I had the chance to visit the Kolumba museum – the art museum of the archbishopric of Cologne - a few weeks ago. Initially I just wanted to check out Peter Zumthor’s architecture, which proved impossible! This museum is an amazing Gesamtkunstwerk in its own right, throwing archeology, architecture, design and art from the late antiquity to the present in the mix.
The lower, partially perforated shell of the building holds an excavation site and the former sacristy of St. Kolumba Church. A permanent sound installation (Bill Fontana/Pigeon Soundings) mixed with city sounds that can be heard through the perforated walls create an intriguing acoustic soundscape that blurs the physical boundaries of the site. The upper floors house the actual museum, with a great variety of spaces including a beautifully paneled reading room and huge windows tying it back to its central Cologne surroundings. This exhibition just demands attention and succeeds brilliantly in mixing historic religious artefacts with contemporary art, very refreshing to see this happening within a ‘religious’ museum. I did not expect to find a Crucifix and work by Joseph Beuys in one room!
The current ‘Bequest’ show will run until the 30th of August 2010 and is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
Photos: Kolumba’s perforated facade (2007) / Madonna and Child Cologne (ca 1650) + Stefan Wewerka Chair Sculpture (1969) / Stefan Wewerka Table 75º (2003)
Braved the ice cold Antwerp weather last weekend to check out the sales and popped by the AF Vandevorst guerilla shop ‘Aktion I’.
The shop is unmistakable AF, with its antique hospital beds and its trademark austere, military look.
Apart from the military hospital look there are witty touches like the massive dumpster in which you can drop your old clothes.
A.F.’s women’s collection, ‘Nightfall’ lingerie and ‘Fetish’ footwear are on sale, as well as the new A. Friend jersey collection.
Aktion I will have a busy traveling schedule, every three months AF Vandevorst will set up shop in a variety of unique places in different cities.
Aktion I – AF Vandevorst
29/31 Volkstraat, 2000 Antwerp – Belgium
Open : Thursday – Monday 12:00-20:00 until the 31st of March 2010
Great sales all over Antwerp and cool new shops, this new concept store RA13 is also worth checking out.
studio-am just finished this interior alteration at a townhouse in Melody Lane in Highbury, London, with Ham Builders.
The wall you are looking at used to be a mezzanine with a plasterboard balustrade at the edge, open to the ground floor and the triple height void at the centre of the house. The client wished to extend the mezzanine and infill the balustrade wall, mainly for acoustic reasons.
Instead of closing off the room, we decided to keep a visual link with the ground floor by providing a frameless glass window and a framed sliding glass door. The sliding glass door allows for privacy if closed and for verbal communication with the ground floor if opened. The proportions of the timber frame match those of the existing slot window to the corridor and attempt to form a coherent design matching the new with the old. Quite extensive structural work – seen the small size of the job - had to be done with the help of Fluid Structure Engineers to extend the mezzanine.
Thanks Niamh & Richard for the nice commission, Rachel (Fluid) for the calcs and Clinton Ham (Ham Builders) for the fab detailing!
Richard Shed Studio recently finished a commissioned project for the Shoreditch Trust in East London. They designed and fabricated chairs, armchairs, tables and cabinets for their Eco-Conference facility.
Shed & Co put the final touches on the furniture in the office that they share with some Belgian friends of mine and turned the place into a fabulous ‘tafel-land’ with about 60 chairs and tables.
Richard Shed: ”The design of the collection references both traditional wood working methods and modern detailing achieved by calculated digital manufacturing. The chairs are milled from solid ash. The back rests are rolled metal parts clad in a thick, warm natural felt. All metal details, fixtures and fittings are powder coated in a striking sulphur yellow. The entire commission was produced in our East London workshops and where possible we worked with local suppliers and manufacturers, using natural materials from sustainable sources.”
Photo Credit: Richard Shed Studio
For two more weeks, Xavier Veilhan’s work will be on display in and around the Palace of Versailles.
I only discovered this exhibition on a visit last weekend, it is definitely worth the detour if you are planning some Christmas shopping in Paris. The clash between the Baroque buildings and the contemporary art is interesting and causes an amusing confusion with some visitors, although this display is nowhere as confronting as the previous display of Jeff Koons‘ work.
