Warm review of V&A’s ‘Cold War Modern’ exhibition by Del Hossain 09|12|08

The new Cold War Modern exhibition at the V&A designed by Universal Design is a refreshing respite for all architects and product designers away from the present industry concerns, reminding us how idealism through design has changed the Western world, through the interpretations of socio political ideologies and their impact on the world post WWII. One can pretty much observe the strands of constitutional thought that has led to the only true ‘ism’ of design in the 20th century:  the advent of Modernism’.

The exhibition opens with two stirring images to mark the emerging cultures post WWII, both conjuring up the emotions of life and design on each side of the Iron curtain. The west is represented by the geometry and abstracted frames of Max Bill, whilst the East is represented by the avant garde work of Sourek, who depicts the propaganda of the Red Army heroically marching with tanks, flowers in hand. Both in turn interpret the dawn of a fresh new era through their ideologies.

Once the ‘artificial working relations’ disintegrate post war, the fear sets in and the exhibition depicts the design of this fear in shelters, no doubt influenced by the fresh memories of the bombings that savaged Europe. Frederick Kiesler goes a step further with the biomorphic dwelling, in the ‘Endless House,’ an oval capsule shaped hiding post. This was no doubt based on the US bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 where the images of a mushroom cloud filled the caverns of people’s minds with their graphic imagery.  Product design responded in a similar way with the ‘Womb Chair,’ by Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames, now classics of modern loft house living but designs originated in the fear of a political society.

These organic motions in design moved into all spheres of design, visible in the classic ‘Cornuta coffee machine model 47’ by Gio Ponti, likewise in the Olivetti ‘Lexikon 80,’ typewriter by Marcello Nizolli. This advent of industry in the West, arguably reminiscent of not only the origins of the Industrial Revolution but also the factory line production of arms manufacturing during WWII, would have had a tremendous influence on the assembly line methods engaged by Corradino D’Ascanio in his classic 1951 ‘Vespa 125cc’ which was the height of utilitarian product manufacturing. 

On a macro scale, however, you would have to turn to the father of American invention, Buckminster Fuller, for the rousing image of his 100ft geodesic dome for the international trade fair in Kabul where the Americans are protecting the Afghans from the Russians. How far things have come. In 1962 this idea would be continued in the stratospheric image of Manhattan covered by an impenetrable dome, at the height of the US/USSR diplomatic meltdown.
 
The Russians retorted by shows of the ’Might of the State,’ as in the case of Dimitri Chechulin and I.Tigranov who vindicated their societies through skyscrapers,  basically saying ‘size is everything.’

The Americans, not to be outdone, responded with UN HQ between 1947-53 as a beacon of all things democratic, open and honest. Also with Lever House by SOM as that other overwhelming power-house, of commerce and consumerism. Both buildings, glass skyscrapers, transformed both modern thinking and ideology on transparency through buildings as a metaphor for business and inevitably political reflection.

Other highlights include the Walking Cities of Archigram, who in the late 60’s and early 70’s echoed the popular theme of communities in transit, possibly influenced by the Jewish reoccupation of Israel and a community both moving in and out. Or even the political ‘Crisis and Fear’ of the 1960’s with spy games between the two sides that came out of the anxiety in Berlin and the subsequent erection of the Berlin Wall.

This is an exhibition curated by the V&A with tremendous soul and shows that design is, above all things, about idealism in all its socio political guises. Perhaps the closing caption of the exhibition summarises this poignantly,   going into the future with a return to nature and emphasis on sustainability and above all things hope. It should resonate with most people that the greatest issues facing design right now are not the woes of the short term but the longer standing interventions that will impact our future.  

‘Unless this flowering home planet remains a haven of life the entire solar system may become as devoid of life as are the mountains of the moon.’
(New York Times 1970)

To read the article in full, contact chloeb@adrem.uk.com

Why to stick by Dubai - Article published by AJ 28|11|08

Considering an architectural job in the Middle East? This is that the AJ has to say:

British architects will always work in Dubai, but the recent crash means only committed parties need apply, says Richard Thompson. Such has been the pace of growth in the Gulf over the last five years that there simply have not been enough building professionals to meet the demand. This has allowed companies to pick and choose the jobs they want to work on. Profit margins have soared.

But the Gulf construction boom has been stopped dead in its tracks by the global financial crisis, and nowhere has been hit harder than Dubai. While record oil prices and levels of production have enabled the region's governments to embark on an unprecedented spending programme to develop national infrastructure, it is speculation on property that has propelled the region's real estate sector to the top of the heap. Private real-estate development accounts for some 65 per cent of the £1.8 trillion-worth of projects planned or underway in the Gulf, with Dubai enjoying by far the biggest share.

Until this summer, the market had proved surprisingly resilient. Now, Dubai's real estate is crashing fast. Price falls of 40-50 per cent have been seen on some of Dubai's flagship developments since the summer, and the contagion has spread to neighbours Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Oman. To make matters worse, the fall in oil prices since August will see governments rein in spending on infrastructure projects. Oil will deliver smaller revenues in 2009 than this year, resulting in the first contraction in the Middle East's economy in almost a decade.

