Graphic Design course leader Noel Douglas features in a new exhibition that is touring the USA this year. Noel contributed to Green Patriot Posters a book that not only featured work from a number of artists and designers including Banksy and Sheperd Fairey but was also produced using innovative methods such a wind-powered printing presses. Because of this the book and it’s contents displayed as separate posters features in Graphic Design Now In Productiona major international exhibition that explores how graphic design has broadened its reach dramatically over the past decade, expanding from a specialized profession to a widely deployed tool. With the rise of user-generated content and new creative software, along with innovations in publishing and distribution systems, people outside the field are mobilizing the techniques and processes of design to create and publish visual media. At the same time, designers are becoming producers: authors, publishers, instigators, and entrepreneurs employing their creative skills as makers of content and shapers of experiences.Featuring work produced since 2000 in the most vital sectors of communication design, Graphic Design: Now in Productionexplores design-driven magazines, newspapers, books, and posters as well as branding programs for corporations, subcultures, and nations. It also showcases a series of developments over the past decade, such as the entrepreneurial nature of designer-produced goods; the renaissance in digital typeface design; the storytelling potential of titling sequences for film and television; and the transformation of raw data into compelling information narratives.Graphic Design: Now in Production is the largest museum exhibition on the subject since the Walker’s seminal 1989 exhibition Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History, and the Cooper-Hewitt’s 1996 comprehensive survey, Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture. Appropriately, this exhibition is co-organized by the two institutions. A comprehensive, illustrated catalogue produced by the Walker accompanies the exhibition.

Curatorial Team
* Ian Albinson, artofthetitle.com
* Andrew Blauvelt, Walker Art Center
* Jeremy Leslie, magCulture.com
* Ellen Lupton, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution
* Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Brand New

Tour Schedule
* Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
October 22, 2011–January 22, 2012
* Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Governors Island, New York
May 26–September 2, 2012
* Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
September 30, 2012–January 6, 2013
* Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Texas
July 19–September 29, 2013
* Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Winston-Salem, North Carolina
October 24, 2013–February 24, 2014

The British Animation Awards Public Choice Tour 2012 concludes in Luton during the 15-17 February.

SCREENINGS: 8.30pm-10.00pm, Judith Blake Theatre, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square Entrance, Luton LU1 3JU
ADMISSION FREE (please arrive in good time to guarantee a seat)

See the very best and latest British animation talent from ‘Gorillaz: Stylo’ by Pete Candeland & Jamie Hewlett, to ‘Tchaikovsky – An Elegy’ by Oscar nominated director Barry JC Purves A chance to see the Red Bull Canimation Award winning work of Luton-based, University of Bedfordshire Animation Graduate Chris Butcher

Vote for your favorite British Animation: Ahead of the main British Animation Awards on March 15th in London (tickets only)
Exhibition of Animation work: accompanying screenings in the lobby area outside the theatre
For more info on main British Animation Awards go to www.britishanimationawards.com

For venue directions and programme info for each screening please see below:

BAA Public Choice Tour Location, Luton

CAR: Luton is accessible directly from the M1 at Junction 10
PARKING: is available just 3 minutes walk from the University Park Square Reception, at the The Mall: Market Car Park, Melson Street entrance, LU1 2JX (£1.80 for 3 hours)
TRAIN: First Capital Connect services connect: Luton Town with Bedford (25 min), and London St Pancras (20 min fast, 35 min standard)
ON FOOT: The University is less than a 10 min walk, turning left out from the Mall side exit of Luton Town Station.

'Tchaikovsky - An Elegy' by Barry JC Purves

Public Choice Programme 1 – Wed 15 Feb 8.30pm-10.30pm

Bare | Helen Dallat | 3’ | International Film School, Wales
A bear moves to the woods but soon finds out that he doesn’t like the mess.

 Matter Fisher | David Prosser | 7.5’ | Royal College of Art
A perplexed fisherman becomes united with a fragment of estranged matter.

The Squirrel and the Penguin | Jens Blank & Anna Benner | 5’
A quizzical exploration of the pitfalls we goyim face when talking about Jewish culture and the elephant in the room that is the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Tchaikovsky – an elegy – | Barry JC Purves | 13’ | Loose Moose
An interpretation of the composer Tchaikovsky’s life and work.

Slow Derek  | Daniel Ojari | 8’ | Royal College of Art
The tale of Derek, an office worker, as he struggles with the true speed of planet earth.

Get Well Soon: Zoe | Kim Alexander | 2’ | 12foot6
A drunken injury while dressed as a chicken.

Gorillaz: Stylo | Pete Candeland & Jamie Hewlett | 5’ | Passion Pictures for EMI Records ltd., 2010
With a guest appearance from Bruce Willis.

