Creative round-up August 2024
August may be holiday month for some but here at Ingenious we have been busier than ever! However, we’re never too busy to make time to pick out some interesting design and branding news for your enjoyment in our monthly creative round-up…
iPhone Photography Awards 2024
Winners have been announced for the 17th annual iPhone Photography Awards or IPPAWARDS. Selected from entries by photographers in more than 140 countries, the huge range of stunning images showcase the unique ability of iPhone photography to connect us to the world in profound ways.
Subjects range from landscapes to portraits and abstracts with everything in between and the winning photos include shots of lifeguard camp, Buddhist pupils, a starry night in New Zealand, kites in Taiwan, balloons in China and Oompa Loompas in LA! The Grand Prize Winner is entitled Boy Meets Shark by Erin Brooks - a luminous black and white image taken at an acquarium in Tampa, Florida.
Follow this link to see the winning entries https://www.ippawards.com/2024-winning-photographers/?v=7516fd43adaa
Amazing discovery under London Museum
Five years ago, contractors working on the site of the new London Museum at Smithfield Market found an enormous and beautifully constructed network of Victorian subterranean brick vaults. Meticulous restoration of these carefully hand built arches and columns stretching across 800 square metres has just been completed and floors and lighting will soon be installed.
Mystery surrounds the exact use of the vaults which were originally built along with the general market in the 1880’s, but they were likely used for storage space of market goods and possible stabling for pack horses. The pale-coloured bricks on every column edge are now clean and luminous and are thought to have helped with navigation in poor light.
The magical discovery was not originally part of the multi-million-pound project to convert two historic former food markets at Smithfield into a new home for the former Museum of London following the 2022 closure of its previous home at Barbican, but additional funding was secured to incorporate it into the new museum plans. The museum is due to open in 2026 and the vaults will be open to the public and used to host pop-up events.
Rescuing Ukraines art treasures
In the light of losses suffered to it’s culture over the centuries and most recently since the Russian invasion, the importance of humble-seeming regional museums across Ukraine is incalculable. A brave group of people led by historian, Leonid Marushchak are covering huge distances at great personal risk to save works of art from museums on the frontline and in Kyiv and take them to places of safety.
A nation’s understanding of itself is partly held in artworks and artefacts. Once lost or destroyed, fragile objects made and treasured by human hands are gone forever along with the stories and knowledge they contain.
Since the early days of the war, Marushchak and his intrepid team of helpers have organised the evacuation of dozens of museums, packing and recording precious items including artworks, letters, ancient icons, antique furniture and textiles and sending them to secret, secure locations away from the combat zone to save them for future generations.
Gap Fall Campaign
We love ‘Get Loose’, the latest marketing effort by Gap fronted by pop star Troye Sivan and tapping into the current fashion trend for baggy clothes. Founded back in 1969, Gap is returning to the choreographed dance-themed ads for which is was known in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
Set to Thundercat’s ‘Funny Thing’, a big TikTok hit, the campaign oozes energy and cool, featuring moves from Sivan and CDK Company, a dance outfit based in the Netherlands. All sport baggy fits styled from Gap’s new autumn collection. Directed and choreographed by Sergio Reis, the campaign has recently launched across print and digital media, out-of-home, social media and other channels.
Edinburgh Art Festival 2024
Edinburgh is world famous for its festivals and running alongside the Edinburgh International Festival and Festival Fringe is Edinburgh Art Festival, the centrepiece of which this year is the largest retrospective of work by Ghanaian artist, El Anatsui ever held in the UK.
On display at the Talbot Rice Gallery, El Anatsui’s exquisite metal masterpieces made from flattened bottle tops, recycled detritus and fragments of metal linked together with copper wire look like glowing sheets of fabric in hues of red, black, gold and cream. The shimmering sheets are painstakingly stitched together by the artist and his assistants. Varying in scale from small to huge, these stunning chainmail weavings speak of tragedy, humanity and hope.