To coincide with the Christmas season, leading auction house Phillips de Pury & Company is presenting a pop-up shop of unique works, limited-editions and prints by a dynamic group of artists and designers.

PHILLIPS DE PURY POP-UP SHOP, 2nd December 2011-31st January 2012

PHILLIPS DE PURY & COMPANY at Claridges

45-47 Brook Street, London W1K 4HN (020 7318 4010)

The exclusively curated selection includes original works such as Watch Sculptures by Dominic Wilcox, Push + Pivot Rings by Bethan Laura Woods, and hand-painted graphic t-shirts, prints and accessories by DavidDavid.

London based designer Martino Gamper has curated a special Martino and Friends section especially for the shop. Gamper has made a bespoke shelving unit to display his selection. Highlights from the Martino and Friends section include Francis Upritchard’s hand painted Christmas cards and wrapping paper, jewellery from Gemma Holt and Rob Upritchard, and a set of drinking glasses with carafe from Martino Gamper.

Other talents included in the pop-up include Max Lamb, Michael Anastassiades, Tauba Auerbach, Faye Toogood, Snarkitecture, Brunno Jahara, Humans Since 1982, Pia Wustenberg, Victoria Wilmotte, Jonathan Muecke, Oeuffice, and Ben Adams.

Note: the pop-up shop will be closed from 24 December – 3 January.

All images courtesy of Phillips de Pury & Company.

Jewellery designer Hannah Martin has teamed up with tech-design genius Moritz Waldemeyer on a breathtaking installation at Dover Street Market, involving lasers, sensors, sound effects and augmented reality.

THE MAN WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING

18th-30th March 2011

DOVER STREET MARKET

17-18 Dover Street, London W1S 4LT (020 7518 0680)

To launch her latest jewellery collection, called The Man Who Knows Everything, Martin opted to collaborate with Waldemeyer to create an imposing display for a single ring, which doubles as security for the precious gems within.

Waldemeyer came up with the idea of an interactive obelisk to house Martin’s newest iconic ring. Sitting at three metres, produced in black Dupont Corian and surrounded by sound-making-laser-strings, the imposing structure takes jewellery displays to a new level.

Break the laser beams and the sound effects change, reminding you not to get too close!

If you’re compelled to try on the ring in question (Euphoria of Lights: The Comte’s Pyramid Ring), you can do so in cyberspace using a new app that has been specially developed by augmented reality experts, Holition. All you need is your computer, a printer and a web cam. Here’s a video showing how it works.

Some of the pieces in Hannah Martin’s new collection are shown below.

Above: Euphoria of Lights: The Comte’s Pyramid Ring (red gold with channel-set rubies, tourmaline and orange sapphires)

Above: Shaman’s Triangle Pave Cufflinks (red gold with rubies, tourmaline and orange sapphires)

Above: Shaman’s Triangle Simple Signet (yellow gold)

Above: Shaman’s Triangle Bangle (silver)

Above: Shaman’s Triangle Pendant (silver)

All pieces are available in gold and silver.

Installation images by Mark Cocksedge. Product images courtesy of Hannah Martin Ltd.

Restauranteur Oliver Peyton of Peyton & Byrne has launched the 150-cover Restaurant at Royal Academy, complete with an interior by Tom Dixon‘s design practice, Design Research Studio.

RESTAURANT AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD (020 7300 5608)

The 250 square-metre refurbishment references the long and illustrious history of the Royal Academy of Arts with materials chosen to complement the existing fabric of the Regency building including Tom Dixon’s signature material palette – marble, brass and velvet.

The dining area is divided into different zones, with each area inspired by the work of a different Royal Academy ‘Great’, such as Turner and Sir John Soane. A dramatic free-standing unit stands in the centre of the space, consisting of a number of glass cubes. Each cube houses a selection of artefacts dating back to 1897. The pieces belong to the Royal Academy of Arts permanent collection but have long been stored out of public view.