Big Scary: Mix Tape | Alice Dupre |3’ | Sherbet Animation for PIeater
A combined 2D and 3D animated promo for Melbourne duo Big Scary

TV on the Radio: Second Song | Mikey Please | 4.5 | Agile Films for Interscope Records, 2011
A wanderer makes his way through a world in flux, between a state of chaos and a state of order, in the hope of finding some sort of balance.

Spin | Max Hattler | 4’
When conflict becomes a spectacle, the lines between destruction and entertainment get blurred.

 Bertie Crisp | Francesca Adams | 6’ | National Film and Television School
Based on memories of childhood holidays to Skegness, is an affectionate, but darkly humorous look at the people who live on caravan sites all year round.

Toyota: Auto Biography | Julia Pott | 1’ | For Saatchi & Saatchi, L.A.
Drew’s journey to adulthood with a few stops along the way.

Kia Soul: This or That | Antoine Bardou-Jacquet | 1’ | Partizan for David & Goliath, L.A.
3 king-of-the-ghetto hamsters use the tracks lyrics of “You can get with this…or you can get with that” to compare the Kia Soul’s cool credentials against alternative models of transport.

Intel: The Chase | Smith & Foulkes | 2’ | Nexus Productions for Venables Bell + Partners
A breakneck, 911 action chase scene – a showcase for the new processor’s amazing capacity.

'Being Bradford Dillman' by Emma Burch

Public Choice Programme 2 – Thur 16 Feb 8.30pm-10.30pm

Wallpaper | Fiona Geilinger | 4’
A transformation occurs, through which using elements of clothing, patern and architecture, a woman hides and reveals herself…until she choses to abandon her identity by absorption into the fabric of her surroundings.

The Boy Who Wanted to be a Lion | Alois Di Leo | 8.5’ | National Film and Television School
Jake is a 7-year old deaf boy growing up in the 1960s.  One day he goes on a school trip to the zoo where he sees a lion for the first time.  A feeling begins to grow inside him that will change his life forever.

Remembering Formby | Sue Elliott | 5’ | University of the West  of England, Bristol
The film offers a bright insight into the life and work of one of the safest men who ever lived.

Being Bradford Dillman | Emma Burch | 10.5’ | Loose Moose
A tale of a mother and daughter relationship shadowed by alcohol, loneliness and a dislike of boys.

Loose Fit: Table Beggar | Abbie Stephens | 3.5’ | Beaucomp Films for Join The Dots.
A man who has been physically torn out of the frame, leaves an animated hole in his place, whilst struggling with his condition, he discovers the healing properties of water.

DeVotchKa: 100 Other Lovers | Chloe Rodham | 4’ | Chloe Rodham Animation for  Anti/Epitaph, 2011
A simple story of a bird loving Babushka and many luminescent wings. If you love something enough, you have to let it go.

London Elektricity: Round the World in a day | David Gilbert & Maxim Lucas | 4’ | Plastic Horse for Hospital Records
Richard the heartbroken dolphin gets away from it all, but is it all as it seems?

Robots of Brixton | Kibwe Tavares | 5.5’ | Factory Fifteen
Brixton has degenerated into a disregarded area inhabited by London’s new robot workforce.

Get Well Soon: Tarrant | Bill Elliott | 2’ | 12foot6
There are hidden dangers playing the Chris Tarrant games machine down your local.

Out on the Tiles | Anna Pearson | 3’ | Edinburgh College of Art
An inebriated woman pays a visit to the ladies loo for a cigarette, but not everything goes to plan….

Tempo: Bike | Vida Vega | .30’ | Film Club Productions for Publicis, London
Boy meets girl …..

Knife Crime Animation | Vicki Haworth & Harriet Buckley | 2’ | Ink Digital for The Leith Agency
How knife crime affects a group of Scottish teenagers Ppart of their “No Knives better lives” campaign.

Radioshack: Big Trip | 12foot6 | .5’ | 12foot6 for BSSP
Make sure you’ve got enough time for your trip. You may meet a crazy person and want to take a picture for Twitter.

Nokia: Dot | Sumo Science | 1.5’ | Aardman Animations for Wieden & Kennedy
Dot is a tiny 9mm girl who wakes up in a magical, magnified world to discover her surroundings are caving in around her.

Eagleman Stag | Mike Please | 9’ | Royal College of Art
Nearing the end of his days, Peter undertakes progressively extreme measures to control and counter time’s increasing pace. He discovers repeating the word ‘fly’ for long enough makes it sound like ‘life’.  This is of no real help to him. His answers lie in the brain of a beetle.

A Morning Stroll | Grant Orchard | 7’ | Studio A.K.A.
When a New Yorker walks past a chicken on his morning stroll, we’re left to wonder which one is the real city slicker.

