Dear Diary... Ready Made

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...

Colored Vases, Ai Wei Wei, 2006;vases from the Neolithic age (5000 - 3000 BCE) and industrial paint; Courtesy AW Asia collection, New York

In a culture where regulations are in place for the restoration, protection and conservation of historic, antique and ancient monuments we are more than cautious when it comes to adapting or threatening those objects in any way. Contemporary artist, Ai Wei Wei is not scared of breaking traditions. He lives by his own rules of subversion and as it turns out, he is more than happy to physically destruct ancient objects; albeit with philosophical or political purpose. This purpose has seen him create an incredible body of work that is as beautiful as it is interesting.

When I first saw Ai Wei Wei's Coloured Vases, it was the bold, bright colours that drew me to them. On closer inspection, it is the contrast which really gives them weight. As the colour-pop of bright hues drip down the matt, neutral tones of the ancient vessels, you are struck by what Ai is really doing here. He is commenting on Chinese history: on the present, the past and power of cultural washing which wipes out that history in favour of a shiny, plastic future.

Colored Vases, Ai Wei Wei, 2006

Ai began the process of smashing Neolithic pottery in the nineties and in his work Dust to Dust, 2009 he explores this process even further. Archaic vessels are crushed to powder: unrecognisable, their sandy remains are stored in a clear glass jar. Like the ashes of ancestors, the memories of the Neolithic object lie to rest, forever memoralised inside a modern vessel. The process of violently smashing something precious in order to protect and conserve its broken remnants delivers us a complex set of questions in regards to cultural rules, memories and expectations.

Curiosity Shop #15

Articulate Animals

Japanese armour is compositionally complex in its intricate combining of metal and rope to create movable parts. These two materials were knotted and threaded together to form flexible articulations that provided the protective layer for Samurai going into battle. The armour was required to be strong enough to protect a body from sharp weapons yet supple enough to retain the sort of elasticity required for movement in battle. The joining of these perfectly measured components is a complicated balance that required technical craftsmanship of the most highly skilled. One of the most profound schools of armour makers, the Myochin school, also applied their metalworking expertise to bronze and iron figures.

Since the middle of the Edo Period (1600-1868), representational sculptures of animals and insects were made to inhabit the interior alcove where works of art were to be displayed - the tokonoma. Most exceptional of these representational animals are the jizai or articulated figures of animals. Perfected at the Myochin school, jizai are realistically shaped figures of animals made from iron, copper, shibuichi (copper and silver alloy) and shakudo (copper and gold alloy). They move like real animals, as their bodies and limbs are composed of metallic articulations. Their lithe and flexible bodies emulate the movement of actual animals and they are commonly found as birds, fish, snakes, lobsters, crabs, insects and dragons.

If you've ever wondered what it might feel like to hold a writhing, slithering snake in your own hands then these animals may very well come close to the actual experience.  Their movement is so naturalistic it makes the material composition of metal almost implausible. Our favourite of these incredible figures are the impressive snakes below.

An Articulated Iron Snake, Myochin School, Edo Period (1750-1800), Victoria & Albert Museum

A Myochin-School Iron Articulated Model of a Snake, signed Muneyoshi, Meiji Period (late 19th century),  lot 248, Sale 2596, Christie's South Kensington, 09 November 2011

This figures long, fully articulated body is made of russet iron and constructed of numerous hammered plates joined inside the body. Its head  is carved with naturalistic scales and a fitted hinged jaw, inside which is a movable tongue in gilt. 

Sold for an impressive £21,875 against an auction estimate of £1,500 - 2,000 proves these objects remain competitive finds amongst collectors. Similar examples sold in Christie's New York 18th September 2007, Lot 188, and 23rd March 1999, Lot 133 (as below).

Dear Diary... dream hues

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...

It’s a steamy, dreamy 70s inspired haze. We're looking forward to Gary Hume’s show opening at White Cube, Bermondsey in early March! Here's a little sneak preview... it's a dream-pop world.

'Where I live in New York, there’s a wood. I heard an owl in the night. Next day I found one of those “Happy Birthday” balloons caught in the trees. It had almost deflated. I imagined the owl, utterly indifferent, watching the balloon float by as it slowly collapsed. That’s how I see life. I’m the owl, totally disengaged as the balloon bobs by…'

Gary Hume

Gary Hume

6 March – 21 April 2013

9 x 9 x 9

White Cube, Bermondsey

Dear Diary... Le Cabinet de Curiosites

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...

