Aesthetica Issue 84 by Aesthetica Magazine

Aesthetica

THE ART & CULTURE MAGAZINE

www.aestheticamagazine.com

Issue 84 August / September 2018

INSPIRING MINIMALISM

NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION

INTRICATE CUSTOMISATION

Pushing the boundaries of material culture and sustainable production

Emerging fashion labels address the impact of rapid consumption

The pastel buildings of North Korea offer an intriguing view of socialism

Computer-aided design contributes to functional and responsive architecture

UK £5.95 Europe €11.95 USA $15.49

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

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Welcome Editor’s Note

On the Cover Sally Ann and Emily May Gunawan return to Aesthetica with a shoot inspired by the Australian landscape. Playful and contemplative, the compositions combine elements from both fashion and design, using geometric styling and natural elements. www.sallyemily.com (p. 118). Cover Image: Photography by Sally Ann & Emily May. Styling by Amy Wanderlove. Hair & Make Up by Dempsey Rai. Model: Merry Mae @ Chadwick Sydney / The Society NY. Location: Hornby Lighthouse, Sydney, Australia.

Sustainability is the key concept of our time. It’s hard to imagine the world 500 years ago; it’s even more difficult to imagine it 1,000 years from now. What will it look like? This is an impossible question to answer, but forms an important part of the human story. As a species, we are capable of so much, and the desire to improve our impact on the planet is there; large fast-food behemoths are finally taking action to ban plastic straws. Perhaps we are starting to take a step in the right direction? It gives me great joy. As a society, we have had decades of mass polluting and over-consumption, but now we are waking up to the consequences of our actions. Real change is happening at last. Inside this issue we look at Why Materials Matter and Manufacturing Architecture, which both examine consumer models and how products need to have a longer life span than a single use. It’s fundamental to note that both designers and architects are responding with ingenious solutions. It’s this type of technology and innovation that will transform the way we live. We also take a bird’s eye view into North Korean architecture through Oliver Wainwright’s photography. Considering the current diplomatic situation between North Korea and South Korea, alongside the USA, it’s a timely glimpse at a place that has been closed to outside influences. London Fashion Week is one of the world’s top events for discovering the latest trends, but for us, it’s about exploring how practitioners are making an impact. In photography, we look at spaces and humanity’s interaction with them. There are five artists included: James Casebere, Kevin Krautgartner, Romain Veillon, Brooke DiDonato and Esther Hovers. We have also undertaken our annual collaboration with London College of Communication, foregrounding the next generation of talent. Juno Calypso and Emma Hartvig are amongst those who have previously come through this initiative. Sally Ann and Emily May Gunawan have created a new series for us, which considers points of departure between land and sea. Finally, Thomas Wrede gives us the Last Words. Enjoy! Cherie Federico

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contents

Art 16 Regular Sections Included within this issue is the launch of Japan House London, Hamburg’s 2018 photography Triennial and Olafur Eliasson’s first building.

24 Spatial Recognition James Casebere devises table-top arrangements, offering constructed sets and deceptive images that focus on the elements of colour and light.

38 National Construction Oliver Wainwright provides an intriguing glimpse into North Korea’s pastel interiors and fantastical structures – from offices to swimming pools.

44 Surreal Interactions Brooke DiDonato’s uncanny worlds are driven by human emotions; each page presents a different scenario where nature seems to be rewritten.

54 Urban Algorithms Esther Hovers’ False Positives series utilises data from intelligent surveillance cameras to assess what qualifies as suspicious human behaviour.

64 Changing Perspectives Considering the breadth of materials available in today’s world, Seetal Solanki investigates the past, present and future of international design.

70 Visions of the City Stripping buildings back to simplistic lines and forms, Kevin Krautgartner draws upon the rise in architectural tourism and aesthetic minimalism.

80 Intricate Customisation The possibilities of computer-aided design and numerical control are foregrounded in Dana K. Gulling’s research, mapping architectural futures.

86 Moments of Isolation Supporting emerging talents in the industry, this edition of Aesthetica marks the fifth instalment of Next Generation, in partnership with LCC.

98 Inspiring Minimalism Emerging brands Gayeon Lee and Matter Matters produce garments that are made to last, using art as inspiration and individuality as an incentive.

104 Historic Inspiration Romain Veillon’s photographs inhabit a world of testimony and nostalgia, documenting buildings that have been abandoned by lost populations.

118 Points of Departure Sally Ann and Emily May Gunawan’s cover shoot uses the landscape as a compositional tool; blue skies and open seas create dynamic backdrops.

Exhibitions

Film

Music

130 Gallery Reviews Featured within this issue: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Fondazione Prada, Hayward Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield, Camera Work and ICP.

135 Youthful Narratives Desiree Akhavan gives a voice to American teens; her latest film is based on Emily M. Danforth’s novel The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

137 Digital Inspiration Youtube sensation Emma Blackery presents her first full-length album; Villains is a pop-fuelled debut that explores themes from the digital age.

Books

Artists’ Directory

Last Words

138 The Ideological Structure Architects’ houses are brought into the spolight in a compelling publication; notable figures include Jennifer Beningfield and Robert Konieczny.

152 Textural Imaginations The August / September selection includes artists working with various media and multidisciplinary practices, from sculpture and painting to design.

162 Thomas Wrede With a new show at Von der Heydt, WuppertalBarmen, Wrede draws a line between reality and artifice, engaging with alternative perceptions.

Aesthetica Magazine is trade marked worldwide. © Aesthetica Magazine Ltd 2018.

The Aesthetica Team Editor: Cherie Federico Assistant Editor: Kate Simpson Digital Assistant: Eleanor Sutherland Staff Writer: David Martin

Advertisement Enquiries Jeremy Appleyard (0044) (0)844 568 2001 advertising@aestheticamagazine.com

Advertising Coordinator: Jeremy Appleyard Marketing Coordinator: Hannah Skidmore Artists’ Directory Coordinator: Katherine Smira

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Published by Cherie Federico and Dale Donley. Aesthetica Magazine PO Box 371, York, YO23 1WL, UK (0044) (0)844 568 2001 Newstrade Distribution Warners Group Publications plc.

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Contributors: Agata Toromanoff, Tom Seymour, Laura May Todd, Stephanie Strasnick, Beth Webb, Charlotte R-A, Gunseli Yalcinkaya. Reviewers: Olivia Hampton, Louis Soulard, Selina Oakes, Sara Jaspan, Sarah Jilani, Matt Swain, Kyle Bryony, Paul Risker, James Mottram, Grace Caffyn, Tony Earnshaw, Carolina Mostert.

