Created by Anu
Garg.

Thermochromic urinals

So I don't think I have ever felt the need to have a thermochromic urinal, having said that I don't have a need for standard urinals either!! I found this pretty cool though, it would certainly make toilet stops more interesting for the male species!! The blog on which I found this is great for inspiration, they have some really whacky pictures up there. It's worth a sneaky peak!!

So, I'm now officially a columnist!!

Hi All! I have a weekly column on Creative Times, please give it a read and let me know what you think. :) Here it is.

My website is up and running!!! Well, actually, this is just a preliminary site on cargo and my real site will be at www.chapleo.com but for now, enjoy my portfolio :)

Prague Visit

I visited Prague with expectations that it would be a similar experience to that of Chicago or Washington; a beautiful city with a strong culture and friendly people. One would assume that residents of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities would be a happy and polite people. Taking into account the popularity of Prague as a tourist destination I presumed that people in the city would be more positive than the negative stereotype. Unfortunately, I was mistaken in my assumptions and was disappointed to find that the general population of Prague was gravely unfamiliar with the etiquette expected within modern civilization. There are always ill mannered people present wherever you go and there will always be people with frowns upon their faces. However, most of the Czech’s that I came across were so very rude and seemingly angry and miserable, unfortunately living up to the negative stereotype of Eastern Europeans. I couldn’t quite understand this given the Czech Republic’s recent freedom from communism and Russia, not to mention their astoundingly beautiful city and fascinating history. I was surprised and disappointed to find an atmosphere of bitterness in the elaborate setting of a city with such brilliant architecture.
I discovered on returning home that the translated title of the Czech Republic’s national anthem is “Where is my home?” whilst the national motto is “Truth Prevails”. These words alone are a good indication of the negativity within the country. I also discovered, after the war ended, the 1.2 million Germans residing in what was then Czechoslovakia were either massacred, exiled or used in forced labour camps, which is seemingly very similar to Nazi methods of control.

Paul Gorman on Barney Bubbles

Paul Gorman’s lecture explored the life and works of Barney Bubbles, whose identity at birth was Colin Fulcher. Barney Bubbles lived a seemingly ordinary life, growing up in Whitton, South London, and excelling at Grammar school before graduating from Twickenham College of Art and Design. He majored in design and packaging for retail and went on to produce album covers and album art for predominantly 12” vinyls. The name Barney Bubbles derived from the name he used for his hallucinogenic light shows which were projected onto the backdrop behind live bands. He injected coloured oil into coloured liquids in front of projector lights and the shows were called the Barney Bubbles lightshow. From everything that Paul Gorman said, I found the way in which Barney Bubbles remained anonymous the most fascinating aspect of his work. Bubbles never signed his work, therefore never claiming copyright of his designs, but also only ever released one picture of himself, a collage of colourful shapes. His only ever interview took place two years before he committed suicide.

This lecture was rather depressing so I have little to feedback other than that which is already written. I didn’t find the work of Barney Bubbles particularly exciting or astonishing either. On the whole the experience was rather underwhelming.

Joana Niemeyer

Joana Niemeyer gave my favourite visiting lecture of the first semester. In true German style she came across as very level headed and honest. She spoke from experience and didn’t sugar coat any part of what was said. She spoke a lot about freelancing and setting up a studio/ business. The experience she told us about were really interesting and the work she presented to us was really beautiful. I particularly liked the logo she had produced for a children’s clothing brand. She showed us the three designs she had pitched which I liked. It was interesting that I actually preferred one of the rejected designs over the one which was ultimately chosen.