The london design festival is in full swing. Many of my fellow bloggers will have covered key events. Here is one i’ve been involved in!
A few weeks ago I was invited by the london design festival team to participate in the moleskine sketch relay in collaboration with moleskine and the detour project. Each participating designer, 70 in total, was asked to respond to a series of questions:
1. To illustrate what objects, items, systems and details we could not live without in a private space or in the public domain.
2. To examine what needs improving within our personal or professional life.
3. We were asked to draw something we would like to design, but haven’t had the opportunity to design before.
We were told that the exhibition of moleskine japanese albums will run throughout the festival, 14-22 september 2013 at the victoria and albert museum, after which they will be donated to lettera27 and the detour project with our consent. Once the festival has finished the books will go into the detour archive as agreed and will travel with the project.
I ask you dear readers, how would you have responded? Well, it might come as no surprise that i accepted this invitation most graciously and felt very honoured to be part of this project. Let’s face it, I have been using moleskine sketchbooks for years and what an honour to have been asked to share a space with so many accomplished designers.
On the first day of the festival I attended a really interesting talk held by maria sebregondi, VP of brand equity and communication at moleskine, benjamin hubert, tracey neuls and anita taylor. The topic was the relevance of drawing in a digital age and it was chaired by angus montgomery, editor of design week.
Maria sebregondi (see below) is also on the board of lettera27 – a non-profit foundation, born in July 2006. “Its mission is to support the right to literacy, education, and the access to knowledge and information in africa. lettera27 is the 27th letter of the alphabet, the missing letter, the letter yet to be, the hybrid sign, the empty box, the link between oral and written words, the connection to the future, the intersection of analogic and digital”.
We were each sent a moleskine japanese album and were asked to fill 5 pages each.
It was heaving with people when i was photographing so had to find the rare moments when folks weren’t taking snaps and walking about.
I couldn’t photograph all 70 panels so here are a few of my favourites:
And here is mine.
As a thank you, each designer was sent a gift. We got a sketchbook, some moleskine pencils and the much coveted detour book, published in november 2012. Grazie mille.
Moleskine Sketch Relay
14 – 22 September
Gallery 220, Sackler Centre
34 Comments
Oh Tina! I just LOVE yours! So proud of you! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. The “to be continued” at the end is genius, makes me super excited!
Some of my faves here are David Lupton’s, Brose & Fogale’s, Ella Doran’s and Hat-Trick Design’s.
I can’t wait to see these in REAL!
These are interesting questions. What would I have answered? …
Cannot live without: smiling/smiles.
Need to improve: being a mindful consumer 😉
Wish to design: my own residence, every detal! .. and a social media tool I’ve been thinking about lately …
Off to reblog your image again, lol. I can’t help it, it’s too awesome 🙂
Xx.
Thanks honey… and now I’m responding AFTER you’ve come to stay:-))
Well, at least you were there with me at the V&A and we got to see the marvellous Memory Palace.
Thank you once again for my wonderful book!
Your answers are interesting xx
What a great project. I love all the little things you can’t live without – though I’d rather stick to my big bike than a Vespa 😉
Yes, time management, banishing self-doubt (YOU?!?!?!), less stress and more reading are just a few of the things I really need to improve on too 🙂
xo
Hahaha! You have a big bike, as in Motorbike or cycling bike??? Really! How cool.
Yes, I know Vespa isn’t very rock n’roll but for getting around London and parking everywhere it’s fabulous.
Ha. What makes you think I haven’t got self-doubt OR time-management issues? I’m a work in progress:-))
Thanks Carole x
So much fun
So much inspiration!
I wish I could be there to see it for real
Bravo!
Merci Carol.
Yes, would have been fun to have met at the V&A and looked around together x
How cool to be in such esteemed company, Tina! I would have recognized your entry even without your name on it – so wise, such fun, so alive with colour!!! 😀
Of all your proposed improvements my favourites are “Be the eternal student” and “Have fun always”. LOVE your map sketch too! Congratulations on being asked and for such a fab piece. 😀 x
Esteemed, indeed!!!
Hahaha. ” so wise, such fun, so alive with colour!!! ” Well, thank you kind lady! (blushing)
Thank you Chi xx
What a cool project and I love the wall with all the different creative banners. Yours is recognizable from a mile away with all the colours, Vespa and mottos. Well done to all of you
Thank you Louise. They all looked great the way they were hung!
