eurospike

freitag Design-a-Truck Contest 2008

Theme = Transit
Print = Black, White
Background = Black, White, Grey,
Green (RAL6011) Yellow (RAL 1003)

this is my entry =:]

MACPfNE degRee shOw 2007

our finaL shOw was quite a success. aLL that's left is the graduatiOn ceremony...

the criticaL repOrt

been caught up in writing the critical report all week for my MA.
and also the supplementaL research dOcuments.
have two A5 bOOks made which wiLL be hand bound.
wiLL be aLL over 2 may!

the Q bOOk

this is the story of our design prOposaL to Fabric.
It's an unusual and intriguing interactive hand-made book full of vibrating pages, LED's and pop-up fun.

fabRic Queue

AIM.
To create an interactive installation in response to research and observations of the extreme queue at Fabric London on a Friday night.

MACPfNE Major Project Proposal

Late-night conversations have led to many thoughts.
We have a methodology.
Now we just need a purpose.

sOftware update

teaching myseLf abLetOn Live. was intimidated fOr too Long.
And now that i'm doing my work placement, i'm overcOming the feaR!

bRains & eggs

Last night I went to an event at the Dana Center called "Art And The Brain". 99% of the people there were from a medical / neurobiologicaL backgrOund. And then there was Antonia and me. But basically, the Dana Center exists to promote the combination of arts and sciences. On the Left is MY brain "in nine easy steps" created out of air foam. I'd say the FrontaL lobes are quite unique...

1. Brainstem - relays infO
2. Cerebellum - movement
3. Thalamus - reLays infO
4. Hippocampus - memOry
5. Amygdala - emotion
6. Temporal Lobes - smeLL / hearing
7. Occipital Lobes - visiOn
8. Parietal Lobes - movement / tOuch
9. Frontal Lobes - personaLity

( And on the right, an engLish breaky. )

gOOd read !

i'm nOt aLways interested in bOOks without pictures. buT i highLy recOmmend it.

wOrk pLacemenT :: audemOs

fiRst meeting : 31 augusT

sOund oF bRistoL

i put together my first sound piece for RAA here in London. It's for their design pitch for the BristoL industriaL museum.
Click here to heaR iT.

design wOrk pLacemenT Required

sOunds oF sOfia

i recOrded sO many sOunds in buLgaria. anything frOm stray dogs barKing, tO the canteR in a russian church, tO a chiLd begging on the sidewaLk. i've reaLized how important sound can be. and hOw much yOu miss by onLy taking a photograph.
aT the end of the weeK, each grOup presented their projecTs. i thinK i was more excited about recording the sounds than anything eLse. checK ouT sOme of the links...

begging chiLd
Ladies markeT
my way
wine gLass

The Evidence

And finally, these are my highly organized carpetas (folders) of every project. Each containing records of the briefs, notes, research, images, sounds, presentations, rationales, reflections, and more.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Ok, so my biggest weakness is a KinderBueno Bar.

"Team Player"

For some reason I really don't like that word - Team Player. It gives me the creeps and i can't explain. Though, I do enjoy working in teams, and find it easy. I think it's the most creative way to work.

Conceptual Thinking

This is one of my strongest points. I can always come up with loads of design ideas. The problem is...honing in and narrowing down which one(s) to use.

First Topic....

This is about all the different methods of research we've learned. In the presentation, we have to discuss each topic by how it relates to us as an individual. And how it relates to collaborative work.

Opening Page

I really wanted to do a story for my presentation...Spike and her Learning Log. And my Learning Log would wake me up for school, and make me coffee, and check in with me all the time about what i'm learning. I've started it. But decided that I needed to focus more on presenting more valuable information in my 10 minutes

Inside the Log

And the contents...disks of the presentation, and all of the files from 12 projects as the evidence. I have 10 minutes to present to my instructor how much i've learned all year.

Hmmm...now that i'm looking at this, it would be really nice if i drew the blue grid on the disks...we'll see how much time i have after the posts and a shower!

