SOMERSET HOUSE - PICK ME UP EXHIBITION

To supplement our research for our own projects we visited the 'Pick Me Up' exhibition at Somerset House which on reflection was probably one of the best exhibitions I have been to over the whole foundation year for a few reasons. Firstly, the work on display was graphic design and illustration which is specific to us and our own projects so this made the work really relevant to us. Secondly, I enjoyed the displays and stools that followed the gallery. There were many young and emerging designers showcasing their work, the layout of their displays was very good which enabled me to learn how to display work and gave me ideas for my own exhibit. 

There was a great range of work to look at with something for everyone. This included detailed and realistic illustrations alongside some more playful, colourful and abstract design work. I thoroughly enjoyed the gallery space as the vast majority of what was on display I liked a lot which rarely is the case when I visit galleries, its normally only a handful of works that grab my attention but this wasn't the case at 'Pick Me Up'. I particularly enjoyed the works of Billy and Lynnie Zulu because of the vibrant colouring and bold shapes used

















As mentioned earlier, something that really made the exhibition stand out from the rest for me was the displays, shops and stands upstairs were various designers and illustrators were selling their work. This appealed to me because it is potentially something that I would love to do in the future and expose my work to the public. There was a large amount of screen printing, a technique I like a lot but have never tried, which was good to see. These displays complemented the gallery downstairs and made the visit without a doubt worthwhile.

To round off an already great visit, I came a across a room filled with record labels, covert art, t-shirt prints and album art which made my day. This was literally everything I want to do in my FMP on the wall and therefore it made for excellent viewing and was extremely relevant to my own project. They had everything form 7" vinyl sleeves to record label prints on t-shirts which was valuable for me to see first hand. Some of them were more retro and others were more recent but they all had the same template and gave me food for thought. I now have a wealth of ideas to experiment with when it comes to designing my own merchandise. This was certainly a highlight of the day and I definitely enjoyed it.

































In summary, the 'Pick Me Up' exhibition at Somerset House was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the work on display as well as the chance to see the designers themselves at work in the workshops and stools upstairs. I specifically enjoyed the record label room as this was a great source of research and motivation to complete my own designs.

Images - Author's Own 03/05/14