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The Langen Foundation. Copyright Langen Foundation, photo Tomas Riehle. A Group Show of Works from the Burger Collection Hong Kong, How To See [What Isn’t There] at Langen Foundation, Germany, 9 September 2018 - 17 March 2019.

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Conceptual Oppositions HOW TO SEE [WHAT ISN’T THERE] The show is structured into five sections: Reaching for “The pieces evoke the The Burger Collection in Hong Kong is a private selection with a global reach, ideally placed to bring together east- Emptiness, Archaeology in Reverse, A Presence Made of most fundamental ern and western perspectives on one of the most funda- Absence, Something Out of Nothing, and Self-Portrait of metaphysical question: mental dichotomies of existence – the opposition between Me and You. Within these, the chosen artists include Doug how the concept what is present and what is absent. These intangible notions Aitken, Fiona Banner, Angus Fairhurst, Urs Fischer, Zhang of nothing can include liminal states such as dematerialisation and the Huan and Huang Rui, as well as emerging talents such as exist. With all their paradox of making an absence feel like a physical pres- Iván Argote, Mohamed Bourouissa, Marguerite Humeau, scope for scientific, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Pamela Rosenkranz and Ho Sin Tung. philosophical ence – all conceptual and technical challenges for art. Works drawing upon these areas evoke strong emotional The 45 selected pieces illustrate the depth of the theme and theological responses, with connotations of memory – of erased his- and the many approaches possible to such a fundamental interpretation.” tories and intangible forces. Furthermore, looking at the opposition. They range across diverse disciplines, including sense of loss, the pieces evoke the most fundamental met- sculpture, installation, painting, photography, video, VR aphysical question: how the concept of nothing can exist. and performance. Collection Founder Monique Burger With all their scope for scientific, philosophical and theo- says: “As we have not set up a physical space to showcase logical interpretation, such artworks are complex in nature our collection, we occasionally give curators carte blanche to exhibit. The contextualisation of artworks by these and echo acts of creation and the spaces inbetween. How To See [What Isn’t There] is a group exhibition at different figures offers a fresh look at what we are doing.” This is further established through the viewpoint of ExhibiLangen Foundation comprising 32 artists from the collection, exploring this profound territory, presented in tion Curator Gianni Jetzer: “The artists in this exhibition are a museum that is itself a work of art. Designed by Tadao innovative in activating the intangible in their work, often Ando, a Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, the venue has an operating with conceptual gestures, disappearance, emp- Langen Foundation, invisible history, felt in the absence of physical traces. The tiness, dematerialisation, and the simple, yet profound, Neuss, Germany minimalist building, made of glass and concrete, occupies framing of the void. The exhibition unveils some of these 9 September - 17 March what was the site of Raketenstation Hombroich, a former surprising perspectives by exploring the constant dialogue military ground that saw active service during the Cold War. taking place between the visible and invisible.” www.burgercollection.org

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A Manifestation of Possibility SOU FUJIMOTO: FUTURES OF THE FUTURE

Sou Fujimoto, L’Arbre Blanc.

The Japan House show is unique in that it not only features “Born in Hokkaido, A new cultural hub brings the latest developments in Japanese art, design and technology to the heart of London; current projects by Fujimoto but also looks at structural Fujimoto takes Japan House on Kensington High Street launches its pro- experiments and potential directions, asking the visitor to inspiration from gramme with a showcase for one of today’s most innova- share in imagining a variety of possible ideas and spaces for an early love of tive architectural figures. Hokkaido-born Sou Fujimoto (b. an ever-changing landscape. Fujimoto explains the notion exploring the natural 1971) will perhaps be best known to UK audiences for his of potential through the wider relevance of the exhibition’s landscape, with creation of the 2013 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, title: “Creating architecture is like planting seeds. When we the idea of the in which an impressive structure used the most basic forms design, we pay close attention to the context of the site, forest and the and materials, taking on an ethereal and cloud-like quality. the requests of our clients and the cultural and historical cave becoming key A three-dimensional grid of white-painted steel and glass backgrounds of each local community. Our dialogues with preoccupations.” a variety of such factors inspire us to create actual places. resembled an architect’s drawing come to life. Fujimoto takes inspiration from an early love of explor- In other words, it might be the kind of work to give forms ing the natural landscape, with the idea of the forest and to latent possibilities that remain hidden in the real society. the cave becoming key preoccupations and recurring fig- Therefore, if what we call ‘future’ is defined as a series of ures in his work. The structures are often open frameworks manifestation of possibilities, I would say that small propospermeated by natural spaces, reconfigurable around the als that stimulate them are ‘seeds of the future.’” The show also considers Fujimoto’s fundamental concept user’s evolving and changing needs. Various renowned projects such as Final Wooden House and House N (both of “found architecture”, his belief that new possibilities are 2008) create overlapping domains that blur the distinction already all around us, embedded within the forms of evebetween inside and outside, and offer multi-level environ- ryday objects, awaiting discovery. He notes: “Architecture, I ments inspired as much by trees or climbing frames as by think, is something that is first found and then made. Just design convention. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, as our ancestors find their habitat in caves and woods, in Japan House, London he established his practice in 2000, with major institutional modern times we discover ours amongst the many things we Until 5 August commissions that include the Musashino Art University encounter in this immense built jungle. And it is a discovery like this that leads us to conceiving new projects.” Museum and Library in Tokyo (2010). www.japanhouselondon.uk

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Siegfried Hansen, Hamburg, 2016.

