Wallpaper* January 2020 Issue

*Architecture � Design � Art � Travel � Entertaining � Beauty & Grooming � Transport � Technology � Fashion � Watches & Jewellery

january 2021

RISING STARS

NEXT LEVEL Canadian design steps up BODY ART Kudzanai-Violet Hwami’s people power TUBE LINE SO-IL multiplies and divides at K11 Musea

Fresh thinking and bold visions from new voices in architecture, design, fashion and beyond

JANUARY

THIS SEASON’S BOLD PRINTS, PLEATS, RUFFLES AND FRINGING ARE BRINGING US TO FEVER PITCH. DRESS, £645, BY PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE, SEE PAGE 100

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NEXT GENERATION Ground breakers Ten exciting young architecture studios brandishing bold ideas and innovative design approaches 21 rising stars for 2021 Handpicked by Wallpaper*, we showcase the brightest, most exciting graduates, in every creative field

ARCHITECTURE

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Pipe dream K11 Musea’s new art and cultural centre is having a ripple effect in Hong Kong’s Victoria Dockside

ART

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Stay tooned Artist Kudzanai-Violet Hwami’s modern-pop portraits frame gender, sexuality and race

DESIGN

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Made in Canada A new show surveys Montreal’s contemporary design scene

FASHION

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Colour scheme Glow wild for a multi-tonal artist collaboration

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JANUARY 036

The Vinson View Picky Nicky’s comfort blankets

INTERIORS

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Tubular belles

Groove is in the art at our

no-squares home gallery

MEDIA

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Subscribe and save Plus receive artist-designed covers

111 WallpaperSTORE*

Refined design, delivered to your door

RESOURCES

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A VIBRANT COLOUR PALETTE IS A COMMON ELEMENT IN THE WORK OF ARTIST KUDZANAI-VIOLET HWAMI, SEE PAGE 044

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Rising spirit Spring fever on the catwalks leads to scenes of a swoon-inducing nature

FOOD

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Artist’s palate Sean Scully’s pancakes

FRONT OF BOOK

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Stockists What you want and where to get it

Newspaper Our hot pick of the latest global goings-on includes off-kilter silhouettes, minimalist grooming accessories, trash-derived treasures and a divine renovation MONTREAL DESIGNER LOÏC BARD’S ‘BONE’ CABINET, PART OF A NEW SHOW ON CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN DESIGN, SEE PAGE 038

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Wallpaper.com @wallpapermag

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Sarah Douglas Digital Editor Elly Parsons

Editor TF Chan Fashion Director Jason Hughes Architecture Editor Ellie Stathaki

Photography Director Holly Hay

Design Editor Rosa Bertoli

Transport & Technology Editor Jonathan Bell Group Art Director David Graham

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Watches & Jewellery Editor Hannah Silver

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Executive Editor Bridget Downing

Arts Editor Harriet Lloyd-Smith

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Beauty & Grooming Editor Mary Cleary

Entertaining Director Melina Keays Production Editor Anne Soward

Sub Editor Léa Teuscher

Contributing Editors Nick Compton, Deyan Sudjic, Ekow Eshun, Tilly Macalister-Smith, Nick Vinson, Emma O’Kelly, Hugo Macdonald, Alice Morby, Henrietta Thompson, Suzanne Trocmé US Editor Michael Reynolds • New York Editor Pei-Ru Keh • Milan Editor Marco Sammicheli • Paris Editor Amy Serafin • Germany Editor Sophie Lovell Madrid Editor Maria Sobrino • Japan Editor Jens H Jensen • China Editor Yoko Choy • Singapore Editor Daven Wu • Australia Editor Elias Redstone Latin America Editor Pablo León de la Barra • Buenos Aires Editor Mariana Rapoport

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CONTRIBUTORS SEAN SCULLY Artist Sean Scully is a master of stripes, stacks and, as we discovered for this month’s artist’s recipe, pancake flipping (page 114).

Unlike the forms in his paintings and sculptures, Scully’s pancakes never get the chance to form a stack as they’re eaten too rapidly after leaving the pan. It’s been a busy year for the artist, with concurrent shows at Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Germany and the Hungarian National Gallery. He will stage his first show with Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, in spring.

JUSTIN CARTER Photographer

AMAH-ROSE ABRAMS Writer

‘I really lucked out on the location,’ says Carter of the factory-turned-studio space in Montreal where he photographed some of Canada’s most inspiring new design, ahead of a 2021 exhibition (page 038, and on our newsstand cover). ‘The way the light streamed through the large windows – it was quite delicate.’ The day of the shoot, Carter heard he’d been accepted into grad school; he’s now working on his master’s thesis at NSCAD University, Halifax.

Abrams, a London-based arts and culture writer, interviewed Kudzanai-Violet Hwami (page 044), the young Zimbabweborn artist who also designed this month’s limited-edition cover. ‘I love the colour and composition of the paintings and the humanity of her portraits,’ says Abrams, who was equally impressed by Hwami’s strong presence. ‘She gave great answers.’

Abrams co-presents the monthly Roaring 20s Radio show on Soho Radio.

SADE-MIA SANGAR Photographer We asked Sangar, a 2020 photography graduate of Middlesex University, to shoot some of her contemporaries for the fashion pages of our annual showcase of new creative talent (page 071). ‘It was an eyeopening experience to shoot for Wallpaper* in such a beautiful studio, and to see how the other photographers work,’ says Sangar, who is currently working on Heston Kids, an exploration of growing up as a spirited South Asian girl in south-east London.

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SAM RANGER Stylist

MARTIN NICOLAUSSON Illustrator

Ranger collaborated with photographer Gabby Laurent on this month’s main fashion story, featuring womenswear from the S/S21 and resort collections (page 100).

‘Gabby came up with the concept of “the swoon”,’ says Ranger of the shoot, which is full of movement. ‘It was also exciting to work with model Mammina Aker, as I have long admired her elegance – she also made me swoon,’ adds Ranger, who is currently working on a project about young female skaters.

Based in Stockholm, Nicolausson is known for his slightly surreal, slightly nostalgic drawings in pastel colours. He illustrated our W* House feature in July 2019 (W*244), and, for this issue, brings another interiors story to life with his distinctive vision (page 090). ‘Drawing furniture is always fun because I get to go up close with the work of other designers and a discipline other than my own,’ says Nicolausson. ‘It enables me to look at – and appreciate – product design in a new way.’

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ILLUSTRATOR: ANDREW BASTOW WRITERS: LÉA TEUSCHER, HARRIET LLOYD-SMITH

EDITOR’S LETTER

Fresh start Newsstand cover Photography: Justin Carter ‘Matrices’, by Guillaume Sasseville, will feature in a 2021 exhibition of Canadian design, titled ‘Fictions’ and curated

by Nicolas BellavanceLecompte, see page 038

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Welcome to our January issue! In the spirit of new beginnings, this issue is dedicated to the Next Generation, the bright minds and budding talents that have captivated and inspired us.

Among them is artist Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, who represented her native Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale in 2019, at the age of 26. Her colourful portraits, often in collage formats that recall childhood cartoons and time spent on Tumblr, offer a vivid commentary on gender, sexuality and identity. Alongside a visit to her London studio, we invited Hwami to create a new painting for our limited-edition cover (available to subscribers). The result, titled Plains of the Christmas Cow, is an enlightening example of how technology has shaped the creative universe of digital natives: ‘Unrelated images borrowed from family archives and from the internet meet at junctions on the canvas,’ Hwami says. ‘The viewer is invited to fill in the gaps, much like how we fill and edit gaps of Instagram or Tumblr accounts.’

Meanwhile, our annual Graduate Directory has been reborn as ‘21 Rising Stars for 2021’. In a typical year, our editors would have scoured the graduate shows of top institutions in search of the next big thing.

This time round, with many graduate shows cancelled because of the pandemic, we’ve turned to social media (while still calling on education leaders around the world to put forward their finest students). And while we miss the tactility of physical shows, and the in-person encounters that come with them, our increased reliance on the internet has resulted in a line-up that is more international, and stronger than ever before. It reminds us that diversity is more than a moral imperative: it’s a commitment that helps us unleash the full potential of a new generation.

