DESIGN REIMAGINED

Designer Nina Tolstrup has the ability to see the potential in the overlooked and forgotten. fluoro spoke with Tolstrup about her passion for reinvention and her recent furniture collaboration with Marc Jacobs.

What started as a need for a specific chair for an interior project has grown into something greater. Nina’s understanding of the importance of resourcefulness has seen her look to the potential of salvaged chairs, working with the metal frame to create something new.

Tolstrup looks for specific features when salvaging chairs, “it’s not any chair that I would pickup. The frames must have proportions that I find interesting. I now have started to see many other possibilities with this kind of approach, there are so many things that we discard too easily.”

Tolstrup has applied this concept to a new series of chairs, covering them with fabrics from the Marc by Marc Jacobs collection.

(f) Looking to your collaboration with Marc Jacobs, when using fabric from a past collection how do you ensure the chair is viewed in a contemporary sense?

(NT) Marc Jacobs fabric is very contemporary and I always work with a simplicity and functionality that will express a contemporary feel. The form of language that has evolved from this collection is very simple and elemental in nature. This serves well as a canvas to apply bright and bold colours and patterns.

(f) You have stated that it is “more interesting to reinvent to justify what you are doing.” Do you think this view applies to the broader furniture design industry? Why? Why not?

(NT) Designers are obsessed with creating chairs, as a good chair is always a challenge to make. The re-imagined chair is in some way reinvented – as I use abandoned old chairs and bring them to life again.

However, in general, I think that chair design is an area of little reinvention. New materials and processes do every now and then invite for reinvention of chairs but this do not apply to the broader furniture design industry. Why? It most likely cost too much in R&D and there are plentiful of lovely chairs around.

(f) What is the most interesting object you have seen someone ʻre-imagineʼ?

(NT) Stuart Haygarth is a designer/artist that I know from my local area in London and I think his Optical Chandeliers are a great re-imagined object made out of 4500 prescription spectacle lenses. The light effect is fantastic and the chandelier beautiful.

(f) Recently you have begun to sell the instructions to some of your creations, specifically your pallet project. You also donate the information to a charity. What does this social aspect add to the message of your work?

(NT) It has been a great experience to sell DIY instruction and be able to reach out with my designs to a totally new audience. The social aspect gives me the confidence that my work is helping to serve the needs of a community. This a new and empowering aspect of design and I am glad that this had been communicated through this project which continues to evolve and develop.

(f) Are there any projects in the pipeline that you can share with fluoro readers?

(NT) I am currently working on the curation and exhibition design of the Danish Craft collection which is another aspect of work which I really enjoy. This will be shown this September at Objet Maison in Paris. I am also exploring further projects through my gallery in London 19 Greek Street.

www.19greekstreet.com

Mon 20 May 2013

HUSMANN / TSCHAENI x RITTENHOUSE

Splashes of colour and vibrant imagery from Husmann/Tschaeni’s original artwork bring together the garments of a collaborative project with Rittenhouse. Their 2013 AW collection is titled ‘After the Rain.’

The Husmann/Tschaeni painting, the basis of the collection, was inspired by the artist’s stay in Melbourne, Australia. The duo have depicted a day spent in the Botanical Gardens: their daughter pretending to be a ghost under a blanket; the local fauna; plants growing bigger and the sky trying to produce a rainbow as the clouds become smaller.

The painting is printed in its entirety on a silk scarf with elements of the artwork featuring on a range of garment designs which make up the collection.

Rittenhouse presents original artworks by Husmann/Tschaeni. Available now from Rittenhouse’s Sydney pop-up shop as well as online.

Husmann/Tschaeni featured in the ninth issue of fluoro magazine.

www.husmanntschaeni.com

Mon 20 May 2013

HERE AND THERE

Celebrating the role that travel plays to inspire art and design exhibition, ‘Here and There’ is an exhibition features an array of artists and designers who have created objects on the theme of travel.

Travel is often the common thread between things that inspire. Offering a chance to look beyond everyday surroundings, travel can provide perspective and ignite new ideas.

The exhibition has seen Studio Gorm respond with – ‘Tea Box’, a transportable case that when opened folds into a small table for preparing tea; while Daniel Gafner was inspired by space travel, and designed a set of four handmade models that pays homage to the spirit of American midcentury spacecrafts.

Other artists and designers who have contributed include: Tim Colmant; Colgate Searle; Tim Parsons; Okolo; Hannah Waldron; Katrin Greiling; The Good Flock; the thing and Bilenky Cycle Works.

‘Here and There,’ will display the objects until Monday 20 May 2013, at Various Projects, New York, US.

www.field-online.com

Sat 18 May 2013

PHYSICALITY OF CHANGE

‘Everything is Always Changing all of the Time’ is a unique collaborative performance work that brings together jewellery, music and carpet design. The piece will take place as part of the NYC x Design Festival.

The performance comprises of four participants who will move to a series of string musical compositions digitally manipulated live by artist/musician Alexis Georgopoulos, known as ARP.

The participants will be adorned with jewellery containing raw paint pigment that is released by the wearer’s movements, and a companion garment that acts as a canvas. The pigment will not only mark the garments, but also fall to the ground, seeping into carpets and exploring the notion of change.

The collaborative project brings together the Minneapolis-based design studio ROLU, ARP and Various Projects, who designed the carpets.

