Nowhere/Now/Here
Investigating new lines of enquiry in contemporary design
LABoral Centro de Arte shows Nowhere/Now/Here, an exhibition curated by the creative partnership of Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado (El Último Grito) that challenges the perception of design by questioning our relationship with the environment. Taking the viewpoint that our environment has become part of us rather than us being part of it, as its point of departure, Nowhere/Now/Here encourages us to see design as an integral component of the world-shaping process.
Three key themes of the exhibition take us on an inspiring journey through visions, approaches and personal reflections on how we could change the way we live.
Cultural Resistance challenges the idea of what culture is today and the many ways it can be perceived. It provokes existing systems and proposes new alternatives in socio-economical and religious context. It offers an opportunity to discover new narratives in relation to an object as well as changes in the culture of design profession.
Psychological Exploration takes a look at how we understand an object on a psychological level. The theme examines how we relate and react to an object emotionally and allow for it to translate us into different places and moments.
Material Intervention investigates new tools, materials and technologies applied in design and manufacturing processes today. Moreover, the subject engages with the interference of consumerism and ecology and explores the influence of graphic and spatial intervention on our behaviour and relation to space and object.
Nowhere/Now/Here features more than 60 works ranging from everyday products, fashion, jewellery to installations and live performances by established designers such as Tord Boontje, Jerszy Seymour, Santiago Cirugeda, Dunne & Raby, together with emerging design practitioners including Martino Gamper, Paul Cocksedge, Assa Ashuach, Troika, recent graduates and students such as Raw Edges, Dash Macdonald, Nacho Carbonell among others. A crucial aspect of Nowhere/Now/Here is the contribution of four masters: Ron Arad, Gaetano Pesce, Javier Mariscal and Daniel Weil who contextualize the work of the younger generation trough a series of interviews and some of their works.
The designer’s ideas of a customized, more functional and eventually better world are presented in groups formulated on the notion of non-linear context. One that sees no common discipline, technique or material but creates a unity evoked by the association of ideas.
The conceptual journey arranged by El Último Grito leads through hexagonally shaped and multi-layered spaces designed by Patricia Urquiola studio and the graphic image and vision of Fernando Gutierrez.
Nowhere/Now/Here offers an opportunity to reflect on how design and technology can change lives, systems and the environment. An approach followed by El Último Grito since the beginning of their creative practice, one that moves away from preconceived definitions and searches for new ways of thinking about contemporary design. The curators set out with the idea for the exhibition to be a first step of something to follow. Their aim has been to ‘open a chapter rather than close one’.
CURATORS: Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado (El Último Grito)
ARTISTS: 5:5 Designers, AA, Amidov, Assa Ashuach, Bruce Bell, Bryony Birkbeck, Tord Boontje, Marta Botas & Germán R. Blanco, David Bowen, Fernando Brizio, Nacho Carbonell, Daniel Charny & Gabriel Klasmer, Santiago Cirugeda, Carl Clerkin, Paul Cocksedge, Dainippon Type Organization, Óscar Díaz, Dunne & Raby, Daniel Eatock, Olivia Flore Decaris, Tiago Fonseca, Fulguro & Thomas Jomini, Architecture Workshop, Martino Gamper, Martí Guixé, Mathias Hahn, Interaction Research Studio, Onkar Kular, Tithi Kutchamuch, Dash MacDonald, Material Beliefs (Auger-Loizeau, Elio Caccavale, Tobie Kerridge, Susana Soares, Aleksandar Zivanovic, David Muth), Alejandro Mazuelas, Alon Meron, mmmm..., Eelko Moorer, Oscar Narud, NB: Studio, Ernesto Oroza, Marc Owens, Pedrita, Laura Potter, Corinne Quin, Random International, Raw Edges Design Studio, Nic Rysenbry, Jerszy Seymour, Bert Simons, Studio Glithero, Yuri Suzuki, Gregor Timlin, Noam Toran, Manel Torres, Maud Traon, Troika, Pablo Valbuena, Greetje van Helmond, Dominic Wilcox, Nick Williamson, Marei Wollersberger, Zaunka
