Designers' Front

Slightly later than expected, Designers Front is real! We are online at designersfront.com or designersfront.com/blog  for the blog. That means most of what I'm involved in will be on display over there now as well.

Now and Then

Met with Alex yesterday to catch up with what tinker are doing. I made a little document to tell her about  what I'd been upto over the last year and what I'm doing now. So what am I doing now? Well I just got back from France, doing more photography work and I'm keeping the blog over at bgbarker.com/writings both of which I've mentioned before. I am also working with a group of friends on a studio that we are loosely calling, Designers Front, this may be the name that sticks. Hopefully there will be more information to come on this in the next week. The friends I'm working with our Rachel, Matt, Sam, Brittany and Chris. Go take a look at them!

New Writing Website

A new website dedicated to mini essay writing that I started over at bgbarker.com/writings/ The idea is to write a short piece each day covering a new topic and hopefully use it as a way of practicing writing and collecting thoughts and ideas that I have.

Go to bgbarker.com/writings/

France Pictures.

I'm in France at the moment, working as a photographer. Here are some pictures with blue sky and not much else. Its sort of like a working holiday.

onedotzero Document

A few weeks back I went to see onedotzero. I hadn't see much of them since the year before when I had worked with them. I thought it might be nice to make a document showing what I had been upto in the year between. Now I'm showing you for the sole reason that I haven't put anything visual on here for ages.

Show Bricklane: Design Curious

We had our final year show in Bricklane a month or so back. I was involved in the design build mostly but overall the whole thing went really well and Matt and Sam designed a beautiful catalogue. We left immediately after the close of the London show, to a show called DMY in Berlin, which was different and equally successful.

It was all such a cunfussion of action, frustration and excitement that I don't seem to have much visual evidence that it happened. Perhaps when all the dust finally settles I'll dig some out to add to this post.

Final Film

Here is the film for my final project presentation. Its exploring how design can created democratic engagement.

Liberal Democrats in Blackheath

I spent the Bank Holiday in Blackheath with the Liberal Democrat bandwagon, speaking to people and trying to hear Nick Clegg talk about political involvement. There are a few valuable points in there, such as how important everyone felt communication was to sustained interest. There was no conservative councillor to be seen, so it is not bias that I don't speak with one.

Plotter in Action

The plotter that I have been building over the past month or so, partly functioning, I hope to explore other forms of representation using it and get the interface away from the computer.

Ink Dropper

An automated ink dropper to use in conjunction with the plotter. A solenoid squeezes a drop of ink
from the pipet when arduino sends the current through it.

Plan Degree Show.

Spent yesterday making and measuring for a plan of our degree space. Obviously boring to those who 's exhibition space it isn't, but some part of my brain seems to get a thrill from organising space in this way on a map/plan. I'll get some picture up for it soon.



Heres a crudy picture of the space to give an idea what it's like.

X Y Plotter

A plotter that I have been building that will allow me to create personal political profiles and location based political profiles. Giving people a new outlet for their opinions and a new sense of value for the location where they are able to express their opinion. The strength would be that identities would be visualised, both place and personal.

Politi-Crisps

I normally don't put other things up on here, but these crisps that Rada got for me are so similair to stuff I was doing a month or two back and am still toying with now. Voting through a selection that is streamlined with normal choice. What spray you use, etc.

BT Newspaper.

This is a newspaper that I made with Tinker London using the new, award winning service from Newspaper Club. It was for a workshop we did with BT and a fun experience.

Vote with your Feet.

A model of my "stand". Promoting the idea of having a daily space to promote opinion. People read the paper every morning, but have nowhere to express their opinion. This offers them a place at the station, as they walk, to put say what they think about the current issue of the day. A series of posters could build up over a period of time and create a new space of opinion sharing and discussion. A history of opinion could build up.

Our Berlin Route

Voting where you stand.

Newspaper of Opinion

A newspaper built from varried sources, to challenge people to question what they form opinion based on, and question the source of their news.

Site Installation

Suggestions for a town centre installation that would form a place where people could output opinion and would give the forming of opinion a new value. a reason to generate an opinion.

Tee-Shirt

Tee-Shirt project is about to go live, take a look at www.outof100.co.uk. Don't tell Sam though because it ain't quite ready.

EDIT: This should be going live tomorrow (tuesday 9th) with our first couple of tee-shirts and ready for people to start creating, submitting and soon. Head over there for more information.