Artists and designers have always looked to the past for inspiration. The saying 'what goes around, comes around' has never been truer as contemporary taste-makers now turn their attention to the mid-late 20th century for ideas. As boldly coloured fabrics and tableware edge into our homes alongside the curves of moulded furniture, a retrofuturistic style that mixes modern antiques with contemporary items is cool, brash, knowing and oh, ever so slightly kitsch. This mixing of the past and the future is perfectly exemplified by the latest blockbuster movie remake, Thunderbirds. Taking Gerry Anderson's classic sci-fi puppet series produced between 1964 and 1966 as its template, Working Title, the producers of Johnny English, Four Weddings and Bridget Jones have relaunched International Rescue for the Spy Kids generation. As Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, director Jonathan Frakes certainly knew the pitfalls of tampering with a much-loved franchise, and he and all those involved have striven to update the adventures, yet also remain loyal to the spirit of the original episodes. "It's the hardest route to take," explains Thunderbirds Production Designer John Beard, a man faced with the opportunity of totally redesigning the iconic International Rescue vehicles, "but I thought maybe I could tread the line between both camps, the new and the old." And he's not only given the still impressive Thunderbird craft a subtle makeover, but he's also taken a new look at IR HQ, the exotic Tracy Island, to create a paradise which is both retro and futuristic. "Yes, it's certainly a retro look, but one based in the '60s and '70s which is similar to what we were doing for Brazil," he says of the influential Terry Gilliam sci-fi adventure, "but that was a retro look based on the '30s and '40s." Given a free range by Thunderbirds' producers, the designer, whose credits also include Martin Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ, Monty Python's Life of Brian and David Bowie/ Patsy Kensit musical Absolute Beginners, believed that a unified approach would achieve a successful, coherent and stylish look to the film. "I decided I needed to look how was I was going to do it as a complete approach, and I realised that automotive designers had got it right when they designed the new Mini and new Beetle. They created new vehicles completely yet managed to relate them to the past. That was it, I knew that if I could keep that concept in my head, I could get there. "I suppose in the first months of any film I'm looking for references - architectural magazines and books - and rather like the redesign of the Thunderbirds crafts and the new Mini, modern architects are looking to the 60s/70s for their divine inspiration too. And it's the same for furniture design. "So it was a good time to make the film as design concepts coincided with what was happening 40 years ago - but updated versions." And two particular names came up as specific reference points in the creation of Tracy Island's exterior and interior: "I liked Mark Newsom, the Australian guy who does great furniture, and the Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer," he says, adding that regardless of a mixed response from critics, the feedback from Gerry Anderson fans to his redesigns has been very favourable. "Listening to those that I've spoken to who were old fans, I think we've done all right!" For more information on Thunderbirds, see: www.thunderbirdsonline.com - the original sixties series www.thunderbirdsmovie.com - the brand new movie www.fanderson.org.uk - official Gerry Anderson website | 
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