EXCLAIM MAGAZINE

Issue 521 AUG 2011

THE HOMAGE ISSUEImportant people you should know in Architecture, Graphic Design, Product Design and FashionAlessandro Kendini | Shun Kawakami | Kazunari Hattori | Tadanori Yokoo | Alexander McQueen

The Homage IssueEXCLAIM is a design magazine devoted to the most resonant voices in the architecture, fashion, graphic and product industries today. In this issue, we sing an ode to our personal favourites -- the designers and designs that have inspired us.

Where I Learnt My First !

The Iconic Alexander

McQueen

Cutting EdgeJapanese Graphic Designs

AlessandroMendini

The places where toddlers learn their first ‘!’, the inspiring environment in which children absorb like a sponge, the buildings in which potential architects first aspire to create the next big ‘!’ façade, these are the kindergartens.

Literally meaning “children’s garden”in German, kindergartens hold a form of education for young children that serves as a transition from home to the commencement of more formal schooling. Children are taught to develop basic skills and knowledge many a times through creative play and social interaction. In the field of architecture and design, the kindergartens have to rouse interest like no other. Bright colours, interactive shutters, low lying windows. These are the ‘!’ kindergartens.

TEXT Lynette Tan

Kindergarten Kekec

Architect: Arhitektura Jure Kotnik

Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Project team: Jure Kotnik, Andrej Kotnik

Client: Mestna občina Ljubljana

Kindergarten Kekec is an extension of a typical Slovene prefab kindergarten from the 1980s. Situated in one of Ljubljana’s resi-dential areas, Kekec answers the growing demand for kinder-gartens. This comes as a result of Ljubljana having

witnessed considerable population growth as well as legislative

changes and a planned increase in building density inside the high-

way ring surrounding the city.

The construction is made from prefabricated wood and was built in

only three days. The main design concept derives from the existing

kindergarten’s lack of play equipment. By offering a play element

along all three exterior wall, the new façade solves this weakness.

Consisting of dark brown roughcast and timber slats, the

rotating vertical shutters revolve around their vertical axe,

looking very much like a row of colour pastels. Aside from serving

as a shading element, the toy slats provide for children’s play and

learning: as the children manipulate the colourful wooden planks

they get to know different colours, experience wood as a natural

material and constantly change the appearance of their

kindergarten, all at the same time.

The new kindergarten annex is attached to the south side of the

existing building and stretches into the garden, which has

enlarged the playroom surfaces. Playrooms are compact but

allow for the furniture to be arranged in various specific

formations.Daylight floods the interior from three sides as well

as the roof. Located between the two playrooms,

washrooms have large glass openings, which

visually increase their volume as well as

ease tutor supervision.

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Tellus Nursery school

Address: Telefonplan, Stockholm, Sweden.Chief architects: Bolle Tham and Martin VidegårdProject architect: Eric EngströmClient: Vasakronan AB.

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On the border between a former urban/

industrial development and a small forest

where new housing is being developed, this

nursery school mediates between different

contexts and scales. A semi enclosed en-

trance courtyard constitutes a first exterior

space for parents and children meeting

and leaving. The organic layout encourages

movement as space becomes continuous

and creates both exterior and interior rooms

of challenging shapes. Windows are freely

placed at different heights and allow for light

and views to be adapted also to the scale of

children, which further the relation between

the interior and the exterior play ground and

the wooded hill.

Together with the client and the pedagogues’

inspiration from the Reggio Emilia school, a

new way to organize the interior was

developed. The result is a rather unorthodox

plan, where instead of a complete ’flat’ for

each group of children, there will be a large

common interior plaza where the six groups

can interact around different activities,

playing and learning projects. This main

space is complemented with separate atelier

spaces for water projects and art, as well

as small secluded group rooms for rest and

quiet activities.

The facade panel, made of 50x50mm sawn

wood, filters direct sunlight into thenursery school and create hidden windows

that underscores the curved interior and

exterior spaces. The building complies with

the highest standards for environmentally

friendly and long term sound construction.

The Marriage of Opposites

1. Poster by Tadanori Yokoo

2. Motoin Graphic by WOW Tiokyo Artworks by Shun Kawakami (artless.com)

3. Kewpie Half / Magazine Ad. / 2003 by Kazunari Hattori

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Cutting Edge Japanese Graphic Designs

An introduction on three prominent Japanese designers who have successfully mergered two different elements in their designs.

TEXT Zhou Yibo

KawakamiDigital + Calligraphy

As an artist, Kawakami’s work is rooted in graphic and interaction; besides his activity in Japan, he’s worked and has participated in exhibitions overseas.

He’s been awarded several international prizes for his contributions to art and design over the years, such as the “Good Design Award” (JP), the “Tokyo Interactive Award” (JP), the “Favourite Website Award” (U.K.), the “ADC 86th Annual Award” (U.S.A.).

Born in Tokyo in 1977, Shun Kawakami directs artless Inc., a design agency he co-founded in 1999, which operates in several fields of visual communication, from graphic art to design, from branding to printing, from web to video installations, from architecture to interior projects.