While curiosity shopping on my lunch break I discovered an actual Curiosity Cabinet fabric on Fulham Rd courtesy of Kingcome fabrics and sofas! Leading French fabric house Manuel Canova have created a fabric design, Le Cabinet de Curiosites, complete with bell jars, sculptural coral, butterflies and shells which appeals to the curious in all of us.

Let’s Little Black Book it!

Dear Diary... Welcome to my WORLD

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...  

The Curiosity Cabinet is currently researching its favourite weird and wonderful shops in London. One of our all-time  favourite curiosity shops is actually worlds away in the South Pacific – New Zealand’s WORLD concept store.

Chock full of designer candles, boutique fragrances and antiques, this store provides a delicious buying experience. Accosted by fragrance as you walk in, you are compelled to breath deep and live their philosophy. WORLD is a New Zealand fashion label so cool they call themselves a ‘factory of ideas and experiments’. With such punchy, tongue-in-cheek collection titles as: ‘I need someone really bad. Are you really bad?’; ‘Wasted days. Wasted nights’ and ‘Housework makes you ugly', you can imagine how super-cool the stores are. Each store is designed and styled individually to fit the space from their small central Wellington boutique to the newly built Britomart store in Auckland.

Welcome to a WORLD I would like to live in.

 

 

 

 

The WORLD beauty boutique sells a range of seductive scents including Fracas by Robert Piguet, Tokyo Milk Dark - Arsenic No.17 by Margot Elena and a luxurious collection of candles from Masion Cire Trudon, the French candlemakers for Versailles Royal Court since 1643.

The antiques are all supplied by Auckland based European Antiques & Furnishings Ltd who sell through WORLD and their showroom in a beautifully restored villa in Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand.



Dear Diary... Indoor/ Outdoor

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...  

I was in Sydney recently and stumbled across a cool store in Potts Point which mixes accessories for both the interior and  exterior in one shop. Nowhere has better mastered the combination of indoor/ outdoor living than Australia. The tropical climate and wonderful flora and fauna when combined with decorative objects has the ability to create fantastic displays. It turns out that what I thought was a stylish store for decorative art was actually a florists who provide bouquets in the context of an actual environment. Poho have got the blend of interior and exterior just right.

Dear Diary... Paper Trail

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...  

Imagine, if cost wasn’t an issue and you could afford for your favourite artist to hand paint the interior of your house. If only dreams could come true! Well, then, I would commission a painter to painstakingly replicate Chinese silks or Japanese textiles behind my bed head and golden bamboo across my bathroom wall.

If this is a dream you share, I'd like you to meet de Gournay. The exquisite interiors company who hand paint wallpaper using traditional artisan methods. They call themselves ‘artistes’ and their work is certainly impeccable: ‘Our artisans are artists. Our wallpapers, our mirrors, our dinner plates are works of art’. De Gournay, who specialise in pictorial wallpaper design, have in my opinion the most exceptional wallpapers I have seen. The brand originated in Paris (surprise, surprise) and they create intricate wallpapers as if they are embroidered textiles or oil painting perfections. Wallpaper is a fabulous way to enliven a wall space, create a feature wall or decorate an interior which needs a creative addition. Getting the balance right between beautifully decorative and simply too busy is fine line to navigate. De Gournay are willing to collaborate with you and tailor your concerns to fit your environment. I am delighted to share with you a selection of my favourite de Gournay designs.   

 

‘Bamboo’ design in Golden design colours on Blue Green dyed silk with Matt glaze. Balfour Castle, Scotland.

Bamboo’ design in Malachite design colours on Pitch painted silk. Photography by Anthony Parkinson.

Abbotsford’ design in standard design colours on Ice Blue India Tea Paper. Photography by Natasha Polskaya.

Askew’ design in full custom design colours on Emerald Green India Tea Paper.

‘Coutts' design in standard design colours on 22 Carat Gold Gilded silk. Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant, New York. Interior design by Kelly Wearstler.

 

‘Earlham’ design in full custom design colours on Verdigris India Tea Paper.

‘Portobello’ design in a special colourway on 22 Carat Gold gilded silk.

 

‘Windswept Blossom’ design in Noir design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper.

‘Windswept Blossom’ design in full custom design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper. de Gournay for Mezzanine show.

Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey dyed silk. ‘Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey Organza fabric. ‘Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey Heavy Duchess Satin fabric. Interior design by Candy & Candy.

Let’s Little Black Book it!