THINK magazine: issue 10

The latest THINK magazine came out this week making it a milestone of 10 issues. My contribution for issue 10 was an article following the theme of 'Style' and focusing on an impressive clifftop property designed by the Forma design group and located on the fringes of Los Angeles, California. Stunning views, impressive spatial design and all following a strict sustainable strategy - the Vicino House is something to behold. Read more about the building and other articles from issue 10 via the link here

Image from Vicino House, Los Angeles, USA

PRESS: DPI MAGAZINE

A few months ago Taiwanese graphic design and illustration magazine DPI featured my work and an interview as part of the 'Keen Creative Generation' issue. They were particularly interested in my collaborative work using graphics and music in events such as the DO IT! night I have been running with friends since 2008. Was an honor to get so many pages and be asked about my projects. Thanks DPI, be sure to pick up the mag online or a physical copy if you are visiting or live in Taiwan.

Images from DPI magazine issue 141

CITY: BERLIN

Finally made it to Berlin after five years of trying, cannot wait to go again. Locals may sway in favor of pre-gentrification past times but, the city still has a unique spirit compared to most other urban destinations. Panorama Bar was of course a deeply satisfying experience, took me back to visiting Rex for the first time in my teen years. Best bar was Paloma though, for the post-apocalyptic Blade Runner meets Warriors building and train station view out the futuristic angled windows.
Berlin phone snaps by Alexander Horne

DESIGN: UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA

Following on from my graphic work for the Universitat de Barcelona last year, I have been working on some more logo designs and taking these further by integrating them into web banner layouts.  The new logo, and team banner, was for the TEAM bureau. TEAM represents Trade Unions, Economic Change and Active Inclusion of Migrant Workers so a humanistic essence was at the core of the design. The final design incorporates a group of different sized people shapes huddled around each other with a wave like arrow flowing to the opposite end where the same icons exist in the reverse colour. You can see a glimpse of the final design below or in greater detail on the Universitat De Barcelona website.

My first project with Universitat De Barcelona was a logo design for ESRU, European Social Research Unit, so it was interesting to go back to that design and have the opportunity to develop the surrounding context via a web banner design. The design remains true to the abstract cubist forms of the original logo but, adds dynamism and depth to the banner.
TEAM logo and TEAM and ESRU web banner designs by Alexander Horne

MUSIC: RA REVIEWS

With just a few weeks until Sonar Barcelona time, June 16-18, and to coincide with the announcement of RA's  anticipated off Sonar events and special tenth anniversary celebrations - what better time to have a brief look over some of the releases I recently reviewed for the RA website.

It would be no understatement to say that Brian D'Souza aka Auntie Flo is somewhat of a pioneer in Scotland's highly reputed and tightly packed electronic music scene. From being one of the first promoters to bring Riccardo Villalobos to UK shores, embracing AV and live multi-DJ performance via his Edinburgh night Pogo Vogue and most recently holding down residencies at two of Glasgow's most acclaimed nights serving new world music (Afro Futures) and dark underground italo and Detroit respectively (Slabs of The Tabernacle). When not playing alongside the likes of Shackleton, T Williams and Mike Paradinas -  It was just a matter of time until a label worthy of his quality took the next logical step in putting out his own productions.  Check out the review of his full debut EP for Huntley and Palmers here. Auntie Flo plays live at DO IT! Abz on the 13th May!

From one new independent label to one that has managed to reach out to heads into dubstep, house and hip hop through some heavy bubbling underground releases. Run from the Dublin based record store, All City is the creative endeavour of Olan O'Brien - a true digger and finder for new and old musical gems. Somehow each release on the label manages to weigh up the sound of now with something that reminds us of the music we loved yesteryear - a vision no less apparent than in the first EP from the collab. series featuring jazzy beats magician Mike Slott and the dubbed out machine city techno of Martyn. A glittery space beats journey on one side and a straight down the road 4x4 club journey on the flip - just how they used to make them. Read about the EP in detail here.

