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.

Wu Guanzhong

Just Before his death, at the age of 90 in 2010, Wu Guanzhong donated five last paintings to the Hong Kong museum of Art. These five, along with 15 works were recently shown in a sublime exhibition at museum. They opitimsie the constant struggle to leave figuration in favour of pure abstraction, but more tellingly, they opitimise his struggle with life itself.
Simply not recognised by the Chinese authorities for vast swathes of his life, Guanzhongs' work reveals an intense personal trauma. For me it points to a manic depressive; in absolute bliss at one moment, like daydreaming in the midday sun, to crawling around on the wet forest floor the next.
There are no secrets here, Guanzhongs' integrity means, (regardless of their occasional confused actualisation), the images deliver the most clear, honest emotions.
Guanzhong could never 'let go of the kite' and succumb to pure abstract painting, but there is no doubt he is was his most interesting when he tried.
"When the thick dark ink splashes onto the plain paper, it explodes and dazzles. In the same way that pearls jingle when they are dropped into a jade dish, ink produces a formal beauty that is random when it hits the rice paper. Randomness is not something to depend on, however. The directions are instead determined by emotions to reflect the force latent in the splashed marks. In physics, fission is caused by a change in force. In humans, a swing or a dramatic swing in emotions is detectable at the tip of a Chinese brush. I have no words for fission, and one that is spontaneous, to describe my mindset in different moods".

Valcucine

Carlsten Thostrup

Carlsten Thostrup did not actually exhibit the 'Reel Cabinet' at their stand in last weeks Milan Design Festival, but I think it is their standout piece. The design has an immediacy about it, the detailing not necessarily being central, but rather a mechanical physicality coming to the fore. The space frame legs feel a little short and the wheels slightly large, but it doesn't matter. It's just very honest and engaging; I want to use it, hear what it sounds like, (and get lost in that blue).

Michael Wolff

Continuing the emotional, left field thinking with an excellent recent TEDx talk by Michael Wolff, talking about design and experience in very broad terms. It's only ten odd minutes long and you only need to listen, so I highly recommend.

".....people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."