Our 21 rising stars come from a range of backgrounds and perspectives, but they have a common belief in the social impact of creativity. From home-compostable

cutlery made from kombucha waste, to an architectural proposal that addresses the precarious conditions of the world’s largest e-waste dump, and a series of photographic portraits that challenge negative stereotypes of Black women, their projects are evidence that their generation has the talent and tenacity to take on the many problems of our time. Eager to boost the profiles of these rising stars, we are publishing extended versions on our digital platforms throughout the holiday season.

Closer to home, we also shine the spotlight on ten young architectural practices in London. Slightly more established than our 21 rising stars, having had a few years to develop their ideas and prove their calibre, these founders are the new faces of a changing industry.

Our architecture editor Ellie Stathaki began to profile them on Wallpaper.com this autumn, and for this print version photographer Elena Heatherwick has created a new portfolio of studio portraits that speak to their character and purpose.

Our contributor line-up for this issue also reflects the Next Generation theme.

In a full-circle moment, our newsstand cover story, about a Montreal-based collective redefining Canadian design, was shot by Justin Carter, who featured in our Graduate Directory last year (W*250).

We tasked four other young photographers with documenting the graduate projects of our fashion rising stars, while the portraits on our contributors’ page were created by Andrew Bastow, who went back to university in his thirties to pursue his passion for illustration, and graduated in 2020.

Finally, for our Artist’s Palate page, we invited Sean Scully to share his love of pancakes – a dish that he prepares a few times a week for his 11-year-old son. It feels fitting to start off 2021 with a breakfast staple that nourishes the next generation.

Enjoy the issue, and Happy New Year!

Sarah Douglas, Editor-in-Chief

Limited-edition cover by Kudzanai-Violet Hwami Photography: Catherine Hyland London-based artist Hwami’s limited-edition cover, Plains of the Christmas Cow, is meant to be read as a film reel that skips from one scene to the other.

See our interview with the artist, page 044 Wallpaper* subscribers receive our artist-designed limited-edition covers each month, delivered to their door. Subscribe and save by visiting Wallpaper.com/save20

Newspaper* Wallpaper’s hot pick of the latest global goings-on

Tailoring is unbalanced but right on the button

Model: Zi Liang at Models 1. Casting: David Steven Wilton. Hair: Liam Russell using Evo and Oribe. Make-up: Jinny Kim using Boy de Chanel and Chanel Le Lift Crème de Nuit

Off peak

Jacket, £1,200; shirt, £135; trousers, £360, all by Emporio Armani. Glasses, £195, by Viu Eyewear For stockists throughout, see page 112

PHOTOGRAPHY: IVONA CHRZASTEK FASHION: AYLIN BAYHAN

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Newspaper

Left, jacket, £3,500; trousers, £855; shirt and tie, £795, all by Louis Vuitton.

Glasses, £195, by Viu Eyewear. Above, coat, £3,495; coat (underneath), £2,595; shirt, £425; trousers, £2,195; shoes, £625, all by Dunhill. Glasses, £195, by Viu Eyewear. Below, jacket, price on request; shirt, £610; trousers, £1,200, all

by Dior. Glasses, €485, by Lindberg

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t’s an age-old belief that beauty lies in perfect symmetry, but on the A/W20 catwalks, it was off-kilter silhouettes that drew the most admiration. For autumn, tailoring was reimagined with an off-centre twist, with coats and blazers fastened around the body using side straps, buckles and belts.

Harness the season’s wraparound potential with Louis Vuitton’s tuxedo jacket, which has a doublelayer side strap detail resembling a deconstructed cummerbund, or Dior’s liquid leather outerwear, which boasts an oversized pocket and punky side buckle. Dunhill and Armani have also erred off-centre, proving that your best side for autumn is the one that’s most unbalanced.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: IVONA CHRZASTEK FASHION: AYLIN BAYHAN WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS

Newspaper Nuori’s foray into grooming accessories is a coup de mâitre

Preen revolution

Danish skincare brand Nuori’s first line of grooming accessories expresses the most quintessential aspects of Scandinavian design – simplicity, efficiency and elegance. Developed in collaboration with creative studio NR2154, the range of vegan leather cosmetic cases and biodegradable cellulose combs are designed to look simultaneously modern and timeless, and come in four muted shades (Neutral, Rose, Ocean and Black).

Established in 2015 by Jasmi Bonnén, Nuori was a pioneer of ‘fresh beauty’, with its small-batch formulas that last for a matter of weeks as opposed

to the chemical-packed beauty products made to line shelves for months or even years. Now the brand is applying that same ‘fresh’ perspective to its beauty tools, thanks in part to the insight of Jasmi’s husband Peter Bonnén, co-founder of Danish design brand Muuto. ‘One of the values I’ve taken with me from working in design for a long time is the importance of creating something that looks modern today and also ten years from now,’ says Peter. ‘That plays a role in the object’s sustainability. If it’s designed well, you’ll want to keep it forever.’ nuori.com; nr2154.com

Left, Getaway travel case set, �139; detangling comb, �34; dressing comb, �27; Sideway travel case set, �110, all in Ocean, by Nuori

PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKKEL TJELLESEN WRITER: MARY CLEARY

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Newspaper

Model: Ana Barbosa at Titanium Management.

Casting: David Steven Wilton. Hair: Liam Russell using Evo and Oribe. Make-up: Jinny Kim using Giorgio Armani Beauty

Clockwise from right, dress, £2,370, by Bottega Veneta.

Jacket, £2,596, by Lanvin.

Jumpsuit, price on request,

by Schiaparelli

Womenswear gets a sparkling review this season

All that jazz

PHOTOGRAPHY: IVONA CHRZASTEK FASHION: AYLIN BAYHAN WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS

Integrating jewelled details into clothing has given a dazzling uplift to adornment this season. Heritage has been key, with Bottega Veneta drawing on Milanese goldsmithing tradition, integrating a chunky chain into a soft knitted neckline. Meanwhile, Daniel Roseberry’s sophomore collection for Schiaparelli reinterpreted the house’s signature keyhole motif as a dramatic dress closure. ‘I was really inspired by the feel of Alberto Giacometti textures, and interpreted the keyhole through that lens,’ he says. At Lanvin, Bruno Sialelli was inspired by the monkey motifs created by Lanvin’s founder Jeanne Lanvin and her long-time collaborator, interior designer ArmandAlbert Rateau, for Paris’ Théâtre Daunou in 1921.

These curly-tailed creatures sit on the lapels of a tailored jacket as animalistic arbiters of the label’s history.

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Newspaper Left, products from Tungare’s ‘Let’s (Not) Kick Butt’ collection, made from discarded cigarette butts that have been cleaned using ecological agents, then blended and cast into various forms, including pots, bowls and coasters

A young designer is kicking butt for the environment

Trash course Growing up in Mumbai, Sachi Tungare was driven to learn about product and furniture design by her mother’s passion for home decoration. She recently graduated in industrial design from India’s Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and her degree project, Jugaad, was born from extensive research into materials and waste, and how the latter can be repurposed to create functional design objects. ‘Being environmentally conscious is no longer

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a choice,’ she says. Jugaad focuses on two types of waste: discarded floral matter from daily prayer rituals and festivals, and cigarette butts, whose filters contains cellulose acetate, a material that frequently ends up polluting the oceans. With the former, the designer developed an alternative to the single-use plastic used in hotel amenities and toiletries, while the latter was treated to eliminate toxins and then moulded into forms such as coasters,

bowls and vessels. Tungare is inspired by material innovators such as Seetal Solanki, Formafantasma, Superflux and Ilse Crawford (who taught Tungare during a semester at Design Academy Eindhoven). ‘I want my work to be meaningful, impactful and relevant,’ she says. ‘Not just to its users but also to the environment, as well as the society it is placed in. Maybe this is the naivety of a fresh-out-of-college designer, but I want to touch lives.’ sachitungare.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: SACHI TUNGARE WRITER: ROSA BERTOLI

