The First 100

Obsessionistas is celebrating it's first anniversary this month, and what a year it's been.
When we first launched Obsessionistas, featuring our own collections and those of our friends, back in April 2011 we could hardly have imagined that in just a few months we'd be sharing exclusive insights into the personal collections of Sir Paul Smith and Magnum photographer Martin Parr. We've now proudly featured more than 100 collections on the site to date.

Next week we are off to the Milan Design Fair where we'll be presenting our third exhibition, an installation at MOST Salone in partnership with leading trends company WGSN-Homebuildlife. Head over to our events section for a sneak preview.

Also this month we are launching our new monthly newsletter, Obsessionistas +. Sent out at the beginning of each month, it will bring you our pick of the best collections, news updates and happenings, along with a few sneak previews of what's coming up. Here's an example of what to expect - head over here to sign up if you'd like to try it out. If you later decide to opt out you can unsubscribe at any time with just a single click. We promise to respect your privacy at all times and will never share your details.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend our newly revised and updated 'What's On' page has details of lots of great exhibitions and events taking place this month. If you know of an event you think we should feature drop Helen a line at helen@obsessionistas.co.uk

Don't forget you can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for regular updates.

MAKE // SHIFT - Milan Design Week 2012

MAKE // SHIFT

by Obsessionistas & WGSN-Homebuildlife at Milan Design Week

MAKE // SHIFT - A new industrial age in which hand-crafted and machine-made exist side-by-side at the same time - sometimes in the same object.

A time in which trends both define a moment and propel it fast-forward to the future.

A moment in which collections tell personal stories and at the same time communicate a shared heritage. 

THE PAST AND THE FUTURE ARE PRESENT

at MOST (Museum of Science & Technology) Milan    

17- 22 April 2012

Building on the success of their recent collaboration at Interiors UK, WGSN-Homebuildlife and Obsessionistas are teaming up to present MAKE // SHIFT, an installation at Designers Block at MOST, during Milan Design Week 2012.

MAKE // SHIFT is a series of six curated collections interpreting the three key macro trends from WGSN-Homebuildlife for Spring /Summer 2013: WONDERLAB, STORY OF NOW and IDIOMATIC.

The collections curated by Obsessionistas, identify key concepts, colours, patterns, shapes and materials. They also invite visitors to consider how the categorisation, display, heritage and narratives of collected objects can act as an inspiration for product developers, retailers and visual merchandisers.

Instigated by Tom Dixon, MOST will be a key destination for the Milan fair crowd, turning the Museum of Science and Technology into an ambitious environment for innovation and culture during Design Week from April 17-22. This collision of technology culture and design is set to be one of the highlights of the week.

For further information and media images please contact helen@obsessionistas.co.uk

Europe's biggest vintage fair

Europe's biggest vintage fair takes place this month. The twice yearly International Collectors Fair at Utrecht in the Netherlands has over 2000 stands and offers an inspiring range of vintage, retro and antique collectables and memorabilia. Hundreds of thousands of objects including design, furniture, vintage clothing, antiques, toys, glass and pottery will be on sale.

International Collectors Fair Utrecht Spring 2012

April 14 & 15

Obsessionistas at MOST - Milan Design Week 2012

We've been sitting on this one for a while so today we are very excited to announce that Obsessionistas will be exhibiting at MOST, a new event instigated by Tom Dixon for Milan Design Week 2012.

MOST takes place at the city’s Museum of Science and Technology, housed in a 16th century monastery, from 17 to 22 April 2012 and is being described as "an epicentre for the freshest ideas in communication, food, culture, design and the digital revolution."

Following the success of our collaboration with leading global trends forecasting company WGSN-Homebuildlife at Interiors UK earlier this year, we are delighted to be teaming up with them once again in Milan. We're also looking forward to working with the fabulous guys at Designers Block again. 

We'll be revealing more about our involvement in this exciting event next week, but in the meantime you can find out more about MOST on the official website and also via Dezeen.

Olympic posters

Olympic posters have always been fascinating cultural indicators, revealing insights into design history through a series of four yearly snapshots. An auction at Christies next month will include 26 vintage posters, from the Olympic Games through the decades, spanning London to Los Angeles, Melbourne to Berlin, and almost every host city in between.

The earliest, and most valuable original poster from the Olympic Games on offer is the design used to advertise travel to the first London Olympic Games – the IVth Olympiad, in 1908 (above left – estimate: £12,000-18,000). Originally scheduled to take place in Rome, the Games were relocated due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906. A poster for the London 1948 games by Walter Herz (above right) also features (with a guide price of £1,000 to £1,500).

Another highlight of the sale is the Chinese version of the first official Olympic poster – designed by Olle Hjortzberg of the Royal Academy for the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912. Only 350 copies of the Chinese version were printed, however it was banned from display in China for being “offensive to Chinese ideas of decency”.

The evolution of the Olympic Games poster from the first official poster for Stockholm in 1912, right up to the present day is explored in A Century of Olympic Posters by Margaret Timmers. Drawing largely on the V&A's poster collection she sets the designs in their historical context, linking them to pervading themes such as politics, commerce, the Olympic symbols, cultural and physical diversity, and urban regeneration.

Some of my own favourite Olympic designs are those for the Munich 1972 games. The organising committee decided to produce a series of artistic posters to "represent the intertwining of sports and art worldwide" (below). These were produced in addition to the more functional pictogram style posters and visual identity created by Oti Aicher and his team of designers (who were also involved in producing visual identities for Braun and Lufthansa).

The poster designs for the London 2012 Olympics attempt to "revive" this artistic tradition. Patrick Burgoyne recently shared his views on this in an interesting article written for Creative Review which you can read here.

I came across a number of the Munich posters at auction a few years back. I don't recall exactly how much they fetched but I do remember looking longingly at them as the hammer came down at a price well beyond my reach.

A Century of Olympic Posters by Margaret Timmers is published by V&A publishing.

The 'Vintage Posters and Olympic Icons' sale takes place at Christies, South Kensington, London on April 18.