Welcome to the first London/Dublin edition of Here's the Heads Up, with some info on current and upcoming design exhibitions and events that a) I've been to, b) I plan to go to or c) I wish I could go to but am sorry to say I'll miss. Enjoy!
DUBLIN
4 to 6 October: Open House Dublin
Various venues across Dublin city and county
Excitement and anticipation are about bubbling over in Dublin, and rightly so: easily one of the city's biggest and best cultural events, Open House Dublin, returns for its eighth edition this weekend to open up 100 Great Buildings, from the obvious to the overlooked for heaps of free public architectural tours. See inside gems such as the wonderfully deco former Bord Gais showrooms (now part of Trinity College), the stunning Alliance Francaise or contemporary spaces such as the Dublin Dental Hospital and Google's massive Dublin headquarters. Or pick some of the other 96 buildings too see - you wont be disappointed! Bear in mind that this year the pre-booking's been given the boot, so prepare to queue at more popular buildings. But judging by the programme, any building you visit will be worth the wait... :)
4 to 6 October: Crafting Type
DIT Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1
If you're more of a type nerd than a building nerd, perhaps this weekend in Dublin would be best spent at Crafting Type, a three-day typography workshop led by type designers Thomas Phinney, Dave Crossland and Irish-born, US-based designer Aoife Mooney. It's an introductory course so is ideal for those new to type design, showing you how to design a typeface from scratch and giving you access to industry-standard software for the duration. If the cost of the workshop is a bit beyond you, you can head to a free talk in DIT on Thursday 3 October at 5pm entitled 'Font Detective' with one of the workshop leaders, Thomas Phinney.
4 to 12 October: Describing Architecture
City Assembly House, South William Street, Dublin 2
This is the fourth edition of Describing Architecture, an open call exhibition exploring representation within the architectural process and representation of architecture by artists concerned with built space. This edition is entitled Work in Process, examining built space as something in process or development rather than something finished. With work from over 120 architects and artists from Ireland, Europe and beyond exhibited in the beautiful City Assembly House, now reopened and looked after by the Irish Georgian Society, this exhibition (and its venue) will be well worth a little of your time.
12 October to 19 January: Eileen Gray: Architect, Designer, Painter
IMMA, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Coming to Ireland from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, this is the first major retrospective of Irish architect and design Eileen Gray's work, in Ireland or anywhere else. Largely overlooked until recently, it's only now that Gray's major influence on modernist design and architecture is being recognised and celebrated. This exhibition will feature some familiar pieces along with work never exhibited in Ireland before and will be accompanied by an exhibition and series of events curated by the Irish Architecture Foundation entitled The Everyday Experience. I for one am looking forward to both...
LONDON
Until 3 October: Oliver Jeffers: Nothing to See Here
Lazarides Rathbone, W1T 1HR
Belfast-born Oliver Jeffers is probably best known for his wonderful children's books, but his first solo show in London is called Nothing to See Here and is a look at some of his deftly produced and very humorous artwork. Definitely worth catching if/while you can...
Until 6 October: Gerald Cinamon: Collected Work Since 1958
Institute of Contemporary Arts, SW1Y 5AH
The first of two exhibitions at the ICA's Fox Reading Room exploring book design (the other will look at the work of John Cheim from 15 October), this exhibition takes a look at a range of Swiss-influenced work produced by book designer Gerald Cinamon for Penguin and others.
Until 13 October: Richard Rogers RA: Inside Out
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, W1S 3ET
British architect Richard Rogers is perhaps best known for designing the Centre Pompidou in Paris with Renzo Piano, a building very much evoked by this exhibition's title, Inside Out. But not just a literal description of one of the architect's crowning works, Inside Out is also an examination of Rogers' process of design, looking within the architect's practice to give insight into how and why his buildings look the way they do.
Until 16 November: The Seymour and Milton Posters Show
Kemistry Gallery, EC2A 3PD
Seymour Chwast and Milton Glazer are two of the biggest names in American graphic design and illustration and this is the first exhibition in London of their work at Push pin Studios in over 40 years. A range of posters demonstrating their humour, wit and distinctive visual style are on display at Kemistry Gallery in East London.
