By Artists Info's History of Art Blogger Naomi Phelan MA
If any of you have seen the film ‘Julie and Julia’ (a must see for foodies) starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, you will know that trying to maintain a daily project is not an easy thing to do. In my quest to complete my ‘One a Day Book’ I have come to fully appreciate what a challenge it is that we have set our students. This week alone I have discovered NoaRaviv (3D printed fashion), an exhibition discussed in an Islamic newspaper, some fabulous images depicting ‘white installations’, the Taylor Wessing photographic prize and the wonderful textiles journal - Selvedge (which I already knew about, but wanted to indulge myself in . . . again!!).
I also spent some time looking at Typography this week, starting first on the ‘Designbeep.com’ page – ‘35 Examples of Creative and Meaningful Typography Art’,which in turn then led me to question where Typography had moved to in a contemporary sense. I know that people still quote Sagmeister’s work as exciting and new – and it is, but I was teaching his work to my Graphics students a decade ago, so what else had happened to Typography since? Had there been any thing revolutionary going on – like in the pre/post First World War era, when designers threw away the rule book?or had Typography pretty much stayed the same?. . . So followed a discussion with a fellow lecturer, who suggested I go and look at a certain OdedEzer – which I surely did.
If any of you have seen the film ‘Julie and Julia’ (a must see for foodies) starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, you will know that trying to maintain a daily project is not an easy thing to do. In my quest to complete my ‘One a Day Book’ I have come to fully appreciate what a challenge it is that we have set our students. This week alone I have discovered NoaRaviv (3D printed fashion), an exhibition discussed in an Islamic newspaper, some fabulous images depicting ‘white installations’, the Taylor Wessing photographic prize and the wonderful textiles journal - Selvedge (which I already knew about, but wanted to indulge myself in . . . again!!).
I also spent some time looking at Typography this week, starting first on the ‘Designbeep.com’ page – ‘35 Examples of Creative and Meaningful Typography Art’,which in turn then led me to question where Typography had moved to in a contemporary sense. I know that people still quote Sagmeister’s work as exciting and new – and it is, but I was teaching his work to my Graphics students a decade ago, so what else had happened to Typography since? Had there been any thing revolutionary going on – like in the pre/post First World War era, when designers threw away the rule book?or had Typography pretty much stayed the same?. . . So followed a discussion with a fellow lecturer, who suggested I go and look at a certain OdedEzer – which I surely did.
OdedEzer is an Israeli designer who revels in the beautiful possibilities of type. Redefining letter forms (both Hebrew and Latin) as fine art, his work takes the viewer on a spirited journey from page to sculpture and anywhere in-between, so enabling what is the traditionally two dimensional art form of calligraphy to become anything from a statement of fashion (both literally and physically) to a letter infested anthill of words. In short he is perhaps the ultimate in play writers, using letters as much as a tool for his work as for the subject matter he depicts. His work frequently blurs the edges of science and art, imprinting type into fingerprints, combining letter forms with sperm and embryonic imagery, and creating medieval style letter implements with which to brand and measure the tongue. His work is very clever, and the originality of his ideas appear to continue ad infinitum – bushing boundaries, thinking outside the box, and clearly being infused with everything that he both wittingly and unwittingly takes in. I would seriously urge you to check him out this week, even if your interests are not particularly placed within graphics or fine art, because believe me when I say his work could just as easily translate into embroidery, fashion, sculpture, film and photography – so broad is his remit. The more I look at his work, the more I love it: I hope you will feel the same.
Naomi
