Berlin, Germany

I find Berlin to be a sad city, still slowly recovering. Despite this, I admire Berlin for the past troubles that it has had to overcome. I admire the way that they accept their history and admit to it. When visiting, the whole city shows the wounds of the past, and the rebuilding of the city is overflowing with symbols and memorials. 

Opposite the Neues Museum we stopped to look at this juxtaposition between old and new. 

The way that the modern architecture has been merged through the window size and shape, means the buildings connect. 

 Columns of the Neues Museum, I was very intrigued by this building. The architect David Chipperfield wanted to preserve the damaged structure. Much research went into creating new identical columns, and the outcome is striking, demonstrating the raw truth that this building was once partly destroyed. 

 I have always been fascinated by shrapnel damage marks; first hand evidence to show what once took place. The war is spoken about so much the stories almost seem to turn fictitious, but when reality is aired like this, it helps one understand what really happened. 

Bullet marks inside the museum. One can visualise the scene.

The museum's interior decor is a worn down presentation of pre-war Neues. Again, remembering what Berlin went through. 

A photograph taken from house-arch.com of Neues post-war. 

Drawing Schwitters

Aerated V 1941- Oil Paint, Wood

Schwitters In Britain in Tate Britain I didn't know much about before I visited.

The works were mixed media and I was interested by the way he used found objects on his paintings. 

For my technical drawings we are encouraged to be more creative demonstrating the atmosphere of the space. I hope to use some of Schwitters collage techniques to inspire my drawings. 

Drawings whilst in the gallery. I was especially looking at his layout in the first. In the second, the glass object coming out with its reflection. 

Gallery Drawing- JA-WAS2 Blid 1920

Untitled (Glass Flower) 1940

A Celebration of Human Experience

In my experience, whoever visits the Rain Room at the Barbican, enters asking whether the 2 hour wait is really going to be worth it and exits smiling. 

Water is life giving, refreshing, playful and takes us back to being children. 

The experience of rain is relaxing, romantic and joyful. An all encompassing sensory experience that awakens memories.

Alongside this, Random International installed sensors so that you can walk though and come out dry, giving one the ability to play God and control the rain. 

Now who wouldn't want to experience that? 

A wonderful interactive installation that celebrates nature and life in its natural state. 

Photos taken by Yusra Makhdoomi- ymakhdoomi.blogspot.com

A Scrap Sketchbook

My friend Yusra-ymakhdoomi.blogspot.com, had already mentioned making your own sketchbooks and binding books, so it was interesting to come across a similar thing in the Saatchi Gallery. In a small room alongside works that children had done from a local school lay a hand bound book containing scraps of paper decorated with illustrations. I was immediately inspired and felt it was a very personal and inventive way to create sketchbooks.

Scrap Book found in the Saatchi 

I can't credit the designer because I couldn't find a name. But it fuelled my interested to create my own. 

I was impressed with how much scrap I keep because I didn't buy any materials to make this. I used old newspapers, tissue, wall and wrapping paper, magazine and whatever else I could find. I covered it with black cartridge paper but I am tempted to cover it again, however am still undecided.

My Scrap Book

I looked up book binding on the internet and came across a video by the ever faithful Kirstie Allsopp. Here's the link if you want to do it 

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/how-to/crafts/how-to-bind-a-book

My Binding

 With the Scrapbook I am hoping to utilise the various backgrounds for my drawings, paintings and collages. I will be interested to see how the paper changes the context of the drawing. 

Causing a Stir at Portobello Market

The brief was to create a market stall that would eventually sell products on Portobello Market.

We wanted to make something using interaction and excitement between seller and customer.

The end result is shown above an old fashioned sort of vending machine in which you put the product in the top and in fed down through fans. When it reaches the bottom you spin the top cog and it spins all of the cogs down the side to spin out your product.

Snow Topped London

Just on my way to uni this morning and thought that the city looked so pretty that I might as well take some snaps. Did think about taking the tube but apparently it would take just as long as walking, be it a slippery adventure, it was definitely worth it. 

Textured Stories

Some of the products I have been working on for university the past couple of months. Finally got into the photography studio to get some good images of them.

Both the jars and the book relate to stories and textures of the Kensington area.
Hope you like x

Packing.

So i've started the grande move. A little on the late side I know- as I am going tomorrow, but i've been more of the homework at midnight kinda gal.
Anyway, have no idea what I should take and leave so i'm just going with throwing everything into a suitcase, I haven't really tackled the wardrobe yet as i'm putting it off. Hopefully with the help of Nicki Minaj and my mother's never faltering motivation it will be done.

Here's a little footnote btw, a tenner for the congestion charge? Well I guess I did decide to move to the most expensive city on earth, so why should I be surprised that Transport London are taking your money before you even set foot in the place. But hey. It's London.

Tiffany's

 A girl can't read that sort of thing without her lipstick 

Cat! Cat! Oh Cat!