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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/gcse-ebacc-qualification-devalues-art-design-subjects-mps-debate-parliament/  
MPs “urge Government to think again” over GCSE EBacc excluding art and design  

MPs debated over the English Baccalaureate a GCSE qualification that excludes art and design this week, with some claiming that it devalues creative subjects and makes them inaccessible for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The EBacc was first introduced in 2010, but will be made compulsory in September this year for 90% of GCSE students, requiring them to take English, maths, science, a language and a humanity.

Parliamentary debate sparked by petition

A petition called “Include expressive arts subjects in the EBacc” was started in retaliation to the ruling and was signed by more than 100,000 people, stating that “the exclusion of art, music, drama and other expressive subjects is limiting, short sighted and cruel”.

The petition defines “expressive arts” as art, music, drama and “other expressive subjects”.

In response to the petition, a three-hour parliamentary debate took place in Westminster this week, where MPs who are opposed to the EBacc guidelines were able to put their points of view across to those in favour of them.

“Only EBacc subjects will count”

One of the arguments cited by MPs opposed to the EBacc, who were predominately Labour, was that the qualification devalues and reduces funding to art subjects because schools use the EBacc to measure performance.

Fiona Mactaggart, Labour MP for Slough, said: “We all know that what counts in public policy is what is measured and if what is measured is only EBacc subjects, only they will count.” She added there should be “an emphasis on both science and creative subjects”.

Research from the National Society for Education in Art and Design showed 44% of teachers of Key Stage 3 students (ages 11-14) found that time allocated to art and design had decreased over the last five years.

“Other GCSE subject slots can be filled by art qualifications”

Nick Gibb, Conservative MP and minister of state for the Department of Education, said in response that the EBacc is just “one of several measures against which school performance is judged”, stating that the newly-introduced Progress 8 measure looks at performance across eight subjects English, maths, three EBacc subjects and three other qualifications of the student's choice.

“It has been suggested today that arts are not valued in the school accountability system that is not the case,” he said. “Those other slots can be filled by arts qualifications, if a pupil wishes.”

Discriminatory towards disadvantaged students

Another argument against the EBacc was that it discriminates against students from disadvantaged backgrounds because their accessibility to arts and culture is comparatively limited compared to those from affluent backgrounds. According to research from the Cultural Learning Alliance, research shows that schools with a high proportion of free school meals were more than twice as likely to withdraw art subjects from the curriculum compared to more affluent schools.

“An EBacc that fails to make room for the arts can only entrench this inequality,” said David Warburton, Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome.

Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West, added that trips to theatres, cultural sites and museums had become increasingly difficult for reasons such as safeguarding and costs. “Such trips will be lacking from some of the children's daily lives, weekends and holidays, so it is important that the shortfall is made up for in school,” she said.

Fewer students taking art and design subjects

MPs added that the introduction of the EBacc has resulted in the decline of students taking up art and design subjects. Official exam figures released this year showed that five times less students picked art and design subjects at GCSE this year compared to 2015, with design and technology taking the biggest hit at 19,000 fewer students.

A survey conducted for this year's New Designers exhibition also showed that 85% of this year's crop of design graduates studied an art or design subject at GCSE level.

Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, said: “Although it is possible to take up jobs in our sector without exam results in creative subjects, it is much harder and potentially more expensive to do so, which obviously further diminishes the chance for young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds.”

“£460 million towards arts education programmes”

Education minister Gibb argued that since 2012, the Government has provided creative opportunities and improved access for students from all backgrounds and all over the country through £460 million of investment into a “diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes”.

He also said the GCSE entry figures for art and design have increased from 162,000 to 176,000 between 2011 and 2015, though Labour MPs stated these figures were “flawed” because they “omit BTEC qualifications, include early entry AS-levels and neglect design and technology”.

English, maths and science “fundamental” subjects

While those opposed to the EBacc said that the qualification was reducing choices for students, those in favour said it was actually providing more flexibility. Gibb said that including more subjects such as art within the EBacc would restrict rather than expand student choice, by making more subjects compulsory. Fellow Conservative MP for Chippenham, Michelle Donelan added this would “dilute” the EBacc qualification “until it was dissolved”.

Gibb also spoke about the importance of language and essay-writing skills for young people, stating that 77% of employers have said they needed more employees with foreign languages.

“Every child deserves to leave school fully literate and numerate, with an understanding of the history, geography and science of the world they inhabit, and a grasp of a language other than their own,” he said.

Graham Stuart, Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, added that maths, the sciences and English are “fundamental” subjects which “help people to get on in life”.

