as mad as a bag of frogs...heroes part 3

Well, here we are in another posting in the little series I like to call Heroes - people who inspire me and make my brain get all tingly and excited.

So, who do we have today?

This gentleman has gained the reputation of being a bit of a wild card in the cookery world - seemingly mad concoctions of food linked with the most extraordinary theatre and performance.

My next hero is...Heston Blumenthal.

Now, anyone who has been awarded the coveted title of 'the best restaurant in the world' must be pretty good. Sling in three Michelin stars and you have got a pretty sound guarantee that the food will be up to scratch.

But what I adore about Heston is the way his brain seems to work in ways that other chefs brains do not. For some, food is about food, for Heston the meal is an experience - taste, sight, smell, and sometimes sound. We are often told that we eat first with our eyes, and true enough, you can go to many fine restaurants across the land and sample some beautiful looking plates of grub.

But what about the rest of the senses? In one dish at The Fat Duck you are given a seashell containing a recording of the sea to listen to as you tuck into your wave like foam and sand like crumbs. It is this sense of delight and surprise that takes the eating experience to another level.

Unfortunately I have not had the eating experience for myself yet, but the whole concept of his 'performance food' appeals to me as a designer. Can I get this element of delight into my own designs? How can I lift a space from the nice to the extraordinary?

In some of his recent 'Heston's Feasts' he has lifted this performance and delight to new levels. My particular favourite was the 'Mock Turtle soup' course in the Victorian Feast episode.

Based on both a real recipe and the book 'Alice in Wonderland', Heston created a super concentrated beef stock that was set into life size pocket watch moulds with a tea bag string dunker. These were then coated in edible gold leaf and served sitting in a bone china tea cup. Diners then poured boiling water into the teacups and dunked the watches a-la-Mad Hatter Style until they had dissolved to form the soup, which was then poured into an awaiting bowl filled with illusionary mock turtle eggs and accompanying vegetables.

And don't get me started on the magic that was the 'drink me drink'

Food as theatre - meals as performance and not just sustenance. Fun and delight. Heston is a true genius of the experience of eating.

If I can get even a glimpse of this delight into my own designs I will be happy...

it's not easy being green...heroes part 2

One thing I try not to do is get too preachy about the whole green thing. Yes, it is incredibly important, and I want to do as much as I can to help our poor little planet as I can. This involves letting people know the options available to them and the consequences of their actions, which is a difficult thing to do without getting on the soapbox, both in my personal and professional capacities.

But, occasionally, someone comes along who is so enchanting and mesmerising in their enthusiasm for a subject you cannot help but be drawn into their thought bubbles. And they never sound preachy.

And one such person is my next hero - Dick Strawbridge...

The man with the moustache and infectious humour has finally returned to our screens, with a follow on from his first two series of 'It's not easy being green'.

For those of you who are not familiar with Dick Strawbridge, he is a wonderful character who is so animated, sheer words do not do him justice. He is the sort of person who could make you interested in anything - the perfect presenter and teacher.

The previous series of 'It's not easy being green' followed the Strawbridge family and their conversion of New House farm, somewhere in the depths of Cornwall to an eco wonder, covering such subjects as compost loos, pv panels, wind turbines etc. As these things take time to sort out (and pay for - many bits of kit are not cheap), we now have the wonders of another series.

I love it. I have the first book (great - go and buy it now and digest the lot), and could watch hours of the programme without ever getting bored. In fact, you watch the programme, are entertained by the wonderful Mr Strawbridge, and learn something without even realising you are learning it. He is excitable and knowledgeable, and it's not often you watch an educational programme sniggering into your dinner. The last time I did, someone in Time Team fell into a trench.

All hail Dick Strawbridge - if we could clone him and put one in each school in the land, we would have the brightest young eco things on this planet. But I don't agree with cloning, so we'll all just have to watch him on the goggle box instead...

heroes...

Designers are often asked where the get their inspiration from, and recently I have been thinking about who inspires me. Plus, one of my favourite games is the 'Dinner Party Game' where you take it in turns to choose your ultimate guests for an imaginary soiree (except I was disqualified once for wanting Charles Darwin, who is obviously no longer with us - surely this is part of the point???)

Anyway - this little series will be a brief intro into people who I admire (for many different reasons)...

And the first candidate is... Sir Paul Smith...

Yep - the man who made multicoloured stripes fashionable. He has a massive fashion empire across the world, perfumes to his name and has a particular pull in japan, who go mental for him.

So, for a person who generally dislikes large industry, loves the handcrafted and not mass produced items, why is Sir Paul one of my heroes?

Well, one of my favourite books of all time is by Sir Paul Smith, and is my personal mantra - 'You can find inspiration in everything, and if you can't, look again'. Find a copy and read it. All of it. Then read it again. It is an insight into PS, his life, inspirations and aspirations and is a wonderful addition to a designers bookshelf.

He is also the true English eccentric, having a 'stockroom of silly things' which random people send him for fun and for inspiration. From stepladders to snowboards, they all collect there. I once made and sent him a Paul Smith Snatie - a snake made from an old tie, and I received a wonderful letter back, thanking me for the donation to the stockroom.

Despite his success, he seems to be down to earth, and regularly works Saturdays in one of his shops, alongside the part time assistants. He is connected to his roots.

He also breaks the ice at overseas meetings by pulling a large rubber chicken from his briefcase when he gets bored. I think he is close to a genius.

And in design terms, he is the king of the hidden detail - different colour buttons, inside pockets that flash lime green or neon orange -seemingly random yet utterly British. This covert design is wonderful - and really inspires me...

So - find the book and read it, or read this interview.

Sir Paul Smith - a British design eccentric...