'Ernesto' by Corinne Ladiende

Public Choice Programme 3 – Fri 17 Feb 8.30pm-10.30pm

Spin Spun Span | Emily Howells & Anne Wilkins | 4.5’ | Emily & Anne
A surreal journey through the history of the cotton factories of the North West. led by a choir of singing spindles and a spinning mule. Commissioned by Bolton Museum and Archives.

Moxie | Stephen Irwin | 6’
A pyromaniac bear misses his mother.

Thursday | Matthias Hoegg | 7’ | Royal College of Art
An everyday love story set in the not so distant future sees blackbirds battling with technology, automatic palm readers and power cuts.

Get Well Soon: Impaled Leg | Pheobe Boswell | 4’ | 12foot6
Drinking games at Edinburgh College of Art and a misguided shortcut.

The Henhouse | Elena Pomares | 7’ | National Film and Television School
A hungry fox finds shelter from the rain and the city at the Hen house cafe.

You May Now | Daniel Keeble & Dane Winn | 1.5’ | University of the West  of England, Bristol
A sack character exists in a simple 2D world and once he puts on a pair f 3D glasses he is transported into an amazing 3D world.

Liz Green: Displacement | Kate Anderson | 4’ | Dept. A for Play It Again Sam, 2011

Lukid: Stripes | David Gilbert & Maxim Lucas | 4’ | Plastic Horse for Werk Discs.
A disgruntled eel has his TV destroyed by some marauding magpies…

Get Well Soon: Bob | Darren Walsh | 2.20’ | 12foot6

I’m Fine Thanks | Eamonn O’Neill | 4.5’ | Royal College of Art
Are you ok?

Architeq: Into the Cosmos | Darren Robbie | 3’ | Chopsy Animation for Tirk Records
What happens to all the old vinyl people used to play? Forgotten records are summoned to an old warehouse by a mysterious ‘collector’.

Dry Riser: Tangerine | Thomas Hicks | 4’ | For DRM (indie)

 Nokia: Gulp | Sumo Science | 1.5’ | Aardman Animations for Wieden & Kennedy
The life of a little fishing boat when the tide goes out. As the sea ebbs away oilskins and nets come to life manifesting a lone fisherman, out to find the catch of the day.

Statoil: Goodnight | David Prosser | 1’ | Studio A.K.A for McCann Oslo
A girl’s fantasy adventures, as her father tells her a bedtme story.

Pilsner Urquell Legends: The Day Pilsner Struck Gold | Chris Randall | 1’ | Second Home Studios for The Bank
“The City of Pilsen hides a unique and precious secret…’ An abstracted retelling of how Pilsner Urquell was created.

All Consuming Love (Man in a Cat) | Louis Hudson | 9’ | Dice Productions
A man living inside a cat gets into a sticky love triangle.

Ernesto | Corinne Ladiende | 7’ | National Film and Television School
Seven year old Ernesto feels left out when he realises he’s the only kid in school with a full set of milk teeth. When his efforts to fit in fail miserably, Ernesto resorts to drastic measures to get rid of them, but his teeth have other plans…

Animation still from Red Bull award winning stop motion competition entry by UOB BA (Hons) Animation graduate Chris Butcher

Animation Graduate Chris Butcher, already a ‘Barbican Ideas Tap Award Winner 2011′, has another prize to add to his collection, the Red Bull Canimation 2011 Open Stop Motion Trophy.

Chris was overwhelmed by applause and praise from industry at the red carpet event in Leicester Square on Thursday 15 December. His work will be screened as part of an ‘Ad Break Takeover Documentary’ on Channel 4 in the new year, as well as part of the British Animation Awards Public Choice Tour 2012.

The British Animation Awards Public Choice Tour will be coming to the University of Bedfordshire’s Judith Blake Theatre 15-17 February 2012 – three evenings of the latest British animation films screened for free, open to the general public – who will vote for their favourite animations.

Sat 26 November, 10am – 6pm
Route around Lincoln

Taken from the series Roadkill Family Album, an ongoing series of works which begun in 2000, Nigel exhibits one of his latest additions, shown for the first time in a public location.

Taking the form of an alternative family album using his friends and family the series highlights the constructed nature of images in Nigel’s photographs. Each piece silently questions the role of the human within nature, paring it with self destructive nature displayed within pockets society.

A graduate and staff member in the art and design department, Ben Hodson has won a number of awards for his company. ATP Media, based out of the Hat Factory in Luton has recently been awarded at both a local and national level. The creative business has just received a Future 100 award and one of the directors, Ben Hodson won Community Businessperson of the year in the Luton’s Best of Awards ceremony at Luton Hoo last week.  ”Its great top show that creative business’ can be successful even in the face of hard economic times.” Explains Ben.