Learnin' Log

I finished up my Learnin' Log last night, in preparation for my assessment this afternoon. These are the notebooks i've been using since i came out to London. They're super cheap. They have a cool staple detail. And the pages are grid paper...of course.

radiO art wOrkshOp : sOphia

Radio Cult and InterSpace Media Art Center are organizing two workshops "Radio Masters" in the framework of Radio Territories project. Throughout the month of May, radio resident Antonio Dimitrov, experienced sound artist and long time radio activist, will host interactive workshops for local artists, young students and others interested in radio art.

i am here nOw...right this minuTe, in a giant dusty warehOuse. cOmbination of buLgarian & engLish.

hayward circuiT ... R.I.P.

This image is from day 1 of the circuiT instaLLation. we 'chaLked' the sOuthbank with an apprOximate layout. masking tape was used as a guide for the adhesive. Then we layed the tape down.

the following is an emaiL received just this past weeK:

"This is a sad little message in a way: after three months of enjoying the Hayward Circuit, we must now ask if you can remove it (or arrange for its removal) between now and 8 May at the latest...

It will be very sad indeed to say goodbye to it, but it did a great job. It would be nice to know the tales it could tell (wouldn't it be great to devise a version that could actually feed back data for audience research?)

The Dan Flavin exhibition drew in a total audience of about 75,000 people, which was an enormous improvement on the previous two shows. So Antonia and Spike especially, but also the painters, the whole Creative Practice in Narrative Environments course, and everyone else involved at CSM, are to be hugely congratulated. A very big thank you to you all.

With very many thanks, and all best wishes..."

Helen Luckett
Exhibitions Interpretation Manager
Hayward Gallery

symboL key

there was definiteLy a method to the madness...i beLieve in cOntext contexT context. This legend is the meaning to aLL of the symboLs used.

sOuthbanK Map

So to foLLow up on some hayward / sOuthbank questions...this is the not-so-accurate map of the sOuthbanK. i made a generaL layout of the circuiT. but many decisions were made on-siTe. especiaLLy when we came across obstacLes such as metaL grates in the pavement...and puddLes from the winter rain.

pLaying with my cameRa...

...and i thinK i sOmetimes dO a decent jOb of iT. Luckily good fRiends are (aLmost) aLways uP fOr being mOdeLs...

punK pLaneT

jOurnaList meg daLy wrOte an articLe about The adventOurs of spykegrrL & MissTer scraTch last year...published in Punk pLanet issue 69

cOmixx

i used tO iLLustrate a cOmic with writer sachi nehRa caLLed the incredibLy qweeR adventOurs of spykegrrL & MissTer scraTch

haywaRd gaLLery / sOuth banK wayfinding

my maTe antonia & i designed this pLayfuL wayfinding system for the Dan fLavin exhibit at the hayward gaLLery. we basically covered the london southbank with a gianT circuit boaRd made out of translucent griP tape. we spent some days in the coLd to do the instaLL as weLL.

Touch This: Graphic Design That Feels Good

3 projecTs i wOrked on with Twenty Four Seven are published in this bOOk by Scott Witham. i've ALWAYS dreamed about being pubLished...

bOmbay sapphiRe gLass competition

The preparation of the classic martini cocktail is a sacred ritual. Every step meticulously thought out and executed, in impeccable sequence. First the chilled glass, next the olives, then the Bombay Sapphire, not shaken, but gently stirred so as not to bruise the delicate flavours. Then finally, just a spritz of dry vermouth - not even. Love, passion and profound appreciation of the martini's simplistic purity is imperative.

This impeccable drink quenches more than thirst. As your lips take the first sip of a Sapphire martini, you begin a sensuous journey into an alluring paradox of wet and dry.

The Penetration glass is a suggestive, playful adaptation of the traditional martini cocktail glass, enhancing the moment.

The aim of this design is to seduce the drinker with ideas of "risk and reward". Risk lies in the potential danger that the precious liquid might leak through the holes.

The glass is penetrated by the seeming danger of the glass pick. The olive is trapped until the martini is finished, pinned to the glass ... teasing you. You play the game - or you loose it all. This reward comes at the very end.

The clarity of the glass and the lucidity of the liquid become one. The pick is the stopper, without which the liquid would escape. The creation of the Bombay Sapphire martini becomes all about the balance, the sequence, the expectation, the waiting, and the wanting.

A sigh of satisfaction.

A moment of reflection. Then begin again.