Working for clients, designer Shun Kawakami works on a lot of personal art projects employing traditional Japanese culture but from a non-Japanese standpoint. Since his art doesn’t have concepts or strong messages, he lets viewers to determine what they are. He sees art as a platform to refine and enrich himself, which he believes is the most crucial thing upon his creation.

He merges calligraphy and ink with typography and multi-media, creating something modern yet deeply rooted in his traditional culture.

hunS

Inspired by the space between the number on count-up from one to ten. Shun Kawakami creates that time of the space as an image into the three dimension world. Because that space is time itself.

Eleven “IKEBANAS” are created as three dimension objects and arranged into the vast space. The camera sequentially follows those numbers which are being thrown into the flow of time one by one.

Combining inked plant motifs and lines with typography, Kawakami explores the Japanese aesthetics with modern feel.

VideoWow Tenspace, inspired by WOW10 artbook

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azunari

Chaos + Simplicity

Kazunari Hattori has consistently produced numerous works of graphic design that are uniquely his own. Expressing himself through a variety of different media, Hattori focuses on expressions through print characters and geometrical shapes, and creating a sense of balance.

In his designs, Hattori chooses meaningless motifs. His motivation for producing the works is not “what” to express, but “how” to express it. When he pursue his method of expression as far as he can, the method fo expression actually becomes the subject of his work.

In recent years, Hattori has continued to present experimental pieces through individual and group exhibitions in pursuit of new possibilities for expression. Lines and handwritten typefaces portray a fun and vibrant side to the subject of his designs while retaining a certain seriousness to the work.

Since April 2001 he has worked as a freelance art director and graphic designer. Major works: Advertising “Kewpie Half” for Kewpie, Art direction of the renewed publicationof Ryuko Tsushin Magazine and many book designs including LEXIS Major Awards : Tokyo ADC Award in 1999, 2000, and 2001, Tokyo ADC Members’ Award in 2003, and Yusaku Kamekura Award in 2004. Royal French-Japanese Dictionary for Obunsha.

Hattori

1. Chinese-Character Dictionary for children art directioned by Kazunari Hottori images © Samwon Paper Gallery/

2. ‘Q P half’art directioned by Kazunari Hottoriimages © Samwon Paper Gallery

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Chaotic line directions on simple backgrounds or sometimes shapes create novel experiences for the viewer. One can never quite pinpoint Hattori’s source of influence, but we know it has a childlike quality that resonates in each one of us.

Quirkiness and seriousness converge to create truely dynamic pieces of work.

Born in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan, Kazunari Hattori is an Art Director and Designer. He graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1988 with a degree in design. In the same year he entered Light Publicity Ltd.

K

adanoriT Yokoo

Tadanori Yokoo was born in Nishiwaki, Japan in 1936. As a teenager, his modest dreams were to work at a post office and to paint. He entered the profession by replicating paintings, designing store wrapping paper, and drawing posters for the Chamber of Commerce.

This shocking poster featured a hanged man against a blue sky with red rays emanating from a rising sun. His name appeared at the top; the bottom corners held childhood photographs and the simple ironic statement, “having reached a climax at the age of 29, I was dead.”The rising sun motif, considered old-fashioned at the time, recurs throughout his body of work and has become emblematic of “Yokoo style” and an international symbol of Japanese pop art.

Tadanori Yokoo’s work, while highly successful commercially, is deeply personal. Employing his own themes, pictures, and references to himself and his anti-modernist collage style, his approach is instantly recognizable and individual.

He has said that he learned in the late 1960s “to escape from compromise when designing by linking my creations directly to my lifestyle.”

Yokoo’s work crosses the border between design and fine art.

Seemingly devoid of limitations or rules, his paintings are warm, autobiographical, and mystical and draw on a variety of seemingly incongruous influences such as spiritualism, Japanese aesthetics, the psychedelic posters of the ‘60s, science fiction, and comic art.

It also consciously draws on Ukiyo-e, or “the art of the floating world,” whose themes express the impermanence of life. Humor — sophisticated, dry, thoughtful and self-deprecating — is also a powerful element in his work.

His intricate, dreamlike designs are portraits of our turbulent and chaotic times that embrace both the high and low as well as burgeoning globalization.

Part of the complexity in Yokoo’s posters reflects the artist’s social, economic and political milieu. He questions the relationship between traditional Japan and the West and between the new Japan and the old.

Psychedelia + Japanese traditions

Mendini’s work is characterised by bursts of colours and unusual forms, which contains the underlying theme of rede-sign. This is evinced by two of his eminent furniture pieces - Anna G and the Tho-net chair. With Anna G, he took a simple household corkscrew and transformed it into an artistic representation of the female form, as inspired by the image of a twirling ballerina with raised arms. This piece was so well-received that it was replicated in male form. With the Thonet chair, he used a similar principal by modernizing an exist-ing chair prototype. Mendini’s decoration and redesign of this chair infused a com-monplace piece of furniture with a fresh, neo-modern point of view. His work is inte-gral to the origination of the “banal design” concept, which refers to the transformation of everyday objects into works of art.