The most successful firms are those that have been there for years, but the slowdown is merely a hiatus, not the end of the boom. Oil prices will recover. Hydrocarbons remain the world's most viable source of energy supply, and the rise of China and India will place long-term demand on Middle Eastern oil. Just as significantly, the region's governments are committed to their economic diversification strategies in order to wean themselves off their dependence on the volatile oil markets and create jobs for their fast-growing populations. Flush with the windfall profits of five years of soaring oil prices, the region's governments will continue to invest in financial services, transport, housing, tourism, power and water.

The short-term slowdown in activity will ease the inflationary pressures that have made life difficult for businesses in the region, and will also give local infrastructure capacity the opportunity to catch up with the rate of building development. Because Gulf construction has suddenly become a buyers' market, British construction consultants and architects will thrive for the simple reason that they are among the best in the world.

The most important factor for anybody seeking to succeed in the Gulf here is time. Relationships are key and the most successful international firms in the region are those that have been there for years. The Gulf remains one of the world's few construction hotspots, offering enormous opportunities for UK firms. But to succeed, you must be prepared to commit for the long term.

Richard Thompson is editor of MEED, a Middle-East business intelligence magazine

comment@architectsjournal.co.uk

For more information on architectural jobs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the Middle East, take a look at our international pages or contact international@adrem.uk.com.

'This Tiny World' opens at dreamspace 25|11|08

The much talked about exhibition, 'This Tiny World', opens today at the dreamspace gallery. The exhibition, by Sarah Fotheringham, Claire Scully, Jim Stoten and Hannah Waldron, will run until 16th January 2009. 

So what can you expect? Well, This Tiny World is filled with people who inhabit their own tiny worlds. These worlds are the manifestation of imagination and wonder. Everyday the world plays in the same way to everyone living in it, but we all possess a filter through which it is viewed. This filter is the source of many questions and many answers.

The idea of this exhibition is to translate into imagery, the different viewpoints of four individual artists in an effort to let the viewer see This Tiny World from a perspective other than their own. Check our images for a sneak preview.

Admission is free, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

Ben’s Blog – Tehran to Istanbul 25|11|08

As evening descended and the sun began to set, we slowly pulled out of Tehran. After a filling meal of soup and kebabs, I had an early night after an exhausting day. Even though the trip still had plenty of time left, the idea of leaving Iran - which had gradually become such a strangely familiar place to be - seemed somehow sad.

I woke to beautiful scenery as we headed through hills and mountains, later skirting the edge of a salt lake. In between playing cards with some Iranians next door, who I later met up with again in Istanbul, I had a relaxing day reading and meeting many of the people on the train, including a group of Iranian students who were travelling to university in Cyprus to study. By mid-afternoon we’d reached the Iranian border, where we waited for about three hours as bureaucratic processes were enacted. After waiting in two queues and handing in my passport, it was finally returned and we were allowed back onto the train.

The Iranian border process, which seemed relatively inefficient at the time, seemed positively modern compared to that of Turkey. The entire train had to queue up to one window, where visas were issued and stamped…as long as the computer behind the window decided not to crash. Somehow, the entire process took over five hours and by the time we were back on the train we were all ready to go to sleep. At 2am, we arrived at the edge of Lake Van, where the Iranian train stops, while the luggage car is shunted onto the ferry, while the passengers scramble for seats upstairs. The ferry set off into the pitch black of the lake for the five hour journey to the other side, where we would then join the Turkish train. After some sleep and watching the sunrise out of the window, we arrived at the port. Once the scrum had cleared I was back in my compartment and soon playing cards again as the train pulled out into the flatter Turkish landscape. I spent most of the afternoon in the dining car watching the landscape slide by, and as the sun set, I accompanied my kebabs with my first beer for two weeks, which was strangely disappointing.

I had breakfast in the dining car with olives, egg and cheese as the train became slower and slower the further it went on. Eventually, we reached Ankara, and since the restaurant car had run out of food, I stocked up on some sandwiches and drinks. My destination of Istanbul was still conservatively nine hours away, meaning I would arrive at the Asian shore at about two in the morning. 

I later went to the dining car where the final hours of our time on the train were marked by the Iranians singing traditional songs and playing cards. When the restaurant car eventually shut, I went back to my cabin for an hours sleep before we arrived. I woke up completely disorientated, with the guard hammering on the window of the train - I had fallen into a very deep sleep. I found a taxi and having previously booked a hotel on the European side, finally went there for another few hours of sleep!

Feeling inspired? For more information on architectural jobs abroad, take a look at our international pages.

Sewing a Stereotype 17|11|08

When most people think of embroidery, images of ladies stitching landscapes and cushions bearing names spring to mind. Over the years, traditional embroidery has evolved into a contemporary art and one enthusiast challenging not only the stigma of the ancient art of textiles, but also the gender assumptions associated with this ‘craft’, is Jim Forster. Forster is showing his embroidery collection, entitled ‘Needle Works’, at the Dreamspace Gallery from Monday 17th November to Friday 21st November 2008.

‘Needle Works’ was initially started some 25 years ago. Revived in 2001, Forster embarked on a 7 year process to complete a project based entirely on men’s undergarments. Forster explains, “The underwear series is a simple idea. Derived from illustrations found in 1950s Early Learning books, the embroideries have semi-narrative and playful relationships with each other and the garments on which they are sewn. At a time when underclothes are often crudely fetished, I feel the embroidery gives them back their innocence”.