Gibson Guitartown London

Walking through London over the weekend I passed an outdoor art exhibition which really caught my eye. Situated by Tower Bridge, 'Gibson Guitartown London' is a unique campaign bringing together music with art to raise money for three charities; The Princes Trust, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

This public exhibition showcases thirty 10-foot tall hand painted Gibson Les Paul replica guitars, which have been signed by an enormous array of musicians showing their support for the charities listed. 'Each individual guitar artwork aims to capture the spirit of the musicians who have given their support to the project.' Musicians such as Rod Stewart and Brian May, and creatives such as Sir Peter Blake RA and Peter Saville, have been involved in this project. The guitars on display, which are truly stunning, will go to auction in September to raise money for the charities involved, along with thirty more 'actual size' replica guitars, Gibson SG's, which have been exhibited in The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome). The images of the decorated guitars alone are inspiring: pictured is Love by Gail Jones, signed by The Magic Numbers.

This is a brilliant concept for a charity campaign because of its social impact; how it brings together artists and musicians, the public and a free exhibition, in a journey towards raising both awareness and money for three important charities. Further information can be found at the More London and London Guitartown websites.

//also posted on design blog Anamorphosis.

Visuelle

Maintained by This Studio, Visuelle is a ongoing collection of examples of design from around the world. The archive is great online source of inspiration. It further invites you to expand your visual experience to the online portfolios of the companies and individuals who have produced the showcased works, through links to external sites. A great educational resource.

// Image from Edward Hann.

Practical Surroundings

Recent research led me to the work of Duncan Wilson through a stunning example of design called Pixelnotes; a wallpaper which is four layers of 'post-it' notes of varying grey tones, on a primary colour backing. The beauty of this project is both how it responds to the way we interact with wall space, and how it becomes richer over time, as the layers are peeled away.

Cutout [pictured] follows the same principle, addressing the way we interact with space. What is truly beautiful about both ideas is capturing the contrast of simplicity and functionality, while creating something so dynamic and so human - I have notes, photographs and other sentimental effects pinned on my wall as I write this. I would encourage you to visit his website, where photographs of both projects show how each wallpaper grows in time.

Perhaps what these designs begin to achieve is an awareness of the world we live in and how we use its space, of the make-up of our surroundings and how we could begin to use these surroundings more efficiently.