get involved...

science has delivered exactly what the design community needs...

the science gallery on pearse street is billed as a world first...a new type of venue where todays white-hot scientific issues are thrashed out and you can have your say...a place where ideas meet and opinions collide...

could you imagine if the design industry had a physical space where we could do this, rather than our online bloggs and forums....

the exhibitions change on a regular basis and the opening hours change with each exhibition...

they're all about opening science up to passionate debate and want your opinions and likewise am i about me and design...i want your opinions, how do you want design to develop? what direction should it go in?

it is a very cool space - a wedge between trinity grounds and pearse street, and its been utilised well...ghost chairs and escher-esque floor graphics create a very minimal space punctuated with loud graphics and bold phunky furnishings....

'the' plan expo...

irelands showcase for the built envoronment...for 26 years now plan expo, supported by the RIAI and CIF, has been a hghlight of the irish construction calendar...

as trade shows go, plan expo must be one of the most important in the calendar. the industry showed a strong front in these times and exhibitors came together to showcase whats new, highlight progree nad plan for the future...

an interesting feature this year was the art in architecture exhibit, showcasing succesful irish projects where architects and artists collaborated to create spaces that celebrate the visual arts, incorporating artwork as part of the design process within buildings and external spaces...

stroller, saunterer, drifter...part deux

the flaneur...ok so the term flaneur comes form the french verb flaneur, which means 'to stroll'...

a flaneur is thus a person who walks the city in order to experience it...aka redundant richy in these past few weeks...becasue of the terms usage and theorisation by numerous thinkers in economic, cultural, literary and historical contexts, the idea of the flaneur has accumulated significant meaning as a reverant for understanding urban phenomena and modernity - charachterised as a ''gentleman stroller of city streets''...

so folks take to your streets and wander...i had a very interesting conversation with a colleague of mine who recently spent time in beijing, having talked of his experiences of the city and the people and how much he enjoyed both, he got to talking about how he got a real sense of both from walking off te beaten track - the side streets and back streets in the small hours of the morning, this is where he seemed to really get a sense of the city and the people who lived there...

revolutionise your weekend plans and abandon all plans, take to your city streets and simply wander, view your surroundings in a completely different context... as Tyler Brule, the founder of wallpaper* puts it - it forces you to consider what elements are necessary to weave a strong, diverse urban fabric...

so in order to become a real city resident i have to agree with his comments - you've got to let the city push, pull, divert and distract you until you're either worn down from over-stimulation or you reach the point where you decide that you and your city are never going to get along...

so in recent weeks i've found the best way to make a real connection or disconnection is to walk it...and thats what i've had the chance to do it dublin all over again, i don't think i've done this since i first moved here and i chose to walk the city streets to get to know it...and leaving behind the daily grind of commute and office work, i've had this chance to fall in love with dublin all over again...yeah redundancy...(although the finances are yearning for that grind again...)

tiger mash...

i think 2 of the highlights from my weekend in edinburgh had to be our dinner on saturday night in a nifty retro spot called monstermash and then finding the cure on sunday on george streets tigerlily...

tigerlily has to be the newest boutique hotel in edinburgh, it has bene rated one of the coolest 65 hotels in the world.  (www.tigerlily.co.uk) the independent calls it 'the showgirl among edinburgh hotel bars' and they've hit the nail on the head...

its a hip destination bar with its chic booths, revolving glitter balls and beaded curtains. i found tigerlily simply to be a blend of trendy elegance and shimmering opulence perfectly befitting george streets magnificent history - incredibly glitzy and oozing style...

monstermash, close to potterrow was the complete opposite - a retro cafe giving great food with a nostalgic twist. (www.monstermashcafe.co.uk)... i found the concept here fantastic - we sat at formica covered tables on old style kitchen chairs, complete with the ubiquitous red plastic ketchup 'tomatoes' and brown sauce bottles...

the 1950's retro design for a restaurant is an original idea, there were beano comics in the magzine racks, the atmosphere was brilliant and need i mention the speciality is bangers and mash...

i also had time to stroll around the bruntsfield/morningside area, which was where i lived mostly while i was studying in edinburgh...it was amazing to see the small deli's and grubby student cafe bars had given way to chic boutiques and glitzy specialist jewellery shops...

tartan trends...

following my weekend trip to auld reekie, i've noticed on all the magazine stands and in stores that tartan is featuring highly in this seasons trends...

tartan is going from traditional and country to sexy and cool, be it loud and bright or softly toned and muted, tartan is back looking better than ever...