DUBLIN
4 to 6 October: Open House Dublin
Various venues across Dublin city and county
Excitement and anticipation are about bubbling over in Dublin, and rightly so: easily one of the city's biggest and best cultural events, Open House Dublin, returns for its eighth edition this weekend to open up 100 Great Buildings, from the obvious to the overlooked for heaps of free public architectural tours. See inside gems such as the wonderfully deco former Bord Gais showrooms (now part of Trinity College), the stunning Alliance Francaise or contemporary spaces such as the Dublin Dental Hospital and Google's massive Dublin headquarters. Or pick some of the other 96 buildings too see - you wont be disappointed! Bear in mind that this year the pre-booking's been given the boot, so prepare to queue at more popular buildings. But judging by the programme, any building you visit will be worth the wait... :)
4 to 6 October: Crafting Type
DIT Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1
If you're more of a type nerd than a building nerd, perhaps this weekend in Dublin would be best spent at Crafting Type, a three-day typography workshop led by type designers Thomas Phinney, Dave Crossland and Irish-born, US-based designer Aoife Mooney. It's an introductory course so is ideal for those new to type design, showing you how to design a typeface from scratch and giving you access to industry-standard software for the duration. If the cost of the workshop is a bit beyond you, you can head to a free talk in DIT on Thursday 3 October at 5pm entitled 'Font Detective' with one of the workshop leaders, Thomas Phinney.
4 to 12 October: Describing Architecture
City Assembly House, South William Street, Dublin 2
This is the fourth edition of Describing Architecture, an open call exhibition exploring representation within the architectural process and representation of architecture by artists concerned with built space. This edition is entitled Work in Process, examining built space as something in process or development rather than something finished. With work from over 120 architects and artists from Ireland, Europe and beyond exhibited in the beautiful City Assembly House, now reopened and looked after by the Irish Georgian Society, this exhibition (and its venue) will be well worth a little of your time.
12 October to 19 January: Eileen Gray: Architect, Designer, Painter
IMMA, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Coming to Ireland from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, this is the first major retrospective of Irish architect and design Eileen Gray's work, in Ireland or anywhere else. Largely overlooked until recently, it's only now that Gray's major influence on modernist design and architecture is being recognised and celebrated. This exhibition will feature some familiar pieces along with work never exhibited in Ireland before and will be accompanied by an exhibition and series of events curated by the Irish Architecture Foundation entitled The Everyday Experience. I for one am looking forward to both...
LONDON
Until 3 October: Oliver Jeffers: Nothing to See Here
Lazarides Rathbone, W1T 1HR
Belfast-born Oliver Jeffers is probably best known for his wonderful children's books, but his first solo show in London is called Nothing to See Here and is a look at some of his deftly produced and very humorous artwork. Definitely worth catching if/while you can...
Until 6 October: Gerald Cinamon: Collected Work Since 1958
Institute of Contemporary Arts, SW1Y 5AH
The first of two exhibitions at the ICA's Fox Reading Room exploring book design (the other will look at the work of John Cheim from 15 October), this exhibition takes a look at a range of Swiss-influenced work produced by book designer Gerald Cinamon for Penguin and others.
Until 13 October: Richard Rogers RA: Inside Out
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, W1S 3ET
British architect Richard Rogers is perhaps best known for designing the Centre Pompidou in Paris with Renzo Piano, a building very much evoked by this exhibition's title, Inside Out. But not just a literal description of one of the architect's crowning works, Inside Out is also an examination of Rogers' process of design, looking within the architect's practice to give insight into how and why his buildings look the way they do.
Until 16 November: The Seymour and Milton Posters Show
Kemistry Gallery, EC2A 3PD
Seymour Chwast and Milton Glazer are two of the biggest names in American graphic design and illustration and this is the first exhibition in London of their work at Push pin Studios in over 40 years. A range of posters demonstrating their humour, wit and distinctive visual style are on display at Kemistry Gallery in East London.
Images via 1 | 2 | 3
