The V&A tells tales
Made by Bees, Tomas Gabzdil Libertiny and Fig Leaf Wardrobe, Tord Boontje
An exhibition looking at narrative in contemporary design makes up part of the V&A’s summer offering (until 18 October)
Telling Tales: Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design brings together about 50 objects by a group of designers who all share an interest in objects that go beyond mere functionality and decoration. They’re all deliberately designed to be many-layered and thought-provoking, with some parodying historical styles, some referencing fantasy or historical styles, and others exploring ideas about mortality.
The show has been arranged in three sections by curator Gareth Williams (senior tutor of Design Products at the RCA). ‘The Forest Glade’, takes the enchanted woods of fairytales as its theme and showcases objects such as Tord Boontje’s Fig Leaf Wardrobe camouflaged with 616 painted copper leaves and Tomas Gabzdil Libertiny’s honeycombed_ Made by Bees_ vase. Section two, ‘The Enchanted Castle’, looks at how today’s designers play with historic styles – look out here for Joris Laarman’s Heatwave rococo-style radiator and Sebastian Brajkovic’s Lathe Chair VIII based on the idea of teasing two chairs out of one Victorian original. And the final section, ‘Heaven and Hell’, features designs which act as a modern-day momento mori, such as Luc Merx’s Fall of the Damned chandelier made up of human figures seemingly tumbling into hell.
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