‘Everything is Always Changing all of the Time’ takes place at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York on Sunday 19 May 2013 for more information visit: www.madmuseum.org

The NYC x Design Festival runs until Tuesday 21 May 2013.

www.nycxdesign.com

Fri 17 May 2013

FLUORODIGITAL GIVEAWAY: THUNDERCAT

Hailed as the future of bass, Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, is coming to Melbourne as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF). fluoro have two tickets to giveaway to Thundercat’s one and only MIJF performance.

Without gravitating to just one genre, Thundercat’s freestyle playing technique is immediately recognisable due to his contextualisation of jazz for other styles of music.

Thundercat’s somewhat unconventional career encompasses touring with soul legend Leon Ware and punk-funk icons Suicidal Tendencies in his teens, to recent collaborations with the likes of Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus, J*Davey and Sa-Ra.

Hiatus Kaiyote, who fuses neo-soul, hip-hop and electronic beats with Latin, dubstep and opera influences to create a unique sound, will support Thundercat’s MIJF performance.

To win two tickets to Thundercat’s only MIJF performance, tell us below, who you would like to see Thundercat collaborate with next and why.

Thundercat will perform on Friday 7 June at The Forum, Melbourne.

Giveaway ends on Monday 3 June 2013. The winner will be notified via email on Friday 26 May 2013.

www.melbournejazz.com

Fri 17 May 2013

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qGigIMM1Vw

INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE FAIR

The premier showcase for contemporary design in North America, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, returns to New York. With it, the Fair will bring originality, innovation and avant-garde design.

More than 500 exhibitors from all points of the globe will display contemporary furniture, lighting and a range of other materials for residential and commercial interiors.

fluoro’s picks for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, 2013 include:

Tom Dixon: The ‘Rough Smooth’ collection travels to North America, a project that celebrates the joy of contrasts.

Marset USA: Designers Xavier Mañosa and Mashallah have created pendant lamps that reference a folded piece of cloth. The interiors of the ceramic lamps are coated with 10-karat gold to generate warm light.

Why Not Bespoke: The Florida based company present the ‘April Fools’ stool, an imaginative play on a three-legged stool.

Calico: The wallpaper atelier was inspired by NASA photographs of moonscapes and uninhabited space in the making of their ‘Lunar’ series.

Assembly Design: Founded in 2012 the studio the young studio has released products such as ‘The ‘Right Lamp,’ a contemporary take on the traditional touch lamp.

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair runs from Tuesday 18 May until Friday 21 May 2013, in New York, US.

www.icff.com

Thur 16 May 2013

VERSUS VERSACE COLLECTION

Versus Versace, the young soul and spirit of Versace, is set to reveal a new collection and collaboration with J.W Anderson.

A preview of the collection, a behind the scenes video titled Screentest, references Andy Warhol’s videos of the same name. The video focuses on the models’ style, music tastes and hopes for the future.

The video is true of Versus Versace’s ambitions to release collections in ways that are unique from the traditional fashion show. The new collection will be officially presented at an event in an unknown location in New York today.

www.versusversace.com

Thu 16 May 2013

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o83PIuzUQpQ

A LIFE OF COLLECTING: IRIS APFEL

Lifelong connoisseur and fashion icon, Iris Apfel has spent much of her life collecting everything from clothing and accessories, to art and textiles. Her self-expression and style truly embodies the creative spirit of the city of New York.

Iris Apfel’s sense of style is not restricted by her 93 years of age. Her passion for collecting has seen her work with the likes of MAC cosmetics, collaborate with numerous eyewear labels and appear within Bill Cunningham’s photographic documentation of New York street fashion.

A live interview and Q&A hosted by Deborah Needleman, Editor-in-Chief of ‘T: The New York Times Style Magazine’ will reflect on Apfel’s personal style and her varied career in design. The sold out event will take place tonight at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, US.

www.madmuseum.org

Wed 15 May 2013

LANEWAY FESTIVAL DETROIT LINEUP

The Laneway Festival has unveiled the line-up for the inaugural Laneway Festival Detroit, the North American debut of the boutique festival. Sigur Ros and The National will headline.

The nearly two dozen acts will cover the gamut of indie music, old school, new school, pop, rock, punk, hip hop and R&B. The Dismemberment Plan, Solange, Icona Pop, My Brightest Diamond, Run the Jewels and Deerhunter are some key artists to make an appearance.

The Laneway Festival Detroit will take place on Saturday 14 September, 2013 at Meadow Brook Music Festival, in Detroit, Michigan, US.

The Detroit extension of the Laneway Festival will mark the Australian festival has launched in the US.

www.lanewayfestival.com

Wed 15 May 2013

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1OOxNE76pM

FORWARDS BACKWARDS

Immersing viewers in altered landscapes, Shiro Matsui is fascinated by spatial recognition. His latest exhibition in Osaka, Japan invites viewers into a series of unique garden spaces.

Matsui has always presented fresh and unexpected ideas of space. Creating works with various materials and scales he reverses concepts such as “interior/exterior” and “here/there.” As a result, the viewer’s usual understanding of space is swayed and expanded to a new plane.

In his latest solo exhibition, titled ‘Forwards Backwards’, Matsui presents a series of new works, referring to each piece as a “garden”. Fluid materials such as water, goldfish and aquatic plants are combined into uniquely formed ceramic vessels. As the viewer moves move forward and backward among the series they build perceptions of the relationships between the works and the surrounding world.

Shiro Matsui, ‘Forwards Backwards’ is on display until Saturday 22 June 2013 at Art Court Gallery, Osaka, Japan.

www.artcourtgallery.com

Tue 14 May 2013