Friday 29 November 2013

Can you guess what this is?



MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?



Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Wednesday 27 November 2013

AUB's PhD student with a focus on plastics

You may remember back in February MoDiP advertised a funded, plastics related PhD at the AUB.  I thought it was about time that we introduced you to the lucky recipient, Kate Hall. I asked Kate a few questions about herself and her plans.

 
LD: Hi Kate, welcome to the AUB.  As we advertised the MoDiP PhD bursary on our blog I thought our readers would be interested in who took up the challenge and what they plan to do with the opportunity. Can you tell us what attracted you to this research project?

KH: The opportunity and challenge to try something different is always a draw for me. Given the unique collection at MoDiP, I was very keen to work with the museum in some way.  Given the 'avant garde' approach that AUB has, this was not going to be an 'ordinary' journey. How could I resist? The outcome of the research should, I hope benefit the partners involved.


LD: So what is your background? And what is your subject area?

KH: A nurse, a teacher, a mother, I have also worked in the cultural sector for some years. I have a Masters Degree in Museum Studies which, added to my fascination with the story of people and objects has led me to writing around these areas. This research, combined with Creative Writing which is my art practice, will I hope, allow me to present a unique perspective on the Plastic Chair, the object of my research desire.


LD: You have been a PhD student for a few months now, what are your initial plans and how are you going to be using the collection?

KH: After much literature searching and consideration of the areas of study already well documented in Plastics, I am focusing my research on 'The Plastic Chair', several examples of which already exist in the MoDiP collection. It is an object so urbane but which has also achieved iconic status in the arenas of art and design. I plan to use Creative Writing as my art practice, an approach still in its infancy in the realms of art research. Who knows what stories and poetry will emerge.


LD: That sounds exciting, are you enjoying being a PhD student?

KH: Oh yes! Very demanding but very exciting and the challenge is something that I relish. Frustrating too as I want to move faster than I realistically can. Being very impatient and impetuous, I am having to develop a 'modicum' of discipline. I have Professor Stephanie James and Susan Lambert as my poor suffering supervisors bringing to the partnership considerable experience and expertise. They are certainly challenging me already so I sense that I will have to work hard and consistently to meet their high standards.


LD: Is there somewhere we can follow your progress?

KH: I have just started my own website and blog @ anothergreenfool.com which is principally my writing vehicle but which I will be developing more around Plastics as the research grows. I also use Twitter @KTHall1.


Thank you for your time Kate, we look forward to following your journey as a PhD student.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Monday 25 November 2013

BXL photographic archive #0032

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.


This week’s image shows a small sailing dinghy.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0508

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 22 November 2013

Can you identify this object?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?




Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Kartell at MoDiP

Kartell is an Italian firm that makes and sells contemporary furniture. From MoDiP's point of view it is a very important company as plastics have been central to its mission from its outset.

The company was set up in 1949 to manufacture car accessories in plastics and shortly also became involved in a mission to substitute plastics for glass in laboratory equipment. In 1963 it expanded into household goods and set itself the challenge of introducing 'plastic to to the home'. It has worked and continues to work with an international team of leading designers and has played a significant role in Italy's reputation as a trendsetter. Kartell products are now sold in 96 different countries through 120 flagship shops and more than 4000 points of sale. It also has its own museum in which more than a 1000 of Kartell products are displayed.

Kartell has been represented in the MoDiP collection for some time by chairs designed by Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, and Antiono Citterio and Oliver Low, the latter two working in collaboration. In 2010 we acquired a stool entitled Stone Stool designed by Michael Wanders in 2006 which looks like a cut glass vase and we are pleased to have recently added three further works. They are Moon Bowl and Shanghai Vase designed by Mario Bellini and Jelly Plate designed by Particia Urquiloa. They are all made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sold under various trade names such as Acrylite, Plexiglas and Perspex, and famous in its early days as the material of which Spitfire cockpits were made. They are testimony to the brilliant clarity of the material. 

The new pieces match Wanders' Stone Stool in scale and are currently on display at MoDiP with it and two stools designed  by Philippe Starck: the Prince AHA Stool  of 1996 and Atilla Stool-Table of 1999. The hourglass shape of the Prince AHA Stool shares its symmetry with that of the title. The stool is reversible and its ends consist of lids that allow storage within. The Atilla Stool-Table is in the form of a hand-painted garden gnome holding up the seat representing a slice of tree. Who would have thought that the simple stool could give rise to such different and imaginative renditions?

The 2013 Kartell display

Susan Lambert
Head of the Museum of Design in Plastics

Monday 18 November 2013

BXL photographic archive #0031

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.


This week’s image shows a bottle being tested for quality.
To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0077
We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 15 November 2013

What could this be?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?



Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Monday 11 November 2013

BXL photographic archive #0030

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.


This week’s image shows a man making a mould at Plenmeller.
To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--162914

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 8 November 2013

Guess the object

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?


Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Monday 4 November 2013

BXL photographic archive #0029

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.


This week’s image shows a shoe polish applicator.

To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--1590
We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 1 November 2013

What could this be?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?




Post your answer in the comments below or find out more about the object by looking at the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)