New Decor – “furniture and decoration of a room or stage”

Apart from the menacing security guard coming for me as I took this shot, I’m happy with this image of  “Cama” by Los Carpinteros (the flyover bed). All the official photos are from above which is very different from the way it is experienced in the show.

The exhibition itself takes interior design as a point of departure then transforms everyday items into a new identity. Here are only 3 pieces from work by 36 artists from 22 countries which cover seating, storage, lighting and accessories as well as room environments.

The button encrusted mattress, each button representing a dream dreamt during its functional lifetime: “Bedhead” by Jim Lambie, was gorgeously extravagant yet wistful.

“Belts Couch” by Monica Bonvicini is just what it says on the label. The ratio of leather and metal is reversed in relation to a standard commercial lounger but here the metal is infinitely more menacing.

 This exhibition tests our understanding of decor and expands the conceptual associations of objects we often take for granted. I’ve just realised that the images above all relate to the horizontal and thwart our normal expectations of rest and sleep.