Likewise released on All City, Krystal Klear is apparently a, one a few it seems, heir to Dam Funk's future boogie throne. He does his reputation some real good here with this solid release capped off in style with an old school piano house remix from HudMo. Check out more track info here.

MUSIC: CELLAR SESSIONS

Cellar Sessions is a new fortnightly pre-club concept at the original home of DO IT! events, Cellar Bar 35 in Aberdeen. Hidden away from the rowdiness of Union Street and tucked beneath a bustling corner of Rosemount, it is an ideal location to showcase local talent, visiting guests and most importantly - DJs who have a diverse interest in music old & new.

Growing up in Aberdeen, there always seemed to be a great selection of music on offer from resident DJs and visiting guest acts. From hip hop, funk, house and techno to drum'n'bass - all were covered. Sadly, almost coinciding with the demise of Triptych festival, this mix of output and destinations for  music dwindled. With the Cellar Sessions however, we aim to provide a frequent free entry platform for such a culture to grow again. We will also feature live visuals and art installations.

Above: Cellar Sessions poster designs for Feb/Mar and Apr/May by Alexander Horne 2011.

COMMUNICATING ARCHITECTURE

With centuries worth of critique and theory stored in anywhere from dusty library vaults to the  hard disk of the latest Ifad, it is a surprise to find a dearth of accessible discourse on the state of architecture today. With the exception of publications such as Architonic and the 'mook-esque' Mark from Frame Magazine, there is little else in the way of discussion and dispersion of knowledge for those not familiar with the field.  Architects can be a right haughty bunch, I remember a university talk from a well-known Spanish studio some years back - the opening gambit of 'Somos arquitectos (pause), pero tambien (pause again) somos humanos' brought about an outbreak of revolutionary standing hand claps from the audience of wannabe star-chitects - strange it was such a revelation to be told they are humans as well as architects. Thank goodness then for engaging studios such as JDS, and BIG, and for the 27. project which interviews studios such as the aforementioned on a quest to de-mystify and jargon break down the story of architecture in Europe today. At last, architecture that talks to non-architects. Watch excerpts via the 27 site or follow on Designboom.

MATERIALS: SURFACE DESIGN

The austerity of 2010 may resonate in the everyday working environment, but it is a different affair in the world of materials and surfaces. Leaving behind the need for layering up  with multiple weighty garments to fight the cold winter months and moving toward early Spring - bright pastels are already sprouting amidst a yearning for more solid and vivid colours. Along with this flourish of lightness comes softer and more rounded shapes, simplified natural forms masking inner high performance fibres. With less complex and more natural facades, the internal narrative of such materials introduces moisturising abilities, breathable and thermal regulating surfaces and light organic alternatives to heavy wools or synthetics.

Milkofil is a lightweight textile representative of a group of biomimicry inspired performance materials that are becoming more readily available and desirable for the everyday womenswear market. Made from milk fibres which moisturize the garment-wearers skin while they wear it, Milkofil is a lightweight alternative to cotton or wool and is suitable for machine knitting - making it ideal for use in clothing, underwear and bedding. Similarly soft in tactility, Spiderweave is a super-light and ultra-resistant fibre produced in collaboration with the University of California and Grado Zero Espace in Italy. The web material is sourced from golden silk spiders and then machine woven into fabric form to become a textile that feels like silk, is elastic as nylon and thirty times stronger than Kevlar.

Outlast Adaptive is another textile with ultra-resistant properties, although unlike Milkofil the high performance NASA designed material is not available at a high street price. Using nano technology, Outlast stores heat and releases it when the garment wearer requires it and vice versa when cooling down in a warm environment. As materials such as these weave themselves into surfaces and completed garments, designs such as Camille Cortet's 'Snake and Molting' snake skin inspired tights will become more visible and shorten the difference between nature inspired materials and structures to become finished natural products. 

Above: images from top to bottom ('Snake and Molting' photos by Vincent Van Gurp)