Learning From Japan

While I went to the opening back in October, it wasn't until last week that I returned to Designmuseum Danmark to take a proper look at its latest exhibition, Learning from Japan. Showing work from both Japan and Denmark from the 1870s up to 2010, it explores an interesting, and rarely considered idea: that rather than always being the influence, sometimes Danish design has been the movement being influenced...

New Architecture: Ireland by AP+E

Recently here in Copenhagen Denmark's leading design school, KADK, hosted an exhibition entitled New Architecture: Ireland, curated and designed by Irish/Danish/Dutch architecture practice AP+E. Showcasing the work of six Irish practices to have emerged during the recession, the exhibition included a range of projects of a non-commercial, social or community-based nature. Using custom-designed armatures which frame the work of the individual practices while unifying the exhibition as a whole, New Architecture: Ireland created a space to study a moment in Irish architecture, complemented by its surroundings in the school's library. Copenhagen was the second of four stops for the project in the Nordic region, having shown first in Tallinn, and most recently in Oslo. The show will finish its tour in Stockholm, opening there on 16 November.

The Freeborn Exchange

Another 'so long London' post, this one takes a look at a lower key exhibition than all those in the V&A (but nevertheless well worth looking at), The Freeborn Exchange at Chelsea College of Arts back in April. Gavin Freeborn is a London-based Irish photographer I met while we were both working at the University of the Arts London. He mounted an exhibition and pop-up photography studio at Chelsea, one of UAL's campuses, showing a host of his portraits exchanged in return for objects, experiences, skills and hospitality all over the world. Complementing Freeborn's portraits was a room filled with work by UAL staff and students which touched on travel and exchange, while you could propose your own exchange for a Freeborn portrait in the show's pop-up studio.

Design, Museums and Society

Studying Curating Contemporary Design and working in the V&A meant I spent a lot of time over the past year thinking about what the V&A's cool dude Contemporary team have been up to. I think they've been doing more interesting stuff than anyone else in the design museum world lately, and here's an abridged version of an essay I wrote about whether or not I think they're being successful in their quest to renew the V&A's position as a public institution and design's position as an agent of change in society. This is the first of a few 'so long London' posts before I start sharing my Danish exploits, so read on and enjoy!

Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity #3: Now and Next

Here is the third and final part of my series of posts on how Irish design and exhibitions have presented Irish identity, with Parts #1 and #2 available for you to read back on. This final part looks at recent and current international exhibitions of Irish design to see how they continue in a particular tradition of... well... tradition. Read on!

Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity #2: 19th and 20th Centuries

Welcome to Part #2 of my look at how Irish identity has been explored, constructed and presented through design and exhibitions. This part looks at some key exhibitions and presentations in the 19th and 20th centuries, contrasting the different ways that design and manufactures were presented at home and abroad, and exploring the struggle between presenting tradition and rurality and presenting progress and modernity. Read back on Part #1, while Part #3, looking at Irish design exhibitions now and next, will be posted next week, so stay tuned!

Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity #1: Designing Irish Identity

I've just handed in two more essays for my masters, one of which took a whirlwind trip through the history of Irish international design exhibitions. I really enjoyed researching and writing this one, so thought I would share it with you. As it goes on for ages (by blog standards, not academic ones), I've split it into three parts. Here is Part #1, which introduces and explores the role design has played in the construction of Irish identity, particularly the identity of Ireland as a fledgling nation. Part #2 will look at how Irish identity was presented in key international exhibitions and displays in the 19th and 20th centuries and will be posted later this week. Finally, Part #3 will take a look at recent and current international exhibitions of Irish design to see how certain identities are being represented even now. Enjoy!

Here's the Heads Up: LFA Edition

The London Festival of Architecture returns for the month of June, exploring the theme 'Work in Progress'. I've already been making my way to a few events, exhibitions and parties, and here are my picks for the remainder of the festival. Enjoy!

Irish Degree Shows 2015

Here it is, your guide to Ireland's art, design, fashion and architecture degree shows in 2015! More than 20 shows across the country, north and south of the border, are listed below with more to come as I find them. They are listed by county (kicking off with Dublin, as it's the one with the most shows and the biggest audience) and wherever a county has more than one show, they're listed by date so you can see what you need to get to first. You can start planning your summer now...