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Reflections on the City TRIENNIAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY HAMBURG Breaking Point is the over-arching theme of this year’s Trien- graphical series, A Somebody (2002), addresses the abiding “The featured nial of Photography Hamburg, which draws together a vast fascination with rock stars who met early and tragic deaths. photographers range of practitioners and approaches. Amongst the many In these questioning images, Corbijn captures portraits of document how strands of events – encompassing 320 artists and 80 venues John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain, set the metropolitan environment facilitates across the city – is a focus on street photography and a wider against the village where he grew up. Another key solo show celebrates the Iranian-born artist chance meetings and investigation of contemporary urban life. The featured practitioners document how the metropolitan environment fa- Shirana Shahbazi, best-known for abstract work which is pro- interactions, yet can cilitates a multitude of chance meetings and interactions, yet duced with a highly contemporary aesthetic, yet without any also foster feelings can also foster feelings of isolation and alienation – loneli- form of digital intervention. What is both revealed and ques- of isolation and tioned is the role of the viewer and how the understanding of alienation – loneliness ness manifested in the midst of the crowds. manifested in the Artists include Hamburg’s own Siegfried Hansen, whose any image is framed by wider interpretations. Overall, the Triennial explores many themes which clearly midst of the crowds.” interest is in the geometric compositions and colours that result from the random encounters of city life. Meanwhile, reference our turbulent times. The exhibition [HOME] works by icons of street photography such as Diane Arbus, extends the title, considering the broader notions within Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, William Klein and Martin Parr domestic spaces: belonging, displacement, migration and hang side-by-side with contemporary photographers like nomadism. Meanwhile, [DELETE] not only showcases the Maciej Dakowicz, Mohamed Bourouissa, Ahn Jun and Harri work of photojournalists but develops the genre through Pälviranta in the [SPACE] Street. Life. Photography show taking a wider examination of how media narratives are created, considering the images that do not get published or become place at the Deichtorhallen House of Photography. Elsewhere, one of the major names featured is Anton Cor- part the official record, and how these decisions are made bijn, renowned for creating striking portraits of musicians and by editors. For the first time, a fringe event runs alongside helping to shape their wider public image. Such artists and the main programme, featuring 15 upcoming artists selected Various venues, Hamburg bands include Joy Division, Depeche Mode and Tom Waits. from more than 450 applicants. [OFF] TRIENNALE offers Until 30 September In Anton Corbijn: The Living and the Dead, however, the Dutch each of these chosen practitioners a location in which to photographer turns the lens on himself. One of the autobio- collaborate and create a site-specific solo show. www.phototriennale.de

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Making Global Connections WALL POWER: CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY Ross, for example, is driven by a preoccupation with the legacy of colonialism and its treatment of populations. Further to this, her practice is led by a sense of materiality, creating an overall aesthetic rather than a didactic, conceptual experience, reflecting the ambiguity felt by those who enjoy the economic fruits of the past whilst being aware of the real price that’s still being paid. Meanwhile, Deacon (b. 1957) creates sharp, satirical work, making use of dolls and other kitsch objects to illustrate how the dominant culture works to represent native people as being less than human. Miur’s Blue Burqa in a Sunburnt Country series considers similar subjects. Poised amongst various brilliant blue landscapes, a shrouded figure is intended as a reminder of Australia’s continued debate on the burqa, alongside troubling anti-immigration policies. Miur notes, in a self-written feature in LensCulture: “The burqa’s journey in this series – whose title is borrowed from Australia’s best-known poem, Dorothea Mackellar’s My Country – surely offers more questions than answers, but ultimately it is intended as a series of hope.” Reflective on what identity means in 21st century society, these works ruminate on nation and geography. Considering the photographs on view, Gael Newton, former Senior Curator of the National Gallery of Australia, comments: “Even when most provocative, they still seem ‘Australian’ to me in their offbeat subtlety and their wry puns and references.”

“Curated by the Michael Reid Gallery in Berlin, the Australian Embassy in Paris showcases 22 leading figures in contemporary photography, covering a broad spectrum of practical and conceptual approaches.”

Australian Embassy, Paris Until 12 November www.france.embassy.gov.au

Blue Burqa #4, © Fabian Muir 2014.

The Australian national identity is complex and conflicted, where anxieties of a colonial past and tensions between the dominant culture and indigenous people are still present. The land is a continent of vast wildernesses and stunning landscapes which, with a unique quality of light, are steeped in different histories and mythologies. As such, it presents a range of compelling subjects to be explored through a thriving photographic culture. Curated by the Michael Reid Gallery in Berlin, the Australian Embassy in Paris showcases 22 leading figures in contemporary photography, covering a broad spectrum of practical and conceptual approaches, and presenting a compelling argument for the immediacy and power of the medium, especially in today’s globalised world. The line-up features work from the last two decades or so, by a generation of practitioners who were born between the 1950s and 1980s. Represented are Bill Henson, Brook Andrew, Catherine Nelson, Christian Thompson, Deborah Paauwe, Destiny Deacon, Fabian Muir, Joan Ross, Joseph McGlennon, Luke Shadbolt, Marian Drew, Michael Riley, Narelle Autio, Nici Cumpston, Petrina Hicks, Polixeni Papapetrou, Rosemary Laing, Shaun Gladwell, Tamara Dean, Tony Albert, Tracey Moffatt and Trent Parke. As a collective, these figures demonstrate a range of potential approaches, which can be taken towards understanding the country’s history and the ways in which past injustice is still felt in the present.

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Sadie Clayton. Film still from studio in Dalston, May 2017. Courtesy the Adobe team and casual films.

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Multidisciplinary Presentation ING DISCERNING EYE 2018 The Discerning Eye was established in the UK in 1990 as an Magazine; Nick Ross, Radio and Television Presenter; John educational charity with the aim of encouraging a wider un- Benjamin Hickey, Actor; and Sadie Clayton, Artist. Clayton, derstanding and appreciation of the visual arts. Stimulating who joins the panel for the first time, is a multidisciplinary debate about the place and purpose for art in contemporary practitioner specialising in copper sculpture, who has exhibsociety, the organisation has been built around recognising ited at renowned institutions including the Royal College of Art, Tate and Art Basel Miami and worked with brands such contributions that can further cultural recognition. Since establishing itself as a platform for experimentation as Nixon and Alcantara. She notes: “Having launched my and innovation, the charity’s main output is an annual exhi- own brand fusing fashion, art and technology I feel honbition at The Mall Galleries, London, in November, compris- oured to be part of the selection panel for the 2018 edition ing an imaginative presentation of publicly submitted works of ING Discerning Eye. I’ve always integrated art into my and independent selections. Sponsored by ING Wholesale pieces, and now I’m making the transition into becoming a Banking, the show is centred around tenacity and diversity creator, a maker and an innovator – not just a designer. As of expression, celebrating the identities of both artists and such, I’m interested in a cross pollination of disciplines; I’m excited to be selecting works from all kinds of practitioners curators, and the dialogues that are made between them. Inviting six judges to be part of the process – two artists, – painters, sculptors, stylists, illustrators and embroiderers – two critics and two curators – the competition calls upon dif- fusing together an explosion of creativity.” This year’s competition is currently open for entries, proferent areas of expertise to ensure a breadth of cultural and creative opinion. Each of these pioneering figures makes a viding an accessible and all-encompassing opportunity for selection based on their knowledge and experience from works by lesser-known artists to be hung alongside internadifferent sectors, and is asked to curate a distinctive and tionally recognised names. UK-based practitioners are invitindividual presentation of works, with at least 25 per cent ed to submit up to six works in any media and across either two or three dimensions. ING Discerning Eye promotes ditaken from the national open submission. For 2018, the judges include Bridget McCrum, Artist; versity across its creative platforms, and as such, is open to Frances Hedges, Associate Editor for Harper’s Bazaar and material experimentation, as well as innovative approaches Town and Country; Cherie Federico, Editor of Aesthetica to concept, form, subject matter and narrative.

