Paris

I felt incredibly overwhelmed and privileged that I had been given the opportunity to visit Maison et Objet interior trade fair, in Paris. It was amazing to see the latest trends within the interior design corner of the world, whilst meeting new designers and state of the art techniques. It was an inspiration to me, to see how a company can develop and successfully grow, and I hope to remember this for my own future. I also was able to learn a lot from different companies and pointers which I can hopefully bring to my own projects. 

Niki Jones

Whilst visiting Maison et Objet, I came across a designer called Niki Jones. Her designs reflect her traditional Scottish roots, whilst also drawing inspiration from her discoveries whilst travelling the globe. 

What caught my eye in particular were not her bold, geometric shapes, but in fact how she combines cultural references with a love of traditional techniques, natural materials and colour. As a company, they embrace the best of skilled craft and ensure the quality and consistency is at it's highest, within manufacturing. 

I love how she has managed to combine a passion of weaving and textiles, with worldwide traditional techniques, to ensure their survival in the future, as well as creating much skilled employment for generations to come, in less developed communities. 

Kazimir Malevich
Whilst in Paris, I jumped at the opportunity to visit The Pompidou Centre. Not only was the building incredibly inspiring to me and my self-initiated project, but the work displayed inside was equally amazing. With more than 60,000 works, the Centre holds the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe, and there wasn't a single corner that you turned and were not shocked by the work on the wall. 

I discovered an artist called Kazimir Malevich whilst I was there. As a painter from Russia, he was a pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the avant-garde, Suprematist movement. 

I find a strong link between Malevich's paintings and the drawings I have created in my Personal Brief. The statement shapes he uses in his work, mixed with lines and rich colours, are extremely eye-catching and that is what I hope to achieve with my work. 

By continuously contextualising my work throughout my project and taking inspiration from both designers and artists, I have been able to pull different concepts into my pieces to produce a more rounded and complete project.