David Pidgeon "Geometry of Type" talk

I was fortunate to attend David's presentation "The Geometry of Type" on Monday (December 7, 2009) at the Australian Museum. Looking at David's work, I got many ideas for future projects about how to take an idea and simplify it to its essence. How to use simple shapes, lines and colour to communicate deep and complex concepts.

Event Summary
Keen to see the alphabet from a different angle? David Pidgeon, from Design By Pidgeon in Melbourne, looks at restricting the roman alphabet to strict geometries in an attempt to explore form, legibility, visual perception, dimension, points of view, perspective, colour, animation and modularity.

His passion for design excellence can be witnessed in the evolution of his work in the last decade. The son of a mathematician and of Italian/Anglo Saxon descent, David has embarked on a journey in design that is influenced by the way he sees the world. He pursues diversity in clients and output, which in turn employs a curious mix of playful yet intelligent; precise yet intuitive output.

His experiments in typographic form are a process that he has pursued since being a student and one of the creative threads that draws his work together.

David is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) and has recently returned from speaking at the ICOGRADA World Design Congress in Beijing.
(source: AGDA's event listing)

David Pidgeon's typography work





http://pidgeon.com.au/

Michael Nyman and Didgeridoo

Yesterday we went to Sydney Opera House cause Michael Nyman was playing there with his band, and it's not a sight to miss. But the cherry on top arrived after the interval.

As the people shuffled around, the crew set up a mic and a didgeridoo, and my body tingled with anticipation. When the lights dimmed, a large man with black curly hair walked on stage in place of Michael, and the crowd was not sure to clap or not. The man walked to the didgeridoo, with a hint of modesty, and the crowd decided that he was a performer and that they should clap. So they did.

Michael Nyman did come out after the man, said a few words, and the rest is a beautiful blur of the symphony they performed afterwords. The man sang aboriginal chants, accompanied by electric guitar and didgeridoo, and the spirits of Australia gathered to listen.

Program
Wonderland (1999)
~ Mollly
~ Eddie
~ Nadia

Prospero's Books (1991)
~ Prospero's Curse
~ Yellow Sands
~ Miranda

The Libertine (2005)
~ The Mistress
~ Against Constancy
~ A Satire Against Reason

Water Dances 4& 8 (1992)

..... Interval .....

The Piano (1993)
~ Big My Secret
~ Silver-Fingered Fling
~ The Heart Asks Pleasure First

The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)
~ Chasing Sheep
~ Eye for Optical Theory

Drowning by Numbers (1998)
~ Trysting Field/Sheep and Tides
~ Wheelbarrow Walk
~ Wedding Tango
~ Fish Beach
~ Knowing the Ropes

I think the didgeridoo man improvised along the way, and I was not sure whether it was sweat or tears that moistened his face.

This one was one of my favorites:

More hand-made gifts

Keeping up with the holiday spirit, I spent the last couple weeks of the year making gifts. This year I decided to make the gifts myself, so as to help the planet by not shopping, and to give something with meaning.

Here are four paintings I did using acrylic paints. They are based on Australian aboriginal Dreaming culture, with each piece representing a Dream journey.





There is also Molly, a gift for one of my very close friends.



And a little turtle Jacky.


Happy January :)!

Australia Walkabout Campaign

Last Friday we discussed the recent "Australia Walkabout" campaign. Huddled around the teacher's desk in a darkened class room, we watched the moving images on the screen. The students in the class were mostly Australian-born, and it was interesting to hear their response to the advertisements.

American version

Shanghai version

At first everyone was taken away by the feelings and magic of the videos. Then, after closer examination, some interesting issues were brought up through discussions.

For example, did you notice that the boy is Aboriginal? Do Australians advertise Aboriginal culture when it is convenient? Do the students associate with the Dream culture, and do they feel like it's part of their history? The response from the class was a universal "no" ...

Another argument was that the ads portray Australia to the world as this beautiful land, where all that people do is swim in lakes and climb the trees. In reality, Sydney life is as urban as New York, and people deal with same issues of being overworked and stressed.

However, no one said that they dislike the ads, or feel offended by them. They are effective, captivating and magical. Maybe we are city dwellers in Sydney, but we are also fortunate. These beautiful places are within a close reach.