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“Sponsored by ING Wholesale Banking, the show is centred around tenacity and diversity of expression, celebrating the identities of both artists and curators, and the dialogues that are made between them.”

Pre-registration is open until 28 August. The exhibition runs 15-25 November at Mall Galleries, London. thediscerningeye. artopps.co.uk

A Shift in Approach OLAFUR ELIASSON: FJORDENHUS place of work – commissioned by investment firm KIRK KA- “Rising out of the PITAL A/S, it is the company’s new headquarters. The ground water of the harbour, floor level, featuring Eliasson’s artworks, is open to the public, Fjordenhus (Fjord whilst offices occupy the upper floors. Visitors can access the House) is the first ground floor via a footbridge or stroll along the jetty which building to have been has been designed by the landscape architect Günther Vogt. designed entirely The building’s public, double-height entrance level is dedi- by the architectural cated to the relation of the building to the water, drawing at- team at the studio tention to the plane where the structure plunges beneath the founded by the muchsurface, its curved edges framing glimpses of the surround- acclaimed artist.” ing shores and harbour. The building is permeated by the waters of the harbour, and its two aqueous zones are visible via viewing platforms. Both the architectural spaces and Eliasson’s artworks engage in dialogue with the surface of the fjord. Eliasson has long been fascinated with perception, movement, embodied experience and the self. This is a grand statement of his belief that art is one way of turning thinking into doing. The completion of Fjordenhus marks the shift of the studio’s activities in the field of experimental architecture to a new international office, Studio Other Spaces (SOS), which was first founded by Eliasson and his long-time collaborator, architect Sebastian Behmann, in Berlin in 2014. Studio Other Spaces Vejle, Denmark will be the primary vehicle for large-scale interdisciplinary and Now Open to the Public experimental works of a similar scope. Projects are currently in development around the world, from Paris to Addis Ababa. www.olafureliasson.net

Olafur Eliasson, Fjordhvirvel, 2018. Stainless steel, coloured glass (blue, green), LEDs, 468cm x 700cm x 700 cm. Fjordenhus, Vejle, Denmark. Image: Anders Sune Berg, 2018, Kirk Kapital. © 2018 Olafur Eliasson.

The idea of the “Gesamtkunstwerk” or “total work of art” has proved an influential one both in aesthetic theory and in diverse branches of artistic practice, notably architecture. In the hands of Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967), a striking contemporary interpretation of this concept can now be seen on the waterfront of the Jutland town of Vejle, a growing economic hub in Denmark. Throughout his career, the Icelandic / Danish artist has created immersive environments and striking interventions in public spaces, founded on manipulating fundamental elements such as the relationships between light, space and water. These characteristics, and a growing involvement in innovative architectural projects, combine in a new career landmark. Rising out of the water of the harbour, Fjordenhus (Fjord House) is the first building to have been designed entirely by the architectural team at the studio founded by the muchacclaimed artist. It incorporates site-specific works that reflect the structure’s relationship to the surrounding water of Vejle Fjord and also features Eliasson’s bespoke furniture and lighting designs. All the shapes are derived from circles and ellipses; formed by four intersecting cylinders, the project rises to a height of 28 metres. Rounded negative volumes have been carved from the facades built of custom-glazed brick to create an intriguing spatial language of complex curved, circular and elliptical forms, torqueing walls and parabolic arches. Fjordenhus is not only a compelling work of art but also a

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1. Chen Wei, In the Waves #4, 2013. Archival inkjet print, 150cm x 187.5cm. Image: Courtesy of Chen Wei Studio. 2. Trix & Robert Haussmann, Ionic column stump, Function Follows Forms, 1978. Modell, Zabrowsky Modellbau, Dumeng Raffaine. Photo: Fred Waldvogel. Courtesy Trix & Robert Haussmann. 3. Wim Wenders, Sydney, 1984. © Wim Wenders, courtesy of the artist. 4. Daniel Boudinet, Roads and roundabouts, 1977. Ministère de la Culture / Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine / Dist. RMN-GP © Donation Daniel Boudinet. 5. Sean Scully, Boxes of Air, 2015 © The artist, courtesy Sean Scully.

10 to See RECOMMENDED EXHIBITIONS THIS SEASON

Gwangju Biennale

Biennale Hall, Gwangju, South Korea 7 September - 11 November

www.gwangjubiennale.org Asia’s leading contemporary art biennale, Gwangju takes Imagined Borders as its 2018 theme. With 153 artists from 41 countries, a series of seven exhibitions addresses the political, cultural, physical and emotional underpinnings of borders in today’s global community and considers issues around displacement and migration. A collective of 11 international curators has devised the thematic exhibitions.

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nottinghamcontemporary.org This intriguing Swiss design duo has created innovative work across architecture, product design, installation, furniture and textiles for more than 50 years, blending influences that range from popular culture to the 16th century, with subversive and playful wit. This joint retrospective, entitled The Log-O-Rithmic Slide Rule, is presented alongside a debut solo show by Pia Camil.

www.co-berlin.org From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Polaroids served as a visual notebook for acclaimed German film director Wim Wenders (b. 1945), and also as a place to experiment with composition, as well as a photographic road movie featuring travels around the globe and behind-thescenes shots of life on the film set. Instant Stories presents around 240 Polaroids from the director’s archive, the only chance to see them in his home country.

www.jeudepaume.org Le temps de la couleur reconsiders the work of Daniel Boudinet (1945-1990), a key figure in the photographic renaissance of the 1970s. With a particular focus on the urban environment and its architecture, notably at night, Boudinet reinvents the use of colour, with long exposures creating seductive and slightly surreal spaces. His night photographs of the city are complemented by scenes of gardens and nature.

Trix & Robert Haussmann

Nottingham Contemporary Until 7 October

Wim Wenders

C/O Berlin Until 23 September

Daniel Boudinet

Jeu de Paume, Château de Tours Until 28 October

Sean Scully

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield 29 September - 6 January

www.ysp.org.uk Inside Outside is the largest-ever presentation of sculptures in the UK by Irish-born Sean Scully (b. 1945). Exploring concepts of landscape and abstraction alongside human experience, it unites the sculptures with important recent paintings on aluminium and linen, together with works on paper. At YSP, Scully creates resolutely contemporary paintings and sculptures responding to the park’s landscape.

