design rethink

cafe interior, Germany, 1950s

I've been having problems with the flannel board concept for the Rimbaud poem design, mainly to do with the fact that the fabric pieces don't adhere to the background for any length of time, and I can't bear the thought that the work will keep falling apart during the four week exhibition.
I realised that another design concept was needed.

A solution always presents itself eventually, and it arrived yesterday when I missed the bus from Takapuna and went rummaging through a second hand bookstore while I waited for the next bus. There I found a book of 1950s interior design, mainly from Germany, which focuses primarily on decorative wall treatments in houses, shops, schools and office buildings. Have a look at all these lovely murals and painted cabinets...

mural design in a children's theatre

Noah's Ark mural in a primary school

Stairway mural, primary school

Painted toy cabinet in a kindergarten

Mural for an optometrist's office emphasizing the importance of light

The front desk of a fabric shop - the mural composition is made from fabric samples

Millinery shop display

Decorative cupboards in a child's bedroom

It's a pity most of the images are black and white, but I love the free-flow compositions and the amazing use of architectural space. Seeing all this has inspired me to work directly on the wall, making a large fabric composition from Jack's translation of the Rimbaud poem with simple shapes, bold colours and with all the components pinned to the wall, something like a Richard Killeen cut-out, but with a narrative structure and a very 50s design aesthetic. Too exciting!!
More soon...