Join us on a visit to Department 21 for a roundtable discussion about cross-disciplinary practice led by public works with guests Celine Condorelli (London-based architect and author of 'support structures'), Richard Wentworth (Head of Sculpture, RCA) and Sarah Teasley (design historian and RCA History of Design)

Department 21 is a temporary, physical space established by students of the RCA as an experiment in interdisciplinary practice.

Temporarily taking over a vacated space in the Royal College of Art, Department 21 seeks to explore whether this territory, freed by the departure of one department and the anticipation of another, can become a new kind of conceptual, physical and social space which test the possibilities of a cross-disciplinary initiative.

For one month only, students from all departments of the College are invited to use this platform to develop independent work and cultivate collaborative projects in a multi-purpose environment.

The Round table discussion will look at the nature of initiatives originating from within institutional settings and the potential of cross-disciplinarity within educational institutions such as the RCA.

The event will run from 1pm this Friday the 4th of December 2009 in Lecture Theater 2 at the RCA. Visitors to the RCA can enter from the main entrance, which looks onto the Royal Albert Hall and follow the signs guiding visitors to Lecture Theater 2.
Click here to find the location on google maps

Posted December 2, 2009 22:01 by Andreas Lang

The easiest common denominator to be pointed out in the work of interior designer Ben Kelly and artist DJ Simpson is the use of DIY materials, bold colours and strong lines. That's where the obvious ends and an interesting conversations starts. Ben and DJ have been talking about the different influences and ideas behind their practice for a while, and this Friday Session will see a continuation of their conversations in public.

They will be showing examples of their own work and various cultural and material references which had formal and conceptual influence on their work, from Oskar Schlemmer's Lacquer Cabinet to Andy Warhol's Silver Factory, from Italian colour samples to new industrial sheet material, from Roxy Music to Stereolab.

Ben Kelly founded Ben Kelly Design (BKD) in the mid 70ies and the studio is best known for its innovative space planning using hardwearing materials. Designs include the Haçienda and Dry 201 Bar in Manchester and more recently the Discovery Gallery for Walsall Museum and Gymbox in Covent Garden and www.benkellydesign.com

DJ Simpson has been producing abstract drawings on laminated wooden panels, using various DIY power tools to carve into the various colours and finishes available for laminate. Recent commissions and exhibitions include a two coloured mirror piece for Draw, the opening exhibition of Middlesbrough Museum of Art (mima) and solo exhibitions with Sies and Höke Gallery in Düsseldorf and Helga de Alvear Gallery in Madrid.
www.sieshoeke.com/artists/dj-simpson

Artwords Bookshop will be presenting DJ Simpson's recent monograph DJ Simpson works 2000 to 2005 which was published as part of his exhibition at the Mead Gallery in Coventry in 2006. The involvement with Friday Session 14 is one of many Artwords Bookshop events to promote and publish contemporary visual arts and culture.
www.artwords.co.uk

Posted March 8, 2007 09:45 by Kathrin Böhm

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Animated presentation by Pictoplasma partner, Lars Denicke from Berlin, followed by public works Xmas Drinks from 8 pm onwards.

Starting in 1999, Pictoplasma has archived and stimulated the activities of character design around the globe. By playfully sampling and remixing visual codes, contemporary character design has redefined the aesthetic standards of visual communication worldwide.

It is Pictoplasma's aim to foster an understanding of this phenomenon as a new era of figurative expression. Through pictorial encyclopaedias, exhibitions, online archives and festivals, Pictoplasma brings together artists and designers from all over the world, encouraging experimentation and pushing the development of this new visual language. Recently, the 2nd Pictoplasma Conference brought together designers and artists from around the world in Berlin to "Get into Character". In a collaboration of character designers, costume designers, dancers and visual artists, the relation of image and body has been brought to issue in a fresh way.

For more information please visit www.pictoplasma.com

Posted December 1, 2006 19:00 by Log

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Igmade is a collective of artists, designers, architects and theoreticians. It was first formed in Stuttgart in September 2001 as a think and action tank to offer expertise to Stuttgart University's Institut Grundlagen moderner Architektur und Entwerfen (IGMA). Igmade deals on a theoretical level with the interrelations of space, politics and warfare; based on that it develops book projects, designer toys, dance tracks, architectures, exhibitions and video clips. Since the publication of Igmade's book "Codes: Architecture, Paranoia and Risk in Times of Terror" (Birkhäuser, 2006), the group became independent from its Stuttgart university context. Its protagonists are now mainly based in Berlin. Current members include Julian Friedauer, Stephan Henrich, Daniel Hundsdörfer, Martin Knall, Iassen Markov, Dick Martini, Daniel Mock and Stephan Trüby; during the public works session, some of them will present past and present work.

Posted October 12, 2006 19:00 by Andreas Lang

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At Stratford Circus, five creative organisations work as partners in one building to help East Londoners develop confidence and careers in the arts. There, the education programme is not an add-on to performance, but an equal: evenings of dance, urban music and theatre take place alongside a continuous programme of classes and workshops.

Stratford Circus has re-launched this June with a new identity and a book exploring the academic base underpinning its work. This Friday Session (on a Monday) will take the re-launch as its starting point, and will explore the process of branding a building occupied by a several independent groups who have separate identities but share joint aims.

Meanwhile, the socially inclusive model realised at Stratford Circus is beginning to appear in different versions in the activities of other arts organisations. So the evening is also an opportunity to consider the impact of this practice on a young, creative urban community" and its implication for the future of the arts.

www.stratford-circus.com

Speakers are:
Sarah Wedderburn, Writer and Brand Consultant
Clare Connor, Creative Industries Development Manager for NewVIc at Stratford Circus
Lolli Aboutboul, Graphic Designer and Creative Facilitator
Daniel Harris, Artist (Yeast Culture)
Debra Reay, Arts Consultant
David Rosenberg - Architect

Posted July 3, 2006 18:30 by Kathrin Böhm