Oh joy. Songwriter Nick Cave now brings his creative force to the world of objects, having designed a collection of playful and mysterious items that occupy a unique position somewhere between merchandise and art.
He explains that for him, there has always been a strong visual component to the songwriting process, and that effectively, he has always ‘drawn’ his lyrics, making them a thing to be seen and examined.
His recently launched shop – Cave Things – carries an eclectic stock, ranging from charm pendants to milk jugs – their designs taken from his drawings and his obsessive need to express ideas in visual and physical form. For Cave, the act of drawing relieves the pressure and ‘deep unease’ of songwriting. ’Cave Things’ he says, ‘are the incidental residue of an overstimulated mind’.
‘If you think I just scrawled some bullshit on the side of an egg cup, you’d be right.' – Nick Cave
Other items available from Cave Things include this ‘Up Jumped the Devil' milk jug
The latest addition to the collection is an egg cup – basically a love offering to The Bad Seeds band member Warren Ellis, and decorated with Cave’s portrait of him.
‘Warren joined The Bad Seeds after I saw his band play at a local pub in Melbourne,' says Nick Cave. It was some time in the early 1990s and we were recording the Murder Ballads record. He came bounding into the studio, and our lives, with drug-crazed eyes and a fiddle in his hand, and kicked off a friendship that has lasted more than 25 years.’
‘When we get together in the studio these days there is a kind of wild synchronicity that is nothing short of magical. It is an absolute privilege to work with him. He is an alchemist and a godsend. I have designed this egg cup in his honour. If you think I just scrawled some bullshit on the side of an egg cup, you’d be right. If you think that I am shamelessly exploiting Warren’s good standing amongst his fans, you’d be right again. Yet, I love this little egg cup — truly, purely and without limitation. It is my gift to Warren and the world – The Warren Ellis Pure Exploitation Egg Cup – just the greatest little egg cup ever.
'Little Nick Charm', also available from Cave Things
INFORMATION
-
Gucci’s new book is a love letter to London and its contradictionsPart of the ‘Gucci Prospettive’ series, Sabato De Sarno has drafted Charlene Prempeh and Lewis Dalton Gilbert of A Vibe Called Tech to curate an expansive portrait of their home city of London through a collage of artworks, photography and text
-
Teenage Engineering introduce the OP-XY sequencer, an ode to Teutonic sounds and styleA dynamic performance sequencer, the Teenage Engineering OP-XY is the latest highly desirable piece of kit from the Swedish electronics firm
-
Expandable Trailers delivers instant luxury accommodation on wheelsThe new Expandable Mansion is a truckable structure that'll transform the remotest location into a restful retreat
-
At Home With Naoto FukasawaIn our ongoing profile series, we find out what designers are making, what’s making them tick, and the moments that made them. Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa tells us about his striking new live-work atelier in Tokyo and his ethos of not only designing objects, but an integrated atmosphere
-
Bodil Kjær at 90: ‘I am not a furniture designer; I am a designer of environments’We celebrate the work of Danish architect and designer Bodil Kjær, on her 90th birthday (11 March 2022). In this exclusive interview, she shares her views on spaces, furniture and her life in design
-
Nifemi Ogunro talks design and familyExplore the work and inspiration of Brooklyn-based artist and designer Nifemi Ogunro
-
Kelly Wearstler makes over a midcentury Malibu beach houseThe American designer fills her Malibu beachside home with pieces from an extensive and eclectic design collection
-
Inside gallerist Stefan von Bartha’s art-filled Basel homeSecond-generation gallery owner Stefan von Bartha invites us (virtually) into his art-studded Basel home to reflect on an unconventional childhood, eclectic collection and building on 50 years of his family's eponymous gallery
-
Formafantasma on GEO-Design and design educationDesign Emergency began as an Instagram Live series during the Covid-19 pandemic and is now becoming a wake-up call to the world, and compelling evidence of the power of design to effect radical and far-reaching change. Co-founders Paola Antonelli and Alice Rawsthorn took over the October 2020 issue of Wallpaper* – available to download free here – to present stories of design’s new purpose and promise. Here, Paola Antonelli talks to designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Studio Formafantasma
-
Spaceship-inspired music studio lands in Paris for French electronica star -
The imagined modernist world of 3D artist Alexis Christodoulou
