Studio projects

Design By Pidgeon is once again opening its doors to participate in the AGIdeas Studio Access Evening on Tuesday 27 April 2010. To book for the evening visit the AGIdeas website.

As part of the 2009 AGI Conference in Istanbul, Bulent Erkmen coordinated a project for all members to submit an image of their face based on the theme ‘to the city’ which is a rough translation of the word Istanbul. The brief from Bulent states: … first try to imagine yourself coming ‘to the city’. Now, prepare yourself for coming ‘to the city’: let your face be your travel preparation; bejewel it, decorate it, change it, paint it, write on it in any language. Take care to ‘make a face’, representing yourself not the city.
Like most other cities in the world, Istanbul has a population of pesky pigeons, it even has a dedicated bazaar for their sale. To celebrate ‘pigeons to the city’ David bejeweled his face with bird seed, the resultant portrait was masterfully shot by John Gollings.

Each year Ahn Sang-Soo, a Korean based designer, invites 11 friends to illustrate a month for his calendar. The following designers were responsible for the current edition: David Pidgeon, January; Ralph Schraivogel, February; Ahn Sang-Soo, March; Uwe Loesch, April; Keith Godard, May; Carin Goldberg, June; Philippe Apeloig, July; Gert Dumbar, August; Werner Jeker, September; Pierre Bernard, October; Wim Crowel, November; René Knip, December.

Pidgeon’s response looked to typographically illustrate a J for January and a 9 for the year 2009 in the same graphic, which optically becomes clearer the further you move away.

The studio has been responsible for the creative direction of the Venice Biennale New Australian Pavilion: Di Stasio Ideas Competition for their client Rinaldo di Stasio to celebrate his 20th anniversary of Café di Stasio in St Kilda. The ideas competition involved an open brief to design a new Australian Pavilion in the Giardini Della Biennale in Venice to replace the temporary structure design by Philip Cox in 1988.

The competition attracted over 450 registrations of interest from architects and students from 51 countries around the world, with 170 entries being finally submitted. A judging panel lead by architect and critic Norman Day and including photographer John Gollings, artist Callum Morton and City of Sydney architect Bridget Smyth devised a short list of 56 projects, 37 professional and 19 pre-professional. A subsequent list of 11 finalists has been selected, with the winners in each category being announced on Monday 28 July 2008. For a full list of finalists visit the di Stasio website.

To celebrate the competition, the studio has designed an exhibition featuring all of the short listed entries at Heide Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition will be on view until 3 August 2008. A 256 page publication is currently in production and will be available from Heide Museum of Modern Art or through Café di Stasio.

Click here to listen to Alan Saunders interview with competition judges Norman Day and Callum Morton on Radio National’s By Design program from Saturday 28 June 2008.

Simon Pemberton, past National President of AGDA, has embarked on a documentary of 13 of Australia’s design icons. On 9-10 May 2008, Ken Cato, Mimmo Cozzolino, Garry Emery, Trevor Flett, Myriam Kin-Yee, David Lancashire, John Nowland, Brian Sadgrove, John Spatchurst, Neil Turner and Harry Williamson spent two days in Melbourne discussing the stories behind their work and the ideas and inspirations that frame the way they think (Ian Kidd and Barrie Tucker will be filmed in Adelaide to complete the group of 13). The documentary will bring to life an extraordinary body of work much of which helps define us as a nation and influence how we live our lives.

The filming has been supported by Swinburne University Film and Television School and the still photography by David Pidgeon and Andrew Ashton.

The project still needs financial support to enable the production of the final documentary and book. If you would like to support the documentation of Australia’s design history, please email Simon Pemberton at simon@graffiti.net.au