London Design Festival: The Journey of a Drop by Rolf Sachs

Also as part of London Design Festival, German-born artist Rolf Sachs has debuted a new piece titled 'The Journey of a Drop' in the Henry Cole Wing Grand Staircase at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The architecture of the staircase, not usually accessible to the public, is interesting in it's own right. But, when an artist choreographs drops of coloured ink to fall the full height of the wing, some six storeys, to then disperse into a vat of water, then it makes it all the more intriguing. Timed every 30 seconds, and echoed by a microphone in the tank of liquid, you could stand, mesmerised by the coloured patterns, for hours. Rolf has said of the work: 'As the drops commence their journey, there will be a sense of anticipation, followed by a visual spectacle. Each drop within the sequence creates a unique and magical colour explosion, mysteriously disappearing moments later'.

Image: Gallery Libby Sellers

Images: My own

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A Case History by John King in Liverpool

Recently I wrote a post about some concrete bollards disguised as Berlin tower blocks by graffiti artist EVOL (see it here). Whilst in Liverpool last weekend I stumbled across this unusual concrete installation on Hope Street by artist John King. Titled 'A Case History', the public artwork features concrete casts of suitcases, trunks and guitar cases of famous residents of Liverpool. 

Images my own

Stop, Look, Listen: Three things to do this week.

STOP.
English National Ballet at Tate Britain.

Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries plays host to the English National Ballet company for a week as part of the current 'Picasso and Modern British Art' exhibition. From 10.30-11.45am visitors can watch company classes and rehearsals, and on Friday night (6.30pm, 7.15pm, 8pm, 8.45pm) a premiere of three ballets inspired by Picasso's costume and set design for the Ballets Russes. See Tate website.

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LOOK.

Last chance to see 'Studio Life: Lucian Freud by David Dawson' at the Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert Gallery on Bury Street. This exhibition shows photographs of Lucian Freud in his studio and at home, taken by his assistant, David Dawson, during the final years of his life.

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LISTEN.

Film at The Yard. 

From the 29th February to the 25th March, a new theatre created from reclaimed site materials in Hackney Wick will be showing various film screenings, including 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' and 'Requiem for a Dream'.  Tickets cost £9. Visit the-yard.co.uk to find out more.

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A Room for London by David Kohn and Fiona Banner

Perched on the roof of Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank, A Room for London is an installation by David Kohn Architects and artist Fiona Banner. A design competition was set up by Living Architecture and Artangel, in collaboration with the Southbank Centre to create a temporary room on the hall for two people to spend a unique night on top of a London architectural landmark. As the architects describe; "The proposal is for a boat, perched on the Queen Elizabeth Hall roof, that will appear to have come to rest there, grounded, perhaps, from the retreating waters of the Thames below. The idea evolved from narratives of travel and displacement in literature, in particular Joseph Conrad’s novella ‘Heart of Darkness,’ a story that begins beside the River Thames. The boat takes its name, 'Roi des Belges' from the steamboat that Conrad himself captained on the Congo. Visitors to the boat will be invited to create their own narrative by recording their experience on board". This private, domestic space is anchored onto one of the most public setting's on the river, in full display to passers-by and other buildings. However, the visitors' privacy is completely contained within this small wooden boat, creating an unique experience looking over London for anyone who wishes to book out the room. 

Photographs by Charles Hosea

V&A Christmas Tree by Studio Roso

Studio Roso, a creative partnership between Danish designers Sophie Nielsen and Rolf Knudsen, have created this christmas tree for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The handmade tree has been created with 1500 individual strands of elastic cord to create the form of a 4 metre high traditional christmas tree. Amongst these cords are various 'christmas ornaments' designed to mimic the crystalline structure of snowflakes and icicles. 

Images: Studio Roso

Cherry Tree by Tom Price

Last month the Industry Gallery in Washington D.C played host to the following cherry tree sculpture by British artist and designer Tom Price. Price specialises in bespoke furniture products made in unconventional materials. Constructed out of plastic tubes and cable ties, the fairytale-like trees filled the entire room of the gallery, casting shadows and patterns onto the surrounding walls. 

Images: Tom Price

Theresa Himmer

Danish artist Theresa Himmer, who studied in both Aarhus and New York, has created a series of sequined graffiti installations on the facades of various buildings in Reykjavik. The 'Mountain', 'Glacier', and 'Volcano' series are a result of Himmer's response to the Icelandic landscape and "extracted from the commercial world, they serve as a critique of the increasing and disturbing commodification of Icelandic nature". The Sequin system comes from advertisement billboards, but has been put together in an alternative context in order to shimmer and dazzle, like a landscape reacts to changes in wind and light. Her work adds another layer to these urban walls, making the city dweller observant of their impact on the surrounding environment. 

See: Theresa Himmer