6. Roy DeCarava (American, 1919-2009.) Couple Walking, 1979. Gelatin silver print on paper, 11 inch x 14 inch (27.9cm x 35.6cm.) Courtesy of Sherry DeCarava and the DeCarava Archives. © 2017 Estate of Roy DeCarava. All Rights Reserved. 7. Stills de Fordlandia, 2014. Video Full HD, 29:42 min. Credit: Julien Devaux. Courtesy Peter Kilchmann Galerie and Galeria Nara Roesler. 8. Hanabi 5, 2001. © Rinko Kawauchi. Han Nefkens H+F Collection / Huis Marseille. Courtesy ROSEGALLERY. 9. Appartement aan de Ruhrorterstrasse, Keulen (ca. 1929). © Werner Mantz / Museum Ludwig. 10. Susie Ganch, Untitled (detail), 2010. Steel, enameled copper and panel. 36 inches x 24 inches x 12 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Sienna Patti Contemporary. Photo by Taylor Dabney.

Soul of a Nation

Brooklyn Museum 14 September - 3 February

www.brooklynmuseum.org Subtitled Art in the Age of Black Power, this exhibition showcase African American artists as they responded to the revolutionary thought and action of a period that transformed society. All the work collected was created between 1963 and 1983, feeding into and reflecting upon activism. More than 60 artists are featured, including Emma Amos, Frank Bowling, Sam Gilliam, Barkley L. Hendricks, Betye Saar, Alma Thomas, Jack Whitten and William T. Williams.

www.biennial.com To mark its tenth edition and 20th anniversary, the Liverpool Biennial takes its direction from a 1788 line of poetry by Freidrich Schiller: “Beautiful world, where are you?” To the curators, this not only evokes a sense of lamentation at social, political and environmental turmoil, but also an invitation to rethink the present collectively. Amongst more than 40 artists from 22 countries is an exclusive video installation from Agnès Varda.

www.huismarseille.nl Seven very different contemporary Japanese photographers – Naoya Hatakeyama, Syoin Kajii, Rinko Kawauchi, Toshiko Okanoue, Yuki Onodera, Chino Otsuka and Nao Tsuda – find common ground in a shared aesthetic sensibility, based on a feeling of serenity and a fine attention to detail. Yet this also offers a firm ground for wild and unsettling flights of imagination and imagery.

Liverpool Biennial

Various Locations Until 28 October

A Beautiful Moment

Huis Marseille, Amsterdam Until 2 September

Werner Mantz

Nederlands Fotomuseum Until 2 September

nederlandsfotomuseum.nl Best-known as one of the great architectural photographers of the 1920s, Werner Mantz (1901-1983) was also an accomplished portrait artist. This lesscirculated side body of work, notably including images of children, is presented alongside compelling structural images in Nederlands Fotomuseum’s Architectures and People. Ultimately, the show offers a greater insight into the depth of Mantz’s practice.

Heavy Metal

NMWA, Washington DC Until 16 September

www.nmwa.org The fifth instalment of NMWA’s Women to Watch series showcases contemporary artists working in metal, disrupting the masculine preconceptions surrounding the practice of metalwork. The artists featured investigate the expressive possibilities of metal through a wide variety of objects, including sculpture, jewellery and conceptual forms. The show also engages with the fluidity between “fine” art, design and craft categories.

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art

Spatial Recognition James Casebere

For almost 40 years, James Casebere (b. 1953) has devised both simple and complex table-top models, creating thought-provoking and visually deceptive photographs that have accrued international acclaim. Through fellowships and museum collections at the likes of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the artist has been instrumental in the critique of media culture. Recent works have moved into investigating the possibilities of composition, referencing modernist structures that encourage both meditation and reflection. Casebere notes: “There was a time when I decided to leave the anthropomorphising to others. My earliest work did this by putting an object at the centre of the image, be it a fan or a chair. But soon after, I decided to remove the object in the hopes of the viewer taking its place. In the end, I realised that what mattered was the space, the light, the colour and texture.” www.jamescasebere.com.

James Casebere, Flooded Courtyard with Tree, 2017. © James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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James Casebere, Library, 2017. ÂŠ James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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James Casebere, Shallow Pool, 2017. ÂŠ James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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James Casebere, Living Room, 2017. ÂŠ James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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James Casebere, Yellow Overhang with Patio, 2016. ÂŠ James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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James Casebere, Foyer, 2017. ÂŠ James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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James Casebere, Empty Studio, 2017. ÂŠ James Casebere, courtesy: Sean Kelly, New York.

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art

National Construction Inside North Korea PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE COUNTRY’S INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR STRUCTURES PROVIDE THOUGHT-PROVOKING INSIGHTS INTO A SOCIETY BUILT UPON FAIRYLAND AESTHETICS.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, once declared: “Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyland.” Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright gained access to the country in July 2015, and has just published a new photography book, Inside North Korea, with Taschen. He read about that quotation whilst in the insular “hermit kingdom”, and has since created a compelling publication, which began with an online blog posting images from the trip. “At first it sounds like meaningless propaganda,” he tells Aesthetica. “But I realised there might be something genuine behind it. The interiors and aesthetics of the new buildings did have this childlike, fantastical, kindergarten look to them. It made me think it could be part of a state-sponsored ideology – a way of infantilising the populous. It seemed to be a kind of sugar-coated architectural tranquilliser.” Photography has a strange and singular ability to reflect the world as it is and, simultaneously, communicate our attempts at pretence and illusion. There’s a simple yet startling image, one that acts potentially as both an instant adjoiner to Kim Jong-un’s hopes for such a fairytale land, and to many of the western clichés of a totally impoverished and automated North Korean life. In the style of the Hong Kong-based German architecture photographer Michael Wolf, Wainwright documented in careful geometric unity the windows and balconies of a Pyongyang residential block. Through the windows, we get a peek into roughly 60 apartments, and therefore a tiny insight into hundreds of lives. One observation is immediate. Houseplants are a big deal in Pyongyang, as they are in London. Terracotta pots are

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placed on many of the balconies. Through the glass windows, we can see flowers and plants evident in the living spaces of Kim Jong-un’s residents. Some balconies overflow with plants, flowers cascading over the lip of the balcony. Other flats demonstrate a precise orientation of plants in relationship to each other. Others have just a single pot, whilst others are completely empty of any floral life. The images suggest that some residents take great pride and invest deeply in such humble plants, and in how they look to the outside world. Other residents have different aesthetic considerations. It speaks, one might think, of keeping up appearances, of a community living broadly compatible lives – a collective which, whilst in many ways similar, also exists within small gradations of difference. It brings to mind the quotation from the North Korean defector Lee Hyeon-seo, now an activist living in South Korea: “North Korea is not the dictator’s country; it’s the 25 million citizens’ and they are suffering under the dictator.” That same dissident, of course, has other things to say of the country of her birth: “In communism, we never had any freedom – of movement, of speech, of press. We didn’t even make own decisions for our lives, our future. We were human robots,” she once stated. Other details in the image raise questions. A small number of flats have solar panels on their balconies – a sign of a wealth discrepancy, or a social hierarchy. Only one apartment’s family dries their washing in public view. Whilst a couple of antennae poke from the roof, in what looks like a carefully designed – and therefore officially sanctioned – architectural decision, there are no satellite dishes randomly

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Courtesy of Taschen © Oliver Wainwright.

