Submitted by Shannon Callery on the 2017 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Art and Design …
Post 1: Arrival
There is something about hearing the phrase, ‘foreign’ that makes a place seem so inaccessible to an outsider. As I packed to leave, enduring an epic poem of safety talks from my Mom, the fear of not belonging was immobilizing. I rejected previously packed outfits that now looked too ‘American’, cursed my accent as a dead giveaway of my nationality and researched different beauty trends of this strange place. In my perception of London, a conservative, monochromatic, superior foreign city, I did not see how I could ever fit. For the first time in my life, all I wanted more than anything was to fit in; an idea we reject until we become the foreign, the abnormal and the strange.
But, as I disembarked the tube at Kings Cross and faced London head-on, I was met with an eclectic hodgepodge of cultures, ethnicity and people. As we trekked with our suitcases to the flat, a falafel cart released a unique mix of Middle Eastern spices while a solo saxophonist delighted commuters with a soulful jazz number. I quickly realized that the quiet London I envisioned is actually an international intersection of cultures. Even our neighborhood is home to a variety of people speaking in an array of languages. We spent the rest of the day exploring the alleys and side streets of Bloomsbury and in even the most remote locations of London we were met with a melting pot of worlds. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where are all the Londoners?”
Post 2: Day 1
“Lately, I’ve felt so disenfranchised in this city and I question where I fit in now,” Peter Saville opens up to our group. The intimate setting of the Art Worker’s Guild quintessentially English parlor allows for an open conversation with the iconic designer. Having created a pleather of record sleeves and done work with fashion icons like Calvin Klein, it’s jarring to hear Peter talk honestly about his money struggles, frustrations with his contemporaries and existential crisis in the wake of Brexit. He questioned not only his relationship to Europe as a whole, but also where he belongs in an ever-changing London landscape. It is comforting and yet disheartening in some ways that an established, famous designer and grown up faces the same troubles that poor, overworked and hopeless design students endure.
I imagine, if I was Peter, I would feel like a foreigner in my own city. Peter’s London, the streets he knew, the neighborhoods he loved and the distinct place he had in the world is gone. Boroughs of excitement and originality are now hosts to international conglomerates, tourist traps and ethnic shops. In many ways, I, as an outsider, belong more to the new makeup of London than Peter; a member of the minority group of the 45 percent of Londoners who are English natives. In the wake of Brexit, a new wave of immigration, and terror attacks, London is fluid and constantly adapting to change. As a foreigner, by default different, I weave effortlessly into the fabric. Yet Peter, and other English born citizens, find themselves lost, strangers on unfamiliar shores.
Post 3: Day 2
Walking into the once dairy factory that is now Pentagram’s post-industrial office space, felt like crossing a threshold. We are standing in building where giants have the last word in graphic design. Luckily, Pentagram partner Domenic Lippa is average human size as he presented some of his more notable works. His modular signage design for the UAL London College of Communications I think embodies the new London spirit. Inspired by simple pegboards, Lippa designed a series of interchangeable and affordable signs to quickly direct the user through the complex college campus. I think Lippa’s success comes from his ability to react and adapt to a changing London atmosphere that demands everything to be faster, cheaper and easier.
The Museum of Brands is a very apropos follow-up to a famous advertising firm and we walked through nearly a century of a hundred years of English branding. In a somewhat jolting display, we absorbed decades of consumable goods stretched out infinitely before us. Waves of nostalgia had us smiling, remembering and laughing about childhood icons like an impressive collection of Spice Girls paraphernalia, sugary cereals and 90’s wardrobe staples. Suddenly, English culture didn’t seem so different and unreachable to me as I smiled on familiar characters and brands that saturate American culture as well.
Post 4: Day 3
Wendy Scott makes me want to do two things: call everyone ‘darling’ and rock patterned tights. For our writing workshop today, none of us were prepared for the one-woman show, Wendy Scott. With two-toned hair, flouncy skirt and bright smile, the energy of the bleak morning shifted as we all discussed creative writing over tea and biscuits. With vigor and enthusiasm, she gave us tips on writing for blogs as well as creative places to find inspiration, subject matter and quiet locations to write. When I asked her for recommendations of cool boroughs to explore, her energy dropped and she answered softly, “You know, London isn’t what it used to be.” This slight shift in demeanor formed a rock in my stomach that I couldn’t shake as I realized that the London I had imagined from across the pond, the London Wendy loves, has grown up for the better and the worse.
In a way, this comforts me knowing that London is a city that is always changing and growing because then there might be room for me here after all. Still, I look on as an outsider not from the eyes of people who were once insiders who now feel displaced in contemporary London. Yet, for Jay Mitchell from 1883 magazine, he has achieved success by being an outsider. Jay’s magazine receives notoriety for breaking the rules, sampling from everyday life and pushing the boundary of what started as a high fashion magazine could be. It is so refreshing to hear from a practicing designer that rules are made to be broken and there cannot be progress without change. A good thought to remember as I go into senior year wary and unsure.
Post 5: Day 4
I think London, a city with a reputation of being quiet, old-school and conservative, is much more rebellious than I expected. With some of the best nightlife, entertainment and restaurants in the world, London truly becomes another place at night. By day, design firms like William Murray Hamm dominate the field with deviant, rule-breaking and rebellious work. They presented a project they did for Wild Brew Beer where they plastered the bottle with animal prints and no brand name, logo or trade mark or in design words, butt naked. As our eyes bulged from our skulls, I imagined that they convinced the brand to buy into this lucrative idea the way middle-schoolers double-dog dare each other to moon the car behind the school bus. But sometimes an idea is so crazy it doesn’t just work, it explodes. The new design was received with shock, pleasure and bewilderment and the acknowledgment came with a nice package of awards. I think designers like those working at William Murray Hamm embody the essence of London and prove that this cutting-edge city is captained by the rebellious.
Post 6: Day 5
How did this get here? I questioned as I gawked at a receipt from Sainsbury hanging on the gallery wall of the Tate Modern. I looked around for the Punk’d camera, feeling a little daft for not understanding its purpose. I studied it hard to discover with a chuckle that every item on the receipt is the color white. I contemplated how such an everyday, commonplace item could represent the idea of color rather than it’s physical appearance. For the rest of my morning, I found myself entranced and besotted with the head-turning, perspective changing exhibits like the Louise Bourgeois’s hanging leg display that represent families physically and emotionally destroyed by war.
On our way home, I experienced walking over the Tower Bridge. It was more grand and overwhelming than I ever anticipated. Gold fixtures decorated the towers and teal lines connected the twin columns. When I envisioned crossing the historical landmark that seemed unreal on postcards, for some reason I pictured Londoners walking with me. Business people on their way to work, couples sharing a leisurely stroll, and if I was lucky, a pair of floppy eared spaniels trotting merrily across the Thames. To my chagrin, I did not spot one English native and I realized that the Tower Bridge isn’t infrastructure to Londoners anymore, it’s a circus.