There is a whole range of pieces, including a dynamic abstraction of a carriage and horses welcoming visitors at the forecourt and a hilarious Yuri Gagarin, depicted as a fallen king. The astronaut has literally dropped from the sky. ‘Les Architectes’ is a series of abstracted sculptures of famous contemporary architects. They have been put on pedestals, literally and figuratively consolidating their iconic status. You might have spotted Veilhan’s Tadao Ando and Norman Foster in a shocking blue version at the Perotin Gallery Stand of the Frieze Art Fair earlier this year.
It is amazing that Versailles is staging these interventions and allow visitors to rediscover this iconic place with a contemporary touch.
The exhibition closes at the 13th of December.
Xavier Veilhan’s ‘Le Gisant, Youri Gagarine’ and ‘Les Architectes’. Photos by An Michiels.
Art Barter – the platform for free exhange between artists and the public – is holding an art-swapping event from the 27th to the 29th of November. Usual suspects like Gary Hume, Tracy Emin and Gavin Turk are amongst the artists who have work on offer, as well as a list of bright young things.
In curator Lauren Jones’ words:
“We want to make art available to a more diverse crowd, not just people with disposable income. ArtBarter is the perfect setting to make this happen, whilst also providing a fun way to get people involved with the arts.”
Great concept! The event will be held at the Rag Factory in east London, the former studio of Tracey Emin and Gary Hume. Sponsor Green&Black’s will be showcasing a piece of ‘Chocol’art’ made by Sir Peter Blake.
Don’t forget to bring something. Who knows, you might be able to swap your fancy bike, web design skills or hairdressing talent for a piece of art!
Nice weekend read: link to the Sightunseen blog which has a post on the witty Greek design trio Greece is for lovers. Their work is based on Greek cliches. The skateboard below put a smile on my post-Friday-night-hangover face!
Sightunseen: ‘The idea behind their products is to reflect an outsider’s naive perspective on Greece, perpetuated by tourism campaigns like “Greece Is For Lovers” in the ’70s and “Build Your Myth” in recent years.’
Work by Greece is for Lovers: Athens antennae & Gladiator skateboard for Greek Skateboard company Propaganda.
If you are crazy about maps – it definitely runs in my family – pop down to the England & Co gallery on Westbourne Grove, London. Their ‘The map is not the territory – Revisited’ show runs until the 28th of November and includes cartographic and map related artworks by Chris Kenny, Jason Wallis-Johnson and Grayson Perry amongst others.
Jason Wallis-Johnson’s ‘Manhattan, Seismic Shift’ tryptich turns NYC in an urban mountain resort. That’s my kind of winter wonderland!
Title: Tom Foulsham – The table that can tell stories and other contraptions
Location: 123 Pancras Road London NW1 1UN
Link out: Click here
Date: 13th November – 5th December 2009 : Visit the show and talk to the artist : Thursdays + Fridays 1pm-7pm Saturdays 10am-6.30pm weekly.
RSVP essential – see link out
Info by gallery: An intriguing insight into the workings of mechanisms, everyday science and the interaction and play between machine and spectator.
A first UK solo show of Tom Foulsham’s machines and an insight into his process.
Tom Foulsham born in 1981 studied Architecture at the Bartlett and was an architectural assistant at Arad Associates.
He went on to study Design Products MA at the Royal College of Art, graduating this summer 2009, under the tutorledge of Ron Arad.
He exhibited his ‘ Balancing Shelves’ at Pecha Kucha ICA in 2007.
He showed his ‘ Candle Balance’ as part of the V&A group exhibition ‘In Praise of Shadows’ in September 2009
The PechaKucha circus halted in London last Monday and brought a varied – to say the least – bunch of speakers to the stage. Great concept, speakers get to show 20 slides at a speed of 20 seconds per slide. Mix this with a friendly atmosphere and cold beer and you have a pleasant night out!
Moritz Waldemeyer’s presentation is online now and worth checking out. His work is a fusion of technology, art, fashion and design. He talked us through projects for clients ranging from the Flos/Starck/Baccarat/Jenny Holzer combo to Wallpaper and U2. He also worked with A listers Ron Arad and Zaha Hadid and worked on those great mechanical dresses for Hussein Chalayan in 2006. Find out more on his website.
Scoop! This is “Home Disco” a brand new project that will be featured in the next Wallpaper Magazine.
Flos/Starck/Baccarat/Jenny Holzer collaboration and Stage Jacket for Mr. Bono.
PechaKucha in the words of founder Mark Dytham (of Klein-Dytham Architects):
PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.
