Blythe House Collections

Trip to Blythe House- Archive Collection

Blythe House is basically an extension of The Science Museum galleries that are stuffed with over 15,000 objects, however more than 170,000 more of our objects are hidden away there in Blythe House. Many of these have never been on public display. We went and saw a collection of archives on old prints and how they documented it.

The massive labyrinth of storerooms at Blythe House is home to everything from beautifully crafted telescopes and early examples of operating tables to Stone Age tools and freeze-dried genetically modified animals. Although we were just looking at print and textile samples it was fascinating to know what you could research there.

The basement and the majority of rooms on the ground floor are occupied by objects from the collections of the Welcome Trust, which are artifacts of the history of medicine. The ground floor also houses part of our pictorial collections and then the remaining four floors hold the rest of the objects, arranged by collection.

There are over 90 rooms in total dedicated to holding our objects, from the very small to the very large.

Also at Blythe House is a conservation laboratory, where our conservators work across a range of objects to preserve their condition. We also have a photographic studio, where objects are photographed for our records and publications. There's also a quarantine area (where incoming objects are checked before being transferred to the main rooms) and a research room.

Seeing how they record all there work makes you think that each piece you do should be documented and every fabric sample should be mounted and saved properly. It was helpful to look at this book for our fabric swatches projects on how we can display them. Each book in blithe house was so carefully preserved and each little label attached explaining when and what the piece was and whether it featured anywhere.

Chris Ofili at the V&A

The Chris Ofili exhibition at the V&A

Ofili was born in Manchester he completed a foundation course in art at Tameside College in Ashton-under-Lyne and studied in London, at the Chelsea School of Art from 1988-91 and at The Royal College of Art from 1991-93.

Ofili was established through exhibitions by Charles Saatchi at his gallery in north London and the traveling exhibition sensation (1997) becoming recognized as one of the few British artists of African/Caribbean descent to break through as a member of the Young British Artists. Ofili has also had numerous solo shows since the early 1990s including the Serpentine Gallery. In 1998, Ofili won the Turner Prize and in 2003 he was selected to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale of that year, where his work for the British Pavilion was done in collaboration with the architect David Adjaye.

After seeing Chris Ofili’s work I understand the controversial review that is has received, it is fascinating and slight disturbing all at the same time. The use of a material that has never been used in art this way before and for it to symbols such a strong message. Ofili's detractors often state that he "splatters" elephant dung on his pictures, isn’t necessarily accurate he sometimes applies it directly to the canvas in the form of dried spherical lumps, and sometimes, in the same form, uses it as foot-like supports on which the paintings stand.

He experiments heavily with collage, and layers of resins and the elephant dung, The elephant dung that protrudes from the surface of his many canvases and bears the weight of their frames is not there to shock but rather acts as a material symbol for blackness, underscoring the weight, the implication of his work in the context of identity politics. 'No Woman No Cry', a celebrated Tate-owned work, is a bold and moving image honoring the mother of the murdered black schoolboy Stephen Lawrence. Tenderly, Ofili commemorates a mother’s loss as her son’s image, captured inside her teardrops, silently descends.

I really enjoyed this collection of painting and found it rather refreshing, he has been experimental in a way, which people didn’t expect, and this that not only do his images hold such a strong message but also they are also very beautiful.

The Ethnical Fashion Forum

The EFF – 27^th November Triangle Gallery

The Ethical Fashion Forum aims to develop a collaborative movement, which will transform social and environmental standards in the fashion industry within a decade.

• The eradication of exploitation, hardship and environmental damage from the supply chains to the fashion industry and the practices of fashion businesses

• The creation of a movement led by the fashion industry, for the fashion industry, which upholds and practices more than doing no harm- actively striving to add value for people and the environment, across the entire industry sector

• Industry training and resources freely available which ensure that every single UK fashion business is aware of how they can become more sustainable, why it is important, and where to find the tools to do so

• The raising of consumer awareness in relation to sustainable fashion.

• The creation of a clear and consistent system for communication of ethical standards by fashion businesses

• A system of standards and regulations ruling out exploitative practices in the fashion industry

Broad and fundamental change towards better practices in the fashion industry within the next 10 years.

These are the 5 main visions of the EFF that we heard about today, we have also been shown industries that are already beginning to change to adapt to this new way of thinking. Seeing these small business in an environment like this let’s you see and understand how they are putting these practices into play. Instead of preaching these promises the EFF wan to show people how it can happen and let you see the produce of some sustainable fashion and develop and understanding how simple changes will lead to big results. Listening in on a debate of how to change the ‘high-street’ brands into this new way of thinking only emphasizes the struggle that the EFF have to try and change society getting places to promises even 5% change in one product through out there stores is a great success.

The EFF is one of the main spearheading forces behind ethical, sustainable fashion. It acts as an all round talent spotter, nurturer, and mother ship for young designers and a practical, achievable, informative source of inspiration for the fashion industry as a whole.

Rough Guide- Bond Street

ROUGH GUIDE- to the smart side of London town- Bond Street and surrounding areas.

Bond Street in Mayfair is home to the most elegant and expensive shops in London. Designer clothing such as Gucci and Armani; perfume; art and antiques; and more Royal Warrant holders (suppliers to the royal family) than anywhere else in London. Bond Street is a major shopping street in London; it runs through Mayfair from Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. It is one of the principal streets in the West End shopping district and is more up market than nearby Regent Street and Oxford Street.

At one time Bond Street was best known for top end art dealers and antique shops, clustered around the London office of Sotheby's auction house, which has been in Bond Street for over a hundred years, and of the Fine Art Society, present on the street since its foundation in 1876. A few of these remain, but most of the shops are now occupied by fashion boutiques, including branches of most of the leading premium priced designer brands in the world.

Bond Street is also home to London’s famous Dover Street Market, which is home to exclusive and high-end designers. "I want to create a kind of market where various creators from various fields gather together and encounter each other in an ongoing atmosphere of beautiful chaos: the mixing up and coming together of different kindred souls who all share a strong personal vision."

After a week of observing the area it has an air of sophistication and clean surrounding and well supplied with English heritage.

The Brogue- A timeless design?

The Brogue- A timeless design?

I have chosen to look at the design of the brogue shoe, with idea of current fashion always being on a cycle focusing on which traditional pieces will last the test of time?

The brogue shoe is seen as a classic and a timeless design. The true original style of brogue shoe is most accurately described as being a plain shoe, with limited styles of leather (black or brown essentially) and a standard crossover-lacing format. However the style of brogue shoes has changed dramatically since these times; the brogue shoe is no longer limited to being worn as part of office attire but expanded their reach into the fashion-world. Now seen on the high street with current designers such as Jil Sanders and Paul Smith putting their mark on the brogue.

Looking to our heritage for inspiration and transforming classics and well-known pieces like the brogue do we risk destroying our tradition or re-inventing for future designers?

Many traditional pieces like the brogue, the trench coat or the beret, that were designed with practicality and comfort in mind now have they now been ruined by modern designs, do we pick fashion over comfort and quality?

What has inspired me to look at this is the ever changing and repitition within the fashion industry, the use of traditional materials versus more conventional ones?

Consistency within fashion are we simply having to repeat history for a society of mass consumption and compromising on quality and design, items that will actually last, and what effect this has on the world and global warming?