“Architecture, interiors and the formation of space within a built environment, we realise, are all key aspects of how Kim Jong-un and his dynsasty have been able to exact such total control, obedience and devotion.”

Previous Page: Courtesy of Taschen © Oliver Wainwright. Left: Courtesy of Taschen © Oliver Wainwright.

attached to many of the flats, as you would see across the west. Each flat is painted in a uniform mint green, which, whilst striking to behold, also points to the sense of the collective that defines so much of life in this isolated country. In North Korea, the concept of “Juche” holds tremendous sway. Juche (pronounced ju-chay) is the national state ideology of self-reliance – “a kind of Marxism–Leninism with a hint of Confucianism” – developed by Kim Il-sung. Pyongyang was almost entirely razed to the ground by the American bombing campaign during the Korean War and was rebuilt from scratch from 1953 onwards. This rebuilding project was conceived by the country’s founding father, the Eternal President Kim Il-sung, as “a great garden of Juche architecture.” The dictator said: “Juche means that all the problems of the revolution and of building construction must be solved independently, and mostly without outside help according to the country’s abilities.” As Wainwright describes, the flowers in the homes of these Pyongyang citizens hold a deeply nationalistic significance, which adheres to Juche. Are we looking at small statements of individuality, or small expressions of patriotism, of floral devotions to their Great Leader? Wainwright notes: “Even when their statues or portraits are not visible, the presence of the leaders is ensured throughout the city in the form of their two namesake flowers, the Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia.” The former is a violet orchid, which was first presented to Kim Il-sung in 1965 by Indonesia’s founding president, Sukarno; the latter is a bright scarlet begonia, first given as a gift by a Japanese botanist in 1988. These floral signifiers are found all over Pyongyang, spilling from the balconies of patriotic citizens, adorning gigantic billboards at the top of apartment towers and emblazoned

on roadside hoardings. Grown on a vast scale in army-run breeding centres, the flowers are brought out by the thousands of pots for national events, their longevity ensured by a chemical agent developed after years of research, according to the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), which lengthens the blooming period by a week in summer and by 20 days in winter. The state mouthpiece often runs stories about selfless citizens who kept their flowers warm throughout the winter during the disastrous years of famine. It’s almost impossible to imagine what it must be like to be raised in a country in which urban planning is adhered to with a near-religious sense of fervency, and in which a studied deference to the decisions made by the state is an unquestioned part of day-to-day life. Wainwright’s photographs help us on that journey – and make us realise a few things too: primarily, that Pyongyang is actually a beautiful city – spacious, pastoral and full of flair. “Isolated from outside influence for so long, and therefore free from the usual urban pressures of commercial speculation and inward migration, Pyongyang is one of the few places in the world where the original intentions remain intact,” Wainwright states. “The location is still governed and shaped by the same ideology it was first built to revere. Visiting the principal sites is therefore less like discovering the historic artefacts of a post-Soviet city than like time-travelling to a realm where the system is still in full force – where the founding fathers are very much present.” Architecture, interiors and the formation of space within a built environment, we realise, are all key aspects of how Kim Jong-un and his dynasty have been able to exact such total control, obedience and devotion from a populous of roughly 26 million people. It is through these means that

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Courtesy of Taschen © Oliver Wainwright.

they project their sense of power and national aspirations to cultural forms” have impeded. Indeed, to pay homage to Right: of Taschen the country’s people and the world at large. The very way in other ideologies is to sign one’s own death certificate. Yet the ©Courtesy Oliver Wainwright. which Pyongyang has been designed and built, says Wain- country, on civic, unofficial and secretive levels, is beginning wright, is “a precisely choreographed world where an ideal- to open up to the outside world via a fledgling capitalistic economy, operated by the rising class of “donju”, or “masters ised image of power and order is played out.” Wainwright travelled with Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based of money” – also known as “red capitalists” – who operate company that has been taking groups of foreigners into black market enterprises that are tacitly tolerated. “Donju invest in construction projects, establish partnerNorth Korea since 1993. Wainwright met its founder, the UK-born Nick Bonner, at the Venice Architecture Biennale ships with struggling state-owned factories and bankroll imin 2014, where he had curated an exhibition of paintings by ports from China to supply retailers in the country’s growing architects, imagining what the future of tourism might look number of markets – from which the state is also profiting,” like in their isolated country, and making Pyongyang appear Wainwright explains. According to Lee Byung-ho, a former like a city straight out of a science fiction film. Speaking to director of South Korea’s intelligence service, at least 40 perAesthetica, Wainwright says: “They were like scenes from cent of the North Korean population is now engaged in some Thunderbirds. Bonner told me that these scenes weren’t too form of private enterprise. In March 2017, in an effort to colfar from what they were actually building in Pyongyang now.” lect more tax, the authorities reportedly ordered people sellMuch has been written of cultural identity’s profound links ing goods from their homes to move into formal marketplacto architectural space. For example, in Living in a hybrid es. Wainwright reports that a cell-phone service launched in world, published in Design and Society by the Design Council 2008 now has more than three million subscribers, whilst (1984), the author notes: “The proper and most useful defini- imported solar panels have become a middle-class status tion of cultural identity will arise out of a fuller understand- symbol. Apartments are no longer just assigned by working ing of the creative processes of cultural interaction, not out group, but traded on the black market, creating an appetite of some kind of pre-selection of the supposedly ‘purer’ ele- for domestic goods and aspirational furnishings, fuelled by ments of regional culture. It is extremely doubtful that any the desire to ape the modern interiors of homes they have culture still exists which has not, at one time or another, been seen on South Korean TV shows, illicitly shared on USB sticks. Words North Korea seems poised on the edge of change – particu- Tom Seymour exposed to ‘alien’ genes and culture forms. But what has emerged, when we look at specific historical regions such as larly in light of Kim Jong-un’s recent summit with President Malaysia, is not some mere substitution of local culture forms Trump, and his meeting on the border with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. It’s possible that the images, which Inside North Korea is for imported forms, but a new and original product.” North Korea is one of the few hermetic cultures left in the Wainwright captured in his camera in 2015, will be remem- published by TASCHEN. developed world – one where very few “alien genes and bered as the urban landscape at its isolationist peak. www.taschen.com