Art subjects “improve health and wellbeing”

But MPs opposed to the EBacc stated the importance of abilities beyond academia, such as emotional development and communication skills. Labour MP McKinnell said the EBacc “sends a clear message about the value the Government places on subjects that help to create expressive, communicative, self-confident and well-rounded human beings”.

Jonathan Reynolds, Labour MP For Stalybridge and Hyde, added that the “health benefits” of creative subjects need to be considered. “Investment in the arts is known to improve wellbeing,” he said. “Studying creative subjects boosts self-esteem, improves emotional intelligence, and reduces depression and anxiety.”

Labour MP McKinnell concluded the discussion by saying: “The drastic reduction in the take-up of arts subjects seems to be a movement in completely the wrong direction. On behalf of everyone who cares about the issue, I urge the Government to think again.”

No changes as of yet following debate

Richard Green, chief executive at the D&T Association, said following the debate that design, technology and other creative subjects “contribute to profitable sectors” and have been “marginalised” by the enforcement of the qualification, resulting in staff and student shortages.

“If we are to move forward confidently into a post-Brexit future where access to talent may be more challenging, it is imperative that our educational system recognises and meets the needs of individual pupils and industry,” he said.

No decision or change has yet to be made following the parliamentary debate on 4 July. The compulsory EBacc is currently still set to come into force for 90% of GCSE school children in September, with the Government stating that it will be mandatory in “mainstream secondary schools”, with a “small minority for whom taking the EBacc is not appropriate” to be excluded from the rule.

The post MPs “urge Government to think again” over GCSE EBacc excluding art and design appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/lorna-allan-important-make-sure-young-female-designers-encouragement/  
Lorna Allan: “It's important to make sure young, female designers are encouraged”  

Design Week: What is Hidden Women of Design?

Lorna Allan: Hidden Women of Design was a response to a research question I was set: “Who are those that sit in the blind spots of design and have transformed design paradigms over the years?” The more research I did, the more I realised that perhaps the majority of those people may be women.

DW: How many people are involved in the project and how did you start it?

LA: The project started as a hashtag campaign (#HWODesign) to raise awareness of work by female designers of the past and looking forward, to ensure female designers would receive the same exposure as their male peers in design history books. After holding a focus group to discuss the project's future, it was suggested that a series of talks by practising female designers might be the next step. Some very helpful friends in social media (Alice G.Turner) and design (Jesse Prior) have joined me along the way to refine and develop the idea.

DW: Why did you start the project?

LA: It started as a college project, which I have handed in now but have continued, purely because of the interest and encouragement I have received on the subject. I really have been blown away by the response and support by the female design community. Even big designers like Ellen Lupton and Alice Rawsthorn took the time to reply to me and the support from Kathleen and Tori from the Women of Graphic Design website has given me the confidence to keep pushing it forward.

DW: What do you hope will come from the project? How long do you hope it will run for?

LA: At this stage, I don't know I do know that the interest has been high and through asking around after each event, the general vibe is that the talks are of real interest and a great opportunity to get to meet and have discussions with other designers.

DW: Which designers have you managed to involve so far?

LA: The first week we had: freelance designer Chauntelle Lewis, social policy designer Cat Drew and Jocelyn Bailey at Uscreates, which creates designs for health and wellbeing. The second week we had: Spike Spondike at Dalton Maag, Lubna Keawpanna, director of consultancy Smack, Sian Cook, co-founder at WD+RU and senior lecturer at London College of Communication. Next week we have: freelance designer Rejane Dal Bello, Emily Wood at REG_Design and graphic artist and design educator Dr Cathy Gale. Nine amazing ladies!

DW: In an ideal world, which female designers would you love to see involved in the project?

LA: I think have been very lucky with the caliber of women I have had for these talks- they have all been informative and inspiring.

DW: What are themes of the talks?

LA: The structure of the evening is similar to a Pecha Kucha where each designer has 20 mins and 20 slides to talk about their professional practice and how they evolved as a designer. We had three ladies each night.

DW: Beyond talks, what else is on the agenda for Hidden Women in Design? How could it expand in the future?

LA: After each talk so far we have been talking to the attendees and there's definitely a want to see more of this type of event. There are a lot of women's design groups happening and I think HWOD would like to focus on university leavers or designers new to the industry as this is a crucial stage which determines whether they stay in the design world or leave it. It's important to make sure they can get encouragement and inspiration when they find themselves out on their own.

DW: How do you feel about women's representation in the design industry at the moment?

