Museums

V&A Museum
Fashion Vs Sports Exhibition

Over summer I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to see an exhibition combining contemporary fashion and global sports brands.
There were about 60 outfits on display combining essential wear like trainers with
cat walk dresses, a very interesting look was produced.
The exhibition began to reveal "the complexities and tensions between the two industries", however, the combination seemed natural to me as sports wear often makes fashion statements, through florescent colours, and punchy logos like Nike and Adidas.
Overall, the exhibition inspired me in the way of my own dress sense, why not combine fashion and sports, it would mean comfort and fashion chique at the same time!











SEX MUSEUM, Amsterdam, 'Venusetempel'

In my first year of university, I participated in a LUU organised charity hitch-hike to Amsterdam. This trip in itself was very inspiring as you get a taste of Dutch culture, and whilst site-seeing, our group went to the renowned 'Sex Museum'.

Some may argue that this museum is untastefull and crude, however, the Dutch have a light hearted approach to sexuality, and the museum itself is very tongue in cheek.

the museum opened in 1985, and it was unknown whether the idea would take off, however, being in the centre of Amsterdam, a city known for its relaxed approach to all things sexual, the Museum was a success.

When we went to see the exhibition, there were a lot of giggles, but looking back, its quite inspiring that a museum can show such erotic objects in a light hearted way, and entertain all those who visit. It's nice to know that people can look at the funny side, as well as the historic side. It really shows how the culture of Amsterdam is so different to others, but all tourists seem to embrace it when they visit.

There is a Graphic design trip to Amsterdam this year, and it would be great to go again, this time maybe with a more open mind, and to see some of the attractions i missed out on, like the Anne Frank House for example, A really inspiring place i'm sure...


'STREET AND STUDIO' - An Urban History of Photography.
22nd May - 31st August 2008, Tate Modern, London.

On the 7th of August, i visited the Tate Modern to see this exhibition. It automatically appealed to me as I am inspired by 'Street Art', and the leaders in this field, such as Banksy. However, i had little knowledge of other street artists from all over the world, and wanted to develop my awareness further.

As i approached the Tate Modern from London's Millennium Bridge (an interesting piece of architecture itself which i will mention later on in this blog), i am greeted by a forty foot poster of a man pointing a gun towards me. This image is visually very striking and makes a social comment on the stereotype of 'Street Life' characters.

This is not the only poster plastered along the front of the Tate Modern, there are several more, all very different and exciting works of street art from all over the world.

The rest of the exhibition is displayed inside the building. This

further highlights the parallel development of the 'Street' and the 'Studio'.
The Studio is a more controlled environment where identities and images can be constructed. Urban life can be portrayed through the use of props and costumes, it is a private space allowing chemistry to be created between subject and camera.

Street photography on the other hand, provides a more gritty, and arguably, more realistic portrayal of life and subject, as it captures people unaware and at their least self-conscious. However, the street itself can be used as a stage to create a fictional image, therefore, as part of an extension of the 'Studio'.

i find this very interesting as a designer, as i often like to site my work in an ambient way which incorporates the relationship between 'street' and 'studio'.

Some of the pieces that really grabbed me from this exhibition included Wolfgang Tillman's series of close up photographs of unsuspecting passengers using public transport.
He explains that, "I have always associated the underground with incredible intimacy among people, without them wanting to be intimate with each other", as people pack on to hot and sweaty tubes during rush hour.


These are just a few of the 'passengers' series. As you can see both the man and woman captured here have part of their face concealed which emphasizes the fact that the forced intimacy is somewhat uncomfortable. Furthermore, the woman's armpit captured here, clearly highlights how parts of the body are forced to be on display that naturally may not be in a more comfortable environment. this is why i particularly like this series of photographs as they show a very real side to life and just traveling on public transport in general that didn't really cross my mind!

Also, the work of Erwin Blumenfeld really caught my eye. although extremely different and created many years before that of Tillman's work, Blumenfeld captured a Hollywood film star classic pose, whilst mixing it with a city, or street scape background. for example, 'City Lights' (1946)