CR Blog
Selfridges' Kaleidoscopic windows
Posted by Mark Sinclair, 23 March 2009, 11:46 Permalink Comments (12)
Apparently inspired by the cut-and-paste aesthetic of the sadly defunct Amelia's magazine and the illustrations of Alan Aldridge, Selfridges' in-house design team unveiled the store's colourful new windows earlier this month. The windows also received a makeover from illustrator Emily Forgot and RCA student Matthew Plummer Fernandez, whose previous Selfridges installation we featured, here. (All photography: Andrew Meredith)...

Design: Emily Forgot. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Emily Forgot. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Emily Forgot. Photo: Andrew Meredith
The windows on the store's Orchard Street side were designed by illustrator (and CR March cover designer) Emily Forgot.
The large corner window that meets Oxford Street was designed by RCA student, Matthew Plummer Fernandez, while The Duke Street and Oxford Street windows were were designed in-house by the 3D creative team's concept maganer Sarah McCullough and graphic visualiser Michael Ryley.

Design: Emily Forgot. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Emily Forgot. Photo: Andrew Meredith
"Being the pioneers of creative window display I was incredibly excited to be asked to develop four windows," says Emily Forgot. "After talking through with them their exciting concept for Oxford Street, I took on board their kaleidoscopic infuences, added a dash of the surreal, and Zoot Allure was born."

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith
Plummer Fernandez' installation, Fourfootfalls, presents a landscape of white poles of varying lengths. The ceiling of the window houses four drip devices, which are linked to sensors on the window glass.
Depending on the amount of movement outside on the street, the drip devices release measured quantities of coloured ink that drip onto the series of fabric-wrapped poles, dying the fabric. Over the course of the installation the colour of the landscape will change as the poles become more saturated with ink.

Design: Matthew Plummer Fernandez. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Matthew Plummer Fernandez. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith

Design: Sarah McCullough and Michael Ryley. Photo: Andrew Meredith
12 Comments
Saw these at the weekend, their so nice, great work!
2009-03-23 13:23:04
These look amazing!
I love the fact the first one is called "Zoot allure"
2009-03-23 14:21:24
Amazing Illustration installation! Real justice is done in bringing the illustrations to life, I absolutely love it, I'd love to see more exhibitions of illustrators work in galleries done in this way!
Well Done
2009-03-24 10:49:36
These are amazing! Let's hope for a continual revival of display itself! Back in the late seventies I worked with a wonderful display crew at the Macy's on Union Square, San Francisco. Display art was a serious field of expression and corporate regional heads protected it fiercely. Each window was a work of art, with the merchandise as one part of the medium. It's always amazed me that not more store owners hire artists to show their merchandise in artful and inventive ways. Display Art is the pulse of a business's integrity. What better way to share merchandise than to frame it in a wonderland fantasy! Congratulations all of you! Your work is stupendous. And a special thumbs up to the deciding heads at Selfridges and Co., for supporting such an effort!
2009-03-25 05:29:56
Absolutely love it! I think Emily's work is really original and this kind of application just shows what strength illustrators have in being able to create such a vibrant, head turning display!
2009-03-25 14:17:28
They looked great seeing them the other day.
Really great to see illustrations used so well in three dimensional spaces. One of the better shop fronts ive seen for a long time.
2009-03-25 14:19:50
Really love these designs, vibrant and graphic - they're really striking. They've been very well photographed too.
2009-03-25 17:00:15
this is way cool. cool you, cool selfridges. cool cool coolio cool. C
2009-03-25 19:28:47
Emily Forgot, Plummer-Fernandez, McCullough and Ryley are actual geniuses for popping this scheme into the public eye line.
pleasure being a part of the process!
Andrew
2009-03-27 17:19:06
So nice Window!Great!
2009-04-01 14:36:30
What more can I add to all the comments above(which represent my thoughts exactly)...let's see...I truly love the depth-because we are so use to a 2-dimensional world in graphics, it is extremely refreshing to see this mind-set in 3D.(I love depth...and shadows)
SelfRidge&Co., take a bow for letting the creative minds do their just on graphic and product collaborative. Such a genius approach to a "graphic" saturated world...
May we please see more of this mind stimulating product display on the storefronts of US stores. At least get the consumer attention for about 5 minutes-then have a sales associate go outside and elaborate on the product and why that consumer should go inside for a closer look.
Such vibrant hard work should be rewarded with a sale...
Great work...better than some gallery installations I must say.
2009-04-08 20:04:39
Selfridges creative content manager Sarah McCollough tells jotta magazine the concepts behind the infamous window displays... http://tiny.cc/0ddgw
2009-06-10 21:04:50
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