Björk Digital at Somerset House was quite an experience. Having no prior knowledge of Björk’s music or what a virtual music video means, I was not prepared for what lay ahead. You enter the show in a group, and are led to each room. Apart from the first and last room which has traditional projection screens, the remaining rooms consist of stools and virtual reality goggles. Placing the goggles over your eyes, and headphones over your ears you are immersed in Björk’s music video. One video you are moving across the Icelandic landscape and in another you find yourself inside Björk’s mouth. After a virtual reality exhibition it feels strange exiting into reality.
Tag Archives: The Strand
London Design Biennale 2016
37 countries have come together at Somerset House with designs inspired by utopia. Scattered throughout the venue, each country responded to utopia differently – some focused on utopia’s political ideals, some created ways to provide aid and equality while one immerses you in a virtual reality. With 37 countries explaining their concepts, there is a lot of information to absorb. Not to worry. Cooper Hewitt’s technology pen allows you to tap the icon on each information didactic. Once you have tapped each wall label you want to remember, you can log on to the website and find the information you wanted to save ready to download to your computer. Pretty cool.
Daalaan // Pakistan
Otium and Acedia // South Africa
Shenzhen: New Peak // Shenzhen, China
Cooper Hewitt // United States of America
Water Machine // Saudi Arabia
Chakraview // India
VR Polis, Diving into the Future // Spain
Human. Touch // Israel
Human. Touch // Israel
World Illustration Awards 2016
The 2016 World Illustration Awards were recently displayed at Somerset House. With over 2,300 entries from 66 countries the top in each category were awarded and on view for all to see. Categories included books, children’s books, advertising and design to name a few. Here are my favorites.
Great Modern Artists A to Z // Andy Tuohy // illustrator CC and Indesign CC, pencil, notebook, photo reference as inspiration // Octopus Publishing Group for Cassell
Promenade // Jungho Lee // graphite & charcoal on hot pressed paper, coloured digitally // Sang Publishing // category winner books
Mad About Monkeys // Owen Davey // pencil sketches, scanned textures & digital // Flying Eye Books
Beau Brummell Comes to Fortum & Masons // Jonathan Burton // pencil & digital // Fortnum & Masons
The Magical City // Lizzie Mary Cullen // pen & ink // Penguin
Transgender // Patrick George // Digital // Sunday Times Style Magazine
¿Qué se Esconde Dentro del Dosque? // Aina Bestard // ink on paper completely hand made // Thames&Hudson
Spirit Drawings
The Glory of the Lord // Georgiana Houghton // 4 January 1864 // watercolor & gouache on paper laid on board (with pen and ink inscription on the reverse)
Georgiana Houghton – Spirit Drawings is currently on view this summer at The Courtauld Gallery. Working in the 1860s, Georgiana Houghton painted intricate watercolor works as a means to communicate with her deceased sister. On the back of her paintings she would provide a detailed description of the work including the process, duration, and if she had a spirit guide such as Turner or Titian. A unique exhibition not to be missed!
The Eye of the Lord // 1 September 1870 // watercolor & gouache on paper laid on board (with pen and ink inscription on the reverse)
The Portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ // 8 December 1862 // watercolor & gouache on paper laid on board (with pen and ink inscription on the reverse)
The Eye of God // Georgiana Houghton // 25 September 1862 // watercolor & gouache on paper laid on board (with pen and ink inscription on the reverse)
Photo London
Two weekends ago Somerset House hosted Photo London, an art fair for photography galleries. Hundreds of galleries set up in the rooms of Somerset House to showcase their most prized photographs. These were a few of my favorite works from the fair.
Dead Food for new worlds // Carmen Mitrotta // 2013 // 40 x 50 cm // Edition 7 & 1 AP // Archival Pigment Print
Contained Entropy #1, #2 & #3 // Leyla Cardenas // 2016 // Sculpted photograph, demolition rubble, inox (pigment ink print on fiber base paper) // 47 x 17 x 6 cm // Unique // GALERIE DIX9
Klinik // Gina Soden // 2014 // C type print on Baryta Fine Art paper // 70 x 105 cm // Edition of 10 plus 2 artist proofs
Totality
It’s disco time! Well not really. But in Katie Paterson’s installation in Somerset House it certainly feels like a party. Suspended on a string attached to the ceiling is a large twirling ball. A light projects on the ball and little dots twinkle across the room like stars. If you look closely at the ball you discover that it is composed of individual tiny photographs of solar eclipses. There are 10,000 images on the ball showing every recorded solar eclipse.
Botticelli
In the Courtauld Gallery exhibition Botticelli and Treasures from the Hamilton Collection, intricate drawings by Botticelli of Dante’s Inferno hang on the walls. Magnifying glasses are provided allowing visitors a closer look at Botticelli’s detailed drawings of hell, purgatory and paradise. These monochromatic drawings are juxtaposed with vivid colored manuscripts and the prized Hamilton Bible.
Bruegel in Black & White
In a show focusing on the Peter Bruegel the Elder’s impressive skill in depicting variations in gray, the Bruegel in Black & White exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery is anything but gray. Bruegel’s immense talent in creating a scene by only utilizing white, black and gray is known as grisailles. In this show three of his most famous grisailles works, Christ and The Women Taken in Adultery, The Death of the Virgin and Three Soldiers are shown together along with renditions by Bruegel’s followers. Be sure not to miss this exhibition [on view until May 8] as these monotone works will leave you with a colorful memory.
Lumiere
This past weekend London was illuminated by neon lights. Various contemporary artists created works of art in brightly colored lights from a flower garden, to a stomping elephant to colossal fish swimming in the sky. The light installations were set up in in London’s most iconic locations such as Piccadilly Circus, Kings Cross and of course Westminster Abbey. Streets were closed to allow people to walk and experience the art together. Lumiere London certainly brightened my weekend.
The Light of the Spirit // Patrice Warrener // Westminster Abbey
Les Luminéoles // Porté par le vent // Piccadilly Circus
Les Luminéoles // Porté par le vent // Piccadilly Circus
Garden of Light // TILT // Leicester Square
Elephantastic // Top’là Design // Catherine Garret // Regent Street
Neon Dogs // Deepa Mann-Kler // The Strand
195 Piccadilly // NOVAK // Piccadilly
195 Piccadilly // NOVAK // Piccadilly
