Yinka Shonibare

I am going to jump the gun on this one and get it in early as i feel this is going to get a whole lot of interest when it appears, on the 24th May. I was fortunate enough to design and make the furniture for Yinka Shonibare's new studio last year, working with (the brilliant) Ann-Marie Pena. All the work is  finely considered and meticulously constructed, and the i can't wait to see the new Fourth Plinth sculpture in the flesh. Its a very large object, but obviously most of it is transparent, so the impact it has will be interesting to see. I am guessing it will be big.

Michael Johansson

Free standing furniture commissions are unfortunately less frequent than fitted projects, probably due to the fact that these days we have some much stuff and very little space to put it all. Michael Johansson explores the nature of our ever increasing objects and the fitted/freestanding dilemma in the most interesting way. In trying to make sense of what it is, and why we possess it, Johansson creates arrangements of things that are far, far greater than the sum of their parts. Check out the site fully if you have time. This is serious work, totally real but highly imaginative, executed immaculately. I am all over it.

Dionisio Gonzalez

Super interesting, and intelligent, imagined architecture from Dionisio Gonzalez. Gonzalez's work....."is not just artistic or theoretical commentary – it is a semi-concrete vision for the possible restructuring of shanty towns. He has imagined and proposed a reuse of the spontaneous constructive elements of the existing structures in mass settlements to create controlled hybrid-but-functional communities of the future."
"The artist’s critique and proposal are based on his observation of the slash-and-burn tactics of the Brazilian government which, when it intervenes, simply swoops in and sweeps areas before rebuilding utterly – at the expense of the shared structural history of an area that might not be ideal but is what many people call home."

Bram Boo

I am sure i had mentioned Bram Boo before, but had a quick look through and i can't seem to find the post so i will try again. He is very interested in emotion and personality in furniture, although function is of huge importance as well. I really like the concept of these dog like benches, barking at passers by, from the inside of the Brussels Parliament.

Opening Closing

When i was living in Peckham, (admittedly some time ago),  the creative population was huge, but so underground, it was literally living in the sewers. Of course there was, (and still is, Camberwell College), but there were so few places for Graduates to show their wares. In the nineties, the Peckham Palais, beautifully situated at the top of the Rye Lane, was a building i liked, but certainly not somewhere i ever dreamt of going, but now i think very differently. It about to open its door as arts biased music and performance venue, and i very much hope it takes off - big time. Its a brilliant area, and the latest incarnation of the Palais can only be a good, good thing.
Going in the other direction, and soon to close is Trio, at the Rocket Gallery, before a new, pure painting show, opens at the start of May. Go see, its (always) worth it.
(Also liking the blue sky/yellow colour combination)

Jubilee Wharf

Its strange when things are on your doorstep, sometimes you don't pay them the attention they deserve. When working in Cornwall i pass Jubilee Wharf everyday on the way to workshop, but it was only when a (eco architecture obsessed) friend visited this weekend that it registered fully. In my mind its not the most amazing looking building but as a working, dynamic machine its at the forefront of sustainable design. A few years ago, when it was completed,  Jonathan Glancey questioned whether it was the greenest place to live in the UK. Designed by Bill Dunster, its a super insulated, self powered complex, housing a wide range of shops, workshops and housing. I know people with studios there who have never turned the underfloor heating on - and trust me, that's quite something on a damp Cornish winters day with a strong easterly wind funneling up the estuary.

Paul Stankey

Hoping for some more interior shots of this very cool little project by Paul Stankey very soon.

(Sorry just been looking back to check up on this and saw that its dated 2007, so probably not going to see any more photos soon, (or ever). Still like it though) 23.04.10