Brand Spanking New Banking

A trip to the bank is usually a pretty dull affair. But if my local branch of the Abbey looked like this, I'd defintely be making excuses to open every type of account they had. This is one of the new CheBanca! banks in Milan. CheBanca! means 'What a bank!' and the design reflects their whole concept of simplicity, transparency and innovation. I'm surprised more places haven't done something like this. Good design doesn't just look nice, but is essential in giving a good impression of a brand's values. By putting this much time and thought into the decor of their branches, you'd assume that they'd treat their customers with even more care and efficiency. With the rise of online banking, banks need to be pulling out all the stops to get customers into their branches. I say they get off their bottoms and take a leaf out of this banks book.

Quirky Korea part 1: Brilliant Bogs

I've just got back from a trip to Korea in which I discovered all sorts of innovative and crazy things. Koreans are very much into their high-tech design and I was constantly impressed by their forward thinking. Being half Korean, I though I'd dedicate my next few posts to my second home.

Everywhere I went, I was pleasantly surprised by something, often in a place I least expected. This leads me onto my first post, dedicated to the wonderful toilets I came across. Never has going to the loo been so exciting!

I discovered this little gem at a department store in Seoul. A special little loo has been built so that mother and child can pee at the same time. Now that's what I call bonding...


I came across this clever device when I made a trip to the ladies at Seoul City Hall. It's called an 'Etiquette Bell' and you use it when you want some err, discretion. At the press of a button it creates the sound of flushing so you can poop to your hearts content.


This digital pad is a toilets best friend and I found them everywhere. Even my Grandma has one. You can control the temperature of the seat so your cheeks are nice and toasty. If you press the wash button, a little nozzle pops out the basin and sprays water so you're sparkly clean down under. Naturally, you'd blow dry afterwards.




This is the hygiene king of toilets. The seat is covered in plastic wrapping and when you press a button , it revolves so it's all fresh and new. You won't catch anything from this bog. As you can see, I had fun playing with this one. I think I need to get out more...

After all this modern design, I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered this classical style loo at the Deoksugung Palace. It even came with male and female signs dressed in traditional attire. Brilliant!

The House of Victor and Rolf

The exhibition at The Barbican is a fascinating showcase of the fashion designer's work. It's based around a giant dolls house where the dolls model miniature versions of their key pieces. Surrounding this, the exhibition is divided into sections representing each season of their work. Life size dolls display the clothes and in the background their catwalk shows are projected on the walls. At first it seems a little creepy- the dolls and their blank expressions can look a bit disturbing. But as you wonder round, learning about the inspiration behind each collection, you start to appreciate the theatrical nature and master craftsmanship of their work.

One of the most impressive collections is from A/W 2002-2003 entitled "Long Live The Immaterial (Bluescreen)". The designers adapted bluescreen technology into their work to "go beyond the product, to design something that is immaterial". The clothes contain elements of chromakey blue which when combined with a live video feed, seem to come to life. The models become walking screens, displaying moving footage from the urban and natural world, making them look almost 2D. You can see it below (it's 18 minutes long and gets better towards the end so it might be worth winding forward if you don't fancy watching the whole thing).

Viktor & Rolf Fall 02 Fashion Show (Full)
Uploaded by FBK1976

Among their other talents, I discovered that the duo are masters of self publicity. In 1996, early on in their career, Victor & Rolf were feeling frustrated with their status as novice artists. So, to gain some publicity the pair launched a fake fragrance entitled "Le Parfum". In the fashion world, a perfume is the symbol of a fashion houses success. They produced 250 limited edition bottles, that were sealed shut, with a publicity still to accompany it. Later that year, they rebelled against the dictatorship of the fashion industry by refusing to stage an A/W collection. During fashion week they plastered the streets of Paris with posters announcing "Victor and Rolf On Strike" which were also sent to magazine editors. There's nothing like kicking up a bit of a fuss to get you noticed...

Street Art

Each time I walk past the Tate Modern, I can't help but be blown away by it's outdoor exhibition of street art.  It's the first time they've used the facade of the building as a canvas for artists.  The sheer scale of it alone, is impressive.  My favourite piece is by JR, of the black man holding what on first impressions seems to be a gun, but when you look closer is a video camera.  It's not only technically brilliant with it's photographic quality, but it also challenges your negative assumptions.  

You can also take the Street Art walking tour, but I wouldn't recommend it.  I started it with my friends, feeling positive about the combination of culture and exercise the walk would bring.  But it was a big disappointment.  The first few pieces were nothing to write home about, and you could easily walk past them without a second thought.  The walk then took us through Borough, one of the most depressing, nondescript areas of London I've been to.  After that, we gave up and went in search for a cup of tea which was much more rewarding.

An Eggs-traordinary Toilet

If you want a toilet experience that's out of this world, you must visit Sketch.  It's a gallery, restaurant and bar located on Conduit Street in London's West End.  But the best part about it is the loo!  To get there, you walk through the restaurant, into a spaceship-like zone.  You then walk up the stairs- ladies go right, guided by the pink lights, gents go left, guided by the blue (obviously).  

Once you get to the top, you feel like you've arrived on another planet.  The cubicles are egg shaped pods to which you enter at your peril!  As you sit on the loo, you're greeted with strange noises, to enrich your err, sensory experience.  I've come across the tinkle of cattle, baa-ing sheep, coughing fits and hysterical laughter.  It's all very surreal and you emerge out of your egg, like a little chick.  

It's not to everyone's taste- I know some people who couldn't get out of their pods quick enough.  But as far as I'm concerned, anywhere that makes a trip to the toilet exciting is pretty impressive!

Chinatown Art

When I was in San Francisco, I was taking a stroll through Chinatown when I came across this fantastic building.  It's been covered in murals that depict the cross culture in the surrounding area.  On one side, are traditional Chinese characters and motifs and on the other are symbols of American life.  But it was the clothes hanging to dry on the balconies that I found the most charming.  It's nice to see people living, doing normal activities within this eye catching structure.  Sometimes it's the most ordinary, real things that make you smile.

Psycho Buildings- Artists Take On Architecture

This is one of those brilliant exhibitions that's fun, fascinating and people friendly.  It's not too wanky as far as modern art goes.  There are 10 exhibits in total, ranging from an eerie village of 200 lit up dolls houses to a room frozen in an explosion.

The exhibition takes place both within and outside the Hayward Gallery, with the outdoor exhibits being more interactive.  The first is a boating lake that's been built on one of the terraces.  It's a surreal experience rowing above ground looking down on London.   The downfall is that we queued for almost an hour to have a go, which wasn't exactly worth the time.  So if you go and there's a long queue, just take a peek as you'll get the idea.

My favourite outdoor exhibit was the "Observatory, Air-Port-City" by Tomas Saraceno.  It's a transparent dome with a roof that allows people to walk about, giving the illusion that they're floating.  Inside, is a space that's protected by an air lock door which keeps the atmospheric pressure balanced.  You lie down, looking up at the people floating above being supported on the pillow of air.   The best way to describe it is to imagine yourself as an ant trapped inside a transparent ball.  A pretty cool experience for £10 I think...