The Neighbourhood Feed Archives for October 2011

It often feels counter productive to think that you can do more by doing less. Passionate creatives are often some of the worst culprits for not switching off or taking a break.

A creative block is rarely solved by 'keeping on working at it'. Shifting perspectives, coming at things afresh from different angles, are part of the discipline of idea generation.

Changing your environment is one approach - and Ben, our MD took this to the extreme recently with a trip to the awe inspiring landscapes of Patagonia in South America.

Several wonders included this incredible sight - the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. 20km deep, 5km wide and 70m high - an awe inspiring sight where one feels the true scale and power of nature. Mother Nature is the ultimate 'starchitect'.

Thankfully the glacier is relatively stable and currently is not retreating, in contrast to so many others around the world.

It does, however, move 2m every single day, with the resulting sights and sounds of the ice moving, cracking and falling.

It’s a moving experience, on every level, and a reminder to keep things in perspective!

Our Mike has never (touch wood) seriously done himself any physical harm in life - be it sport or otherwise. His pride has been dented on many an occasion, but on the whole nothing severely impressive accident wise. (Yes sadly, he’s a bit of a girl).

So, dislocating his finger and fracturing a bone in his hand playing for team ‘hood’ came as a bit of a shock*

Fortunately in his absence the team has gone from strength to strength, and currently find themselves top of Creative League 2 having gone unbeaten all season - scoring a whopping 122 goals in the process, and with Mike finding his strongest position (on the bench).

Team ‘hood are currently on course for promotion into the top tier of Creative (League) football where tougher tests await.

Follow our progress at the Creative Cup website, or via #creativeleague2 on Twitter.

*Finger’s fine thanks for asking

On the back of our new and improved personal development programme, 3D Artists Matt and Brett went for gold and shipped out to Venice for a few days! This wasn’t just a company funded jolly, there was actual work related stuff involved.

State of Art Academy were hosting an architectural visualisation conference which saw people from across the globe flying in. Artists from China to Mexico and many places in between all descended on a new hotel outside of the main town, the Move Hotel. (note, there is a ridiculous surcharge on jumping in a taxi from the airport!)

As they arrived the day before the conference began they soaked up some of the culture of Venice town. After polishing off some fine Italian cuisine and a bottle of red, they delved deeper into the maze that is Venice. (They suggest not bothering with maps, you’ll stumble across the most fantastic things just by using ‘the force’ and the odd rare sign!)

The conference itself didn’t disappoint either. A huge range of theories and workflows were showcased, and our particular thanks go to Mr Peter Guthrie who was so open with his methods and techniques.

The next 2 days were awash with lighting, materials, scatter software, RT software, speed painting, photography, Wacom previews...

So, a good trip, some great new acquaintances, and an array of new skills! What more could you ask for? See you there next time.

Our Like a Kid in a Sweetshop project has been gaining a few admirers lately, including the judges at this years Roses Design Awards.

We were thrilled to bring home 2 gold awards from the event at the Ramada Hotel in October: Best Digital Design and the overall Grand Prix of the evening.

A great night was had by all including our friends at Eskimo Creative who won a Silver in the Visual Design category for their sterling work on the Manchester Design Symposium.

Our dance floor action also won many accolades and admirers, but sadly no official award!

What links James Bond and porn producer Jackie Treehorn?

The answer is the architecture of American architect John Lautner who's remarkable designs have been exotic backdrops to many movies over the years.

He’s famed with being a part of the 'Googie' architecture movement, a curious form of futuristic Californian mid century modernism associated with the 'Atomic age'.

Defined by use of bold geometric shapes, angles, cantilevers, glass and neon, it was popular among motels, coffee houses and gas stations. But Lautner's architecture was much deeper than formalistic concerns.

A pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright he was a master of light, space and materiality and his designs have a very human quality that belies their fantastic forms. His re-appraisal is timely as the John Lautner Foundation is currently celebrating his 100th birthday.

Also, be sure to check out the documentary of his work.