Design Specifications:
The glass is clear with no additional surface texture
The glass pick is clear glass with no additional texture
The glass pick is fed through the holes in the glass surrounded by silicone grommets, the friction of the glass and silicone create a seal for the liquid and keep the pick and olive in place.

copyright 2006 Spike Spondike/Antonia Birk
text edited by Nadia Gilani

MA @ Central Saint Martins London

the course is caLLed MA Creative Practice for Narrative Environments. It's been an amazing experience sO faR. check out the site fOr better infO.

timecards

i have a funny feeLing that cLients actuaLLy get a kick out of receiving an invOice that looks like this.

Jon BowskiLL

just recentLy i started doing some drawings for jon BowskiLL here in London.

hOusehoLd

my oLd flat needed some help. these handmade curtains did the triCk.

Birkenstock Wall fixtuRe

this was a piece i designed for speciaLty retaiL shops. my favorite bit is the sheLf for the lucky bambOO.

oFFice design

everyone at Twenty Four Seven took pride in the office. that's because we designed AND buiLt it aLL. i designed these light fixtures. and hand-dyed the cOrk board in the backgrOund. (bummer the photo is rubbish).

windOw dispLay

this is a dispLay for the launch of the new windOws XP at J&R Computer World NYC. i even got to go to NYC to do the instaLL. that' s a curtain of real xp discs. inspired by the one i made for my flat - out of all those annoying aol discs you get in the mail.

vOdKa...

is my forte. i was just having some fun here, and infusing my own 'spiked' versiOn. i make a damn fine martini. references avaiLable upon requesT. or find out for yourself...

cOmputer mOdeLs

the entire Twenty Four Seven design team worked on this concept design for the for Candies WSA booth. I basically tought myself how to modeL / render in Form Z. I'm no pro...but i definiteLy get by just fine.

thumbnaiLs

when i sketch...its aLways reaLLy tiny...this is the initiaL sketch for the footpRints footwear tower.

footpRinTs footweaR tOwer

this is the tOwer for footprints. went through many revisions. mOstly because of shipping/weight issues.
but it wOn a portland designers competition.

footpRinTs footweaR riser

i did this fOr birkenstOck/fOOtprints. oF course things changed and got a bit watered down... but i'm stiLL pretty happy with iT.

3D inviTe

this is one of my faves. cOdy barnicKeL and i designed this. Its a 3D invite tO a party the company threw in chicagO for gLobaLshop. part of a fuLL-on campaign that ended up aT a place called SoundBar. The tuning fork was custom made at 247hz, and anodized.

Lucy.com materiaL board

I had a lOt of responsibilities at Twenty Four Seven. One thing i did besT was materiaL boards. They were aLways a biT unique...This one was for a proposaL for Lucy.com. I thinK its importanT that the materiaL board is NOT an afterthOught.

HFR-LAB

First of all i am pLeased to say that Chiara & Davide of HFR-LAB are going to be my mentOrs for the rest of my studies at coLLege. Super cooL and taLented itaLians...HFR-LAB has been created as a collaborative laboratory where to bring forward personal artistic practices. Their work has been screened and exhibited in various festivals around the globe...

spike spOndike :: designeR oF aLL sorTs

ok...so i've seT up this page to keep you posted on stuFF i've designed in the past, and stuFF that I'm working on now. Some projects have been for cOmpanies i used to work for...some prOjecTs are from my MA course...and some are jusT things i've been doing on my own to keep me off the streets and ouT of troubLe.

I've recently finished my MA at CentraL Saint Martins in London. The course is caLLed Creative Practice for Narrative EnvironmenTs. For more infO you can jusT click on the link.

And now I'm a designer + researcher at the Design Against Crime Research Centre.

My background is in Interior Design. And i used to work for a company caLLed Twenty Four Seven Inc in portland OregOn. They were mainLy into branding / marketing / identity ... mostLy for the retaiL environment. My title was EnvironmentaL designer, but i sorT of did it aLL : 2D, 3D, materiaL resourcing, consumer research, computer modeLing, photogRaphy ... but yOu can just checK out my CV instead of me gOing on about it here.

I'm always up for coLLaboration, freelance, dj*ing and new experiences.

drop me a Line anytime fOr worK.
oR jusT drOp me a Line tO say heLLo to brighten my day.

cheers xxx spiKe!

:: spiKe spOndike :: designeR oF aLL sOrts :: spiKe spOndike :: designeR oF aLL sOrts ::

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