LA: On the first evening of talks I was approached by a couple of American female design students who were in London doing studio visits they had been disheartened as every studio they went to was fronted by a man. They Googled “Women in Design” and found our talks and were very happy to meet and speak with other female designers and potentially arrange other studio visits. This is really at the heart of what the project is about. Mostly through research I have found that typographic design still has more men than women that's why I was so thrilled to have Spike Spondike at Dalton Maag talk about her practice.

DW: How do you think this can be improved?

LA: I think we need to keep talking about the subject. It still attracts attention so it is still an issue and to have groups of female designers promoting and supporting each other can make a difference.

---

The next Hidden Women of Design talk will take place on 13 July at 7pm at the Peckham Pelican, 92 Peckham Road, SE15 5PY.

The post Lorna Allan: “It's important to make sure young, female designers are encouraged” appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/blackberry-ditches-traditional-keyboard-discontinues-classic-handset/  
BlackBerry ditches traditional keyboard as it discontinues Classic handset  

Mobile phone company BlackBerry has discontinued the traditional QWERTY keyboard it became known for over a decade ago, with the announcement that it will no longer manufacture its Classic model.

The Classic handset was first introduced in 2014 as a follow on from its BlackBerry OS predecessors, in an attempt to appeal to people who still prefer to use plastic keys and track pads rather than completely touchscreen devices.

“Sometimes it can be very tough to let go,” writes chief operating officer and general manager for devices, Ralph Pini, in a company blog post announcing BlackBerry's decision.

Replaced by two mid-range Android devices

“For BlackBerry, and more importantly for our customers, the hardest part in letting go is accepting that change makes way for new and better experiences.”

To replace the handset, BlackBerry is set to release two new mid-range Android devices next February. The news comes as the company announced a quarterly loss of $670 (£520m) million last month.

BlackBerry has also recently announced that it will no longer make phones featuring its own operating system.

“workhorse device”

“[The Classic] has been an incredible workhorse device for customers, exceeding all expectations,” says Pini.

“But, [it] has long surpassed the average lifespan for a smartphone in today's market. We are ready for this change so we can give our customers something better.

Manufacturing of the Classic has been suspended from now, but the handset will still be available online while stocks last.

The post BlackBerry ditches traditional keyboard as it discontinues Classic handset appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/top-5-picks-years-dad-new-blood-festival/  
Top 5 picks from this year's D&AD New Blood Festival  

James Crossley, BA Graphic Design, Edinburgh College of Art

Open Shut

James Crossley's monochrome poster project explores the idea that mainstream media oversimplifies complex issues such as the recent EU referendum into binary choices.

Crossley makes the point that this can often lead to misunderstanding and division, which he couples with the increasing prevalence of borders in our society.

Each of the three posters is based around a striking grid structure, with facts relating to the topic separated into boxes on either side of the “binary”.

The Edinburgh College of Art graduate plans to develop the research side of his project later this month when he will be cycling across Europe visiting and writing about design studio projects in cities stretching from The Hague to Budapest.

---

Elisha Chaplin, BA Graphic Design, University Centre Southend

Napolina Porzioni

Graphic design student, Elisha Chaplin's rebrand project gives Italian cooking brand Napolina a bold, modern update.

The rebrand focuses on promoting convenience by introducing a new range called Porzioni, which means portions in Italian. Packets are divided up into a set number of portions, allowing the right amount of pasta to be cooked more easily.

While keeping the original logo, Chaplin has opted to use a mixture of serif and sans serif fonts on the bright orange, black and white packets, which also feature roughly drawn illustrations of various pasta shapes including spaghetti.

---

Bronwyn Stubbs, BA Animation, Huddersfield University

Anime Iddio

 

This ingenious interactive installation uses conductive paint to bring Bronwyn Stubbs' cartoonlike illustrations to life.

While often included in wireless circuits, Stubbs decided to make up her own conductive paint from graphite powder and black acrylic. Painted on top of a conductor, it acts as a touch sensor which then lights up a cardboard illustrated lamp and animated window display.

The BA Animation student has also used conductive paint technology in other university projects, including a window display concept for John Lewis that makes bubbles seemingly appear from the top of a cardboard washing machine, and makes a cardboard vacuum cleaner move backwards and forwards.

---

Faye Rowbottom and Rebecca Parrish, BA Advertising, University of Central Lancashire

Alzheimer's Society Ad Campaign

 

These two advertising students' ad campaign for the Alzheimer's Society has been designed to raise awareness about the symptoms of the disease.

For the D&AD Festival, Rowbottom and Parrish have printed the image of an older person with Alzheimer's onto two 2000-piece jigsaw puzzles one that is already complete on the stand, and another that will come together over the course of the three-day festival.

