11.02.09 / M o r c e a u x D e S u c r e
Sugar cubes in France seem more popular than powder, so I bought a box to try them out. We don't take sugar in our tea in our flat so we ended up having fun with them instead. A cheap alternative to lego that are good for building igloos with. 280 blocks in a set for only 1€50 and they sparkle like ice too. Sweet!
02.09 / K u b e s D ' O r
One lump or two. I stumbled on these stock cubes in the supermarket in France. Packed into a bright little red and yellow box, each of the 16 perfectly wrapped golden bars contains 2 stock cubes, so you are never left with half a crumbly stock cube. A thoughtful bit of design and a bit like peas in a pod.
01.12.08 / L e P r a z
Room I'm renting in France with a pretty nice view for the next 5 months.
10.08 / K i n g M u n y a M a d z i m a
I met King Munya Madizina on Brighton beach making and selling his facsinating pieces of jewelery and other creations. Using mainly disgarded pieces of cutlery, he uses no more than a vice, a piercing saw, a hammer and the strength in his own hands to find new forms from the forks, spoons and knives. I was particularly draw to the insects he makes; their invertibrate bodies resonate perfectly with the way he brings the metal pieces together, held only by their position relative to eachother. King has studied fine art and photography in Toronto and in his native Zimbabwe, but has been a resourceful maker since he was a child when he used barbbed wire to make toy cars.
He hopes to return to his homecounty to continue his work there on Wrong Time Village, a community gallery and workshop he has set up.
He is often at Camden Market in London and Brighton beach (when the weather is fine) if you want to see for yourself. Check out this article by PromotaMagazine for more information on King.
04.09.08 / G r e e n e g a g e d 2 0 0 8
I recently attended Greengaged, a series of lectures and workshops at The Design Council during London Design week. The idea was to get designers, graphic designers in particular, talking about sustainability and how designers can affect this in a positive way. As part of the week, I was lucky enought to visit the Powerday recycling centre on the Regent's Canal in London; check out the photos on the Greengaged blog. The site has been recovering, sorting, recycling, reselling and sourcing new markets for London's commercial waste since 2007. Only 5% of the waste they recieve goes straight to landfill as no markets have yet been identified. We saw everying thing from chipboard and concrete to bath taps and roof tiles. Get in touch as they are happy to arrange visits.
The week's events were masterminded by Graphic Design Studio Thomas Matthews and Three Trees, along with ReDesign and Kingston University. Other interesting people I met include Doug from Futerra, Simon Winter, Lucy Choules from Chalet Alpin and Foldedsheet and Nick Marks from The New Economics Foundation.
Hopefully the event will be taking place again in 2009, so keep an eye on their website.
09.08 / T h e D O L e c t u r e s
Just got back from a weekend in West Wales at the DO Lectures and I feel very privillaged to have been there indeed. The four days of inspiring lectures were organised and the brainchild of howies. The idea is simply to inspire people to do stuff. There was a truely diverse set of people from surfer Andy Cummins to Scientist Micheal Brangarht. It will take a while for all the information and wise words to settle I think. An unexpected favorite was the gingerbread and Russell Davies. I also met Tom Fishburne from Method, who is doing some great work.
All of the lectures were filmed and can be viewed online at www.thedolectures.com. A huge thank you to everyone at howies and Fforest Farm. Amazing.
Dick Darserty said don't just stand there. Do something.
Worrying is like a rocking chair it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.
01-02.08 / F r a m e M a g a z i n e
Je ne suis pas un robinet featured in 2007 European design graduates review. View article here.
11.07 / I n C a s e O f E m e r g e n c y
Suck UK manufacture and distibute In Case of Emergency money box. Click here to find stockists or to buy online.
04.07.07 / N e w D e s i g n e r s 2 0 0 7
Exhibiting In Case of Emergency, This Little Piggy, Je ne suis pas un robinet, Je ne suis pas un arossoir, 500mg chocolate with Brighton University 3D Design Grauates. In Case of Emergency money box featured in press release in the Times Style Magazine and Metro Newspaper. Our stand was kindly sponsored by Avon Plywood.
New Designers (Part 2), 4-7 July 2007, The Business Design Centre, Angel, London N5. Angel tube station, Northern Line.
05.07 / B r i l l B u r t + C a r d e n s G r a d u a t e S h o w
Brighton University Art + Design Graduate's Degree show, featuring Talking Products: In Case of Emergency, This Little Piggy, Je ne suis pas un robinet, Je ne suis pas un arossoir, 500mg chocolate.