INFO
This project was self-led, beginning as an exploration of architecture and geometry as part of my Graphic Design A level. My inital research was on The Designers Republic, a Sheffield based graphic design company. What I liked about their work was the visible passion. You can tell they worked for enjoyment and accounted for a major part of their lives, beyond the hours of 9 ‘til 5. I wanted to reflect this in my work and manifest my own passion into physical form. TDR are famous for their anti-design and deconstructionalist approach to design. I carried this through into my own work, using negative space, photos of textures and architecture that I had seen in Berlin, Germany to create my compisitions. When taking my photos, I focused on shadow, negative space and heavy geometry. I have been a life-long admirer of The Designers Republic, as they created work for bands my dad listens to. Growing up, seeing their bold geometry and play on iconography, left an impression on me and impacts the way I work every day. From this research, I fell down the rabbit hole of anti-design and I produced a series of minor outcomes.
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As part of this project, I conducted research on The London Design Festival 2020 by Pentagram. The idea behind the design was to reflect the significance of the creative industry whilst being mindful of the pandemic’s impact on space and interaction. They did this through the use of bold geometric shapes along with close attention to negative space to celebrate the design capital of the world. I drew direct inspiration from this and repurposed the celebration towards Brutalist architecture and Brutalist grapic design.
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I used all of these references alongside my photography in order to design branding with a bold and distinctive aesthetic that resignates with the viewer. I tend to overdesign some projects but with this I wanted to focus on work that is easy to visually digest, retaining the origional brief.
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This project was an externally set brief by AQA exam board as part of my 3D Design A level. We were given a range of starting points to choose from and I chose relics as it was the most open ended. Then from a series of artists given, I went with Daniel Arsham’s series , future relics, where he imagined every day objects as archeological discoveries from the future distopian world. After creating literal responses to this series I began to explore what else future relics could mean, for example, timeless designs. I researched further into Arsham’s other exhibitions and within an exhibition called ‘The Time’ he drew inspiration from Singaporian staggered architecture. These elements for me are completely timeless, from this reference I created quick models in response.
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After considering timeless architecture, Eric Mendelsohn was the first name that came to my mind as he is my favourite architect. After visiting the Einstein tower in Potsdam, Germany in summer 2024 I was instantly inspired as the building is a relic itself yet it still looks futuristic. Mendelsohn was a leading figure in post-war German expressionism which is a style that focuses on dramatic forms, bold geometry and the expression of emotions through architecture. A lot of his buildings post-war were intended to bring people together and creating assembly places that provoke interaction, he did this most notably through his famous spiral staircases; the most infamous example being the De La Warr Pavillion.
From his work I drew inspiration from his drive to create interaction, at this point shortly after Covid, it was integral to create this interaction that everyone needed. I created a range of quick models to play with movement of people in space and with bold curvature.
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After looking at Mendelsohn’s work we were set to create a minor outcome. I wanted to encorporate the spiral/mollusc pattern within the design and see how it would fit in terms of the body.
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After my inital design sheet, I completed a site visit to Shoreham airport, also known as Brighton City airport. It was built in 1911 making it the oldest airport in the UK. The reason I used this as my site to remodel was because I love the shape and form and it fits in with the era of relics im interested in. It is also a a local relic of great historical significance as it was significant throughout the world wars. From this, I drew inspiration from the windows, curvature and the viewing platform.
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I continued to do materials testing and wanted to extend the existing structure to create a space that poeple could congregate or listen to music. After this I created a final design making note of my development and using a Teak Danish bedframe as inspiration.
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