting that the concept for this was drawn from a dance performance and was turned life size. it also reminded me of hamster cage tubes.  

Furniture:

Thomas Heatherwick's Spun Chair is an innovative and interesting design for a chair. I thought that it kind of made sitting down fun, and suitable for people of all sizes. It's one of those things that you're kind of timid to try out for yourself but once you do you're glad to have tried it. It feel like you're about to fall over and then you just kind of spin around in circles like a top. 

Transport:

The Barclays Cycle Hire by Transport for London and Serco

I think this is a great idea for any city, I wish Chicago and Madison did this. Anyone can pay a pound to enjoy the sights of the city in a completely new way tan being driven around by some tour bus or walking until your legs collapse. This system also promotes exercise and healthy living as well as a 'green' way of getting to know London. 

Graphics:

Homemade is Best by Forsman and Bodenfors for IKEA

This interesting and artistic way of arranging different recipes is visually pleasing. The symmetry of the arrangements and the calming color scheme make the presentation interesting and beautiful. Everything looks so perfect and precise, which kind of goes with the idea of cooking-- people are always trying to get the exact amount of each ingredient needed. 

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Within minutes of entering the Wim Crouwel exhibit I was pretty disinterested. The posters lined along the wall were pretty small and not that eye catching unless the had extremely vivid or neon colors. The room was much too large to keep winding around the below the waist level cases that seemed to contain papers and images all very similar. The room was hot and over all quite boring. 

I'm not exactly sure why, but the overall exhibit kind of reminded me of a sculpture in Chicago- an untitled piece by Picasso in the Daley Plaza. Perhaps the rigid lines remind me of the text and architectural-esque quality of Crouwel's work. The colors used in the posters did remind me of some of the works by Mark Rothko who used vivid contrasting colors a lot to make them stand out against each other- as Crouwel seems to do. 

The Saatchi Gallery

The Saatchi gallery definitely offers various sightlines, for those works that aren't just hung on the wall. They leave room for you to walk around and observe many different pieces at once. This is different in some other museums, you can't typically go so close to some art works and at the Saatchi they almost invite you to touch some of the art. 

I like that the gallery uses very minimal text in relation to the art. Sometimes i felt that some of the works (sculptures particularly) where it would be nice to know the medium, or the process. 

I think that some of the works in the Saatchi gallery are a little adventurous. i think there are also some works that are questionable in subject matter. I like how different some of the pieces are though, namely the oil room i found to be extremely interesting. I can see many artists being discovered and popular because of the Saatchi, but i can also see some works that just will never be of wide-scale interest.