(smow) Design Tour 2012: It’s time to dig out our travellin’ socks….

On his 2009 album “Waxing Gibbous” Falkirk balladeer Malcolm Middleton included the song “Red Travellin’ Socks” a jaunty – if for us touch too obvious – ode to his love/hate relationship with, well his Red Travellin’ Socks.

Wearing his socks he’s reminded of the freedom of the open road that is currently helping him fulfilling his primitive desires – until such time as the romantic myth of the endless highways explodes and he begins to long for home. The red socks symbolising his frustration and hopelessness.

“Take me home Red Travellin’ Socks”, he demands. “I’m out of money and I’m sick of these songs….”

And then, inevitably, after a period at home his Red Travellin’ Socks sit there in the domestic wardrobe, taunting him and reminding him of what he is missing….

Malcolm’s Red Travellin’ Socks are our Vitra Panton Chair Miniature.

For no obvious reason it began accompanying us a couple of years ago and even featured in our controversial tour of Verner Panton’s Copenhagen. And will inevitably feature in our forthcoming Arne Jacobsen portrait.

Much as we enjoy photographing it, there comes a point in every tour where it sits in the camera rucksack like a lead-lined metaphor for the domestic regularity we’re missing. However, no sooner is it back on the bookshelf….

Our erstwhile travelling companion in front of Arne Jacobsen's former house in Copenhagen.

And so while we admittedly did consider throwing it from the train on the way back from Neue Räume Zürich 2011 – we’re currently polishing it up for Spring 2012.

On January 13th we’re in Cologne for the opening of the exhibition “From Aalto to Zumthor – Architect Furniture” in the MAKK. And of course for IMM Cologne 2012 and the parallel fringe events.

Among the, potential, highlights are a new outdoor collection from Richard Lampert, the exhibition “Made in Sishane” and seeing how the colleges do now that they have left the confines of IMM and will be showing their work at a satellite event in the city.

Early February then sees the opening of the Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec Exhibition “Album” in the Vitra Design Museum Gallery in Weil am Rhein. We missed it in Bordeaux and so are really looking forward to seeing it; and of course finding out how their yacht is coming on!

And then from February 6th were in Stockholm for the annual Design Festival and Furniture Fair. The obvious highlight being Stockholm in February.

But given that the (smow)boss will also expect us to produce some form of “work” from our trip, we’ll be checking out the exhibition The Evolution of Object by Katrin Greiling, pursuing the new tile designs by Claesson Koivisto Rune for Marrakech Design and generally investigating the current state of the designer furniture industry in Scandinavia.

Reports, photos, interviews and reviews will be published here and on Facebook.

Stockholm. February. 2011