London Degree Shows 2015

Welcome to the 2015 degree show season! Here I Like Local brings you a regularly updated list of London art, design and architecture shows so that those of you based in or near the UK capital can find the best new cool dudes in town. I will be updating this list as I get more information on shows so check back often to find out what's opening when and where. Irish readers, I will have your list up SOON. Enjoy!

Contemporary V&A

The second of two recent essay hand-ins, this one takes a look at the contemporary programme at the Victoria & Albert Museum, focussing in on its offering of temporary exhibitions and events that present contemporary art and design. I think that the V&A's contemporary programme is great and its content is really well curated, but for me that's not the whole story. The V&A contemporary programme's success lies as much in its content as it does in its timing, placement and price. The contemporary programme is as accessible as it is well curated, and that's what makes it so good...

Designing Disruption / Disruptive Design

I've recently handed in two essays for my masters, and here's a shortened version of one of them. I decided to take a look at two quite different exhibitions in London - the just closed Disobedient Objects at the V&A and Designers in Residence 2014 at the Design Museum - to compare how each revealed the relationship between design and disruption, in ways not always intended.

Here's the Heads Up #25

DO DESIGN THINGS! NOW!! Here you go, the latest Heads Up about design and architecture events and exhibitions both at home in Ireland and here in London. As usual, these are things happening now, soon, or finishing imminently, so get your skates on...

London MA Shows, Autumn 2014

In keeping with some of the most popular posts on I Like Local this summer, here's one last degree show listing. There is a small number of masters shows coming up here in London this month and next that I thought I would list. I have updated the overall London Degree Shows post but thought I would post them here too so they don't get lost amid all the other shows that were listed earlier in the summer. Enjoy!

Here's the Heads Up #22

Upcoming goings on at home and here in London, including one-off events, festivals, exhibitions and designy goings on. Enjoy!

Summer Screen Prints

From today until 20 August Londoners who were on-the-ball enough to grab tickets before they sold out (not me) will enjoy new, old and iconic films screened each evening in the courtyard of Somerset House. This is the 10th year that the folks behind Film4 have presented Summer Screen at Somerset House, and to celebrate they've enlisted Print Club London to curate Summer Screen Prints. Summer Screen Prints brings together 16 artists and illustrators to each create a two-colour screen printed poster for a film in the programme, with varied and wonderful results.

Here's the Heads Up #21

Here are a few upcoming events in Dublin and London (including one I've got going on in LSE's new student centre... ahem), should you want to spend some time indoors and away from the warm weather...

Infra-Éireann

The 14th International Architecture Exhibition, the Venice Biennale, opened last weekend. Running until 23 November, it is curated by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and takes the title Fundamentals. The theme Koolhaas has given to the national pavilions is Absorbing Modernity: 1914–2014, questioning the Modernist movement and considering, among other things, to what extent Modernism in various countries around the world created either homogeneity or diversity. Irish curators Gary Boyd and John McLaughlin have responded to this theme with their exhibition Infra-Éireann, exploring how the Modernist aesthetic and ideals were employed in the design and development of Ireland's infrastructure from 1916 onwards, running parallel to the development of Ireland as an independent nation.

Irish Degree Shows 2014

The dates just keep on coming... Here you go Irish readers: 25 degree shows, catwalk shows and symposia all over the country, both sides of the border, all for your delectation. Most occur in either May or June and are listed geographically (but with Dublin first as it's got the most shows and most likely the biggest audience). Within each geographical area I've listed shows in order of when they occur, so that you know which ones to get to first. Make sense? Is your show missing? Tell me via email or Twitter and I'll add it posthaste. Not spending degree show season in Ireland? Here are the Scottish dates and London dates. Enjoy!

Here's the Heads Up #20

Hello and welcome to the 20th edition of Here's the Heads Up, giving you a rundown of some great architecture, design and cultural events and exhibitions in a place where I am, a place where I like or a place where I wish I was. This time I've got a selection of dates for your diary in Dublin and London in May and June. Enjoy!