I loved being part of it…
Super post Tina – really loving the Mini Moderns design, plus yours of course – I recognise those FAber Castell pens and the Vespa. Have a great time at LDF! 😉 xx
Yes, LOVING Mini Moderns too… LDF was fun. Shame you couldn’t join xx
Haha! I would have recognized your entry without the name above it 😉 What a cool project, you’re in great company! And on your “improving list” are a lot of things you already do (and hope you’ll keep doing). Enjoy the journey Tina!
Hahaha! Love it that a lot of you know me so well:-)
Yes, of course there are a lot of things on my ‘improving list’ I’m already doing BUT I’m a work in progress so it’s good to be reminded and to progress and of course, to share!
Thank you Judith x
Oh Tina, I’m kicking myself for not going to that exhibition as I was at the V&A only a few days ago. Wonderful to see it on your blog, what you’ve drawn and written is so you, inspiring too. Congratulations lovely lady xx
Don’t worry, you weren’t to know. I didn’t publicise it until I blogged about it. Best next thing was to read my Blog:-)
Thank you Geraldine. I’m not sure but you could be currently on a flight to LA. Enjoy every minute of your trip xx
Tina, what a wonderful exhibition and yours is by far my most favorite. Your manifesto/principles are inspiring. I love that you share them so freely for others to learn from as well. Thank you for sharing this wonderful project with us. Have a lovely day! Jocelyn xx
Hahaha. Thank you so much Jocelyn. Yes, I’m all about sharing and not afraid or embarrassed to share what I believe is important in life. It was my way….
xx
I couldn’t wait to scroll down to see yours. Congratulations on being invited to participate in this and for showing us who you are. I love your heart and am fascinated by your unwavering love of London. I can’t wait to visit one day, I’ll be looking at her through your sensibility. xx
Aww, Catherine, your comment made me blush (in a good way)..I can’t wait to show you round London and I promise you don’t have to come on the Vespa:-)) xx
Tina, these are great! And I adore yours!! I love your ‘ongoing’ manifesto. “Feeling the fear and doing it anyway” is strong in me at the moment. Like Catherine, I cannot wait to visit you and experience your love for your home city xxx
p.s your map idea is brilliant!!!
Ha. Yes, my ongoing ‘Manifesto’ which I’m about to hang up in my office space (now that LDF is over).
I can’t wait to welcome you to London. I’m planning my 50th, you know??? We would have so much fun!!
I’m currently working on a Map project. That’s where that came from but no one would have realised:-)) xx
Fantastic project Tina and a fantastic response by you. I love that image of London town. What a very cool drawing.
You’ve shown so many clever interpretations to the brief (some I admittedly don’t understand).
But well done you! xx
Thank you Sir Gerard:-)
Ha. You really don’t understand? Which ones? happy to explain!
xx
Sad I missed seeing this exhibition, love collaborations like this.
Read right through the small version of your coloured writing (love it) before getting to the larger version!
Yes, wondered why you hadn’t seen the post and wanted to drop everything to go to the V&A??
Hahahaha. Priceless! Sorry about that x
Oh Tina, I can’t believe that I missed this! Well done on being part of such a great exhibition. I loved your entry and I was impressed by your very long self improvement manifesto and your map. Congratulations. xD
Thanks Doris:-) Haha! yes, a rather long ‘self improvement manifesto’… I do plan to live for quite a bit longer yet…
the map has some purpose that I cannot yet reveal. Watch this space. x
hello tina – the entries you shared are really interesting. i wonder what the stripes mean? yours is clear and beautiful. life is a journey, and you’ve got your map in words set! i can see that you’d like to make it visual, too. why not? follow your dreams. joy to you, n
Hello Noreen. I’m not entire clear about the stripes. There was no writing included..
Thank you… Yes, I’m actually planning to make it visual…and following my dreams:-))
Hope you’re well!
Nice project.I do something similar (but much simpler!) with my new year resolutions:
http://egiavarini.blogspot.it/2013/05/new-year-resolutions.html
Also if you have the chance have a look at the book “Learning to love you more” that collect the materials of a project run by Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher. They asked people to do things like writing the phone call you wish you could have, make an encouraging banner, write your life story in less than a day etc and they published the materials received in a book.
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