All visitors have to do is donate 50p to the Alzheimer's Society festival and help piece together the puzzle, while a GoPro camera will capture its transformation by the end of the festival.

As the second jigsaw comes together, pieces from the original will be taken away, representing the gradual deterioration that the disease can result in.

---

Jordan Robertson, BA Graphic Design, Northumbria University

Everybody

 

Jordan Robertson describes his bold cosmetics brand concept, Everybody, as “an honest idea of beauty for everybody”.

Featuring simple orange packaging with black sans serif text, the branding recognises the importance of gender fluidity as a choice when it comes to cosmetics.

The rotating lid of the deodorant can be twisted to read either “his”, “her” or “every” body sweats, shaves (shaving cream) and wrinkles (moisturiser).

---

D&AD New Blood Festival branding

Consultancy Afterhours has also been commissioned to design the identity for this year's D&AD New Blood Festival, which spans everything from social media to exhibition graphics and is built around the strapline: “It all starts with a pencil”.

Afterhours' concept is centred around the phrase: “Just as every great creative piece begins with putting pencil to paper, so a creative career is launched by winning a D&AD pencil”.

Each window at the Truman Brewery site features giant pencil drawn posters that reflect various stages of the creative process, culminating in a giant pencil rendered hand holding a yellow pencil that points the visitor to the entrance of the festival.

The post Top 5 picks from this year's D&AD New Blood Festival appeared first on Design Week.

 
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The Orchid, Singapore  

The Orchid, Singapore

 
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http://99u.com/videos/53989/tobias-frere-jones-break-things-deliberately/  
Tobias Frere-Jones: Break Things Deliberately  

As one of the world's leading typeface designers, and this year's 99U Alva Award winner, Tobias Frere-Jones believes that the best way to learn a new skill is to “break things down deliberately” to understand how it's really done.   

In this talk, we learn to see the beauty in taking risks. Frere-Jones explains that in order to do our best creative work, we must not just permit moments of confusion, but actually go chase them. “When trying to figure out a problem, pause for minute, and see if you can make it worse,” he says. “A structure can really describe itself as it falls apart.”

Over the past 25 years, Tobias Frere-Jones has created some of the most widely-used typefaces, including Interstate, Poynter Oldstyle, Whitney, Gotham, Surveyor, Tungsten, and Retina.

Tobias received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1992. He joined the faculty of the Yale University School of Art in 1996 and has lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. His work is in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2006, The Royal Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague awarded him the Gerrit Noordzij Prijs for his contributions to typographic design, writing, and education. In 2013 he received the AIGA Medal in recognition of exceptional achievements in the field of design.

Frere-Jones Type

@frerejones

 

 
culture  

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Steve Bell's If ... on Chilco the Hott's whitewash for Sith Lord Blair  
Continue reading...  
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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/picasso-exhibition-friendship-boy-antony-penrose-jerwood-gallery  
Picasso, by the boy who bit him  

Antony Penrose, whose parents Lee Miller and Roland Penrose were friends with the Spanish artist, remembers their playfights as a new exhibition opens

The small blue and white ceramic by Pablo Picasso that now sits in a museum display case at the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings has a very different place in the childhood memories of Antony Penrose, the boy who bit one of the most famous artists of the 20th century and was promptly bitten back.

His father was Roland Penrose, the surrealist painter, critic, curator and founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, and his mother was Lee Miller, the photographer, model, muse and famously eccentric cook whose artistic blue chicken was never forgotten by dinner guests.

Related: Tony Penrose: My childhood with Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller and Man Ray | Interview

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Ron Arad's twisting aluminium sculpture unveiled at St Pancras  

Giant work is intended to have calming effect on the millions of passengers who pass through London station each year

A giant, twisted, rotating blade of aluminium has been unveiled in London's St Pancras station to welcome visitors and perhaps even calm them down.

The monumental artwork by Ron Arad will hang above the Eurostar platforms until January, part of an annual partnership between the station's owners HS1 and the Royal Academy of Arts (RA).

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/stanley-kubrick-and-me-designing-clockwork-orange-poster  
Stanley Kubrick and me: designing the poster for A Clockwork Orange  

Philip Castle's airbrushed art features on album covers for David Bowie and Pulp but his lurid imagery for A Clockwork Orange remains his most infamous work he remembers his friendship with the director

Philip Castle shows me into his front room to see the naked woman on her knees next to the family piano. The plaster sculpture is battered and fragile and turning yellow with time, but I would recognise those nipples anywhere. This is one of the nude statues that serve as furniture and serve up drinks from their breasts in the sinister, darkly funny opening scenes of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. “There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening.”

