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PressRelease-September2016EdwardBarber&JayOsgerby,JasperMorrison,MartinoGamperandPaulCocksedgetoexhibit‘BelowStairs’atSirJohnSoane’sMuseumduringLondonDesignFestival
Fromlefttoright:Barber&Osgerby;JasperMorrison;MartinoGamper;PaulCocksedgeLeadingUKdesignersEdwardBarber&JayOsgerby,JasperMorrison,MartinoGamperandPaulCocksedgehavecreatednewandbespokeworkforagroupshowcuratedbyRachaelBarraclough,whichinformshowwedesignforourlivestoday.AlongsidethesepieceswillbeasensoryinstallationfromartistandfoodhistorianTashaMarks.BelowStairs(13September2016to28January2017)isrunninginpartnershipwiththisyear’sLondonDesignFestival,andwilltakeplaceinSirJohnSoane’sMuseum’snewlyreinstatedRegencykitchens.TheexhibitionispartoftheopeningofnewspacesattheMuseum,followingthecompletionoftheseven-yearrestorationprogrammeentitledOpeningUptheSoane.CuratorsRachaelBarracloughwithassistantcuratorZoëWilkinsonhaveinvitedfivedesigners,eachwithalongstandingpassionfortheculinaryandthedomesticobject,torespondtothepreviouslyunseenkitchensoftheGeorgianhousemuseum.Theexhibition’stitle,BelowStairsreferstothelifeofSirJohnSoane’sstaffandservantsinthebasementofthehouse.ThekitchenswerethedomesticheartoftheRegencyhome-aplacewhereelaboratemealswereprepared,laundrywashed,andprovisionsforthehouseholdorderedandreceived.Themuseum’sprogrammeofrestorationwasinitiatedinordertobring‘lost’spacesofthehousebacktohowtheywouldhavebeeninSirJohnSoane’sday.Thekitchens–whichhaveneverbeenopentothepublicbefore-retaintheiroriginalflagstonefloors,ironcookingrangesandbuilt-indressers.Thedesignerswereinvitedtoconsidertheirworkinrelationtothedomesticspacesofthemuseum.Visitingthekitchenswhilstrenovationworksweretakingplace,theywereabletoengagewiththeoriginalwallsandfeatures,whichhadbeenhiddenforsomanyyears.Eachwereinspiredbythespacesindifferentways.
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EdwardBarberandJayOsgerbywhohavedesignedrangesoftableware,day-to-dayobjectsandanumberofdiningtables,wereinterestedinthecentralroleofthekitchentable.InresponsetheyhavecreatedaspecialeditionoftheirTobiIshitableforB&BItaliaintimogreenwithaglossfinish,using50layersoflacquer.AlsodisplayedistheirPortBlackvaseforVenini,whichhasbeenspeciallymadeinblackglass.JasperMorrison’sfondnessforanhonestaestheticprovidesaperfectfitforthemuseum’sutilitariankitchens,whichalignwithMorrison’svisionforfunctionalpareddownobjects.StudyingtheMuseum’sdetailswithinterest,hewantedtoseealloftheoriginaldomesticobjectsthatwouldhavebeenindailyuseinthekitchen.HehascreatedacontemplativeinstallationinSoane'snewlyopenedKitchensbyplacingantiqueglasswarepiecesfromhisownpersonalcollectionintothelimitededitionObjectFrame.JasperMorrisoncommented:ThefactthattheObjectFrameservestostoreanddisplaytheseitems,reducesitspresenceandtheeffectithasontheatmospheretoaminimum,whilstdisplayingthepiecesitenhancestheatmosphereoftheoldkitchenbyaddingobjectswhichwouldoriginallyhavebeenpresent,butwhichhaveforsometimebeenstoredelsewhere.