EXHIBITION DESIGN: Patricia Urquiola &Martino Berghinz
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Fernando Gutiérrez
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Ron Arad, Javier Mariscal, Gaetano Pesce & Daniel Weil
Credits
PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS
Vicente Álvarez Areces: President of the Principality of Asturias
Encarnación Rodríguez Cañas: Councillor for Culture and Tourism
Jorge Fernández León: Vice-councillor for Culture and Tourism
BOARD OF TRUSTES OF FUNDACIÓN LA LABORAL. CENTRO DE ARTE Y CREACIÓN INDUSTRIAL
President: Jesús Manuel Hevia-Aza Fernández, representing Sedes
1st Vice-president: Jorge Fernández León, representing the Principality of Asturias
2nd Vice-presidency: Nicanor Fernández Álvarez, representing HC Energía
BOARD MEMBERS
Encarnación Rodríguez Cañas, Juan Cueto Alas, Agustín Tomé Fernández, representing the Principality of Asturias
Ministry of Culture
Ayuntamiento de Gijón
Autoridad Portuaria de Gijón
Caja de Ahorros de Asturias
Telefónica
STRATEGIC CORPORATE MEMBER
Alcoa
ASOCIATED CORPORATE MEMBERS
Constructora San José
Dragados
FC
Duro Felguera
Secretary
José Pedreira Menéndez
LABORAL CENTRO DE ARTE Y CREACIÓN INDUSTRIAL
Director: Rosina Gómez-Baeza Tinturé
Chief Curator: Erich Berger
General Coordinator: Lucía García Rodríguez
Assistant Curator: Ana Botella Diez del Corral
Responsible for General Services: Ana I. Menéndez
Technical Manager: Gustavo Valera
Responsible for Education Department: Mónica Bello
Press Office: Pepa Telenti Alvargonzález
Assistance to Exhibitions Department: Patricia Villanueva
Assistance to General Services: Lucía Arias
EXHIBITION
Curators: Roberto Feo y Rosario Hurtado (El Último Grito)
consulting curators: Daniel Charny, Catherine McDermott, Ilka Schaumberg
assistant curator: Joseph Harrington
Special thanks to: Ron Arad, Javier Mariscal, Gaetano Pesce, Daniel Weil
acknowledgements: Elba Benítez, Ana Domínguez, Trico, Alex Cotton, Gala Fernández, Vitra, Artecnica,
Danese, Laura Potter, Aitor de Kintana, Ramón Estrada, Asia Kornacki, Elba Feo
Design: Patricia Urquiola & Martino Berghinz
Graphic Design: The Studio of Fernando Gutiérrez
Installation and dismantling: Proasur
Transport: Transferex
Insurance: Axa Art
Videos
Nowhere/Now/Here from Aitor de Kintana Moraza on Vimeo.
Telemadre en NOWHERE/NOW/HERE from Aitor de Kintana Moraza on Vimeo.
CINEMA PROGRAM
In the context of the exhibition NOWHERE/NOW/HERE the curators have developed a cinema program that will be permanently exhibited in the exhibition space.
Megunica
By Lorenzo Fonda
Director Lorenzo Fonda’s passion for artist Blu’s work was the initial spark for this project. Working with Italian production company Mercurio, this documentary explores how culture and lifestyle influence and inspire Blus art. Crossing Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Argentina with just the aid of some guides and a few contacts with friends and local artists the film becomes an examination of improvisation, inspiration, innovation, self-exploration and “all the other good things in life that end with –ion”.
Contact : hereweare@megunica.org
Web link: http://www.megunica.org/trailer.php
Work Song
By Joe Hollick
Joe believes Sound and rhythm are undervalued in our working and making processes. Using himself as the main figure of exploration, Joe explores what happens if these lost elements are allowed to dominate and inform
Joe Hollick studied at Goldsmiths College, London. Joe currently works as a freelance graphic designer for record labels and is part of the Straw design collective (http://www.strawdesign.com/ ) Joe’s work explore the significance of sound and rhythm and its relationship to work and labour.
Contact : joehollick@gmail.com
AirCondition
By Oliver Laric
This film by Oliver Laric uses layers of captured stills on a video image to create a montage of movement. Working backwards the, at first, abstract form becomes the traces of the dance.
