KEMP DESIGN: June 2010

ANDY STURGEON

WHEN LOOKING AT THE IDEAS OF BOTH ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE AND PLAY WITHIN DESIGN, IT SEEMS LOGICAL TO LOOK AT THE WORK OF ANDY STURGEON.

2006

HE HAS BEEN ONE OF MY DESIGNING HEROES SINCE I WENT TO MY FIRST CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW IN 2006, WHERE HE DESIGNED A GARDEN WITH THIS POOL IN IT:

THERE WAS SOMETHING SO EXCITING ABOUT THIS VAST BLUE RECTANGLE IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS PLANTING SCHEME, WHICH BOTH CONFLICTED AND COMPLIMENTED IT'S SURROUNDINGS. IT WAS HUMOROUS WITH BEING GIMIKY, WITH THE SIMPLICITY OF THE DESIGN WORKING IN ITS FAVOUR.

THIS IS DETAIL OF THE STRUCTURE AT THE END OF THAT GARDEN. THIS SHOWS CLEAR INFLUENCES OF ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE WITH THE BUILDING AND ITS SURROUNDINGS WORKING WITH EACH OTHER.

THIS WAS ALSO A DESIGN FOR A CANCER CHARITY, AND IT WAS WHEN I STARTED TO BECOME AWARE OF THE IDEA OF WORKING TOWARDS A BRIEF - IN THIS CASE CREATING SHADE OVER THE SEATING AREA

2007

THIS WAS ADY STURGEONS ENTRY FOR THE 2007 SHOW. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT SEEING THE TWO YEARS SIDE BY SIDE IS THAT YOU CAN SEE THE PROGRESSION IN HIS DESIGNS AND THE WAY IN WHICH HE IS PLAYING WITH THE SPACE THAT HE HAS WHILST STILL WORKING UNDER A SIMILAR BREIF.

THE OAK STRUCTURE WAS SO IMPRESSIVE FOR REAL, AS IT BLENDED MORE WITH ITS ENVIRONMENT THAN IT DOES IN PHOTOGRAPHS. THE TREES IN THIS GARDEN WERE ALSO BEAUTIFUL.

2008

THIS IS ANDY STURGEONS GARDEN FROM 2008, AND IT COULD NOT BE MORE DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. ALTHOUGH HIS PLANTING IS OFTEN LED BY A DOMINANT GREEN OVERTONE, THIS GARDEN WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY GREEN, INCLUDING THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE MAIN WALL.

NORMAL NUMBER

JOEL STILLMAN

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CALIFORNIA

http://www.normalnumber.com/index.html

I JUST DISCOVERED JOEL AND HIS WEBSITE. WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT HIS WORK IS THE SENSE OF PLAY AND FUN. HE MAKES THINGS WHICH ARE QUITE STANDARD MODERN GRAPHIC DESIGN SENSIBILITIES AND SOMEHOW MAKES THEM SEEM FRESH AND NEW. REALLY IMPRESSIVE FOR A GRADUATE OF '09.

HE ALSO WROTE A FASCINATING THESIS ABOUT THE CROSS OVER BETWEEN THE MEANING OF WORDS AND TYPOGRAPHY AND HOW ONE CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT THE OTHER. HE HAS HELPFULLY BROKEN IT DOWN INTO A SERIES OF SHORT VIDEOS, SEE BELOW:

http://www.normalnumber.com/work/thesis/thesisIntro.html

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

PERHAPS A SLIGHTLY OBVIOUS CHOICE, BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME NOT TO INCLUDE F.L.W ON THIS BLOG, AS HIS WORK IS SO PHENOMENAL.

FALLINGWATER

CONSTRUCTED: 1934-37

THE BUILDING WAS DESIGNED SO THAT YOU COULD HEAR THE WATERFALL FROM INSIDE BUT THE FALLS WERE ONLY VISIBLE FROM THE BALCONY ON THE TOP FLOOR.

ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE

ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE WAS A THEORY FORMED BY F.L.W THAT CENTRED AROUND DESIGNING BUILDINGS THAT FITTED SEAMLESSLY WITH NATURE. SO THAT THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ONE AND THE OTHER BECAME BLURRED.

THE CONCEPT STRETCHES FURTHER THAN THIS, AS IN THE CASE OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S FALLINGWATER HOUSE. NOT ONLY IS THE BUILDING AND ITS SURROUNDINGS CAREFULLY CONSIDERED BUT ALSO EVERYTHING WITHIN THE BUILDING WITH REPEATING MOTIFS REFLECTING THE GEOMETRY FOUND IN THE NATURAL WORLD. IT ALSO INCLUDES THE SPECIFIC DESIGN OF CHAIRS, TABLES, WINDOWS ETC TO FORM A COMPLETE COHESION WITH THE BUILDING AS A WHOLE.

EXAMPLES OF F.L.W'S INTERIOR DESIGNS:

THE HUSSER TABLE