Newspaper

Divine interventions in South Tyrol

Spiritual conversion A masterpiece of South Tyrolean postwar architecture, Cusanus Academy, in Bressanone, has recently undergone a subtle transformation. Built in the 1960s and dedicated to learning and the exchange of ideas between the religious and secular worlds, its main building, the Haupthaus, originally designed by pioneering architect Othmar Barth, is a bold, concrete-and-brick structure with a double-height, vaulted concrete central space. The campus has been brought into the 21st century with a restoration and extension by architecture studio MoDus, which weaved in new areas and tweaked existing ones, creating a narrative that elegantly brings all parts together. The brief called for a design that would leave the three existing buildings visually intact, while creating a new public space. The architects achieved that with a new circulation axis, a café, an underground area for services and modular conference rooms, and pockets of informal seating. modusarchitects.com

Above and right, the doubleheight, vaulted concrete space and east façade of Cusanus Academy’s Haupthaus, originally designed by Othmar Barth in the 1960s and recently renovated

by South Tyrol studio MoDus

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GUSTAV WILLEIT WRITER: ELLIE STATHAKI

Column

THE VINSON VIEW Quality maniac Nick Vinson on the who, what, when, where and why

HOT FAVOURITES Begg x Co Scotland’s Begg x Co produces sought-after blankets in double-cloth, finished by hand with a chunky blanket stitch. beggxco.com Hollie Ward Handwoven in London from surplus yarn, Ward’s blankets are developed exclusively for The New Craftsmen. thenewcraftsmen.com La Carlière These are woven in Scotland in patterns based on Delft tiles, and embellished with hand embroidery. cutterbrooks.com Loro Piana Go for a classic fringed cashmere blanket, or a made-to-order vicuña option. loropiana.com Louis Vuitton Choose from monogram or check, in doublefaced wool and cashmere. louisvuitton.com Tiina the Store A well-curated selection, including Nepalese cashmere by Denis Colomb. tiinathestore.com Labour and Wait Welsh double-cloth blankets, in a selection of seven pleasing colours, woven by one of the few remaining mills in Wales. labourandwait.co.uk

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Blanket coverage

Picky Nicky takes comfort in the accessory du jour

I have a bit of a problem with blankets; I just keep acquiring them. I have one (or more) on every sofa and armchair, one on the bed, and plenty more folded away in cupboards, at homes in London and Florence.

In the early 1990s, I started buying Welsh double-cloth blankets. Reassuringly weighty, they are woven by hand and the best ones were coloured by Ann Sutton, the celebrated textile artist, who in 1968 updated the colourways for the weavers working with Holytex Mills.

Later, I fell for Agnona’s alpaca ‘plaids’, as they call them in Italy. For a Wallpaper* shoot in 2006, I wrapped two models in a yellow Agnona plaid outside Matteo Thun’s Merano thermal baths (W*87). Later that year I acquired one; it’s chequered, made of the fleece of the Peruvian Suri alpaca, and finished by brushing with naturalthistle rollers. The checks softly blush into each other in a pleasing dégradé effect, a design introduced in 1974. That was my first Agnona plaid, and I now have more than ten of them – most definitely a ‘swelter’ (the collective noun for blankets) – including enough in Florence that my husband Álvaro and I can host four guests for an autumn or spring aperitivo outside: when the sun goes down, the matching blankets come out.

I rarely use the sofa without a blanket, and a nap without one is unthinkable. I just

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love the comforting extra weight when I sleep (something weighty is said to reduce anxiety and to stimulate serotonin production). I have had blankets made in shearling, one side suede and the other fleece, all raw edges and turned seams.

Another favourite is Louis Vuitton’s ‘Karakoram’ blanket, woven in two layers of wool and cashmere, with a double-faced zigzag pattern that dates back to the 1920s.

It is no longer in production, so I need to make do with just the one. The master bed looks best with our most precious blanket of all, woven by Loro Piana from the rarest fibre, vicuña, in charcoal grey.

I found a new use for my swelter of blankets in London when the second wave of Covid-19 restrictions came into force this autumn. Since I was only permitted to meet friends outside, I brought my own blankets to Fischer’s or La Fromagerie in Marylebone to make outdoor dining more pleasurable for me and my guests. My newly essential accessory is a tan leather blanket carrier

by Connolly, a brand that also produces one of the best blankets on the market, the 100 per cent cashmere ‘Clyde’ (see 02).

As many of us retreat into our homes during the winter months, I can’t think of any better gift (including to yourself ) than a comforting blanket. You may get way more use out of it than you think. ∂

02 Big softie Woven in Scotland in two shades of cashmere, Connolly’s ‘Clyde’ blanket, seen here in the brand’s carrier, is chunky and very, very soft. £2,100, connollyengland.com

03 Heavy beauty Anderson & Sheppard’s handknitted Aran blanket in pure merino wool features deep ribbed edges and weighs in at around 3kg. £795, anderson-sheppard.co.uk

ILLUSTRATOR: DANAE DIAZ

Pieces that will form part of the upcoming ‘Fictions’ show, curated by Nicolas BellavanceLecompte, displayed in a factory-turned-studio space on Montreal’s Rue Hutchison.

From left, Claste’s ‘Lest We Be King’ chairs; Loïc Bard’s ‘Bone’ cabinet; (just seen) one of David Umemoto’s ‘3-6 Objects’; Pascale Girardin’s ‘Totems’; the second of David Umemoto’s ‘3-6 Objects’; Guillaume Sasseville’s ‘Matrices’; and Zébulon Perron’s ‘Spineless’ chair

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Design

MADE IN CANADA A show of design strength shapes up in Montreal PHOTOGRAPHY: JUSTIN CARTER WRITER: LAURA MAY TODD

This page, from top, chair sculpture,

by Yannick Pouliot; ‘Matrices’, by Guillaume Sasseville Opposite, ‘Muraille’, by Lambert & Fils

A

ll cities that have suffered from political pressure become creative in a way,’ says Nicolas BellavanceLecompte, the Milan-based curator, gallerist and founder of roving design fair Nomad, whose latest project is ‘Fictions’, a survey of the contemporary design scene of his hometown, Montreal. ‘Montreal has always had a design culture, but there is no outlet for our designers to promote their work. My intention is to show what Canadian designers can do on a global scale,’ he says. Originally planned for Milan Design Week 2020, the exhibition is now due to take place in Montreal, and will be accompanied by a digital viewing experience and live stream.

Once Canada’s largest city, staunchly bilingual Montreal boomed throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, but tensions between franco- and anglophone populations culminated in a secessionist referendum in 1995. Quebec voted to remain, but the bitter campaigning and its aftermath led to an exodus of business. The towering grain silos of the city’s Old Port, immortalised by Le Corbusier as ‘the magnificent first fruits of the new age’, now stand empty, alongside the once bustling Lachine Canal.

During its leaner years, artists from across Canada flocked to the city for cheap rents within the newly vacated industrial infrastructure, and Montreal soon became known as the country’s creative epicentre.

The city is not totally francophone, but it’s certainly not anglophone, which leaves space for individuality and a certain edge. Canada as a whole may have a reputation for cheery earnestness, but Montreal ‘has a certain darkness, an element of introspection’, says Bellavance-Lecompte.

This rings true for the participants of ‘Fictions’. ‘Montreal has two languages and »

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Design

‘I chose designers who could express a story about themselves and the way they work’ two realities,’ notes Pascale Girardin, chatting in her studio among a forest of looming ceramic totems, stacked vessels coil-built from tinted Ontario clay, which she glazes in inky black. ‘Because of this mix, we become very hybrid in our practices and in our way of seeing things,’ says Girardin, a Quebecoise who first trained as a scientist, then a painter.

‘I chose designers who could express a story about themselves and the way they work,’ says Bellavance-Lecompte, who has brought together fine artists, designers, lighting specialists and woodworkers. One of them is French-born carpenter Loïc Bard.

His rigorously detailed ‘Bone’ cabinets, ghostly apparitions in Canadian-sourced maple and limestone, are inspired by the articulations of the human body, and were first CNC-milled, then bleached and finished by hand.

Orbiting the boundaries of fine art are Yannick Pouliot and David Umemoto.

