New series of books published by Conran Octopus in partnership with the Design Museum, London

This new series of books published by Conran Octopus in partnership with the Design Museum is really good.
Each book lists the top 50 products that have made a substantial impact in the world of British design today, offering a short appraisal of each that explores what has made their iconic status and the designers that give them a special place in design history.

An essential piece of clothing in every woman’s closet, Fifty Dresses That Changed The World includes timeless dresses from the 1915 Delphos Pleated dress to Hussein Chalayan’s 2007 LED dress. The collection of iconic dresses in this book provides an introduction to the path fashion has taken in the last century. It is a story that takes in social and economic change and radically fluctuating positions on gender and sexuality. These are dresses that have encapsulated particular moments in time in a particularly powerful way, and that have provided fascinating insights into the people who wore them as well as the people who designed and made them.
A must-have accessory for all shoe lovers and design enthusiasts, Fifty Shoes That Changed The World includes everything from the 1863 Frye boot to Zaha Hadid’s 2009 Lacoste shoe. The shoe clearly exerts a fascination on people’s imagination. In 20 years of temporary exhibitions at the Design Museum, the retrospective staged in 2003 on Manolo Blahnik at the height of the Sex in the City phenomenon, still holds the record as the most popular exhibition that they have ever done. This selection of fifty designs explores the full range of shoe design. They can address comfort, or self image, fashion or technology.

Other books in the new series publishing October 2009 include Fifty Cars That Changed The World and Fifty Chairs That Changed The World.
More information on: http://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/ and http://www.designmuseum.org/

Pure beauty: Antony And The Johnsons 'Fistful Of Love' 2005

Frieze Week - Tuesday: Patti Smith at Alison Jacques Gallery

One of Frieze's highlights was the performance by Patti Smith at Alison Jacques Gallery's opening of Robert Mapplethorpe's A Season in Hell' show. The performance included a sing-along acapella rendition of "Because the Night" and a reading of "People Have the Power".

I found it simple, humble and amazing! Patti Smith stood in front of the crowd and in a very nice way spoke about her loving realtionship with Robert Mapplethorpe, apologized for not being able to perform inside.

The show itself encompasses beautiful, provocative iconic photographs... in a nutshell pure Mapplethorpe. Go and see it !

Video Copyright Paul Carter Robinson

More info on: http://www.alisonjacquesgallery.com/

Frieze Week - Wednesday : The Age of the Marvellous in London

One of the highlights of Frieze Week this year was the exhibition entitled the The Age of the Marvellous (14th ‐ 22nd October) at the church of Holy Trinity, Marylebone.

Inspired by the Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities, popular in the late Renaissance through the Baroque period (ca. 1550– ca. 1700), the show featured over 60 works of art, most of them especially produced for the exhibition, that displayed a new‐found tendency for contemporary artists to look beyond the limitations of aesthetic conventions, to a varied, more cross‐disciplinary approach that integrates areas of human knowledge that exist outside the boundaries of traditional art making.

George Clooney (who was earlier opening the London Film Festival) was rumoured to have come to the opening, but surely Tracey Emin, Jay Jopling or Charles Saatchi were seen that night.

Conceived and curated by All Visual Arts Director Joe La Placa, The Age of the Marvellous was the arts organization’s third major exhibition since it was launched in 2008.

I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere around this exhibition and the goth-inspired setting. A perfect show for the pre-Halloween period.

Amongst the most amazing artworks the Polly Morgan's coffin filled with baby-birds that one had the chance to see at the inaugural show of Haunch of Venison in London, the crucified Gorilla by Paul Fryer, "the Levitation of the Head of John the Baptist" by Martin Sexton (a small, life-like head of John the Baptist which seemed to levitate in a reliquary by an invisible force, without physical contact), Ben Tyers’ sculpture which draws attention to what is an otherwise largely unconscious process ‐ breathing.

The crypt will still be opened for another 6 months so run if you haven't seent it ! I loved it !

More information on: http://www.allvisualarts.org/

Remembering Irving Penn

R.I.P

Frieze Week - Friday: ArtReview Power 100 launch party

On Friday of Frieze Week was the ArtReview Power 100 launch party sponsored by Ruinard. I had the chance to attend it and had a good time: excellent champagne, nice crowd (of mainly Londoners), beautiful music !

"The ArtReview Power 100 is not just a who’s who to contemporary art but also a guide to general trends and forces that shape the artworld". This year's winner is Hans Ulrich Obrist, my friend and co-Director of exhibitions at London's Serpentine Gallery, who I had the chance to interview about Il Tempo del Postino (check the archives). I am really happy for him, congratulations !

Before you buy the magazine for the full list, here is the top ten:

1. Hans Ulrich Obrist

2. Glenn D. Lowry

3. Sir Nicholas Serota

4. Daniel Birnbaum

5. Larry Gagosian

6. François Pinault

7. Eli Broad

8. Anton Vidokle, Julieta Aranda & Brian Kuan Wood

9. Iwona Blazwick

10. Bruce Nauman

The Serpentine Gallery, thanks to its co-Director, is one the most influencial institutions and the Poetry Marathon which took place this weekend proved it once more. It was held in the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009, designed by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the acclaimed Japanese practice SANAA, and welcomed performances by Gilbert and Georges, Tracey Emin, Vito Acconci or Brian Eno. Superb !

More info on: http://www.artreview100.com/ and http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2009/06/poetry_marathonsaturday_and_su.html

Frieze Week: WWF Pandamonium's sale at Selfridges reached £100,000

Gary Hume

Frieze Week started well last Monday with the WWF Pandamonium auction sale at Selfridges. Original works reinterpreting the iconic panda by Sir Peter Blake, Tracey Emin, Sir Paul Smith, Jason Bruges amongst others, were being auctioned to raise awareness of climate change and of the natural world. The setting was very glamourous and Tracey Emin was even spotted cracking jokes at the back of the room. The total reached £100,000 making it a total success.

Prior to the auction, the artworks could be seen in the Selfridges windows. Pandamonium communicated the urgent need to address climate change and its effects on people, wildlife and the planet in the crucial months before the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen in December.

Tom Dixon

"The artists’ creativity really makes you stop and think about the connections between people, wildlife and the planet. We hope it will help people to understand and support our work to safeguard the natural world, tackle climate change and change the way we live." said Georgina Bridge, Head of Design Management at WWF-UK

More information:

http://www.wwf.org.uk/