ARTS THREAD is in Reykjavik for DesignMarch 2014! Read the highlights from day one.
DesignMarch 2014 kicked off on Thursday 26th March with DesignTalks. Lead by Stephan Sigrist of think tank W.I.R.E and DesignTalks curator Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, guest speakers at the event discussed the role of the designer as a strategist and a visionary in various fields and situations.
First to take the stage was Marco Steinberg, founder and managing director of Snowcone & Haystack. Steinberg touched-upon the need for government bodies to embrace creatives, calling on councils to invest and acquire creative innovation in the public sector. Next up was Kathryn Firth, architect and chief of Design London Legacy Development Corporation, who discussed the challenges of turning Stratford into the most accessible part of London.
Google Creative Lab’s chief creative officer Robert Wong used his time on stage to make the audience cry, showcasing some of Google’s most emotive campaigns. Mikael Schiller, executive chairman at Acne Studios talked us through the brand’s history. Finally, legendary fashion designer Calvin Klein engaged the audience with a fascinating talk about his career to date.
Klein offered these words to young designers who are eager to make it in the fashion industry: ‘You have to be passionate and love what you do. You need to have confidence that your instincts are correct. And if you’re not confident – then act as if you are!’
Next, we were off to the Culture House to take in a few of the graphic design exhibitions taking place during DesignMarch.
Anatomy of Letters
The multistory building housed several shows by different designers including the Anatomy of Letters installation by Sigríður Rún Kristinsdóttir. Kristinsdóttir creates typography made from the bones of birds and prehistoric beasts. Visitors were encouraged to draw inspiration from Kristinsdóttir by digging for bones to create their own skeletal type designs.
It’s personal – and you’re invited
At It’s personal – and you’re invited, Hildur Sigurðardóttir and Ólöf Birna Garðarsdóttir of Reykjavík Letterpress invited visitors to send invitations to all sorts of events using letter-pressed cards to their loved ones (with free postage!) ‘People rarely receive mail anymore, apart from bills,’ Hildur Sigurðardóttir told ARTS THREAD at the opening event. ‘This project gives people the chance to send an invitation to make someone happy!’
Tiny Risselada
Graphic Designer Tiny Risselada of the Dutch letterpress company Letterpers.nl complemented the invitations with her huge series of handcrafted birth announcements.
Favourite Icelandic words
The top floor of the Culture House featured a group exhibition of 28 local graphic designers who were all assigned an Icelandic word at random, and told to create a poster inspired by it. Chosen words included ‘Mamma’, ‘Ugla’ (owl), ‘Sindrandi’ (shimmering) and ‘Hugfanginn’ (preoccupied).
See more blog posts about DesignMarch.