Guided by his baroque sensibilities, Pouliot explodes and extrudes historic furniture, creating a centipede-like series of Louis XVI chairs. Meanwhile, Umemoto’s Escher-like concrete models are cast in a single step without producing a negative. A former architect, Umemoto first models the sculpture digitally, then builds the mould with painstaking precision. The series is imbued with pseudo-religious connotations: a chalice, a lantern, an incense diffuser.

Lighting designer Samuel Lambert and his team at Lambert & Fils developed ‘Muraille’, an undulating room divider built from stacked aluminium extrusions. Inspired by gridded ceramic waste filters used in manufacturing, they were fascinated by how the material caught and extinguished light.

The Lambert & Fils team work in a succession of airy rooms on Rue Hutchison, buffered by a curving railroad track. The former factory once produced clothing and then enjoyed a post-industrial life hosting underground raves, where many of the designers, some of whom have known each other for decades, once congregated. In 2015, it was turned into studios and given a shiny new look by another participant of ‘Fictions’, Zébulon Perron.

Better known for his buzzy downtown restaurants, interior designer Perron found inspiration for his ‘Spineless’ chair in more bucolic settings. A pilgrimage to Veneto to witness Carlo Scarpa’s architectural legacy introduced the native Montrealer to the possibilities of Italian craft. His walnut wood, steel and brass chair, which cleaves down the middle like it is being unzipped, takes its cues from Scarpa’s intricate joinery.

Also neighbours in the building are Guillaume Sasseville and Claste. Sasseville, a product designer and lecturer at the UQAM design faculty, investigated the application of industrial-scale recycled plastics. Using

rotational moulding techniques, he created a series of monolithic furniture, its forms determined by simple cuts. Claste, made up of Quinlan Osborne, Martin Poitras and Philip Hazan, works almost exclusively in glass and stone. Its project resembles two identical thrones in marble and bronzed glass.

The stone seat sits suspended within the glass casing, seemingly weightless. Also working with glass is Edmonton-born, Montreal-based Zoë Mowat, who devised a series of delicate hand-blown tools.

The transformation of the Rue Hutchison building and its inhabitants may be too tidy a metaphor for the trajectory of Montreal, but it’s true that economic wheels are quietly whirring again. Newfound optimism has spurred on local designers to take their place on the international stage. In 2018, non-profit group the Centre of Canadian Creativity – co-founded by participants Claste, Lambert & Fils and Zébulon Perron – was created as a focus for that effort, helped in part by the local government, whose generous arts grants are another reason for the city’s prolific art scene. ‘We don’t say, “Let’s try to produce Canadian design”, but we do want to be aware of it,’ says Claste’s Quinlan Osborne. ‘Let’s start to catalogue it; let’s communicate with each other and figure out what differentiates us from the rest of the world.’ ∂ ‘Fictions’ will be held in Montreal in early 2021.

For more information, see @lambertetfils

Left, ‘3-6 Objects’,

by David Umemoto Opposite, ‘Lest We Be Kings’ chairs, by Claste

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Art Kudzanai-Violet Hwami (opposite) photographed in her studio in Vauxhall, London, with completed works and works in progress, including one of the artist’s mother (this page)

Stay tooned Zimbabwean-born artist Kudzanai-Violet Hwami is one to watch as she explores issues of gender, sexuality and identity through her carefully crafted, cartoon-inspired collages PHOTOGRAPHY: CATHERINE HYLAND WRITER: AMAH-ROSE ABRAMS

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Art

K

udzanai-Violet Hwami creates collages that consume the figures within them in colour and painterly forms. Her paintings are pieced together with precision, but there is something unorthodox about them: the figures are self-contained, sometimes confrontational, but never self-conscious.

Many artists are exploring the meaning of the Black body in art, and rightly so. But with Hwami, the imagined worlds that hold those bodies – incorporating blocks of colour, plants or even a superhero’s cape – are what strike you first.

Still just 27 years old, Hwami represented Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale in 2019. Born in Zimbabwe in 1993, she moved to neighbouring South Africa when she was nine, then to Manchester in the UK when she was 17. Her solo show, ‘Kudzanai-Violet Hwami: (15,952km) via Trans-Sahara Hwy N1’, commissioned

by London’s Gasworks in 2019, was well-received, and she finishes her master’s in fine arts at Oxford University’s Ruskin School of Art next summer.

When she arrived in Manchester, she chose to study for a BTec national diploma in art and design at North Manchester College. ‘I liked the freedom that I had. I had a choice and what I really wanted to do was draw,’ she recalls.

Hwami always drew. Inspiration came from Cartoon Network. She loved the otherworldliness of manga and would perpetually draw versions of

Above, Hwami’s limited-edition cover, Plains of the Christmas Cow, is meant to be read as a film reel that skips from one scene to the other. The viewer is invited to fill in the gaps, much like how we fill in the gaps on Instagram or Tumblr. Limitededition covers are available to subscribers, see Wallpaper.com Top left, sketches and drawings Top right, a transparency print, used for screen printing, of Bira, which formed part of a solo exhibition shown at London’s Gasworks in 2019 Opposite, Milk the King, 2014, painted when the artist was 21

her favourite programmes. ‘I would probably have gone into animation had I not been on that course.

I met this tutor, an amazing guy who at the time was my mentor, and he encouraged me to paint, and I think that’s where the journey began,’ she says.

‘That’s why I took it seriously.’

Recognition came quickly. She held her first solo exhibition, at Marylebone’s Tyburn Gallery, soon after graduating from Wimbledon College with a BA in fine arts in 2016. ‘I was just going with the flow and really grateful that people were reacting to the work the way that they were,’ she explains.

‘I am working as a professional now and just trying to figure out what the path is.’

Like many young artists, Hwami currently represents herself, out of both fate and choice.

The Tyburn Gallery, which Hwami praises as having given her the best possible experience, folded in June 2019. Then as the pandemic hit, there was little choice but to sit things out and finish her master’s.

‘It gave me an opportunity to slow down and think about who I’m making this work for and why, to give myself a chance to create in my own time without the need to share.’ Hwami is a self-proclaimed loner and comes across as a deep thinker. Her process as an artist is meticulously planned and considered, starting with collaging images and creating the structure of a painting around them. It’s a creative

Courtesy of the artist and Tyburn Gallery

‘It’s a strange thing that when a Black painting exits the studio, it’s immediately politicised and the self-enquiry that took place when it was being created is muted’

approach she picked up observing and collating images on Tumblr, both creatively and in an effort to get to grips with her identity. ‘I spent a lot of time on the internet as a pre-teen and, in that socially awkward stage of my life, I found it more comfortable to escape and exist in cyberspace,’ she explains. ‘I started exploring sexuality and gender identity. I was obsessed with the idea of physically living in a different body.

All my frustration and confusion was expressed through studying the queer body.’

As a person of colour with a public role, it’s difficult not to have a de facto position on identity, but it doesn’t mean that position isn’t subject to change.

‘It’s a loaded topic and there is nothing wrong with investigating identity. It’s the expectation to expose oneself that strips you from your individuality, and that is what I’m mostly concerned about. It’s a strange thing that when a Black painting exits the studio, it’s immediately politicised and the self-enquiry that took place when it was being created is muted,’ Hwami says. She has created works inspired by pieces of writing, life online and old photographs. She listens to recordings of spiritual guru Alan Watts and is interested in ideas of Black individualism. She’s looking for something and is comfortable in the knowledge that she is yet to find it.

Hwami’s paintings are figurative, colourful and laced with unexpected visual references. Carefully crafted before she even lifts a brush, her paintings fuse aesthetics from all the places she has lived, from Zimbabwe to London, with an occasional nod to the graphic cartoon aesthetic she grew up loving. You can see the influence of these animations in the movement in these paintings. Even as the figures are static, the compositions they sit within are not.

Despite her shows being postponed in 2020, Hwami still landed a spot in the first Africa-focused ‘40 Under 40’ list produced by global art magazine Apollo. It took her by surprise. ‘That was something phenomenal. I’m super excited. I wasn’t expecting it because you just don’t know who’s watching. It seems like people are watching, though,’ she says.

