The Three R's

The three R's is something that first came to my attention during this year's London Design Festival, with one of the fantastic free talks held at the V&A; Art, Craft and Design the cross-over and boundaries in 21st century.

Sir Christopher Frayling was one of the key speakers at this talk and he mentioned the three R's of education. The three R's are supposed to reference the three basic core skills to a good educational system. The three R's are currently interrupted as being Reading, wRiting and aRithematic. Which is essentially two skills of literacy and numeracy so where is the third basic skill in our current education....? The original three R's actually originated from a speech made in 1795 by Sir William Curtis. He stated that the three main pillars of any good education were;

1. Reading and writing
2. Reckoning and figuring
3. Wroughting and wrighting

This translates to modern day terms of  literacy, numeracy and there is no single word to define wroughting and wrighting, but it is the ability to make things.
I found it fascinating that in the past 200 years we have completely re-evaluated the three basic skills we impart onto our children. The fact that we no longer see the ability to make as a key skill, says a lot for the changes that have occurred in the world and in particular to our country Britain. 

It is therefore no surprise that we have seen a decline in Britain's ability to manufacture, a decline in crafts, a decline is peoples practical skills and also a sense of detachment from  materials.
The three R's and its changed meaning, and attitude of what is now considered important knowledge has been an inspiration to myself. I'm now investigating the topic further and I've decided to devote my dissertation to; Art, Craft and the education systems that have helped to create and divide the hierarchy's that exist between the two fields.
I'm particularly passionate about, the preservation of craft and skills in Britain, as I think the ability to make things is something that should not be lost.
I have so far found a very interesting book on the subject if anybody else wants to do any further reading around Art, Craft and education. On Craftsmanship; Towards a new Bauhaus By Christopher Frayling.

This is an ongoing issue and passion of mine so expect to see more blog posts around this topic. Please feel free to comment and leave your thoughts and experiences on this post.

Russian Space Pen

An analogy I just came across that amused me...

"When NASA first started sending astronauts into space, they realised that the ballpoint pen would not work at zero gravity. A million dollor investment and two years of tests resulted in a pen that would write in space, upside down, on any surface and at any temperature from below freezing to over 300 degrees centrigade. When confronted with the same problem, the Russians used a Pencil."

 

The Den - The ultimate escape

For me personally the dream of the prefect ‘Garden shed’ started at a very young age, and has never left me. I use to love making den’s in the lounge, using two chairs and a bed sheet, as I grew up the den in the lounge, became the tent in the garden. In the summer I would camp in the garden for days. One of my favourite books as a child was Forever Friends “Come Rain or Shine”.  A tale of friend’s trying to find the prefect den, and finally stumbling across a disused blue gypsy style caravan.

I’ve grown up since; there is no longer a bed sheet in the lounge or tent in the garden. I now rent a flat in North West London, I’m without a caravan at the bottom of the garden, in fact I don’t have a garden at all.

Yet I’m sure I’m not the only person still seeking their very own den, there own place of escapism. It seems a growing number of people are factoring in a personal refuge into their own homes and lives.

I want to share some of my favourite images and designs that I have been lucky enough to stumble across. A source of inspiration to anybody still fantasizing,  anybody creating, or simply for anybody to admire.

Taken from Elle Decoration August 2012, Page 66.
This summer house was designed by Linda Bergroth a product designer based in Helsinki and Paris. This mesmerizing adaptation of a greenhouse is situated on an island in Finland. This is not only a stunning setting and sleek design but it is also practical with the rear of the greenhouse, becoming a shed with space for storage. There is no running water supply so they use the lake to bathe in, and also as a food supply, often catching crayfish and cooking them on the water’s edge.  This romantic retreat from modern day life is where the term back to basics becomes simply beautiful!
 

 A getaway shed By Gilles and Dansmonarbre. From the architects ““The experience can be spiritual contemplation and prayer. The experience can be therapeutic for couples in search of communication. The experience can be hard work for students who need concentration.”
 

If you don't have lots of space to spare or no outdoor room then why not create a den within a already functioning room.

 

Alternatively if you can’t fit in your own private den, then why not borrow one for a weekend, here are a few of examples of some truely unique 'dens' to rent.

La Maison Ronde – Dordogne, France. £55 a night.

 The Chapel – Shropshire, England. £65 a night.

Both of these can be find on www.canopyandstars.co.uk prices starting from £50 a night!