A Reason to be Cheerful

It's important to occasionally have a day out from the Studio.


And it's especially important if you're being culturally re-charged by seeing a new exhibition or hearing an info-rich lecture (Billy and Scott will be soon attending V&A talks by Angus Hyland and Neville Brody – lucky fellas). I recently visited Chelsea Space with photographer Andi Sapey to see the retrospective show of the work of designer Barney Bubbles.

Barney isn't instantly recognisable as Saville, Garrett or Farrow, maybe it was because he never put his name to his work. But his work was amazing, a real explosion of style which possessed charm and wit. And you find it in his work for Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Stiff Records (and many, many more). I especially liked his numerous full page adverts for Ian Dury in NME. And the full set of wallpaper covers for his LP, 'Do It Yourself'.

For designers of a certain age and pedigree, it's a reminder of previous working methods. Here at Chelsea Space, you see all of Barney's original artwork, alongside the still-stuck-bromide, cow gum, rotring pens and air brush – the original tools of the designer's craft. Sadly, Barney died in 1983, before the arrival of the Apple Mac and its revolution of change. It's a shame because he would have had a riot with a Mac.

'Process: The Working Practices of Barney Bubbles' is a brilliant show and will hopefully open next year at the Norwich University College of the Arts. Certainly, Andi and myself will do our best to spread the word. Afterwards, we enjoyed a couple of drinks with Chelsea Space manager and curator Donald Smith – a lovely guy, who told us all about Jerry Dammers and various ex-members of Big Audio Dynamite and other characters in Barney's working life who had recently attended the Private View.


Please see the rest of Andi's photos of the show here.
And, as a special treat, a couple of the rare videos Barney directed.