Monday 30 March 2015

BXL photographic archive #0082

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows some tea bag packaging.
To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0132

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 27 March 2015

What could this be?

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?


Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Student Creative exhibition


I have been so busy with making the work and preparing for the exhibition that time has flown by since my last post. My work is now installed in the Museum display cases and the exhibition opens on 20 March 2015. 


I submitted a proposal to make a small book and a print. I intended to make a traditional print but the idea has developed and the result is a print installation which is both two and three dimensional and fills one of the Museum’s large display cabinets.

When I was photographing the objects that I chose from the Collection the butter dish reminded me of the domed roof of the Alexandra Palace or a cathedral.

I started to think of the Museum as a place to worship and celebrate all things plastic.

I decided to develop the moulded pattern on the base of the butter dish into a grid using black to reference leaded lights and stained glass windows. 


The vibrant colours reflect the bold flat colour of many plastic objects and the repetition references the mass production of plastic objects. However, each individual coloured square in the print has been inked by hand. Even mass produced everyday objects are special enough to be included in a museum collection. 




In contrast, the book is all white. It combines traditional printmaking techniques (etching and embossing) with modern materials (plastic). The ten objects that I chose each have a page in the book. They were selected at random to highlight the diversity of objects in MoDiP’s collection and the part that plastics play in all aspects of our lives. These objects are all on display as part of this exhibition. 


I am able to use the residency for my Independent Studies Unit so the time I have spent working on the project will count towards my degree, but irrespective of this, it has been an invaluable, practical experience for working as an artist when I have finished my studies.

As well as writing a proposal for a “real brief”, preparing my digital portfolio and interview experience, I have developed practical skills such as project planning, writing blog posts, and curating the exhibition.

The residency has also encouraged me to think about and use plastics as a material and I have learned new practical skills.

However, I think the most significant benefit of doing the residency is that it has really encouraged me to think about the scale and presentation of my work. The print installation is the most ambitious work I have made so far, and it has really encouraged me to be more ambitious in terms of scale, and to think about the viewer and context in my future practice. 

Carrie Mason (Student Creative)
http://www.carrie-mason.weebly.com 

Monday 23 March 2015

A different view #10

There are many ways to look at the objects in the MoDiP collection.  With this series of posts I want to highlight the interesting views of objects that we may ordinarily miss.  These include the underside of an object, the surface pattern, or traces of manufacturing processes.












Title:Cactus Model E415 lamp
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturer: Plustron
Object number: AIBDC : 001195


Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 20 March 2015

Did you know? #18

Did you know that, like all other museums, MoDiP has a collection policy which dictates what we do and don't collect.  The whole document can be found on our website along with our mission and purpose statements.

In order for an object to be accepted into the collection it needs to meet one of the following criteria:
  • be made entirely of plastic.
  • have plastic components specifically designed for it.
  • have standard plastic components which contribute to its form.
  • have standard plastic components vital to the function of the product.
  • provide information on the manufacture, marketing or reception of plastic products. 
It must also do one of the following:
  • Be a design of interest, for example
    • an especially good or bad design, or one that exemplifies an interesting theme of design.
    • a design that increases understanding of the potential of a particular plastic.
    • a design that increases understanding of a particular manufacturing technique.
  • Provide insight into the society
    • of which it was a part, for example reflect the way of life or taste of a certain period in a particularly evocative manner. 
    • raise issues relevant to the society of which it was/is a part, for example environmental issues today. 
  •  Be documented in such a way as it adds to plastics history, for example:
    • be designed by a known designer or manufactured by an identified factory. 
    • have a provenance that contributes to an understanding of the consumption of plastic artefacts. 
    • be precisely datable 
Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Wednesday 18 March 2015

#MuseumWeek

Next week (23rd -29th March 2015) is Museum Week on Twitter.  It is an opportunity for museums and visitors to share ideas and ask questions of each other.   MoDiP is going to attempt to show people what we do and why we do it along side lots of other museums around the world.




The week has been split up into themed days with additional hashtags to help everyone follow along:
 
Monday 23rd #secretsMW - we will be sharing some MoDiP secrets with you.

