MAY
If a table is not to be sat at, and dined upon, then what is it for? Charles Kaisin designed and built a grand and somewhat odd table, suggesting the enchanted forest from where the wood came. But who would ever learn of its bizarre and infectious charm?
His answer was to create an equally grand and odd feast, a fancy dress party on the theme of the surreal, to introduce the table, explore his work, and show that folly, and exuberance can be a serious business.
MAY
One of this week’s posts introduced an exhibition of Gerrit Rietveld’s work at the Vitra Design Museum. This got me wondering how De Stijl might have developed had a different kind of rationalist re-imagined some of the designs of that period.
Although I am not suggesting there is any particular similarity of appearance with objects from De Stijl and Invisible City’s INCUNABULAR range of furniture designed by Simon Moorhouse, the thought experiment is intriguing. Read more
MAR
You are in your university digs, low on cash, and you need some new shelves. What are you going to do? What students do all over the world, and that is to go out and see what they can find rummaging through skips, cupboards and generally in piles of junk until they find something useful. What is not clear then, is what influence such foraging exercises will have in later years? Whilst I have a lampshade made from coat hangers that carries with it sentimental traces from studentdom, Andy Martin has turned his ad-hock shelves, made of found brick and off-cuts of timber, into a product he calls Undergraduate shelving. Presumably he means shelving inspired by his undergraduate experiences, rather than shelving that should be bought by undergraduates… or else that would deprive somebody else of the formative qualities of make and mend! Read more
MAR
I remain captivated by the quality of this piece; its craftsmanship is extraordinary. Inspired by the work of La Marorelle’s desk in the Musee d’Orsay Paris, she is not a copy, nor is she likely to be copied. Few have Marc Fish’s skill and knowledge born of dedication, experiment and meticulous refinement to attempt such a task. Read more
FEB
It is not strictly necessary to have a pretty cabinet in which to keep your champagne, but if you had one of these, designed and made by Rod and Alison Wales, it would almost certainly taste better!
Such is the elegance, beauty and craftsmanship of these pieces, that examples of them are already in public galleries such as the V&A as well as private collections. The good news is that you do not have to be a Queen to own such a thing. Wales and Wales would be delighted to create a cabinet just for you.