In Kubrick's pessimistic parody of British youth culture, Malcolm McDowell's futuristic ultraviolent mod antihero sets the scene in voiceover as the camera pans back from him and his bowler-hatted, white-codpieced droogs, taking in one obscene statue after another, just like this one I viddied with my own eyes, O my brothers, in Castle's house.

Kubrick sent people to the cinemas where A Clockwork Orange was showing to make sure the screens were clean

Related: Tune in, freak out: take Latin mass with Stanley Kubrick and 114 radios

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http://www.designboom.com/art/lagrima-sheikh-lotfollah-mosque-07-07-2016/  
lagrima captures sheikh lotfollah mosque in iran in a kaleidoscopic fashion  

the artist blurs and distorts different architectural elements of the mosque using various photographic techniques.

The post lagrima captures sheikh lotfollah mosque in iran in a kaleidoscopic fashion appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/vanessa-bell-break-free-bloombury-group-dulwich-show-artist  
Vanessa Bell to break free from Bloomsbury group in Dulwich show  

The sister of Virginia Woolf and lover of Duncan Grant is long overdue recognition as pioneer of modern art, say curators

The first major solo exhibition presenting Vanessa Bell as a pioneering 20th-century artist rather than a player in the tangled affairs of the Bloomsbury group of writers and artists will be shown at the Dulwich picture gallery next year.

She might have been better off, even better known, if she hadn't been part of the group

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Why It's So Hard To Find, Let Alone Save, The World's Cutest Porpoise  
The tiny mammal is facing eminent extinct ion after only being discovered in 1987.  
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George Graham Scientist of the Day George Graham, an English...  

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George Graham Scientist of the Day

George Graham, an English clock- and instrument-maker, was born July 7, 1673.

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A statement from Steven P Bong concerning alleged CV inaccuracies  

Published at the polite request of his lawyers

EMBARGO 15:00 7 JULY 2016…

 
general  

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Mongolia's "Unbreakable Flower" (17 photos)  

Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg, who's name translates to “unbreakable flower” is determined to win gold in Rio. The female wrestler won bronze in London in 2012 and is training twice a day in with both men and women to prepare for next month's Olympics. “From ancient times we have been a wrestling country,” her coach, Sukhbataar, said to Reuters. “Mongolian women are like warriors.”

 
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r0B0t: Anti-robot project explores human relationship with technology in AI future - The Globe and Mail  

The Globe and Mail

Anti-robot project explores human relationship with technology in AI future The Globe and Mail The wearable machine is the antithesis of the kind of robots that leading scientists have warned against as they worry about an arms race in artificial intelligence. Scientist Stephen Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk were among hundreds of ... and more »

 
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Wallaby wearable tech probes how light pollution affects sleep  
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Bornean orangutan declared ‘critically endangered' as forests shrink  

Mongabay: New IUCN assessment shows hunting and habitat loss are the biggest drivers, with experts warning ‘conservation is failing'

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is now critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This change means that both species of orangutan now face an “extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.”

“This is full acknowledgement of what has been clear for a long time: orangutan conservation is failing,” Andrew Marshall, one of the authors of the assessment, told Mongabay. Regardless of any positive outcomes of past conservation efforts, they have not achieved the only meaningful goal: a stable or increasing population.

Related: Sumatran orangutan numbers double but fires destroy habitat

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Too cute to lose: Saving the rarest mammal from extinction  
How can we ensure that future generations will still hear the haunting dawn song of the gorgeous Hainan gibbon? Sam Turvey has a plan  
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The Great Brain Scan Scandal: It isn't just boffins who should be ashamed  

It's the luvvies who went mad for fMRI neurobabble

Special Report If the fMRI brain-scanning fad is well and truly over, then many fashionable intellectual ideas look like collateral damage, too.…

 
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Scientists want you to know how to have sex with a hyper-long dong  

Beetle boffins chop up horny insects to discover secrets of their giant penises

An international team of researchers have discovered how beetles with hyper-long penises make the beast insect with two backs.…

 
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Empty  

Olly Denton posted a photo:

While it is horrible to have to get at 4am for work, the streets are empty and there is a lovely light.

 
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r0B0t: China: Human memory whizz Wang Yuheng beats Alipay's AI robot in facial recognition contest - International Business Times UK  

International Business Times UK

China: Human memory whizz Wang Yuheng beats Alipay's AI robot in facial recognition contest International Business Times UK The first two rounds of the competition required Wang and Mark to identify a large number of celebrities in the studio that were livestreaming on iPhones from between 150 and 300 photographs listed on an electronic board, and the AI robot was neck and ... and more »

 
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