Image:PaulCocksedge'sSoane'sLight©MarkCocksedge
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Thisprojectreflectsanumberofthemesthatarekeytothedesigner’swork:thesubtleinsertionofcontemporaryobjects(theframe)intoahistoricalsetting(asseenathisexhibitionattheMuséedesArtsDécoratifs,Bordeauxin2009);highlightingthedesignqualitiesofeverydayobjects,asseenathisconcurrentexhibitionTheHardLifeathisShopinShoreditchandhisinterestinthelifeofthekitchen,asectorinwhichthedesignerhasbeenveryactiveandhascollaboratedwithanumbersofdifferentbrands.Part-chefandpart-designer,MartinoGamper’sLondon/Milanfoodpop-upsareindicativeofhisloveofcookingandaffinitywiththekitchen.FascinatedbySirJohnSoane’seclecticdisplayofobjectsanduseofmaterials,hehasincorporatedsomeofthematerialsfoundinthehouseintoaseriesofvases(Duotone,Off-CutLinoandVasenamel),whicharedisplayedinthenewkitchenspaces.PaulCocksedgestudiedtheamber-colouredglassthatSoaneusedinthemuseumtorecreatethewarmglowofMediterraneansunlight.Forhiscontribution,thedesignerhascreatedanevocativelightinstallation,bysealingthewindowsoftherearkitchenwithlayersofcolouredfilminordertocapturethelightandcastanatmosphericglow,bringingSoane’sLightintothehumblekitchenspace ArtistandfoodhistorianTashaMarks,FounderofAVMCuriosities,hascollaboratedwiththemuseumandcuratorstocreateainteractivepieceofworkinresponsetothehistorickitchenandcontemporarydesign’pieces.ShehascreatedabespokeseriesoftactileScentChambers,consistinginthreeglassjarswhichwillreleaseevocativearomastorecreatetheatmosphereofaworkingGeorgiankitchen.BruceBoucher,DirectorofSirJohnSoane’sMuseum,comments:“WearedelightedtobepresentingBelowStairsforthisyear’sLondonDesignFestivalandtobecollaboratingwithsomeofthemostexcitinganddynamicartistsworkingtoday.WebelievethatthesecontemporaryworkscreateafascinatingdialoguewiththerestoredkitchensandtheMuseumasawhole.TheyshowthattheSoaneisnotastaticmuseumbutadynamiccreationinitself,towhichdesigners,artists,andarchitectscontinuetorespond.”RachaelBarraclough,curatorofBelowStairssays:“Thereisalwaysafascinationwithseeingpeople’skitchens,andtheSoaneMuseumkitchenhasanaturalappealtoit.Thereissomethingratherhauntingaboutthisoncebustlingandnoisyplacethatisnowoddly,thequietestandcalmestpartofthemuseum.We’vechosenthesepiecesbecausetheyevokeaghostlyreminderofwhatwas.”XantheArvanitakis,OperationsandCommercialDirectorofSirJohnSoane’sMuseum,says:“ItisanhonourforustopartnerwithLondonDesignFestivalagain,especiallynowinourfourthyearrunning.It’snotonlyawonderfulcommunitytobeapartof,butallowstheMuseumtocontinuetoshareSirJohnSoane’spassionfordesignwiththepublicanddesigncommunity.”
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ENDSInstallationImagesImagesoftheBelowStairsexhibitioncanbedownloadedhere:bit.ly/soaneouts3PRESSOFFICEForfurthercommentsandinterviewspleasecontact:CaroCommunications;02077139388;@carocommsMartaBogna,SeniorAccountDirector:[email protected],SeniorAccountManager:[email protected],SeniorAccountExecutive:[email protected]’sMuseumSirJohnSoane’shouse,museumandlibraryatNo.13Lincoln’sInnFieldshasbeenapublicmuseumsincetheearlynineteenthcentury.OnhisappointmentasProfessorofArchitectureattheRoyalAcademyin1806,Soane(1753-1837)begantoarrangehisbooks,classicalantiquities,castsandmodelssothatstudentsofarchitecturemightbenefitfromaccesstothem.In1833henegotiatedanActofParliamenttopreservethehouseandcollectionafterhisdeathforthebenefitof‘amateursandstudents’inarchitecture,paintingandsculpture.TodaySirJohnSoane’sMuseumisoneofthecountry’smostunusualandsignificantmuseumswithacontinuinganddevelopingcommitmenttoeducationandcreativeinspiration.Themuseumisopenfree:TuesdaytoSaturdayinclusive,10am-5pm.ItisalsoopenonthefirstTuesdayeveningofeachmonthform6-9pm.www.soane.orgSirJohnSoane’sMuseumisaNon-DepartmentalPublicBody(NDPB)whoseprimesponsoristheDepartmentforCulture,MediaandSport.LondonDesignFestival201617–25Septemberwww.londondesignfestival.comRachaelBarracloughworkedinthecontemporarydesignanddecorativeartsworldfor19years.ShecuratedtheannualsellingexhibitionofdecorativeartsanddesignatSotheby’sforfiveyearsandsetupandranthedesignprogrammeatHaunchofVenison.ShenowrepresentsThomasHeatherwick’slimitededitionsandhelpsbuildprivatecollections.
