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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/18-24-july-2016/20th-century-product-like-see-get-21st-century-makeover/
Which 20th Century product would you like to see get a 21st century makeover?

"Paul — Paul Priestman, designer and chairman at PriestmanGoode

Aside from everything that has happened politically over the last month, I've always found it strange that the UK is at the very centre of the €1 and €2 coins, despite the fact that we never adopted the currency.

The UK of course remains part of Europe, even if it will no longer be in the European Union. But the Euro coin, as any mint currency around the world, should present a more accurate representation of its geographical spread.

"Jenny — Jenny Theolin, creative partner at Studio Theolin

Let's go for big, clunky and impractical: the juke box. Many 20th Century revamps have resulted in designing things smaller, streamlined and minimal. I'd like to see the opposite for a change. I don't mean an app-version or a mini digital version of a juke box (I'm sure they exist), I want to get up and properly juke!

Remember the pure joy of sifting through atrocious music choices, deciding on a pretty crap song, yet feeling ecstatic when it (eventually) came on? I would like to relive that experience. Look at how popular Photo Booths are in Berlin, and pin-ball machines are still thriving (there's even an Angry Bird one). So, here's to crap music choices, and dancing like no one's looking.

"Sebastian — Sebastian Conran, creative director at Sebastian Conran Associates. Photo by Matt Austin

Practically every consumer product in our world has got smaller, but noticeable exceptions are TV screens which have got larger and better quality, and cars which have got larger and heavier, taking up more space on the road and using more fuel than they would if they were smaller.

The BMW Mini is a prime example of what was once a miracle of space management, that has now bloated into what 50 years ago would have been a medium sized family car.

What would be really wonderful (and maybe commercially attractive) would be to look at remaking the Mini to its original dimensions, but using modern materials and technology to make it safer, more efficient and better than it ever was.

"Erika — Erika Clegg, co-founder of Spring

The original Saab 900 turbo convertible. More specifically, the Monte Carlo yellow special edition. Sharp at both ends, self-assured and happy, it's a glorious car to look at. It was ahead of its time mechanically and for a car of that age is comfortable, with well-designed leather seats and decent internal space for a convertible.

I fell in love with it as a copywriting intern at KHBB on Charing Cross Road and pledged that one day I'd have one. And I do a J reg, bought on eBay. It drives like running in trainers three times too large, drinks fuel like a tired mum on Prosecco and my hood's stopped working.

I'd love it to be reissued with a great fuel-efficient engine, modern electronics and properly engineered body/chassis arrangement but don't anybody change the body shape. GM did, and it just wasn't a 900.

"Pat — Pat Fehy, creative director at Seymourpowell

Straight out of art college in 1991 I couldn't wait to get my hands on a little black & white Mac Classic in fact I've still got it! It was also around the same time I first played on the Nintendo NES.

Since then I've always seen Nintendo as the Apple of the gaming consoles. So in a similar vein, albeit very cute, tiny, not connected to the internet and with a limited number of games, I'd like to see Apple reproduce the black & white, connected to the internet version of the Mac Classic (Prince of Persia included).

"Andy — Andy Giddings, design director at Here Design

The Contax T2 35mm point & shoot film camera. In an age of VSCO filters and pixel peeping, an affordable reissue of this beautifully simple, well built and well equipped pocket film camera would be a breath of fresh (1990's) air. No need to make it over just reissue it in all its glory to the same spec including the Zeiss lens.

The post Which 20th Century product would you like to see get a 21st century makeover? appeared first on Design Week.

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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/18-24-july-2016/edward-barber-jay-osgerby-design-wind-installation-london-design-biennale-2016/
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby design installation for London Design Biennale 2016

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby have worked alongside the V&A to create a wind-powered installation that is set to be displayed at the inaugural London Design Biennale this September.

Alongside installations from more than 35 other countries, Forecast Barber and Osgerby's entry on behalf of the UK has been designed to coincide with the biennale's theme of “Utopia by Design”. The concept celebrates the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More's famous work, Utopia, as part of Somerset House's UTOPIA 2016 season.

Supported by British Land, the installation will be displayed in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House throughout the course of the event. It is made up of a group of wind masts and rotating elements, inspired by weather measuring instruments.

“functionality and beauty”

Based on a simple kinetic structure, the installation is designed to respond to the elements, moving when the wind picks up or changes direction. “Forecast responds to the theme of Utopia by linking our seafaring past to a future of truly sustainable power,” say Barber and Osgerby.

“As an island nation, Britain has historically been reliant on harnessing the power of the wind and the waves for transportation, migration, trade and exploration. Today, the UK is a world leader in offshore wind energy. Forecast is intended to reference this and highlight the opportunity for a more sustainable future.”

Victoria Broackes, V&A curator, adds: “Striking a delicate balance between functionality and beauty, Forecast will be an expression of what might be possible: much like Thomas More's vision of Utopia itself.”

The inaugural London Design Biennale London Design Festival's sister event will present newly commissioned contemporary design, design-led innovation, creativity and research by designers from countries across the world.

It will run from 7-27 September at Somerset House, London. Tickets are available here.

The post Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby design installation for London Design Biennale 2016 appeared first on Design Week.

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https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jul/20/galway-festival-international-arts-festival-2016-ideas-innovation
Galway festival 2016: 'a powerhouse of ideas and innovation'

Ireland's international festival has shown the merits of merging different art forms while reawakening enthusiasm for a much-reprised Beckett classic

They were dancing in the streets last week in Galway. It wasn't simply because the city's international arts festival was in full swing but because it had just been announced that Galway had been named European capital of culture for 2020.

As a regular visitor to Galway, I was delighted but also felt a pang of envy. Of the €45m (£38m) budget for 2020, €39m will come from EU and state funds. Presumably, in a post-Brexit world, no UK city will ever again be eligible either for the award or for the financial boost that comes with it. If Galway deserves the recognition, it is partly because its annual arts festival, under the direction of Paul Fahy, is a powerhouse of ideas and innovation.

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https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/jul/20/architecture-norway-road-trip-national-tourist-routes
Driven to distraction: the Norway road trip where cool design meets dramatic scenery

Norway's roadside architecture project, part of its National Tourist Routes, has led to the creation of bridges and viewing platforms that make every journey a tour de force and more new designs are on the horizon

Vertigo-inducing viewing platforms, island-hopping bridges, and some of the funkiest toilet facilities in the northern hemisphere: these are just a sample of the design flourishes that Norway's National Tourist Routes programme (NTR) has introduced across the country over the past 15 years. Add to this the fact that the roads programme has been a great incubator for Norway's young, vibrant architectural scene which is respected for its daring and imagination across Europe and for anyone heading north this summer, with design leanings or simply curious, a road trip beckons.

This is a far cry from the NTR's beginnings. The first pilot project by the then young and today highly respected firm of Jensen & Skodvin Architects (JSA) was completed in western Norway in 1997. Aimed at drawing tourists into the stunning, if rarely visited, landscape through appealing roadside architecture, a full programme was subsequently launched, with 18 routes across Norway's south, its coastal regions and the far north eventually chosen in 2004. The pieces were primarily architectural, though in places, art installations and sculptures were also introduced, and by the end of the decade a host of impressive works were adding roadside lustre to the grandeur of Norway's geography. A programme of rest stops, viewing platforms, bridges, walkways and restaurants was rolled out, with some jaw-dropping moments such as Tommie Wilhelmsen and Todd Saunders' Aurland lookout.

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