Gift shop gains

I picked up a few mini treasures from the gift shops of the Brisbane cultural precinct.

A Queensland Art Gallery 'Art' cutout postcard and birdhouse pencil sharpener, displayed with a miniature maneki-neko.

Justine Cooper's Accession books postcard and Third Drawer Down's Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds handkerchief (used as flooring)

 And Robert MacPherson's Mayfair (Swamp rats) ninety-seven signs for C.P., J.P., B.W., G.W. & R.W. 1994-95 postcard.

 I also picked up a Little Building Co cottage: although at 1/100 it's probably too big to use in a miniature scene so will be added to my collection of miniature (non-dolls') houses. When I get around to putting it together, that is...

Final photos

Here are the rest of the photos from my visit to the California Design 1930–1965: Living in a Modern Way exhibition in Brisbane:

Eames lounge chair and wall design based on decorative cinder blocks (I have a bit of a thing for them and am always hopeful that I'll stumble across someone who makes them in miniature...)

 A full set of Arts & Architecture. When I spotted these in the library area of the exhibition (I forgot to photograph that: suffice to say it contained a(nother) Eames lounge chair and a shelf full of delicious exhibition-related books you were invited to read). I wanted to move in until I'd finished the lot. Of course, I could have bought my own set from the pop-up gift shop but didn't have a spare $1,350 in my budget (or the inclination to lug a 17 kilo box of books back to the airport on the train...) I took a photo of the spines so at least I can create my own miniature version of them.

I love La Gardo Tackett's (PDF link) garden sculptures so was pleased to see them in the exhibition, and it reminded me to keep an eye out for beads that I could use to create my own miniature versions.

They also had one of his planters on display. The frame reminded me of Fred Ward's wastepaper basket for the National Library.

 Seeing the Ackermanns' Elipses mosaic panel reminded me that I have some mosaic tiles tucked away somewhere that I'd planned to use in miniature. Must dig them out.

 And, finally there was an Eames storage unit.

The woman next to me commented how fabulous it was to be able to see it in such close detail, and I agreed as I snapped these pictures:

(And wished someone would manufacture metal leg units like this in miniature). Seeing the construction detail of such an early Eames design reminded me of how I felt when I saw the details of some of Vivienne Westwood's early pieces when they were on display at the National Gallery. I find it intriguing to see where people started and what they built on in their work.

So there we are. Thank you for letting me be your virtual tour guide, and remember to exit through the gift shop...

California design, miniature inspiration

So, finally, some photos of the pieces in the California Design 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way exhibition for your inspiration and edification...

First up, Richard Neutra's chair from the Channel Heights Housing Project (1941-42):

(And look! Here's Neutra’s 'recipe' for constructing it, just in case anyone's wanting to whip up a miniature version... *WEG*)

Next up, a chair designed by Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Marli Ehrman in 1940 for the Organic Design in Home Furnishings competition:

(Much harder to create in miniature...)

Unlike this Greta Grossmann Gräshoppa lamp, which seemed oddly familiar.

Speaking of Greta Grossmann, the next piece that caught my eye was her 3 panel folding screen for Glenn of California, which would be fun to create in miniature:

And the final piece for today. I loved this coffee table by Milo Baughman (also for Glenn of California):

(Especially the little hidey-hole to store the junk on your coffee table when unexpected visitors arrived)

And I just have to say here that I'm still really sad that Modernism Magazine has died. That magazine taught me a lot about things I had no idea I was interested in until I started reading the article in the magazine...

I spent the last day of the year in the Land of Little Houses*

It was only when I returned home from my day trip to Brisbane to visit the fabulous exhibition California Design 1930–1965: Living in a Modern Way and downloaded my photos that I realised I seem to have spent the last day of 2013 taking photos of little houses. Which is not a bad way to spend New Year's Eve at all, wouldn't you say? (Warning, some of these shots are a bit rough and ready)

 This is a display at the Queensland Museum of buildings made by school students. I forgot to take a photo of the display information and I can't see any information on their site. Notice the Sydney Opera House at the bottom left!

At the California Design exhibition there was a Barbie Dream House:

 (Plus many other treasures

 which I will share with you when it's not 11 pm on the last night of the year and I've just returned from a full-day adventure in a state far far away...)

 Also at the California Design exhibition, a bird's eye view of one of the Case Study Houses

 and little house-shaped gift boxes for 'trend setting store' Joseph Magnin, designed by Joe Hong:

 In the pop-up gift shop, I was tempted by this book, which seems to meld two of my interests together quite perfectly:

 Surprisingly, they also had a copy of Scandinavian Design in the Doll's House (and more surprisingly, no reac miniature chairs) At $95, it wasn't within the budget I'd set for the trip so I left it where it was, after leafing through it several times.

 These miniature houses were for sale at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art shop , which is kind of sort of part of the Queensland Art Gallery (where the California Design exhibition was on), but not really. My brain got quite confused but happily followed my body two doors down the cultural precinct when I it realised there were five gift shops to mine for minis within 150 metres.

(I'd actually discovered the Little Building Co when doing some research for the trip, and was keen to see some of the kits in person, even though they weren't 1/12th scale).

Back at the Queensland Museum I decided I had to check out the Collectormania exhibition, if only because I'd bought the souvenir black and white tea towel from the gift shop.

And one of the collector's pieces on display was a model hobbit home by Peter Kenny. Not really my thing, but miniature, so I took some photos as best I could with the perspex in the way:

At the same exhibition, there were some dioramas to showcase a collection of toy soldiers:

 (Did I photograph the display details? No.

Can I remember them? Also no.) 

Other miniature-related displays in this exhibition included miniature pianos (Susan Johannessen),

 And miniature (but not doll's-house-sized) baths and toilets, salesmen's samples from the local antique centre.

(As a random aside, at lunch there was a lonely lizard. The first table he tried to join for lunch weren't quite so keen on the idea.

 I last saw him waiting forlornly for table service: obviously no one had told him that the QAG cafe only does counter service...)

(*And finished my Daily Dolls House December challenge!)