We all know that asking someone to keep a secret only invites them to share it. So ahead of the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, artistic director Danny Boyle subtly changed his request: asking spectators who saw the rehearsal to “save the surprise.”
Art & Design
When Designer Jeremy Myerson was working at Heathrow Terminal 5, he discovered that older people didn’t always go to the toilet for the obvious reason: they went to hear flight announcements. “They have trouble listening to and reading information in large, busy, open concourses, while ceramic-clad toilets have perfect sound and close-up graphics.”
A survey by psychologist David Halpern found that while most students preferred traditional building styles, architecture students were the outlier. In fact the longer they studied architecture, the more their preferences diverged from the general public.
Cubism was one of the most innovative art movements of the 20th century, but it was a clear reformulation of the post-impressionism wave that came decades before. For instance, the deconstruction of shapes into precise angles and distinct areas can be seen in the work of Paul Cezanne as early as 1885. In fact Picasso openly acknowledged the influence of Cezanne on his work, describing him as ‘my one and only master’.
The unusual exterior of Disney Hall is iconic in the world of architecture, but it’s the result of strict limitations on internal design; Frank Gehry & Yasuhisa Toyota had to create a vineyard-style seating arrangement to make the audience feel close to the orchestra, and there are no boxes or balconies to avoid social hierarchies. As Toyota says, “surround style is more intimate.”
You wouldn’t pay much for empty space, unless of course it’s a groundbreaking work of art. A European collector recently paid $1.2 million for Yves Klein’s ‘Zone of Empty Space’ – not bad for something invisible.
Some of the greatest artists in history – Picasso, Woody Allen, Kanye West – do things that are morally (and legally) wrong. Should we think of them as good or bad? In many cases, the answer is both.
According to UK law, graffiti “is an act of criminal damage, and those found guilty can be punished with a maximum fine of £5,000.” But when Bansky does it, and tourists flock to see the work, it’s considered artistic genius.
Before his fame and as a young student in New York, Tom Ford visited the townhouse of a fellow designer Halston. “I copied everything, the long, low grey couches, everything, from Halston’s apartment for the Gucci store design.” Ford loved the actual Halston place so much that he bought it in 2019.
London taxis must have a turning circle not greater than 8.535 m (28 ft). Why? To be able to navigate the small roundabout outside the Savoy Hotel.
Harry Beck, the creator of the iconic London Underground map, was inspired by his training as an electrical engineer. Like his map, circuit diagrams don’t need to show actual locations of components, just where they are in relation to each other.
Nowadays, mass produced goods are bland while hand made goods are desirable. But in the early 20th century the reverse was true: the advent of the assembly line meant millions of consumers could buy products, like cars, which were previously unattainable because they were too expensive.
The Mona Lisa became the world’s most famous painting only after it was stolen. Before its theft in 1911, it was celebrated not widely known outside the art world. But its disappearance prompted an international media frenzy and a frantic criminal investigation, and two years passed before it was discovered.
in 1901, Picasso imposed a self-constraint to boost creativity. His ‘blue period’ helped him produce paintings that conveyed a sense of melancholy and sadness, and killed the assumption that paintings required a range of vibrant colours to be successful.
When pressed to explain the elements in Guernica, Pablo Picasso said: “This bull is a bull and this horse is a horse… If you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning… I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are.”