Oliver Laric is a video artist who proclaims he lives in ‘Munich, Tokyo and Paris.’
http://oliverlaric.com/airconditionvideo.htm
Contact : mail@oliverlaric.com
Minilogue
By ljudbilden & piloten
This animation by ljudbilden & piloten uses an innovative animation technique, a whiteboard. This creates a smooth flowing animation that is in a constant state of metamorphosis
ljudbilden is a freelance graphic, video and sound designer from Sweden.
http://ljudbilden.com/
Contact: info@ljudbilden.com
NOWASTEEUR a Laborious Poem
By El Ultimo Grito / Zaunka
In the film by Zaunka, El Ultimo Grito’s creates two parallel narratives. In one hand, the film documents an installation, where the team are generating a public sitting environment re-using all the waste packaging materials discarded by the exhibitors at the Fair, which is fed into specially designed bags. But this process is interfered by the generation of a text, which is visible only from the overview of the camera. The text is a short poem originated from the 10 letters needed to write first line of the poem: NO WASTE RE-USE.
http://www.vimeo.com/1664672
Contact: info@eugstudio.com
info@zaunka.com
Werewolves object one
By Jo Harrington
From a research project examining peoples relationship to dogs, this film is a documentary exploring a woman from Devon’s relationship with her daughters dog ‘Woof Woofington’ and a lick activated dog bowl phone.
Jo Harrington’s work explores the relationship between people and animals. He explores his concepts with product and furniture and then gives them to people to live with and uses film to document his findings. He is currently running a research project into urban animals and the understanding of the wild.
http://jordandalladaysimpson.co.uk/joweb/
http://uk.youtube.com/knowthejo
Contact : joharrington@gmail.com
DE MACHINE DGD DDG
By Tjarko Van Der Pol
This video won Tjarko the 2006 Beeldende art prize. The infinite revolving machine visits many themes around death and its mechanics.
Born in 1983, Dutch artist Tjarko links his fear for death with his deep interest in machines through drawings and animations.
http://www.tjarkovanderpol.nl/
Contact : annejet@annejet-the-rep.nl
Mine is better than yours
By Kelly Moran
‘Mine is better than yours’ is a series of competitions that comment on our throwaway / upgrade society. It explores the existing sport of consuming and how we constantly replace the things we buy in competition to keep up with owning the best. It looks at our disregard for mass products and how we feel no reluctance about replacing them with newer better versions.
Kelly Moran is a British designer. She studied at Goldsmiths College, London and currently works as a freelance designer. Her work explores the culture and psychology of mass production.
Contact : kellylouisemoran@googlemail.com
Big Ideas (don't get any)
By James Houston
Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" by Radiohead, James grouped together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a situation where they're trying their best to do something that they're not exactly designed to do, and not quite getting there. The result is an eerie electronic version of the track.
James Houston graduated from the Glasgow School of Art. He is a freelane video and graphic designer based in Glasgow, UK.
http://www.vimeo.com/user354216
Contact : jim@1030.co.uk
Match Circus
By Peter James & Mika Tolvanen
A short film examining the relationship between typology and meaning, through a series of “party tricks"
http://www.mikatolvanen.com
Contact : info@ mikatolvanen.com
Here it goes again
By OK GO
Choregraphed and Co-directed by Trish Sie, this music video by Ok Go for their track ‘Here it goes again’ shows them utilising a series of running machines to create a dance piece.
OK GO are Damian Kulash: Vocals, Guitar, Tim Nordwind: Bass, Dan Konopka: Drums and Andy Ross: Guitar, Keyboards. They are a band like no other, performing their videos with elaborately choreographed dance routines. Outside of their music the band has created a ‘how-to guide’ for bands hoping to unseat President Bush.
http://www.okgo.net/
Contact : webmaster@okgo.net
Experience value: Risk & Exposure
By Sam Hill
This documentary video shows Sam embarking upon a personal quest for experience attainment and contested his own (previously) circumspect attitudes. He uses the video piece to show his goal of redefining his behaviour and ultimately, his personality.
Sam Hill is a recent graduate from Goldsmiths College, London. His work concerns “experience value”, a hypothesis he has developed that indicates there is an intellectual, sensational and emotional wealth to be yielded from taking risks and by subverting preventative and protective systems via exposures.
http://www.samhilldesign.co.uk/experience.html
Contact : sam@samhilldesign.co.uk
&made Climatised Objects
By Roma Levin / &made
These videos were made with &made, a duo of British designers. It was shown at the London Design Museum. The videos create a narrative and imagined context &made’s Climatised Objects; products and furniture that explore our fear of the effects of Global Warming.
Russian born Roma Levin is a graphic designer and video artist. Roma often works with other designers to create video narratives about their work.
&made is an award winning studio working in product, furniture and installation design. Launched in 2006 by David Cameron and Toby Hadden.
http://www.roomeleven.co.uk
Contact : romalevin@gmail.com
info@and-made.com
