top picks at london design festival 2011

Wallpaper* & Bernhadt Design's launch party at St Pancras Hotel

Here are our top 10 picks (in no particular order) for London Design Festival this year, with a bit of art power! -

1. AL_A's Timberwave at the V&A - Amanda Levete's comeback masterpiece after her split with former partner in Future Systems

2. David Chipperfield's Size+Matter at the Royal Festival Hall - the minimalist master's attempt to unite technology and simplicity

3. Designjunction at Victoria House Basement - 30 furniture & lighting brands in 1 location, events on top of showcases

4. Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby at Haunch of Venison - the duo's first solo show with the gallery

5. Faye Toogood at Phillips de Pury - new and old furniture collection by the magazine editor turned stylist and designer

6. Cristian Zuzunaga at EB&Flow - brilliant photographic works by the spanish artist/designer

7. Formosa Show at Candid Arts - taiwanese art & design at your door step, London!

8. John Pawson's Perspective at St Paul's Cathedral - see how the master can attract eyeballs by doing nothing

9. Superbrands at Tent London - it's worth to go all the way to the east with all these big names

10.  De la Espada at Tramshed - suffocatingly beautiful timber furniture by the Spanish brand 

art october in london - part 3

Apart from the Frieze & Zoo art fairs, there are numerous other happenings going on in town. Here are some of the ones which are still running, so you could still catch the one you like before it's too late:

*****

The Age of the Marvellous by All Visual Arts

till 22.10.2009
One Marylebone

As manifested in the official website, the show is inspired by the Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities, popular in the late Renaissance through the Baroque period - an era characterized by a revival of learning, the sum of all of man’s knowledge could be represented in rooms filled with natural wonders, artificial exotica and relics or art works concerned with the supernatural.

the age of the marvellous by you.
For Laplace [Fear] (2008) by Paul Fryer

There is a "gothic - evolutionary" sense evoked both from the atmosphere of the venue and the nature of the works. Good timing in the age of swine flu, thinking robots and overdosed celebs. Keith Tyson's Mastering (image via It's Nice That) is my favourite.

Full photo set here

*****
both till 31.10.2009
till 07.11.2009
Haunch of Venison

donald judd at haunch of venison by you.
Donald Judd

Enrico Castellani/ Dan Flavin/ Donald Judd/ Günther Uecker by you.
Monument for V. Tatlin (1967) by Dan Flavin

Haunch of Venison London explores the connections between four major artists: Enrico Castellani, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd and Gunther Uecker in the art fair season. The exhibition showcases works from 1964 to the present day. All four artists were born within six years of each other (1928-1933) and their practices offer an opportunity to compare the strong aesthetic influences, interests and objectives their generation shared, despite developing on either side of the Atlantic. (excerpts from the official page)

the evening redness in the west by you.
Jamie Shovlin

For Jamie Shovlin, 'The Evening Redness in the West' is the final instalment in a trilogy of exhibitions which examined the disparity between reality and idealism through an exploration of the narratives and fictions that a nation projects to the world. (excerpts from the official page)

this is london || 10.10.2009 by you.
Jonas Burgert

This is the 1st UK solo show for German artist Jonas Burgert. The grotesque and the mystical provide the subject-matter for the majority of Burgert's art. Bold, sensuous and opulent, the atmosphere in his paintings is of a world of destruction and decay. (excerpts from the official page)

Full photo set here

*****

till 23.12.2009
ROVE Hoxton Square

fruit & flowers at ROVE by you.

fruit & flowers at ROVE by you.

fruit & flowers at ROVE by you.

Furniture and Interior Decor by various designers (including Arik Levy, Zaha Hadid, Carolyn Quartermaine, Mathias Bengtsson, Based Upon, Maria Pergay, Peter Harvey, Max Lamb, Tom Dixon, Richard Woods, and Brendan Cass) are on display in this show. These design-pieces are more down-to-earth to the audience than abstract contemporary art found in most galleries. 

Full photo set here

Further Reading -
Official page of Keith Tyson
ROVE's proposed revamp of 33-35 Hoxton Square designed by Zaha Hadid

art october in london - part 2

Thomas Heatherwick: Extrusions
until 07.11.2009
Haunch of Venison

thomas heatherwick's extrusions by you.

Produced using the world's largest extrusion machine normally used in aerospace industry, and each piece being polished for over 300 hours to produce that hyper-surreal mirror finish, this 18-years-old idea from Thomas Heatherwick is clearly not an easy dream comes true.

Thomas Heatherwick shows off his extrusion by TheStouche.
from TheStouche in flickr
thomas heatherwick's extrusions by you.

thomas heatherwick's extrusions by you.

It was reported that Heatherwick is investigating to develop the application to wider commercial uses to create architectural components (such as facade modules) and mass-produced seating.

thomas heatherwick's extrusions by you.

See for yourself - they looks like polished junks celebrated in the gallery! And, finally... :)

Extrusion Trousers by TheStouche.
from TheStouche in flickr

full photo set here

Further Readings -
Official press release (pdf) from Haunch of Venison gallery
Official website of Heatherwick Studio
Wikipedia's entry for Thomas Heatherwick
East Beach Cafe by Heatherwick Studio from Architects Journal
Heatherwick sued over Manchester sculpture from Design Week, and the outcome reported by BD online
Extrusions by Thomas Heatherwick reported by Dezeen here & also here