If you’re a home or gift buyer then this is definitely worth looking at. I came across Art House Meath at Top Drawer in September and was attracted by the childlike freshness and humour of the pieces on display. Once I had stopped to find out more I was impressed as this is exactly what social enterprises […]
Design and Social Enterprise – Art House Meath
Ai Weiwei at Tate Modern
Officially open today, this has to be one of the best installations in the Turbine Hall so far. The private view last night had the great and good tramping about, sitting and rolling in this sunflower seed beach (no, it wasn’t just me and my friend). The 100 million hand painted porcelain sunflower seeds have particularly chinese […]
John Pawson at The Design Museum
We all know that our environment affects our behaviour and even our thinking. In the past I have admired John Pawson’s work without properly engaging with it. I’m still not sure I’d be able to live in one of his buildings full-time without changing my lifestyle quite drastically but I now have a much deeper appreciation […]
Lab Craft: Digital and craft techniques
I visited this exhibition at Tent after meeting one of the makers, Ismini Samanidou, at Origin. She is a weaver and worked with wood carver Gary Allson on wooden wall panels digitally carved with an outsized twill weave pattern. Actually Gary does other stuff but the emphasis here was on wood – his bowls are fabulous to handle – Ismini was minding […]
Wycliffe Stutchbury at Origin 2010
I had already seen and been moved by Wycliffe Stutchbury’s work at Origin last year. He began as a furniture maker and became increasingly fascinated by the inherent history of wood: where it has been used and how it ages. He told me that he never buys his source material – he doesn’t need to. I know […]
OK, it isn’t “design” but it’s definitely made
I just couldn’t resist sharing this – a topiary elephant on a street in North London. I didn’t realise to begin with what it was, just that it was encroaching onto the pavement. Then I got it . Maybe not in quite the same way as Ed Miliband in his acceptance speech as new Labour […]