The restaurant is open Sunday-Thursday 10am-6pm, and Friday + Saturday 10am-11pm.

This year sees the 4th edition of the Pavilion of Art and Design London, a key event as part of the Frieze Art Fair week. Fifty international dealers are gathering on Berkeley Square to present an historical panorama of covetable and iconic pieces from 1860 to the present day in the fields of Modern Art, Design, Decorative Arts, Photography and Tribal Art.

PAVILION OF ART AND DESIGN LONDON

13th-17th October 2010

Berkeley Square, London W1

PAD London covers a large spectrum of design and art and is considered one of the most exclusive rendez-vous during Frieze week. The event is conceived with meticulous care to meet the lofty expectations of a wealthy collecting audience.

Highlights include a strong first appearance from contemporary glass specialist Clara Scremini with a solo show of Czech glass master Frantisek Vizner, dramatic woodwork furniture by American artists Michael Coffey and Jack Rodgers, and the latest in interactive design form Carpenters Workshop Gallery.

Also showing at  PAD  London  is  a  new  project  conceived  by  curators  Janice  Blackburn  and  Nigel  Coates,  aimed  at  supporting  young  design  talents.  Drawing  from  the  departments  of  Architecture,  Ceramics,  Glass  and  Design  Products  at  the  Royal  College  of  Art,  the  curators  have  selected  some  twenty  pieces  from  this  year’s Graduate  Show  to  be  exhibited  at  the  fair . Fifteen percent of the profits generated from the sale of these works will go towards the RCA Student Fine Art Award Fund.

Images, from top: Faceted Console by Paul Evans; Untitled by Anish Kapoor (1998); Onyx Cabinet by Christophe Come (2002); Italian Walnut Console by Ico Parisi.

Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents the first solo show by London/Berlin based trio rAndom International, showcasing three of their latest works in their Mayfair gallery.

‘THE BEHAVIOUR OF OBJECTS’ by rAndom International

7th October-13th November 2010

CARPENTERS WORKSHOP GALLERY

3 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4HE (020 3051 5939)

rAndom International is a London-based art and design collective that was founded in 2002 by Stuart Wood, Flo Ortkrass and Hannes Koch with a vision to create engaging and experimental projects.

Deemed as the pioneers of a performative new media, rAndom International were awarded the accolade of Designer of the Future at Design Miami/Basel 2010. The trio continue to focus their work around behaviour, performance, participation and interactivity, furthering the discourse and melting the boundaries between contemporary performance art and installation.

‘SWARM’ is a sound sculpture that comprises hanging LED’s which react instinctively to noise and movement. The viewer is made aware of his own presence in close proximity to the work because of the dynamic reaction that is provoked from it. This swarm of lights moves, teasing the viewer, either by shying away or moving close in a movement reminiscent of the behavioural conditions of complex insect groups.

Other pieces in the exhibition include SELF-PORTRAIT and TRIPTYCH, both of which explore the idea of capturing the image of the viewer themselves, reinterpreting then re-presenting.

The pieces play with the viewer, shifting from animate to inanimate, while employing elements of tension and surprise.

Gallery Opening Times / Mon – Sat 10am – 6pm

SHOWstudio, the online fashion broadcasting company, has established a gallery-cum-shop featuring artifacts from renowned designers and photographers – items that were originally unveiled in iconic fashion shoots and catwalks.

SHOWstudio Shop

1-9 Bruton Place, London W1J 6LT (020 7399 4299)

The space is curated by Nick Knight, the photographer and director of the original SHOWstudio website. The ever-changing exhibits are all items that were captured on camera by contemporary photographers whose imagery stands alongside the objects.

In addition, a live studio set up enables spectators to see the process behind the creation of fashion imagery online. A number of renowned designers are filmed via a webcam whilst creating unique pieces known as ‘SHOWstudio Originals’. These pieces are sold with the existing artifacts and prints. Information on particular events can be found on their website.