June will be a big month for Hwami, as she will graduate from the Ruskin with a final show that coincides with a group show at the Centre Pompidou.

This seems in keeping with an artist that, in her short career, has already reached dizzying heights while managing to keep her feet firmly on the ground. ∂ kudzanaiviolethwami.com, @mwana.wevhu

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Fashion

This page, dress, £2,125,

by Akris, akris.com.

Bracelet, £625, by Maviada, maviada.co.uk Opposite, all-in-one, £2,125, by Akris Model: Warsan at IMG Hair: Tosh using Bumble and Bumble Make-up: Andjelka using Nars Cosmetics Digi tech: Daniel Gurton Fashion assistant: Aylin Bayhan

Colour scheme A collaboration with artist Imi Knoebel adds a multi-tonal twist at Akris PHOTOGRAPHY: ROMAIN DUQUESNE FASHION DIRECTOR: JASON HUGHES WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS

A collaboration between an artist and a fashion brand often results in little more than a print slapped onto a sweater or sneaker. But when Akris’ creative director Albert Kriemler partners with an artistic heavy hitter – be it German photographer Thomas Ruff, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto (see W*203) or centenarian Cuban-American artist Carmen Herrera – he goes deep, looking for new creative threads and a kind of synthesised design philosophy.

‘The collaborations are about the culture of creating,’ says the Swiss designer, whose S/S21 collection celebrates the colourful and materiality-focused world of German artist Imi Knoebel. Kriemler first came across Knoebel’s work at Galerie Wilma Lock in 2004, when he was struck by the exploration of colour in Face 50, a small geometric collage made of acrylic paste on plastic, part of a series of 12. ‘He shares Matisse’s desire to “make colour sing”, or as I would rephrase it: he lets colour shine,’ Kriemler says. After visiting a solo exhibition by the Dusseldorf-based artist at Zurich’s Museum Haus Konstruktiv in 2018, Kriemler invited Knoebel to collaborate. In May 2020, after being turned away at the German border twice due to Covid-19 restrictions, Kriemler finally made it to Knoebel’s studio, arms brimming with fabric samples.

Knoebel worked strictly in black and white until 1977, when the death of a close friend, painter Binky Palermo, encouraged him to create an artistic ode in full colour, titled 24 Colours – for Binky. The work features a series of polygons in bold monochromatic hues. It alerted Knoebel to the potential of colour.

‘Knoebel’s studio is draped with over 700 colour swatches,’ Kriemler says. ‘He remains a seeker, trying to create something new within his reality.’

Akris’ collection references a variety of Knoebel’s kaleidoscopic works, from his 1970s Messerschnitt or ‘knife-cuts’ series, featuring jagged assemblages of paper cut-outs, to graphic acrylic and aluminium works from the 1990s. The tones and textures of these pieces have been translated into layers of 3D sequins and panelled embroidery, which adorn zesty green column dresses and are patchworked in primary colours on crepe blouses. Kinderstern, an acrylic and wood hendecagon created by Knoebel in 1989, is used as an angular motif, tessellated across transparent dresses and transformed into metal buttons, tulle cutouts and leather patches on clutch bags.

Knoebel’s recent Zurich show featured Raum 19 (1968), a modular installation formed from 184 pieces of raw spruce, and square and cylindrical Masonite boxes, which he created as a student under Joseph Beuys, and Batterie (2005), a cube of aluminium panels clad in phosphorescent paint. When the two pieces are exhibited together, the unpainted elements of Raum 19 become charged and emit a luminescent light.

In celebration of this material dynamic, Akris’ offering features glow-in-the-dark pinstripe suiting, sequin gowns and sleek sportswear – results of months of fabric testing. ‘Imi was most fascinated by our luminous techno material,’ says Kriemler. ‘The sequin was the biggest challenge. Our manufacturer in St Gallen had to develop a new metallic foil to cut them from.

‘A Knoebel line, colour or form is instantly recognisable,’ he reflects. The same individuality can be attributed to Kriemler, who, in his dual role of designer and seasonal curator, has brought an art-infused identity to Akris. ‘For me,’ he says, ‘these inspirations filter down to a single thread.’ ∂ ‘Imi Knoebel: Recent Works’ is at White Cube Bermondsey, London, until 27 February, whitecube.com; akris.com

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Right, the new art museum, located on the sixth and seventh floors of cultural-retail complex K11 Musea, features a striking façade, comprising more than 300 glass tubes

Pipe dream

Architects SO-IL have made waves at the new K11 arts centre in Hong Kong’s Victoria Dockside PHOTOGRAPHY: CHESTER ONG WRITER: CATHERINE SHAW

Adrian Cheng was a child when he first visited IM Pei’s revolutionary glass and metal pyramid at the Louvre.

It was, he says, his first experience of architecture that ‘activates the soul’. ‘I remember being mesmerised by the architectural purity of the pyramid architecture and the daring juxtaposition of old and new,’ Cheng recalls. The founder of artisanal-focused lifestyle brand K11, and CEO of Hong Kong-based New World Development, Cheng has been the creative driving force behind K11 Musea, a groundbreaking art-retail complex that opened in 2019 in Hong Kong’s Victoria Dockside cultural district (see W*247).

For the new K11 Art & Cultural Centre, a 6,000 sq m exhibition space with 1,000 sq m sculpture park on the sixth floor of K11 Musea, Cheng was keen to make a visual statement that bridges architecture, urbanism, landscape and public space. So he did not balk when Brooklyn-based architectural studio SO-IL proposed an undulating glass façade that would require investment to develop a revolutionary way of folding sheets of glass to create 9m-high, 0.9m-wide tubes.

Cheng had already noticed SO-IL founders Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg’s intriguing grand canopy for the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art in Davis, California, and their organic façade for Kukje Gallery’s K3 building in Seoul. He was convinced that they would be able to design something elegantly simple yet distinctive for the new gallery space. It was not the ideal time to invent a new process for making glass: the designers had to move quickly to fit into K11 Musea’s tight construction timeline. The architects’ vision included rethinking the architectural typology of cultural buildings, moving away from the idea of a cloistered sanctuary and using a glass façade to create something literally transparent and connected to the world around it. But to achieve their vision, they would need to create 307 sheer, seamless glass columns.

‘Most traditional museums are enclosed volumes, but we wanted it to have a strong connection with the context and feel part of the urban space, so we knew »

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Architecture

Architecture

we couldn’t have a typical curtain wall,’ Liu explains.

Working with engineers Eckersley O’Callaghan, the studio undertook a worldwide search to find manufacturers to make the slender glass columns with an unusually tight diameter of less than a metre (most manufacturers recommend at least 2m widths), but no visual distortions or colour tint.

Spanish architectural glass manufacturer Cricursa took on the challenge, and constructed an extra large oven to accommodate the glass tubes, which each weigh up to 1,200kg and are formed of two layers of laminated 12mm-thick glass. The process called for precise control of heat, and the design of a new moulding system, using massive sheets of metal instead of conventional clamps to hold each tube in place for eight hours. The manufacturing process took a year to complete, during which the architects built models in their Brooklyn studio, then made larger mock-ups at Cricursa’s workshop in Spain, and in Germany, where the façade contractors Seele are based, constantly refining the process and planning the installation.

‘We like to work closely with people who make and innovate things,’ Liu says. ‘Computer modelling doesn’t always allow you to grasp the tactile experience and figure out what the limits are.’

The duo also drew on their experience of working in Japan (where Idenburg was with architecture studio SANAA for eight years and where the pair met) to ensure the glass façade would blur the boundaries between inside and out. ‘We wanted the threshold to

feel more nuanced with layers of transition, so that even when you are inside the galleries, you feel outside and connect with the wider context,’ Liu explains.

Natural daylight is a key component of this experience. The designers added a series of scalloped aluminium screens, suspended from the ceiling, which filter direct sunlight to protect works of art exhibited in the galleries flanking the sculpture park.

They also worked with London-based lighting consultants Speirs + Major to integrate ultra-fine continuous LED light strips within the miniscule space between each glass column, to allow the façade to be illuminated at night without affecting the interiors.