Tuesday 24th #souvenirsMW - this is all about museum memories, gift shops and souvenirs We have lots of souvenirs in our collection and we will be sharing a few of them. 

Wednesday 25th #architectureMW - the AUB is in the process of building a spectacular drawing studio, we will discuss this and what it means to the students and MoDiP.

Thursday 26th #inspirationMW - be inspired by MoDiP and its plastics specialism.  We will have fun #plasticsspotting why not join in? 

Friday 27th #familyMW - we are going to look at some of the families we have in the collection.

Saturday 28th #favMW - today we will look at some of our favourite objects in the museum, what are your favs? 

Sunday 29th #poseMW - MoDiP is closed on Sundays but if you fancy sharing some poses, memes and selfies you have created earlier in the week that would be fantastic.



Why not join in and follow us on twitter/MoDiPAUB, it should be lots of fun - and will be great to see what other museums and their visitors are up to.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Monday 16 March 2015

BXL photographic archive #0081

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows a carrier bag in use.


To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0464

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 13 March 2015

Guess the object

MoDiP has the kind of collection that you may think you are very familiar with. We have objects which we all use every day, and some pieces which are more unusual.

By looking at this distorted image are you able to guess what the object is? What do you think it could be used for?


Post your answer in the comments below or to find the answer click here and you will be taken to the MoDiP catalogue.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Wednesday 11 March 2015

A walk in the park


Plastics spotting in Bournemouth's lower gardens

A cold February morning stroll through Bournemouth's lower gardens provided a few unexpected opportunities to indulge in a bit of plastics spotting. 



I am not quite sure how this lonely traffic cone ended up in the stream but it provided a bit of a warm glow in the otherwise bleak featureless water. 


Ever hopeful of a customer the kiosk proudly advertised its selection of ice creams with a four foot high replica ‘99’ complete with strawberry syrup. Hmm. A bit optimistic, it was only 4°C with a wind chill factor of about -20 blowing off the sea. 


This jolly chap promised the opportunity of something a bit more warming, but they do say
that you should never trust a skinny chef so perhaps another time......

Temporary fencing made from high visibility HDPE cordoned off an area of grass struggling to recover after a winter of being used for the ice rink...

 

and a little further on a flight in the unmissable balloon was tempting if you had your thermals on.



And finally, as if I wasn't cold enough, another opportunity for an ice cream. Roll on the summer!



Pam Langdown (Collections Manager)

Tuesday 10 March 2015

Metaphorically Speaking

The AUB's Creative Writer in Residence, Dr James Cole, is hosting a workshop on Saturday 21st March.  It is inspired by the current MoDiP exhibition, Is that Plastic? skeuomorphs and metaphors in design.

To reserve your place email James on jcole@aub.ac.uk or call him on 01202 363718.



Monday 9 March 2015

A different view #9

There are many ways to look at the objects in the MoDiP collection.  With this series of posts I want to highlight the interesting views of objects that we may ordinarily miss.  These include the underside of an object, the surface pattern, or traces of manufacturing processes.



Title: Anglepoise lamp
Designer: George Cawardine
Manufacturer: Herbert Terry & Sons
Object number: AIBDC : 0_3127



Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Friday 6 March 2015

Did you know? #17

Did you know that the Museum of Design in Plastics look after the collection of the Worshipful Company of Horners?

You can find out more about the Horners by having a look at their website www.horners.org.uk/

The collection comprises over 400 objects and can all be viewed on our website by searching the term WCHL ('Worshipful Company of Horners Loan').  They are with us for an initial period of 7 years and have featured in many of our exhibitions during the time they have been in our care.

Some of my favourite pieces from the Horners objects are:

This loving cup WCHL : 5 was made in 1836.

I like the colours of this large decorative comb WCHL : 319C.

The moulded portrait of King Charles I is so clear on this snuff or tobacco box WCHL : 9.

There are a number of powder horns in the collection but the decoartion on this one WCHL : 26 is full of so much character.