Ben and his fellow directors Josh Hodson and Ian Rowlands have put in extensive work into looking for creative solutions to social problems.  This includes using visual art to aid a charity in Iraq, supporting the Love Luton campaign, shooting documentaries, organising local school workshops and competitions, championing temporary art spaces in Luton and helping numerous local and international charities.

“ATP Media is a one stop shop for all your creative needs. As a creative agency we make award-winning photography, promotional videos, graphic design, branding, social media marketing, websites, interactive media and much more.” Explains Josh, the operations director. “We have just been using our creative talents to help bring about positive change in the communities around us.”

Ben said: “There is a shift towards businesses being more socially and environmentally aware and I feel we are a part of that. Businesses are interested in the affect they have on the world, not just profit. It is good that awards like these recognise a shift in that direction.”

ATP Media is part of ATP Worldwide, a community of companies and social enterprises with shared values.  The worldwide director Ian Rowlands said: “It is great when people notice what you are doing and we are all really excited to win these awards. It is great when you work hard at things you are passionate about and people notice the results.”

For more information visit the website at www.atpmedia.org.

A lecturer from the University of Bedfordshire will show her work at an exhibition at the Hat Factory opening this week.

Staff member Ben Hodson is taking part in an arts council funded exhibition called “The Re Show”

The Re… Show is a group show of 12 artists. The venue for the show is the ‘Street Dreams’ workshop in High Wycombe. Street Dreams is a charity that equips young people with life skills and provides them with personal development opportunities. The ‘Out of the Dark’ arm of the charity trains and employs disadvantaged youths to overhaul and refresh salvaged furniture and in the process hope that they are able to repair and redefine themselves. The Re… Show’s conceptual concerns are firmly set within the Street Dream ethos.

The artists will be invited to create work which is inspired by renewal or regeneration within their own personal lives. The work will be a reflection into their own lost disengaged moments. It will give the youths a peek into the fact that all of us have these moments in life and have managed to find a way out of the dark. The exhibition will invite the youths to turn the pages of the personal diaries of the artists and hopefully find their struggles reflected in the work. The invited artists come from different backgrounds and cultures and would be good role models for the youths.

The show will reflect the philosophy of the charity by incorporating Constructivist principles of optimistic experimental works of art in different mediums. The exhibition will be characterised by its simplicity and accessibility to the general public. The show will be a 2 week exhibition interceded by talks and workshops involving the artists, local schools and youths involved with the charity.

To view the video from the show go here: The Re Show Video

Photos can be found here: http://atpphotos.zenfolio.com/thereshow

Sława Harasymowicz, a London based artist and lecturer in the Division of Arts and Design will be opening Dispatches, on Tuesday, 1 November in London.

Friends and family enter Nigel Grimmer’s photographic work through his continual reworking of the family album format. Disrupting our expectations of “traditional” family portraiture Grimmer obscures the identities of his models, protecting them from the viewer’s gaze; his family are pictured turning their backs to the camera, or masking themselves with a variety of disguises and props. 

Although the identities of Grimmer’s subjects are hidden the photographs are still taken at traditional “snapshot moments” and perform the function of mementos of important social exchanges between Grimmer and his entourage.

While his family takes on the roles of dead animals (Roadkill Family Album) or naughty children (The Dunces) Grimmer himself is replaced by his avatar ‘Nigel Doll’. This miniature reproduction of the artist accompanies him on his travels and is photographed in front of various landmarks, dispensing with the risk of Grimmer trusting a stranger with his camera. Slowly, the doppelganger usurps Grimmer from his own snapshot album.

Grimmer quotes Susan Sontag’s “Time’s Relentless Melt” as an allusion to the cyclical nature of the family album and the continual shifting of meaning within the imagery; the subjects of his new photographs are replaced by a younger generation, they appear lost, censored, or forgotten from a sometimes fragile memory.

Charlie Dutton Gallery, 1a Princeton Street, London, WC1R 4AX

The gallery is open to the public Thursday – Friday 11 – 6, Saturday 11 – 2 or by appointment.

Nigel Grimmer is the Lecturer in Photography and Video Art for the University of Bedfordshire.

http://www.charlieduttongallery.com/Nigel%20Grimmer/Nigel%20Grimmer.html

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

 

 

Here working with students from other Universities and Art Schools they were participated in a designer-led workshop on the theme of ‘What’s your Manifesto’.

Graphic Design student Silviya Savova had this to say about her experience of the day:

“All the students invited had the unique chance to meet other students working in Product Design, Architecture and Graphics and to work together in groups. It was great to meet other students and get contact with people who you might work with in the future. The discussions, the brainstorming exercises and the whole atmosphere of the workshop gave me the chance to understand more clearly the impact of design on communication. It was really interesting to see how others see my ideas and to share our knowledge, and make the leap to being professional designers. It was one of the best experiences as a Design student I have had.”

More images of the work from the competition can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/designfactory/pool/