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Drawings from the Artists Textiles: Picasso to Warhol exhibition at the Zandra Rhodes Fashion and Textile Museum. The exhibition included works by Matisse, Paolozzi and Hepworth as well as Rhodes herself. I'm always interested to see how artists and designers maintain their sense of spontaneity and sensitivity to materials when working with textiles. I particularly liked Calder's 'Le Mer' silk scarf design (bottom image) which is strongly reminiscent of this 3 dimensional works.
Hella Jongerius has created the 'East River Chair' for Vitra. The chair explores traditional and modern components; combining leather, wood, metal and high tech fabrics. What I find so inspiring about Hella's work is the innovative combinations of material, colour and form; this project is no exception. Images from designboom. Click here to learn more about the project.
Marni's fifth issue of AntiCamera has been created for the Salone del Mobile 2014. Following on from their '100 Chairs' collection, the project features limited edition handmade chairs which sit alongside giraffes, flamingos, ducks and donkeys made from metal structures wrapped in PVC. The chairs in this latest collection explore the concept of asymmetrical design. The idea behind this is that, like Marni clothing which is intended to be playful and individual to the wearer, the chairs can be arranged depending on the users needs, for example chairs which have one armrest each can be pushed together to create a bench. I love the concept behind these charity based projects which empower the workers who are handcrafting these beautiful pieces and learning new skills.
On a recent trip to Bath I visited the beautiful bookshop Topping & Company. A Bath institution, Toppings hosts a comprehensive and ever changing collection of art and design books. A recent and favourite find is Calder by Matter; a beautifully made book which catalogues the work of American Sculptor Alexander Calder. The book features photographs of Calder at work in his studio and images of his projects. I particularly like the above images which are from 'Le Grande Cirque' (1927). Click here to watch the corresponding film which shows Calder using pulley systems to bring the model animals to life. The book is available to buy here.
London is currently hosting three different Georg Baselitz exhibitions across the city. Today I visited the Gagosian's 'Farewell Bill' show of his drawings and large scale paintings. The collection is a tribute to the late Willem de Kooning who greatly inspired Baselitz. A collection of upside down portraits, the paintings explore large areas of painterly colour, fluid line and an overwhelming sense of energy. Click here to watch the film which accompanies the exhibition.
Alongside this exhibitions of Baselitz's own paintings and drawings, The British Museum is showing 'Germany Divided: Baselitz and his Generation'; a show featuring prints and drawings executed by Georg and his contemporaries including Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter. All the artists were born in East Germany but established themselves in the West; the exhibition explores their coming of age in post war Germany.
Similarly, the Royal Academy is hosting an exhibition entitled 'Renaissance Impressions'; a show featuring the private collections of Chiaroscuro Woodcuts owned by Baselitz and the Albertina, Vienna.
Studio Glithero's latest project Woven Songs explores the extraordinary concept of constructing textiles from music, in this case the patterns on organ punch cards. The project is a collaboration between Studio Glithero, life-long weaver Wil van den Broek and master organ maker Leon van Leeuwen. As is often the case with Glithero projects, the process is as exciting and beautiful as the outcome. With this project Glithero have captured the process of making in a film which documents the two craftsmen at work. Not only is the film a beautiful piece in itself, it serves to increase your appreciation of the delicate and simple woven pieces the two makers have created together. Click here to watch the film.
Marni's Pre-Fall 2014 collection has me longing for next winter before this one's even over. Consuelo's winning combination of beautiful prints, decadent fabrics, playful jewellery and idiosyncratic styling never ceases to amaze me. These are some of my favourite looks; click here to view the entire collection.