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TheIconicAlexanderMcQueenTEXT Tulika Sud

Exclaim seems to be the ideal place to pay homage to a designer who unhesitatingly broke boundaries, always trying something truly different, and taking fashion much beyond the conventions. He has truly made a difference to the world of fashion today, an inspiration to many.

He came up with trousers named “bumsters” and even an entire collection titled “Highland Rape”. His runway shows were truly unique and extravagant, such as the recreation of a shipwreck in Spring 2003, a human chess game for Spring 2005, and a show titled “Widows of Culloden” in Fall 2006.

McQueen shows are known for their emotional power and raw energy, as well as the romantic but determinedly contemporary nature of the collections. Integral to the McQueen culture is the juxtaposition between contrasting elements: fragility and strength, tradition and modernity, fluidity and severity.

An openly emotional and even passionate viewpoint is realized with a profound respect and influence for the arts and crafts tradition. He brought drama and extravagance to the catwalk, drawing attention with his loud and truly unique concepts. Twists in his shows shocked audiences and drew on the idea of fantasy and rebellion.

Alexander’s collections combine an indepth working knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, the fine workmanship of the French Haute Couture atelier and the impeccable finish of Italian manufacturing.

Highland Rape. Armadillo stilettos. Bumsters. One brilliant designer, so many unique concepts. Alexander

McQueen was born in London on March 17th 1969, the youngest of six children. He left school at the age of 16 and was offered an apprenticeship at the traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard and then at neighbouring Gieves and Hawkes, both masters in the technical construction ofclothing.

From there he moved to the theatrical costumiers Angels and Bermans where he mastered 6 methods of pattern cutting from the melodramatic 16th Century to the razor sharp tailoring which has become a McQueen signature.

A year later McQueen travelled to Milan where he was employed as Romeo Giglii’s design assistant. On his return to London, he completed a Masters degree in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins. He showed his MA collection in 1992, which was famously bought in its entirety by Isabella Blow.

Alexander McQueen’s collections from the very beginning created a reputation for controversy and shock tactics, with him being titled “the hooligan of English fashion”.

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Spring 2005Human Chess Game

The chess device allowed McQueen to redo all his greatest moments, but in a prettier, lighter, more accessible way.

1996, 1997, 2001, 2003: British Designer of the year

2003: International Designer of the Year by The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)

2003: A Most Excellent Commander of The British Empire (CBE) by her Majesty the Queen

2007: GQ Menswear Designer of the Year

Awards

Armadillo Stilettos

A concept McQueen was famous for, often worn by popular singer Lady Gaga both in her eccentric music videos as well as at award ceremonies, shows, etc.

In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by the Gucci Group, where he remained Creative Director. Collections include women’s ready-to-wear, men’s ready-to-wear, accessories, eyewear and fragrance. Expansion followed and included the opening of flagship stores in New York, London, Milan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

In less than 10 years McQueen became one of the most respected fashion designers in the world. In October 1996 he was appointed Chief Designer at the French Haute Couture House Givenchy where he worked until March of 2001.

In memory of the iconic Alexander McQueen.18

Fall/Winter 2010

Spring/Summer 2011

Sarah Burton, who worked with McQueen for 16 years, is now in charge of the McQueen Fashion House. Her collections have shown great promise and remain true to the McQueen identity.

Lynette Tan Yihui

Zhou Yibo

Before becoming an editor for this magazine, Lynette was a freelance graphic designer, had worked in an advertising firm, in some publication firms and the digital post of a media company. Hardworking and always on time for deadlines, she aspires to to be like Van Gogh- i.e. work hard in life and dream to get recognition after she’s dead.

Tulika spent most of her life in India, moving to Singapore to obtain an undergraduate degree in Visual Communication. Organised and obsessive to the point of being quite a control freak, she loves to draw and hopes to design an album cover for Coldplay one day. Or win an Oscar for art direction. Editor of this magazine is a start!

CONTRIBUTORS

A contributor to this magazine for many years, Yibo Zhou has been researching and writing about young and edgy graphic designs, with a special focus on Asia. Development of Japanese design has always been an interest of hers and in this special issue, we give the reader cutting edge graphic designers that have reflected the global landscape in their works.

Tulika Sud

Zheng Jiayin

A wanderer and collector of hazardously cute things, Jiayin has no academic credentials to her name. In its place there is simply: a feverish desire to usurp the world with handsome design and bizarre – beautiful imagery. She is fond of the fantastical, and even more so, of people who work whimsy and magic into very terrene settings.

D’Souza, Christa. McQueen and Country. Observer Magazine 4th March 2001

Menkes, Suzy. Mr Letterhead: McQueen Shows a Corporate Side. International Herald Tribune, 18th September 2001

McDowell, Colin. Shock Treatment. The Sunday Times Style Magazine, 13th March 1996

http://www.tadanoriyokoo.com/

http://www.shunkawakami.jp/

http://www.tdctokyo.org/awards/award07/grandprix_e.html

Official Alexander McQueen Website. wwwalexandermcqueen.com

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2011RTW-AMCQUEEN

http://designmuseum.org/design/alexander-mcqueen

Sources