#savekemistrygallery

Reposting something I wrote for ShellsuitZombie:

So what’s happening in Shoreditch at the moment? Shoreditch you say? Isn’t that a vacuous and ironical place? The spiritual homeland of the much maligned hipster? Well that’s what the media has decided you should think, and yes it’s not a perfect place by any stretch of the imagination… but is it too much to ask to have an area in London that can be a hub for all things creative? Not just another homogenised simulacrum of everywhere else?

Well sadly perhaps this is too much to ask… one of my favourite places in London, and a bastion of hope in a sea of mediocrity, is under threat. After 10 years in the same spot on Charlotte Rd in Shoreditch, Kemistry Gallery has been told they need to leave so that the building can be redeveloped. But luckily all is not lost. Kemistry have set up a Kickstarter to fund a pop up exhibition and publish a book celebrating their ten years of success. Plus their plans are even grander; to have enough space for talks, events and a cafe. Features they hope to bring in to the new and improved Kemistry gallery in a new location in 2015. So here is why I think this is a great idea and one that is worth backing:

I start this point just by saying I bloody love the internet, and have spent far too long on it and I owe a lot to it. But looking at images online should never totally replace seeing the real thing. The scale, the close up details, the quality and manner of production, these are all things that a jpeg can’t really deliver. I often find it curmudgeonly hearing people moan about aspects of the digital world, but in this case I really believe the physical experience is far greater. To be honest without Kemistry and a few other kindred places I’d probably be perfectly happy scrolling through Tumblr and Pinterest forever, but seeing the real thing is addictive. The superiority of seeing the real printed matter is especially true of exhibitions of design history, which leads me on to my next point…

Kemistry celebrates design history. Now I know I may be in a bit of a minority in my obsession with design history. Throughout my four years of design education the one hour a week of ‘contextual studies’ was a real highlight, but generally design history, especially the history of graphic design, is a bit under-appreciated and unsung. At Kemistry I’ve discovered designers from the past who I possibly would never have come across otherwise. It’s really fantastic and accessible just to see a few well curated highlights from a designer’s career with some contextual info. The graphic arts have a really rich history that deserves to be known and recognised. Without Kemistry it would be an awful lot harder to get your design history fix.

But it’s not just history that’s worth mentioning. Many of my absolute favourite contemporary practitioners have had shows there too. Let’s face it: sadly not many people working today are likely to have retrospectives at the Design Museum any time soon, or have their work on display at one of London’s big art galleries. But Kemistry makes it possible for contemporary talent to get recognition and be celebrated. Kemistry allows them to get a series of their work seen together, and crucially outside of a commercial context, allowing it to be pondered, something that’s hard to do with the constant distractions online. Personally (and hypothetically) I’d love to put on an exhibition (or have my work in one), I reckon it would be far more satisfying than anything the online world can offer.

Kemistry is important and worth backing! It’s a lovely and unpretentious place to go, and I really feel there is a need in London for places doing what it does, and definitely room for something bigger and better to celebrate the design world. So please check out the Kickstarter,watch the video and give what you can, and hopefully we can all reap the benefits in the future!

Last Saturday I went down to Kemistry to check out their latest exhibition: Fredun Shapur. Playing with Design

I really didn’t know much about Fredun Shapur before this exhibition was announced, my awareness of his work amounted to seeing a few jpegs here and there online. Anyone who follows my other blog knows, I’m a big fan of this style and era of design. Fredun Shapur is a brilliant example of Mid-Century Modern, and he fits alongside a few other designers, such as the Eameses, Ken Garland and Bruno Munari, who developed a fun, bright and optimistic graphic style while pursuing design work aimed at children (and their parents). It is also worth noting he was also an accomplished product designer, with his toy designs sharing an aesthetic with his 2d work.

It was amazing to see so many examples of his work in person and to learn a bit more about his life. Fredun studied at Central St.Martins, where he later taught, and also the RCA where he was taught by Abram Games (Who also has an exhibition on in London currently, more on that soon). His work definitely has a timeless charm and appeal to it, I’m very glad to have seen it and learnt more about him! 

You can catch the exhibition in Shoreditch until November 15th, highly recommended! Also #SaveKemistryGallery (more on that here very soon too)

#ExhibitionVisits