Finally this fish-shaped comb WCHL : 61 from around 1900 is very unusual.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)

Wednesday 4 March 2015

David Lineton

Here at MoDiP we love to see how students use the collection.  In this interview we find out how David Lineton, who graduated from the AUB with a First Class Hons BA in Commercial Photography in 2014, was inspired by the collection.

LD: David, you used the MoDiP collection in your final major project. What was the aim of your project?

DL: MoDiP objects featured in two of my final year Projects.  The first project was titled Unnecessarily Complex Contraptions. This series of images looked at over-complicating a simple process such as making a cup of tea or frying an egg. The series consists of four images and referenced illustrators such as Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg who drew caricatures of machines that would aim to make a simple process have a complex mechanical alternative. The final images aimed to generate a professional series of images that would feature in my final graduate portfolio. 

Copyright: David Lineton

The second project looked to visualise a timeline in design it aimed to find a visual way of showing products that have been developed over time. This project consisted of five images each featuring a selection of design in a specific product such as Lamps, Razors and Radios. When the image is read from the left to right, the rope shows a journey of design. Through set design each demonstrates a specific period of time. The items were sourced from the MoDiP collection. The final images aimed to generate a professional series of images that would feature in my final graduate portfolio. 


Copyright: David Lineton

The resulting images were printed onto Duratrans and were presented on hand made lightboxes. A selection of images from both projects were used in the AUB Graduate Show 2014 and the Cathexis Graduate show in London.

LD: When did you become aware of the collection and how you could use it in your work?

DL: Having the Museum on campus meant that I was introduced to the collection in my Art Foundation at the beginning of my study at AUB. However, it was not until my final year of my degree that I contacted MoDiP, this was because of an exhibition that they had on which took my interest and I saw a possibility to create a collaboration. Once I made contact I then explained how I wanted to feature MoDiP artefacts within my projects and was guided through the loans process. 

Copyright: David Lineton

LD: How did you use the collection?

DL: Having developed a concept and undergone research into the project that I was working on, I would then look at artefacts in the MoDiP catalogue and generate mock up and try out visual ideas that featured some of the artefacts as styling elements.

LD: How did you find the process of selecting objects and booking them out?

Selecting the object was straightforward, with the filters and search terms that featured on the online MoDiP catalogue I was able to quickly refine my search.

Once I had decided which artefacts would work with the projects I would arrange studio space and the loan of the artefacts, this was done mostly through email.

LD: You have now graduated, what are you doing now and do you think your project has helped in your early career?

DL: Currently I am Freelancing in London as a Still Life Photographer and also as a photographic and digital assistant. Any down time I spend working on personal projects and collaborations.

The projects that I underwent at university made me develop quickly and professionally. They gave me a great guide and structure for the beginning of my career.

LD: David, thank you very much for using the collection and sharing your experience, we wish you the best of luck for the future. 


David's work is currently on display in the AUB Library reading room.

Following his graduation, David is now working as a still life photographer who freelances in the London area. He works using photography as a visual language to express his thoughts, allowing him the freedom to be creative with light and set design as these are his main areas of interest. 

Website: davidlineton.com
Contact: d.lineton@me.com 

Louise Dennis, (Assistant Curator)

Monday 2 March 2015

BXL photographic archive #0080

In 2010, MoDiP was donated a large archive of images relating to a single company. Bakelite Xylonite Ltd, also known as British Xylonite Ltd or BXL, was possibly one of the first British firms to successfully manufacture a plastics material in commercial quantities. The company was established in 1875 and after a long history went into liquidation in the late 2000s. The images we have in the collection are concentrated around the 1960s through to the 1980s and show us glimpses of the manufacturing process, products and the company’s employees during this time. We plan to share an image each week to give a flavour of the archive. If you want to see more you can view the whole collection on our website.

This week’s image shows a Merrycraft 13 in production.


To get a better view of the image and find out more have a look at it on our website http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/bxl--0516

We are still working on the documentation of the archive, some of the images we know more about than others. It would be fantastic if we could fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge, if you know anything about the company or specific images it would be good to hear from you.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)