‘Glass is deceptively difficult to get right, and this form had never been done before, so we didn’t know exactly how it would look until the façade was installed,’ admits Cheng. ‘But I could see that SO-IL was pushing the materiality of glass to the point where its soft shape would create the feel of a sculpture park within a sculpture without taking away from the art.’

Cheng sees himself as both curator and creator when it comes to his projects, and says he always follows his instincts when selecting architects. ‘I know what I want when it comes to creating soul in a project, so before I commission a designer, I want to see if they understand that, and are able to narrate the experience, values and spirit of the space,’ he says. ‘Then I leave it to them. We have to trust each other.’ ∂ K11 Art & Cultural Centre, 6/F, K11 Musea, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, k11musea.com

Above, the sculpture park features artworks by the likes of Katharina Grosse, Erwin Wurm and KAWS Opposite, above, the glass tubes were fabricated in Barcelona and are 9m high and 0.9m wide Opposite, below, K11 founder Adrian Cheng in front of an artwork by Turner Prize winner Oscar Murillo

Adrian Cheng portrait: @SWKit

‘Glass is deceptively difficult to get right, and this form had never been done before, so we didn’t know how the façade would look until it was installed’ ∑

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H ome and dry Virgil Abloh furnishes us with an edit of Off-White’s latest interiors line PHOTOGRAPHY: METZ + RACINE

All part of the Off-White Home 2.0 collection,

by Virgil Abloh, available from off---white.com, from left, hand-logo door mat; arrow-pattern slippers; long black umbrella; umbrella stand; ceramic bowl, cup and water jug; ‘Arrows’ wallpaper; long see-through umbrella; big ‘Gradient’ pillow; arrow-pattern robe; circular doormat; ‘Birds’ stool

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Wallpaper* Bespoke

‘Taking

the familiar and making it new.’ That was the drawing-board manifesto for Virgil Abloh’s new Off-White Home collection, now available from off---white.com and seen here in a special edit put together by the designer and Wallpaper*.

Conceptualised by Abloh with the intention of dressing all rooms of the home, the collection draws on Off-White’s ready-to-wear pieces.

Fluorescent pink and orange accents feature amid otherwise mostly neutral tones. Items are presented, variously, with Abloh’s signature arrow logo and meteor-hole voids, and tagged with the line’s distinctive orange labels.

Abloh’s take on the humble umbrella adds an interior graphic that reads ‘insert sunshine here’, visible when the umbrella is fully opened.

‘I’ve taken familiar items in the home and produced them in a way akin to my personal signatures, prioritising craftsmanship, celebrating the ideals of both sophisticated modernity and timeless luxury,’ says Abloh.

Go to Wallpaper.com for more and to hear Virgil Abloh talk about his approach to design

GROUND BREAKERS The world is changing, architecture is adapting, and a new wave of young practices in London is emerging. They’re armed with bold ideas, digital tools, new studio set-ups and innovative design approaches. In our Next Generation series, we hail this nexus of exciting studios in the UK capital, the first ten of which, featured in the next pages, are just the beginning. More will be presented online throughout the year – next stop the USA PHOTOGRAPHY: ELENA HEATHERWICK WRITER: ELLIE STATHAKI

THE SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION Tara Gbolade Gbolade Design Studio When architect Tara Gbolade set up her studio in Lambeth in south London in 2018, she wanted it to make a difference. Focusing her practice around a ‘design-led, sustainable, innovative and commercially-minded’ approach was just the beginning. Fresh ideas, dynamism and specialist skills ensure that Gbolade Design Studio’s work really stands out. The studio’s ambitions sound simple but are anything but. ‘We aim at making everyday places for people extraordinary,’ she explains.

Since its foundation, the young studio has earned awards and scooped competition wins. The secret, says Gbolade, is being specific in choosing clients that align with their ethos. ‘We are a small core team of five and work collaboratively with other practices and individuals, which means we are able

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to expand and contract our capacity as needed. We can offer the best value to our clients, while keeping the practice nimble and responsive to societal changes.’

The studio’s current work includes a complex of more than 40 residences in Littlehampton in West Sussex, designed to put sustainability principles (socioeconomic and environmental) and public green space at its heart; the ‘r-Home’, a model two-storey home, for innovative selfbuilders, housing associations and local authorities, that could help meet the UK housing market’s need, as well as achieve high Passivhaus standards; and Tripos Pavilion, a community-minded block for students in Cambridge, currently in design development.

Alongside creating her own designs, as a certified Passivhaus designer, Gbolade helps develop sustainability strategies for local authorities and currently leads the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town scheme.

The studio has also launched the Architects’ App, a library of case studies and advice for professionals in all stages of their career. ‘I’m most excited about the app’s ‘Sustainability’ section, which includes webinars and podcasts, information on energy efficiency and much more,’ she says.

The architect has also partnered up with like-minded individuals to form the Paradigm Network, ‘after noticing a distinct lack of diversity in architecture’, she says.

‘Forty per cent of Londoners are from a BAME background, yet only 1.2 per cent of the built environment is reflective of this number.’ This professional network aims to foster Black and Asian representation, running workshops, events and networking opportunities. Bridging a desire to lead change with action and pragmatic designs and architecture, there is no doubt that this emerging studio is one to watch. gboladedesignstudio.com

Next Generation

∫ To see some of the architects’ work, visit Wallpaper.com

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Next Generation THE COMMUNITY EMPOWERERS Steve Wilkinson, Theo Molloy and Chloë Leen

Pup Architects

2012 was a key year for Steve Wilkinson, Theo Molloy and Chloë Leen. The London Olympics not only turned the global spotlight on the city, but also marked the trio’s first collaboration, a series of pavilions commissioned by the Greater London Authority for the Games. The architects, who’ve previously worked at practices such as Sam Jacob, Ash Sakula and Grimshaw, formally joined forces in 2017, forming Pup Architects, a community-oriented studio based in Clapton, east London.

The interaction of people and architecture, and the sense of community that this brings, are key to the team’s approach. ‘Our projects are usually both pragmatic and playful,’ they explain. ‘We are concerned with how people interpret and use a space. We approach every project differently and treat it as an opportunity to create something unique. The use and combinations of materials is fundamental to this at many levels, from playing with architectural language to how materials make a space feel.

Sustainability is another key consideration, which often helps to define material choices – thinking about how to be resourceful, efficient and purposeful. It’s a good constraint to drive innovative solutions.’

Their first work as Pup was H-VAC, an experimental temporary structure that won the inaugural Antepavilion competition in 2017, while recent work includes an elegant, crisp refurbishment of Surrey Docks Farm.

‘It is our largest completed project to date, and it demonstrates a lot of our values of working with communities in a public setting,’ they say. ‘It will be great to see the development’s impact over the coming years.’

The studio is constantly developing ways for architecture to create a dialogue and support the local community, while respecting the natural environment as well as the multi-layered existing context.

This is currently dominating their attention as they work on a new community centre, constructed from hempcrete and timber, which forms part of a masterplan to revive Cody Dock in Newham.

Achieving their goals also takes the right client. ‘In the UK, there is still quite a lot of conservatism around architecture and what it should be,’ they say. ‘If you look to other countries, architecture often has a much greater plurality. Clients can be very risk-averse here, and this diminishes opportunities for young talented studios with a diversity of approaches, who are often overlooked in favour of established practices.

And there is still a real disparity when it comes to representation of minorities and women in the field.’ puparchitects.com

THE CROSS-PLATFORM MULTI-TASKER Benni Allan EBBA Architects Benni Allan’s EBBA Architects oozes style, enthusiasm and a refreshing attitude towards interdisciplinarity and innovation. ‘At the forefront of the studio’s work is a focus on making spaces that reflect a particular poetic and material ambition that can carry meaning and can have a direct emotional effect on the user,’ says Allan, who, prior to founding his independent office, was an architect with Niall McLaughlin.

The studio is exploring the potential of digital spaces, and it launched a virtual art space together with curator Jenn Ellis in the summer of 2020, during the UK’s strict first lockdown. AORA was conceived as a digital space to promote mental serenity and wellbeing, mixing design, sound and art.