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art

Surreal Interactions Brooke DiDonato

New York-based Brooke DiDonato (b. 1990) is well-known for creating rich, palpable images that document a new kind of reality. All of her characters are at a point of conflict; whether engulfed by a cloud, dangling from a window or being pulled aside by wildlife, the figures are taken from the realms of the everyday and moved into a state of flux. Tinged by Surrealism, the uncanny portraits interact with their surroundings in a number of unanticipated and curious ways. Further to this, DiDonato demonstrates an established understanding of fine art photography through subtle and evocative choices of colour. The works blend form and narrative flawlessly and coherently â&#x20AC;&#x201C; pale green clothes melt into desert shrubbery, and terracotta trousers match with the tiles on an empty roof. The series acts as a treasure trove of human emotion: anticipation, desolation and struggle. www.brookedidonato.com.

Brooke DiDonato, Partly Cloudy, from the As Usual series, 2017.

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Brooke DiDonato, Over and Out, from the As Usual series, 2017.

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Brooke DiDonato, Untitled, from the As Usual series, 2017.

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Brooke DiDonato, Point of Intersection, from the As Usual series, 2017.

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Brooke DiDonato, Grass Is Always Greener, from the As Usual series, 2017.

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art

Urban Algorithms Esther Hovers

False Positives is an investigative series from Dutch artist Esther Hovers (b. 1991). Using patterns and data from intelligent surveillance systems, the images have been crafted around the detection of criminal behaviour in the outside world. Centred around eight different physical “anomalies” that are flagged by the cameras – such as clusters of people or slowed movements – the photographs focus on body language as a means of interpreting intent. Hovers’ wider practice looks at how power and control are exercised through city planning and public spaces. Her work bridges the gap between personal and private worlds, investigating where the lines become blurred through predetermined political and architectural systems. Hovers has been featured in galleries and festivals worldwide, including Foam, Amsterdam; C/O Berlin; and Circulation(s), Paris. False Positives is published by Fw:Books. www.estherhovers.com.

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Esther Hovers, False Positives, Overview E Timeframe: 0 min 04. ÂŠ 2015 - 2016 Esther Hovers.

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Esther Hovers, False Positives, Overview G, Timeframe: 05 min 07. ÂŠ 2015 - 2016 Esther Hovers.

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Esther Hovers, False Positives, Overview H, Timeframe: 02 min 13. ÂŠ 2015 - 2016 Esther Hovers.

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Esther Hovers, False Positives, Overview J, Timeframe: 06 min 09. ÂŠ 2015 - 2016 Esther Hovers.

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art

Changing Perspectives Why Materials Matter CONSIDERING THE BROAD SCALE OF MATERIALS AVAILABLE TODAY, A COLLECTION OF INNOVATIVE PROJECTS DELVES INTO THE WIDER POTENTIAL OF 21ST CENTURY PRODUCTION.

“Everything is made from something,” Mark Miodownik MBE (b. 1969) famously states in Stuff Matters: The Strange Stories of the Marvellous Materials That Shape Our Manmade World. Miodownik – listed in The Times’ inaugural list of the 100 most influential scientists in the UK – is Professor of Materials and Society at University College in London, and has collaborated with interactive events at Tate Modern, Hayward Gallery and Wellcome Collection. In his forwardthinking publication he notes that, without basic elements such as concrete, glass, metal or textiles, we would be left with nothing. Taking the point further, he notes that each era brings forth a new material that significantly defines the time and becomes integral to its progress. This can be seen through the likes of steel in the Victorian period, or the production of the first skyscraper – which, in turn, created an unprecedented way of living in the city.. Built in 1884-1885 and designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the 10-storey construction of the Home Insurance Building in Chicago paved the way for a new commercial style, using steel to carry the weight of the structure. In the 21st century, however, nanochip technology is influencing everything around us – from smartphones to the buildings with swipe technology. The rise of miniature electronic devices is truly being integrated into society, most notably with the Amazon Go Store that was launched earlier this year in Seattle. Using apps, sensors and swipe technology, the shop requires no human interaction. With thousands of unique substances listed across the globe, Seetal Solanki’s book Why Materials Matter looks to

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answer the question: “What does it mean to live in a material world?” Published by Prestel, the text, which is introduced by Miodownik’s ideology, creates an impressive collection of projects blurring the distinctions between design, fine art, science and pushing the boundaries of material culture. Given the disquieting scale of both consumption and pollution on today’s planet, a reassessment of how to use objects to our advantage – ethically and responsibly – is fundamental to the research that underlies the publication. Solanki is a conservationist, art director, university tutor and designer who also established the London-based practice Ma-tt-er in 2015, which reflects many of the research principles explored within the text. She notes: “I founded the design studio as a place where materials designers can feel understood.” Solanki realised that a lack of understanding about these roles had begun to affect all industries: “I was unable to call myself, for example, a fashion designer or an architect, which are much more widely-understood professions. And yet in the course of my career I had to liaise with just about every department and discipline within those fields: production, manufacturing, sampling, sourcing, research, design, colour, trims, finishes, concept development and so on.” With over 12 years’ experience working with textiles – for an impressive list of figures including Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, United Visual Artists and Levi’s – Solanki’s main objective is to explore the past, present and future of materials, gathering an extensive library of substances that is sorted by property rather than type. In

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Marjan van Aubel, Current Table. Photo Credit: Wai Ming Ng.

“These seemingly mundane fragments and blobs of metal, plastic, ceramic and glass are the stuff from which our entire civilisation is constructed. Yet, perplexingly, whilst they do so much for us, we rarely pause to marvel at them.”

