Submitted by Shannon Callery on the 2017 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Art and Design …
Post 9: Day 9 Interview with Mick Monday June 12th
“People are fascinated with antiquated trades,” Mick’s thoughts ricochet off of the hundred-year old printing presses in the St. Bride’s Foundation. As I run a decorative cap through the press with Mick, I think about how this talented practice has become admired as a craft, but unappreciated as a trade. Fascination is not the same as respect. I started asking Mick how he copes as a London native and letterpress printer in a contemporary city. “I remember the ideal London,” he starts, “the one everyone pictures and imagines.” He remembers the quiet, quaint and polite London I fantasized about for years. For Mick, everything is changed including his hometown. “I lived in the same town for 40 years. Today, it’s a Polish community and I don’t recognize a thing.” I imagine if I went to my hometown, and recognized the skeleton in skin I didn’t know, I would feel extremely marginalized. “I feel it the most on the bus in the morning. I look around and I do not see one English person,” he opens up. As we chatted, I wondered how Mick felt as both an English native and a letterpress printer in a modernized London. Printers, much like English natives, are becoming a dying species as more and more artists are forced to adapt to digital. Mick believes that people appreciate letterpress for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way. Although people have a fascination for the odd and unheard of, they do not believe in the value of letterpress printing in the modern era. Mick and other printers, much like English natives, are then left to carry on their heritage until they become an extinct group.
POST 10: Day 10 Tuesday June 13th
I never considered a brand like a person until Debbie Raffler’s lecture today. As a strategist from Pentagram, she specializes in creating unique brand identities so they exist as their own, individual and recognizable entity. Debbie’s model, the Prism, allows her and her team to create a unique identity for the brand and no two brands are ever alike. The Prism is based off of three facets: heritage, behavior and reputation. We have to look at brands through the Prism because as humans, we form relationships with brands like people. They are personal, intimate and emotional for us and by using this model, a brand can become a friend, loved one and even a family member in the lives of consumers. Debbie’s enlightening lecture was a great segue into our first professional presentation at R/GA for the Positive Technology brief which calls for impactful technology that promotes a brand’s image.
As I walked home from R/GA, I thought about how much London is like a brand through the lens of the Prism. It’s heritage is rich, it’s origins deeply rooted in elegance and grace on a strong foundation as one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Today, London’s behavior is somewhat more rowdy than it’s quaint heritage and has grown-up into a humming, chaotic and colorful metropolis awake until the wee hours of the night. The reputation and legacy of London is what natives are fighting for; how this ever-changing city will be remembered. English-born Londoners are struggling to maintain the vision of London they know and want the world to remember, but trying to grasp the past in the face of change is like trying to clutch onto flowing water with your bare hands.
Post 11: Day 11 Wednesday June 14th
“Women need to help raise women up,” Saatchi & Saatchi Chairwoman and Global Chief Creative Officer Kate Stanners smiles upon a group of mostly female artists. My heart warms as I hear this incredible creative giant remind us that we all must remain grounded and remember to hold the door open for the next woman behind you. I figured, in such a powerful position, that she might have forgotten the anxiety of being a woman in an already competitive field that is still dominated by men, but her advice made me realize that as a Global Chief Creative Officer, award winner, boss and mother, the fact that she is a woman is a constant reminder.
As we meet and talk to so many inspirational and talented women, I wonder how different life is here for women compared to the United States. Even though women have made many great strides in the States, there is much more to be done to bridge the gap between tolerance and equality. I want to observe more and maybe talk to a few London women about what it’s like to be a woman in modern London.
Post 12: Day 12 Thursday June 15th
Trickles of guitar strings fill my ears as I cross the threshold into an ecstasy-induced dream state. When I walked into the Pink Floyd exhibit in the V&A, I did not know what to expect especially since I never really got into the 70’s music cult. Upon entering, I was instantly transported into the minds of the musicians and into the depths of the songs streaming through my headphones. As I navigated black and white optical illusion tunnels, greeted monster inflatables and experienced three decades of Pink Floyd through their music, I felt completely immersed in the world of the artists. My heart pumped hard in my chest and my eyes twitched with sensory overload. The journey ended in a large auditorium with projected imagery, flashing lights, lasers and Pink Floyd hits blasting through the room. Walking out of the exhibit felt like walking out of the minds of David Gilmour and Roger Waters.
With my mind on sensory overdrive, it was time to take care of my stomach. We made our way to Borough Market like hungry wolves ready to eat our way through the stalls. As we approached the little brick archway, I questioned the scope of the market. As soon as we moved through the opening, we were enveloped in mouthwatering scents. It was complete food pandemonium with ambassadors from every continent serving up the very best. By the end of the afternoon, I had a venison burger, half of a duck sandwich, enough cheese samples to make a meal, frozen yogurt and a food coma. By 4 o’clock, I was rolling myself home to sleep off my meals.
I think Borough Market has come to represent London in many ways. You can still find the classic cheese stalls, craft breweries and farmer’s produce stalls, but you can also delight in falafels, paella, gyros and many other ethnic treats. With so many strong scents and personalities in one place, they will vie for your attention and your heart.
Post 13: Day 13 Friday June 16th
“I like my pictures to be like a chocolate cake with mustard on top,” Nadev Kander chuckles. Halfway through Juice, a presentation about Nadev’s inspiration for his work, I can definitely see what he means. Take his landscapes for the Thames Estuary. They are rich with what we crave from a landscape; decadent waves, an array of blue hues and rolling waves, but add something unexpected, like a lonely boat in the negative space, invasive black algae or a massive abyss of empty space, that evokes new emotion. Nadev uses this exciting recipe in all of his work from advertising projects to celebrity portraits. He is always looking for that unique mix of ingredients and knows his taste.
In a more intimate moment, Nadev confessed to us how hard it is to make work. “Making work is really hard. And it’s something I wish I heard when I was your age,” he spoke openly. As I brushed a tear away, I was comforted to know that even wildly successful artists like Nadev Kander still understand the dedication required to make good work and that it doesn’t come as easily as people think. No one can really grasp what it means to be artists, designers or creative and what sacrifices you have to make in order to pursue your passion. I think artists are collectively the largest group of outsiders in society, which unites us. We feel that camaraderie deep inside as if a thread is sewn through our stomachs connecting us all together.
Post 14: Day 14 Saturday June 17th
Pageantry is, in my mind, an inherently American trait. Inauguration Day in the States is a daylong spectacle of pomp and circumstance filled with speeches, feasts, dancing, extravagance and public adoration. As we walked through Green Park towards the Queen’s Jubilee parade, I envisioned a more relaxed and simple event in subtle English fashion. But as I squeezed my head in between bodies to see Buckingham Palace, I was met with a very different display.
Hordes of decorated guards marched down the street in synchronization to the beat of bagpipes and trumpets. Swarms of officers came in droves in a colorful display of gold, silver, silk and amusing hats. Then, horse drawn carriages paraded down the way with royal family and esteemed friends dressed in their finest, waving and smiling to the public. The Duchess was dressed in a blooming pink outfit and glowed in the hot afternoon sun. And then, finally, her majesty arrived gleaming in bright blue to greet her adoring crowd with disdain and a frown. In anticlimactic fashion, the parade ended with the Queen’s disapproval and a majestic display of military force with a flyover of the Royal Air Force. Fighter jets in perfect formation sprayed red, white and blue colors through the sky concluding an extremely flamboyant morning. As we sat on the vibrant green grass among the freshly planted flowers, taking in the view of Buckingham Palace, I felt at home amid the pageantry of the day.