Images are taken from the exhibition titled Inside/Out, shown in summer 2010.

Housed at their Mayfair gallery, British producer Established & Sons is showcasing their collection of lighting and objects which they recently developed in collaboration with legendary Italian glass producer Venini.

ESTABLISHED & SONS IN COLLABORATION WITH VENINI

16th July-1oth September 2010

ESTABLISHED & SONS LIMITED

2-3 Duke Street St James’s, London SW1Y 6BJ (020 7968 2040)

The exhibition showcases the six pieces in this collection, which includes designs by Established & Sons existing designers, Sebastian Wrong and Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec and introduces Michael Eden and Konstantin Grcic.

Venini was founded in 1921 on the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon. Their glassware is handmade using the same wooden and metal tools that were used centuries of years ago, with a workshop of highly skilled artisan fifth generation glass blowers.

From the outset, Venini broke away from the traditional production methods of glassware and design constraints, and embraced an avant-garde style, implementing high quality techniques and colour palettes that have become synonymous with the brand to date.

Images, from top: LightHouse by Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec; Audrey Vase by Michael Eden; Blow by Konstantin Grcic. Images courtesy of Established & Sons.

For his second solo show at London’s Haunch of Venison gallery, maverick designer Thomas Heatherwick has produced a twist on conventional furniture design – a ‘functional’ spinning top chair formed from a single profile rotated through 360 degrees.

‘SPUN’ by THOMAS HEATHERWICK, 31st March – 15th May 2010

HAUNCH OF VENISON

6 Burlington Gardens, London W1S 3ET (020 7495 5050)

The exhibition includes five versions of the ‘Spun’ chair in copper and stainless steel. The five versions are mirror polished stainless steel; brushed stainless steel; mirror polished copper; brushed copper; and patinated with brushed seat copper.

The concept of this new design evolved from Heatherwick’s love of the traditional manufacturing technique used for making large timpani drums. This established craft skill has been revised and used to make a playful piece of metal furniture.

Dutch design duo Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job are showing a new series of work titled Industry at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. The exhibition includes highly ornamented pieces which contain dark, satirical, and bravely confrontational comments on the modern world.

STUDIO JOB, 18th March – 8th May 2010

CARPENTERS WORKSHOP GALLERY

3 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4HE (020 3051 5939)

The Industry series indulges in elaborate imagery of death and destruction, represented in bold silhouettes in white maple inlaid within Indian rosewood. Animals and insects mingle with industrial buildings, warfare weaponry and other such products of capital. Featuring hummingbirds, seahorses, dragonflies, skeletal figures, and butterflies alongside tanks, helicopters, pylons, smoke, grenades, fighter planes and gasmarks, the viewer is forced to recognise the uncomfortable relationship between the natural (or organic), and the manmade (or destructive).

The irony comes not simply from their opposition but also from the fact that the natural and the artificial are very much cohabitants in the twenty first century.

To compliment the five Industry pieces (details shown above) and further develop the dialogue, Carpenters Workshop Gallery has commissioned Studio Job to create two new light-works entitled Crane Lamp and Wrecking Ball Lamp (sketch above).

We have recently discovered that St Alban, the restaurant from The Wolseley owners Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, has closed. Apparently, the closure was not recession-struck but rather the result of an unbeatable offer on the lease.

As restaurant critic Jay Rayner wrote on The Guardian website, “St Alban, with its smart Mediterranean menu and decor reminiscent of a business class airline lounge, simply never found a place in the affections of the city.”

Fans of uber-successful The Wolseley on Piccadilly will be pleased to learn that Corbin and King are planning a Wolseley-style grand cafe in the old Theatre Museum site in Covent Garden and a venture at the top of the Bishopsgate Tower development in the city.

For owners of LONDON DESIGN GUIDE, please be aware that the St Alban restaurant listing on page 59 is no longer valid.