Drawing on research conducted during the design of a children’s nursery, Allan and his team developed an understanding of the value of discovery in architecture. This led to ideas of distinct digital spaces that support ‘meditative practices and improve wellbeing’.

‘Art, architecture and music have proven health benefits, including alleviating pain,

improving wellbeing and shortening recovery periods,’ say Allan and Ellis of their project. The second AORA exhibition, ‘A Hurrian Meditation’, focuses on traditions of storytelling and includes ancient and contemporary works that come from a range of global locations, from Rome and the Cyclades to Singapore and India. The show runs until 31 December.

‘We believe agency and diversity in architecture need to be supported in order to create a fairer, more sustainable future,’ he says. ‘These issues are at the top of our agenda and we believe design can be a solution, through better housing, more accessible, safe public spaces, and inspiring and enlightening schools, all of which need to address issues of quality and environmental impact.’

And there’s plenty more to come in the near future from the studio based in Hackney, east London. Work is starting on its first public commission, a construction skills centre, for the London Legacy Development Corporation; private residential and warehouse renovations are ongoing; and a number of multi-unit housing schemes are currently in development. Which all makes 2021 an exciting year to look forward to at this fast-emerging architecture firm. eb-ba.co; aoraspace.com

Next Generation

THE EMOTIONALISTS Samuel Bentil-Mensah and Tszwai So

Spheron Architects

If you ask Tzswai So to talk about his work, it won’t take long before the discussion turns to the subject of emotion. It is an area that So, who set up Spheron Architects with Samuel Bentil-Mensah in 2011, feels passionate about.

‘Emotional intelligence is perhaps too often disregarded in architectural training in favour of abstract intellectual reasoning,’ he says. ‘A design that would win architects over does not necessarily move people’s hearts.’

Spheron, a five-people-strong outfit based in Clapham, aims for the heart. The studio is currently working on a new headquarters in Surrey for the world’s oldest vintage RollsRoyce and Bentley specialist, but past work includes housing, commercial, cultural and religious projects, including constructing London’s only wooden church for the Belarusian community. The studio recently

completed the design for the EU’s first ever pan-European memorial for ‘all victims of 20th century totalitarianism’. Called An Echo in Time, it was conceived using letters written by those affected to their loved ones.

The memorial is set to be built at Jean Rey Square in Brussels. The carefully selected letters will be enlarged and permanently embedded within new paving slabs, encouraging passers-by to read them.

The studio’s explorations of emotional life, notions of collective memory and human relationships are key to each and every commission, combined with appropriate research and a strong site-specific approach.

‘I always try to resist any preconceived ideas and to repress my ego at the beginning of each project,’ says So. ‘Our body of work is primarily concerned with the subjective connection between human emotions and the built environment, and a lot of this relationship is linked to memory and identity,’ he adds.

So is also involved in teaching, filmmaking, curatorship and writing. Most recently, he teamed up with architecture critic Herbert Wright to submit a proposal for the theme and curation of the 2022 Tallinn Architecture Biennale. The competition received a record number of submissions from all over the world, but the pair ended up among the five shortlisted proposals.

‘We call ourselves “Emotionalists”,’ says So. ‘We believe in creating art and architecture based on the supremacy of human emotions, responding directly to the potentially existential challenge of digitalisation.’

The Emotionalism proposal was not selected as the winner, but So’s quest to expand on themes of home, emotion and the built environment continues in an upcoming film: E-motion-Al City. Made in collaboration with Hong Kong conglomerate, Chinachem Group, the film is earmarked to debut at the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture. spheronarchitects.co.uk

THE WELLBEING ADVOCATE Natasha Reid Matter Space Soul Matter Space Soul is a small architecture lab and consultancy founded by Natasha Reid in Islington, London, in 2014. Placing a focus on people’s emotional, social and psychological wellbeing, Reid’s team follows a research-led path, working with psychologists and other specialists in an effort to create ‘joyful, soulful’ places.

‘While we come from architectural backgrounds, our aim is actually not to design buildings, although this is the visible outcome,’ says Reid. ‘Instead, we see our work as creating experiences that can improve the ‘human performance’ of places, the impact they have on people’s wellbeing, happiness, sense of identity and so on.’

By employing nature-inspired, biomorphic design principles, her design for the Mondrian Suites Berlin transformed a sterile space in an area of the city struggling with crime into one that feels safe, vibrant and welcoming to guests, as well as connected to its wider neighbourhood.

The studio has also created a workspace for a new progressive, female-led business, Cleveland & Co, which has set out to create an alternative type of law firm fit for the 21st century, built around a collaborative, non-hierarchical working ethos.

Reid’s considerate yet innovative approach was spotted early on in her career, when in 2015 she won New London Architecture’s international competition ‘New Ideas for Housing’. Conceptual and theoretical work has always existed handin-hand with building and interiors

commissions and the studio’s research work has taken on issues such as gentrification, placemaking and social impact.

Reid is also a fellow at international, interdisciplinary think-tank Centre for Conscious Design, and she co-curated (with Jenny Jones, Mark Bessoudo and Adalberto Lonardi) the 2020 London (and online) edition of the Conscious Cities conference.

Emotional quality, wellbeing and the human experience are recurring themes in Reid’s work. ‘We believe everyone should have the right to access places that enable them to flourish and grow in their lives,’ she says. ‘Empathy is a core value in our process, so we aim to go beyond the most obvious needs, and uncover solutions that attend to body and mind, and the stories we want the things in our lives to tell.’ matterspacesoul.com

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Next Generation

THE B-CORP PIONEERS Tom Woods and Chris Kennedy

Kennedy Woods Architecture

Childhood friends Tom Woods, a product designer, and Chris Kennedy, an architect, set up their joint practice in Peckham in 2012.

At the heart of their approach is a ‘user focus, tenacity, and a problem-solving mindset’, they explain. The studio is also the UK’s first, and currently, only, B-Corp-certified UK architecture practice. A B-Corp accreditation is awarded to businesses that balance commercial success and purpose. ‘In simple terms, we are committing to balancing people, planet and profit,’ say the pair.

While the accreditation remains a rarity among their peers, the pair feel there’s a sense of a growing movement around it. ‘Our B-corp status is a badge that helps us connect with like-minded clients interested in impact, as well as attracting purpose-driven talent.’

Kennedy and Woods are very particular about process: ‘We follow a “design thinking” methodology, an evidence-based, humancentric approach to innovation that allows us to access a wide variety of project types.’ This method involves a solution-based sequence that follows five key steps: empathise, define (the problem), ideate, prototype and test.

Led by this approach, the studio has been working on a wealth of commissions since its inception. Its latest design is for a zero-carbon, new-build nursery school in a particularly constrained backland site in east London, and it is also the design partner for a nursery start-up looking to disrupt the education sector. ‘By understanding in detail what works for children, parents and the operator, we’ve been able to convert a range of building types, including churches, community centres, care homes and retail spaces, into nurseries, each time playing to the character of the original buildings while maintaining a consistent brand experience.’

Another important project was ‘Hearing Birdsong’, the creation of a prototype for a more humane type of hearing loss test.

This might feel a long way from conventional architecture, but Woods’ product-design background means the two have worked on less traditional projects, including modular and micro-architecture schemes. Under the ‘less traditional’ projects banner, the studio is working on launching an architecture framework, built to help organisations innovate with the end-user in mind, to improve critical social infrastructure. kennedywoods.co.uk

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Next Generation THE EXPERIMENTERS Bongani Muchemwa and Steve McCloy McCloy + Muchemwa Steve McCloy and Bo Muchemwa met at university and have been collaborating ever since. ‘Both of us had childhoods in Africa and think this may have inspired some common outlook, if only about the strangeness of Europe and the UK!’ they say.

‘We now work well as part of a team because we have developed a rigour and depth to our shared architectural vision. We are a very small operation so our approach to large or complex projects is collaborative.’

