Mother London | SFTW | The Open Season Issue

The Open Season Issue

24.05.2012

Guest
Editor

By Mother

Earlier this week we were introduced to liquid projections, smell design, some data visualisation, a melting dog and some music machines. It was part of Mother’s Open Season, which gave artists and creators the opportunity to engage with Mother’s creative family to discuss new ideas and forge new creative bonds. So for this week’s issue we thought we’d give you a feast for your senses and share the work some of the exciting artists and craftsmen in attendance. We find out what they do and why they do it.

Stefanie Posavec loves designing with data

Stefanie Posavec is a graphic designer from Denver, Colorado who came to London and couldn’t bear to leave. You could look at her Literary Organism all day; a visualization of Part One of the book On the Road, By Jack Kerouac.

What do you do?

I am a graphic designer whose main interest is designing using data. I try to clearly, truthfully represent the data found within a topic to illuminate a story or an insight that I think is interesting or meaningful.

From a commercial point-of-view, every company creates a massive amount of data, and I like to use this data to communicate new insights about a company or as a basis for beautiful, meaningful visuals. A company might also have a complex message they would like to communicate to their audience, and will contact me to create an information graphic that communicates this message in a clear, accessible way.

Why do you do it?

Because I love discovering the hidden data found in every topic, institution, or brand and making these patterns and insights visible for a wider audience. I am excited about the emotional connection people have when
they see the data from a subject they love visualized in an accessible, beautiful form.

See more of Stephanie’s work here

Odette Toilette smells like the 90’s

Meet Odette Toilette; the producer of olfactory events, adventures and products. Perhaps not his real name, but he smells good in any case - even if he does shudderingly remind us of growing up in the 90’s.

What do you do?

I produce and promote fragrance events for the public called Scratch+Sniff. Think cabaret meets lecture night meets social club, all for the discovery of the sense of smell. Events have included wine vs scent tastings, teen nostalgia nights, mythology and perfume evenings or a Scent Speakeasy of illicit and banned fragrances. Most recently I’m working in partnership with Rodd Design on a startup venture: Ode. Ode is a product that takes fragrance out of the luxury

world and into the area of health and care. Our nifty design uses food aromas to help revive the appetite of people living with dementia, where malnutrition is a huge issue.

Why do you do it?

It all came from a childhood preoccupation with smell that I just couldn’t shake, then later, in realising that whole generations can be gripped by their memories of White Musk, Dewberry, Lynx Africa, CK1 or Anais Anais. I would hedge a bet that reading this, one of those brands I’ve mentioned is sending shudders of remembrance at your teenage self... but I hated the experience of trying to develop my palette, of going to department stores and being attacked by a salesperson wielding the latest Britney Spears perfume. We all know, intuitively, that the sense of smell is just so important, but time and time again it is underplayed in favour of visual culture. So I do what I do to open the pandora’s box of scent: to put it to use as a talking point, as a stimulus for creative thinking, to create an experience, to affect behaviour, or to evoke nostalgia.

Find out more about Scratch and Sniff Events here.

Richard Yot is the itchy animator

Richard Yot is an illustrator specialising in quirky characters and worlds for them to live in. A familiar face around several agencies in London, he works in-house on storyboards and visuals, and also on character designs for pitches and concepts.

What do you do?

Although my work is entirely digital (using 3D software) it has a large dollop of hand-made charm and I work very hard to make my characters unique, appealing and charming.

My approach delivers the best of both worlds: you have all the charm and quirkiness of hand-made art with all the flexibility and control of digital, so making changes to the designs or colours is trivial. Being digitally created also means the characters can be re-used in many ways and animated.

Why do you do it?

I want to create work that is unique and unlike anything else that is out there, something fresh and funny with quirkiness and sense of humour.

See more of Richard’s work here.

Paul Skawinski does amazing things with liquid & light

You could say Paul Skawinski is part artist, part scientist, part designer, part electrician; whatever he is he makes amazing things with light.

What do you do?

I am an experimental lighting designer; I mix fluids, chemicals and dyes that should not be mixed together.

The result is “nano projections” or chemical reactions which are made on a custom, self-designed overhead projector named “Illuminati 1.2”.This projector has the ability to project live liquid projections up to 25 meters in diameter.Analogue visuals are performed live but can also be pre-recorded and projected as a film. Last year I had the privilege of working with Cat Stevens’ family, London Excel 2011, Occupy London (St Paul’s), Bass Clef, Hackney Film Festival and other super-friendly national and international artists and organisers.

Why do you do it?

I realised it is most important to me to be in harmony with myself. At the end of my days, I do not want to regret that I have not done what I had in my heart and mind. I wish all people could do what they love the most, imagine how the world would look then?

See more of Paul’s work here.

Felix Thorn makes music with machines

Felix Thorn is a sort of Willy Wonka of the music world. He’s a man of few words, but his work is brilliant.

What do you do?

I build machines and compose music.

Why do you do it?

The machines are made to encourage synaesthetic experience. I’m interested in experimentation between sound-making objects and their visual manifestations.

See more of Felix’s experiments here.

About the Author

Mother is the UK’s largest independent communications agency and is widely regarded as one of the most creative and progressive agencies in London. The agency prides itself on creating ideas that impact and engage with culture, across any channel the modern communications landscape requires.

www.motherlondon.com

Credits

All images supplied by artists.