Architectural sculptures built from sugar cubes. Kitchen vessels fashioned from baked dough. And all exhibited (and for sale) for four days only at Sotheby’s Kiddell Gallery on London’s Bond Street. We, for one, couldn’t resist the temptation to take a closer look.
The brainchild of curator and avid collector of young design, Janice Blackburn, the show entitled ‘Small Show Huge Talent’ is one of a series of ‘new designer’ showcases that Blackburn has exhibited in the space over the past few years.
‘Whenever Sotheby’s have a free opening at the gallery they invite me to use it,’ Blackburn explains. A former employee of Charles Saatchi, consultant to Sotheby’s and curator of various shows at the Crafts Council and V&A, Blackburn has perfected her roving eye for some of the bravest and wittiest design-art around.
This show consists of nine artist/designers, all selected for their happy blending of art, craft, design and architecture, as well as their use of intriguing materials and unusual techniques.
In the mix is Brendan Jamison, who cuts and carves sugar cubes to build his architectural sculptures. Michael Petry, currently the artist in residence at Sir John Soane Museum, pours molten glass into silver-plated kitsch Victorian objects. While Italian designers, Studio Formafantasma have crafted a series of domestic pieces from flour, agricultural waste, limestone and beeswax.
Equally not to be missed is another chance to see Studio Glithero’s stunning blueware ceramics collection, first shown at the London Design Festival last month.
Next up for Blackburn at Sotheby’s, and scheduled for next May, is a showcase of graduates and alumuni from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.
The collection consists of four products: round vases, slim vases, light shades, and blueprinted tiles. Each piece in the collection is unique by virtue of the process and the vases are individually numbered
Born in El Paso, Texas and lives in London, artist, curator and author Michael Petry is currently the first Artist In Residence at the Sir John Soane museum in London. This series, entitled ’The Bare Back Lovers’ consists of molten glass ’pouring’ out of silver-plated kitsch Victorian objects
Glass ’pouring’ out of silver-plated kitsch Victorian objects.
From the ’BB’ series by Michael Petry
Professor Rob Kesseler is professor of ceramics, art and design at Central St Martins. The vases are part of the ’Bouquet’ collection in collaboration with Royal Crown Derby. Each vase carries an enamel print of the silhouette of a British wildflower accompanied on the reverse by a gold and enamel print taken from a microscopic photograph of seeds of pollen
Studio Formafantasma: Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin are Italian designers recently graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven. This series of bottles, vases and bowls, was made especially for ’Small Show’ and are made from flour, agricultural waste, limestone and beeswax
Ellen Devall uses vintage materials and he own embroidery skills to re-invent garments. A graduate from the Colchester School of Art and Design, she recently won the ’First Word; Journalism Award’ Fashion Week 2010.
Ellen uses traditional needle skills to create her intricate garments, evoking a time when piecing together and stitching were a necessity
Brendan Jamison graduated from the University of Ulster. His current work sculpts and carves sugar cubes in architectural sculptures
ADDRESS
Sotheby's Kiddell Gallery
34-35 New Bond St
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