Oriel Harwood at David Gill
Left, Sirena Chandelier and right, Volute Candelabrum, gilded resin with ceramic holders (© Thomas Brown, courtesy of David Gill Galleries)
Designer Oriel Harwood’s contemporary take on the Baroque can be seen at David Gill Galleries from 20 May – 20 June
This exhibition, which marks Harwood’s 25th anniversary as designer, showcases 12 new pieces, including tables, chandeliers and candelabra, all modelled in an exuberantly Baroque style. Harwood’s work is directly linked to the V&A’s new Baroque show, and she says: ‘My abiding fascination draws upon the Baroque period, the most demanding of disciplines, and the pieces the V&A is exhibiting have stretched me to realize the wildest of my work to date.’
The work on show is all wonderfully organic, inspired by a combination of natural forms and a delight in complex, over-the-top decoration. It includes a chandelier, which although in a traditional form, is so encrusted with tiny dripping icicle-like forms. Likewise, Harwood’s take on an 18th-century console table is an energetic construction of writhing, scrolling legs and struts that seem incapable of standing on their own let alone supporting a table top. Harwood describes her style as one of ‘sculptural excess’, but it’s also fun and witty – and well worth checking out.
www.davidgillgalleries.com