Previous Page: Marjan van Aubel, Current Table 2.0. Photo Credit: Mitch Payne. Left: Sabine Marcelis, Filter Lights @ Baars & Bloemhoff @ Salone del Mobile 2017. Image: © Ronald Smits, 2017.

doing so, the research is about opening up dialogues not an extensive and impressive diversity of substances, and just about innovation, but about the relevance of history concentrates on a wider bank of case studies that range in and a wider timeline of production techniques on the planet. scope from ancient societies up to today. As such, the impressive presentation has been divided To reference Miodownik, the studies are reconsidering eradefining methods and their potential for the contemporary into three fascinating sections. Everyday features mundane, moment. Solanki says: “It’s crucial to think about the subject often overlooked substances to demonstrate how they can from a more responsible and sustainable point of view as be transformed, like pine needles into textiles or ancient opposed to just being centred on newness, which doesn’t grain flax into biodegradable chairs. Within this, cork, timber, always provide the best option. It’s thinking about what has stone and paper are called upon, as well as food. SILO, a zero-waste restaurant in Brighton is a perfect model. The come before, where we are now and where we’re going.” In line with the Ma-tt-er mission, Solanki is celebrating company in question buys its produce whole from the these ideas with global audiences as part of a launch at the growers and producers and, as a result, makes use of very London Design Festival this autumn. Liz Corbin, a doctoral little packaging. The additional plastic it does receive is then researcher at London’s Institute of Making and a tutor at the shredded, melted and reformed in a mould and transformed Royal College of Art, who contributed the foreword, also into plates, which are then used to serve food. Going even foregrounds the fact that we are never without materials, and further, any food waste is fed into an anaerobic digester that as such, the conversations are much larger. “These seemingly generates up to 60 kilograms of compost in 24 hours. The second part, Sciences, focuses on novel materials mundane fragments and blobs of metal, plastic, ceramic and glass are the stuff from which our entire civilisation is created through technical, biological or chemical processes. constructed. Yet, perplexingly, whilst they do so much for us, Charting everything from DNA to rubber and foam, this we rarely pause to marvel at them.” The overview of cutting- section taps into the needs of the planet and what can be edge examples which has been chosen for the volume is a done to meet them responsibly. Notable projects include perfect opportunity not only to discover the hidden wonders synthetically produced spider silk and leather-like fabrics, of historical methods or futuristic possibilities, but also which are created from bacteria produced by coconut water. to create new behaviours in the way that audiences – and The substance isn’t harmful to the environment if thrown away, and also includes no animal bi-products. designers – perceive the physicality of the modern world. Expansive – the final section – investigates less obvious It’s important to note that visionaries from a variety of industries are looking to address environmental damage, yet fundamental elements like air, light and water. Whilst and this isn’t the first text to reference it. However, the “light is not something most of us immediately recognise featured projects take sustainability as an integral aspect as a material,” Solanki states, some of the most amazing of design as opposed to a bonus feature. The text employs concepts in the book utilise it in its own right, addressing

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Sabine Marcelis, Filter Lights @ Baars & Bloemhoff @ Salone del Mobile 2017. Image: © Ronald Smits, 2017.

the ways it is perceived and experienced. This is something that has often been investigated in visual arts – through the likes of James Turrell’s Skyspaces and Olafur Eliasson’s various public projects – but in this case, light is considered for its impact on wellbeing. Rotterdam-based Sabine Marcelis, who runs a studio for installation and object design, manipulates light paths to affect surrounding spaces. VOIE, for example, is a collection of cast-polyester-resin pieces in various shapes and wide spectrum of colours, which are lit through. The resin’s properties allow the light to diffuse in many ways, thus creating extraordinary visual effects, which enhance the various hues. It seems to confirm the designer’s statement, which reads: “Forever in search of magical moments within manufacturing processes to create unexpected experiences.” Not only can the final result be adjusted to the needs of the space, but also Marcelis’ designs work to co-create it, as light circulates across the space and is subsequently reflected in multiple directions. Similarly, innovative Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel, who is currently based in London, has mastered the art of transforming furniture and objects into sources of energy by implementing solar panels into their structures. By teaming up with scientists and engineers, van Aubel creates extreme energy efficiency through intelligent design. In 2017, van Aubel was one of the three winners of the Swarovski Designers of the Future awards and co-designed an installation for Design Miami/Basel in the same year. The competition’s goal was to promote crystal as a material. An innovative approach transformed precious stones into a beautiful provider of renewable energy. In the Cyanometer (a series of three pendants) solar cells are integrated within

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crystal elements. Whilst the energy that would be generated Right: Marjan van Aubel, Current Table 2.0. in the cells in the daytime could be used as a source of light Photo Credit: Mitch Payne. after dawn, its intensity can vary depending on how much has been stored. That is why it takes the name from the 1789 device – whose invention is attributed to Horace-Bénédict de Saussure and Alexander von Humboldt – designed to measure the apparent “blueness” of the changing sky. Aubel’s other projects include the Current Table, which has an in-built solar panel surface. Made of dye-sensitised solar cells, it generates electricity to recharge numerous devices through integrated USB ports located on the side of the table. As in photosynthesis in plants, the technique makes use of the properties of colour to create energy. Last but not least, like all Aubel’s other projects, this ingenious technical solution is not stripped of its elegant appeal. The solar panel sits on a wooden base with sophisticated triangular legs. Functional, aesthetic and adaptive, this large number of potential ideas – carefully curated by Solanki – presents not only a great resource for designers, but also an excellent guide for the wider public, whose buying habits can longer be archived as standalone, individual purchases. The research presented in Why Materials Matter offers an optimistic overview, looking backwards and tracking Words our movements thus far, in order to continue forwards. Agata Toromanoff As Corbin concludes: “The 21st century has left us with a Kate Simpson design heritage – and burden – whereby industrial societies are consuming and polluting the planet at an exponential rate. The makers in this book are working to address these Why Materials Matter is challenges. The question that readers are left with is how published 6 September this holistic approach to an appreciation for materials can by Prestel. transcend the pages and find a place in their own daily lives.” www.prestel.com

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art

Visions of the City Kevin Krautgartner

After graduating from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Dortmund, Kevin Krautgartner (b. 1988) has been based in Wuppertal, where he works as a photographer and image editor. His personal works â&#x20AC;&#x201C; displayed in the following pages â&#x20AC;&#x201C; focus on geometric elements from the evolving landscape, revelling in bold structures set against an immaculate skyline. Fixed, cropped and focused, the resulting photographs offer subjective and orderly representations of buildings from the modern world. Symbols of optimism, work, leisure or, indeed, compelling art forms in their own right, the constructions sit within an arena of contemporary growth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at the centre of architectural tourism. Vivid colours and straight lines are integral to a refreshing portfolio; the images become part of a new visual language circling around urban jungles. www.kevinkrautgartner.com | @kevin_krautgartner.