Matthew Stone

"Optimism is the Vital Force that Entangles itself with and then Shapes the Future"
Matthew Stone is one reason Peckham has usurped Hackney as the place to be in the art world. His work ranges far and wide; from obscenely beautiful nude photographs, to deconstructed canvases (above) through electronic music, shamanic performance to intelligent critical interview. Amazing. 

Falmouth Docks

click on image to enlarge

Ai Weiwei

Awesome looking design for the 2012 Serpentine summer Pavilion by Ai Weiwei and Herzog and Du Meuron. Bit of a swerve rules wise as this competition used to only be open to people who have not completed a building in the UK and surely the Tate Modern (Herzog and Du Meuron) counts? Anyway, stickling aside, this is a fine concept and looks amazing. It uses buried architectural history from previous Pavilions to create a sunken seating area. The saucer like roof collects rainwater to reflect the sky, and can be drained and used as a stage. The most interesting aspect is the lack of impact on the gallery and surrounding area, the excavated design allows everything around it breathe very easily.

Anish Kapoor's Orbit Tower

"Don't you think it's just amazing that they actually let us build this?" 


All artists make bad work, (even great ones). It is an essential process in producing good work, and it can also be hugely interesting, but sometimes it is just plain bad. 

Stephen Friedman at Frieze NYC

This is the sort of thing I wholeheartedly approve of. Stephen Friedmans' megastars; Yinka Shonibare, Shrigley, Li Tianbing (plus many many more) displayed cheek by jowl with rare Danish furniture, at Frieze NYC. Yes.

Branch Studios

The latest development of the 'Domesticity' table form Branch Studios. I shared a workshop with the founder, Chris Gil for years. Chris is one of those incredibly annoying Woodworkers, he just gets it, its all so easy and natural.
I think a natural aptitude generally means the work leans towards a classic style classic. Its partly an understanding of the properties of the materials and partly a view of how things were, and should be done. There is huge respect for the history of the trade. I certainly do not consider myself a born maker and I think that slight awkwardness projects sometimes. I come from the other side, I sculpt rather than make. It is not all bad, the rule breaking means the work can be more challenging, but you can lose some longevity, its all about a balance.
I think Branch are very nicely placed within the scale.
Hope all is going super well Chris.

Space

Something nice images from the European Space Agency via The Independent.