From Idea to Form. Domeau & Pérès: Design and Craftsmanship in Dialogue @ Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld
Established in 1897 as an institution for pure and applied arts the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld was, for all through the person of its founding director Friedrich Deneken, an important protagonist in the discourse concerning the relationships between art, craft and industry at the turn of the 20th century
With the exhibition From Idea to Form. Domeau & Pérès: Design and Craftsmanship in Dialogue, the contemporary Kaiser Wilhelm Museum Krefeld continue this discourse.
Paris Design Week 2017: Transformation @ The Ukrainian Cultural Centre
Ukrainian designers haven’t featured often in these pages.
Arguably never.
And may never have, had it not been for the exhibition Transformation staged at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre during Paris Design Week 2017
Paris Design Week 2017: Arronde by Camille Ravanel
As regular readers will be aware, for us there is little more elegant and logical than the modular shelving system.
And in the variety of systems developed, little which better illustrates both the multitude of options available for the seemingly most simple of functionalities, and thereby the talent required, or perhaps function, of the designer in developing something meaningful, interesting and, ideally, attractive.
Of late we have seen several interesting new modular shelving propositions, Arronde by Camille Ravanel being one of the more pleasing.
smow Blog Interview: Ronan Bouroullec – For me the most important place is to be in front of the sea…
Having grown up near Quimper, Brittany, Ronan Bouroullec moved to Paris in 1989 to study industrial design; since when the French capital has not only witnessed him complete his studies, but establish a studio, achieve his first commercial success and together with his brother Erwan develop projects for a roster of international clients including, and amongst many others, Vitra, Magis, Flos, Kvadrat and Samsung, in addition to realising numerous collaborations with Galerie kreo.
We met up with Ronan Bouroullec to discuss Paris, his experiences in, and relationship with the city, but somehow the conversation kept drifting outwith the city limits…..
Paris Design Week 2017: woodmade
Paris Design Week is largely about brand in-store and similar PR driven presentations. An extension if you will of Maison et Objet into the city, and thus predictably prosaic.
Largely.
Not exclusively.
Throughout the city there are/were stimulating and challenging presentations to be found and interesting designers and manufacturers to be discovered and enjoyed.
Among the new discoveries we made at Paris Design Week 2017 was Paris based studio woodmade.
Maison et Objet Paris Autumn 2017: High 5!!
If Milan marks the start of summer, Paris marks the end: the gentle warmth of the Lombarden sun and the fresh alpine breeze blowing over the Saloni ceding as it invariably does, nay must, to the brisk crispness of Maison et Objet.
C’est la vie!
The September 2017 edition of Maison et Objet was a disconcerting mix of baroque revival and picturesque, fantasy, Scandinavian, as if late 1980s Philippe Starck discovered hygge.
And over large stretches Maison et Objet 2017 is/was just as terrifying as that sounds. Our only consolation being the certainty that those responsible are but blindly chasing the shadow of a fashion, ’tis but a trend, and trends always, but always, fade.
Fortunately some objects on show arose from more honest origins. As ever we didn’t see everything, apologies to all we missed, but here our Maison et Objet Autumn 2017 High 4!! And some poppy, late ’90s dance…
5 New Design Exhibitions for April 2017
While it’s hard to feel anything even vaguely resembling joy in a month which sees the UK start its senseless and cowardly, withdrawal from the European Union … life goes on!!
Our five top distractions for April 2017 features new design and architecture exhibitions in Berlin, New York, Paris, Dessau and Milan.
5 New Design Exhibitions for March 2017
For George Orwell nothing heralded spring quite like the re-appearance of toads, emerging from their subterranean hibernation and setting off, once again, on life’s great cycle.
Our toads are the flurry of new design and architecture exhibitions which open globally every March, as the international museum and gallery community awake from their winter slumber.
Our highlights for March 2017, featuring new exhibitions in Bielefeld, Helsinki, Weil am Rhein, Utrecht and Paris
5 New Design Exhibitions for September 2016
Slowly but surely September is becoming Europe’s summer. Whereas July and August increasingly fail to produce anything even vaguely “summery”,
Design European Championship 2016: Review and Preview
After four weeks of competition at venues throughout France the 2016 Design EM prepares to bid adieu, au revoir and
5 New Design Exhibitions for May 2016
Whereas April showers tend to make you wet, grumpy and late, May showers are much more agreeable – or more
smow blog Design Calendar: April 3rd 1863 – Happy Birthday Henry van de Velde!
Henry van de Velde not only helped define Art Nouveau, he was also party to Art Nouveau’s christening; even if
smow Blog Compact: Studio Plus @ Architekturgalerie am Weissenhof Stuttgart
“This is a job of work whose goal is precision, delicacy, amiability and attentiveness: being attentive to people, uses, buildings,
smow blog Design Calendar: January 31st 1977 – Inauguration of Le Centre Pompidou, Paris
In 1969 the then French President Georges Pompidou announced his desire that Paris should posses a large museum dedicated to
smow blog compact: Le Corbusier – The Measures of Man at the Centre Pompidou, Paris
On days when his sketches didn’t meet with his own, self-critical, approval, the Swiss architect and urban planner Le Corbusier
smow blog compact: D’Days Paris 2015
From June 1st until June 7th the 15th D’Days Paris will be staged under the theme “Experience” Which is hopefully
5 New Design Exhibitions for April 2015
“Who’s the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?” asks Obi-Wan Kenobi, more or less rhetorically, in
(smow) blog compact: Only Wood at Galerie kreo Paris
Until December 20th the Paris dépendance of Galerie kreo is presenting an exhibition dedicated to the vivacious variety of contemporary
5 New Design Exhibitions for October 2014
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers” exclaims Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel
5 New Design Exhibitions for May 2014
Mayday! Mayday! Don’t panic. It’s just a public holiday. You’ll survive. Barbecue something…… And afterwards, when everyone else is back
(smow) blog Design Calendar: April 28th 1925 – L’Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes opens in Paris
“What is the Paris Exposition?”, asked Roger Gilman in the September 1925 edition of The Art Bulletin, “It is a
(smow) blog compact: Man Machine by Konstantin Grcic at Galerie Kreo Paris
By way of unwinding ahead of his forthcoming solo exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum, German designer Konstantin Grcic is
Springtime in Paris: Ron Arad and Jasper Morrison exhibitions
The evenings are getting longer and the rain is a little warmer: Spring is unquestionably approaching. And with the rising