The studio works with a competitionbased model (‘When we win one, the studio shifts up a gear,’ they explain). This has allowed them to work on a hugely varied range of projects. One of the latest,

Mud City, began life as a shortlisted competition entry for a housing prototype in Ghana, producing their ‘sketches’ as clay-based working models.

‘We made a number of intuitive sculptural forms and analysed them for their application on a domestic scale,’ they say. ‘Mud City is a loose urbanism where the diversity of architectural tectonics implies a rich and imaginative inhabitation.

We collaborated with the artist and photographer Sophie Percival to try and capture images of this surreal place.’

Other work spans writing, teaching and illustration; they even helped 3D-printed lesson-plan producer PrintLab develop a lesson plan for urban design and public interventions that has been included in a number of UK and US school curriculums.

Dynamism and a knack for diversity are

things that can be found in abundance within the UK’s young talent pool, they argue, but it’s not always appreciated. ‘For years, some of the UK’s best architects and designers who do build have been doing so in a global context, scarcely in this country, and hardly ever outside of London. For example, it is such a waste that Zaha Hadid only has a handful of modest projects in the UK. It’s a shame to think that when she was at her peak, so many terrible, artless buildings were built in our cities!’

The pair hope to change this, and to move from small scale to bigger projects that engage with more people and have a stronger impact. ‘We want to work on projects that lots of people will use and appreciate. We hope our work reflects a love of life and the modern world!’ mccloymuchemwa.com

THE EQUITY COLLECTIVE Roz Peebles, Ben Stuart-Smith, Joe Bacon, Karan Pancholi, Aidan Hall, Sogand Babol Okra Okra was born organically in 2016 when a group of creatives became involved in the campaign to preserve manufacturing space around the Old Kent Road. Joining forces, they formed a collective to pursue sociallyoriented projects that promote equity and span scope and scales. Okra is now made up of ten interdisciplinary members, within which is a flexible core team who lead the projects and the organisational work.

Social justice is central to the collective’s mission statement. This includes both the way they manage their studio and how they approach their design solutions. ‘Within Okra, all members are paid the same rate per project. We manage studio space at a notfor-profit rent to help other designers and makers, which has opened up opportunities

for collaboration,’ they explain. Engaging with wider audiences and making their processes open and flexible, the team enriches their projects with public events, walking tours and community gardening.

‘Community gardening has been a big influence on some of our recent projects because of its benefits for the environment, ecosystems and the mental and physical health of people, especially those with limited access to gardens,’ they say.

Recent projects include a refurbishment of the St Paul’s Way community centre in Poplar, while their latest work, The Orchard, a new-build, community educational structure with productive gardens in Hertfordshire, is about to start on site. The design explores new ways of building with radically low embodied energy, researching natural materials, such as clay and timber.

The collective argues that architecture has entered an important time of transition in terms of both the role of traditional

architecture practice, and cities and the way we live. Agility can help navigate this changing landscape, while diversity in the profession is also a critical issue to address.

‘For us, the more unconventional architectural approaches can often create the most discussion. As an ethically-oriented practice, we’re interested in the effect of small interventions but also larger issues, such as the future of our shared landscapes and production, the sharing and reuse of existing buildings, the rebuilding of the planning system to fairly safeguard living and environmental conditions, the need for a diverse economy and a well-housed society, the involvement of ordinary people in decision-making (in a way that isn’t prejudiced towards privilege), and so on.’

To improve the UK landscape in those terms, ‘alliances and collective action would be a really good start’. And Okra practises exactly what it preaches. okrastudio.com

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THE ETHICAL PRACTICE EXPLORERS Alasdair Ben Dixon, Siri Zanelli and Khuzema Hussain Collective Works

THE URBAN PLACEMAKER Jayden Ali JA Projects ‘We see the city as a place of multiple stories, scenes and actors, a theatre that mediates our relationship as citizens between one another and place,’ says Jayden Ali. Heading JA Projects since 2015, Ali has been working at the intersection of architecture, urban strategy, art and performance through a wealth of multidisciplinary projects, ranging from community and education commissions to film and curating. This slightly less common way of looking at architecture, through an analysis of society, cultural power, ownership and expression, is a constant in the young studio’s work.

Blending a social and performative component with a physical, built one is a key way of approaching design problems for Ali. The goal is to deliver ‘resilient and sustainable interventions that empower people and make a positive contribution to the environment and surrounding context’.

His work reflects that, defined by a focus on the more subtle, often intangible things that are there but are perhaps harder to define or quantify. Human experience, the idea of belonging, insights, shifts in

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society and power struggles are common themes in many of his projects.

One of his latest creations, a triptych of films, explores all of the above. The first, for the Royal Academy, was an exploration of the idea of home in the two dominant cultures of Bethnal Green in London: white-English and Islamic-Bangladeshi. The second reflects on the murder of George Floyd and ‘the UK’s transatlantic relationship with America and its idols’. The third (a collaboration with art director Lotty Sanna) is still a work in progress and touches on notions of migration and womanhood in Marseille.

JA Projects is also behind The Cherry Trees, a masterplan for a local primary school in Bow for children with behavioural difficulties. The project also included an alternative, immersive after-school play provision that questions the merits of traditional learning spaces. It allowed pupils to use the space as they wish, with openended outcomes, making it their own.

This idea of ownership is strong in Ali’s work. ‘Developing a sense of true belonging has the capacity to be the single most transformative contribution to city life,’ he says. ‘We want people to say “This is my home. I am not an outsider. I belong here”.’ ja-projects.com

‘We wanted a studio that could embrace flexible working, allow everyone to inform the final outcome and be better connected to the communities it served, but without sacrificing design quality,’ say Collective Works’ co-founders Alasdair Ben Dixon, Siri Zanelli and Khuzema Hussain.

The firm was formally established in 2012, but having worked together at previous architecture practices, the trio already knew each other’s strengths. The studio recently finished UpSideDown House, the transformation of a traditional Victorian terrace in north London, by investigating the spaces needed for being together, for quiet thinking and for robust play. They also invited Koi Colour Studio to collaborate on a bold colour scheme of sustainable clay-based paints to enhance the original Victorian features. ‘Inviting experts to take part in a project, and sharing knowledge, was part of making this project successful, and it has already led to further collaborations and new projects,’ they say.

One ongoing project is a fully sustainable workshop in Highgate for a client whose mission is to explore the relationship between humans and nature. Its design creatively references boulders and land art, and it is also a project with high sustainability ambitions, so the workshop will be well-insulated, airtight, require little operational energy, have low-embodied carbon, collect and reuse water, and generate electricity through rooftop PVs. The sustainability criteria were part of the client’s brief, and a dialogue with the local community was key to getting the project approved, say the studio.

Collective Works’ Rise theatre, built for the Old Vic Community Company in London’s Waterloo, was a temporary 200-seat theatre made entirely of reusable, reclaimed and rented materials. While they do not have a big portfolio of cultural commissions, this was a project where ‘sustainability, community engagement and collaboration were absolutely essential’, they point out.

Ben Dixon has taken this one step further, engaging with RIBA to contribute to recent publications and conferences around sustainability, social value and ethics in architecture. The practice is also part of the team that is developing RIBA’s 2021 ethics curriculum, and they have received a grant to continue studies on a new and flexible housing typology that encourages home ownership and social sustainability.

Among other things, architecture, they point out, is missing ‘an honest conversation about our social contract and an urgent response to the climate crisis’. collectiveworks.net

Next Generation

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Our limited-edition covers, available only to subscribers, are created by a leading artist, designer or architect each month. Past contributors range from Jony Ive to Jenny Holzer, Yayoi Kusama to Tom Sachs, Isaac Julien to Karl Lagerfeld. See just a few of our favourites here, and subscribe for many more unique artworks to come.

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Our Next Generation showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. See more on all our graduates at Wallpaper.com ∏ #WallpaperNextGeneration

21 RISING STARS FOR 2021

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21 FOR ’21

DESIGN

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JIANI ZENG & HONGHAO DENG MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

This US-based Chinese duo use lenticular 3D-printing to create dynamic colour and texture in design objects. ‘Our designs consist of two basic layers: a top layer of lenticular lenses, and a base layer of colours or patterns.

The technique can be used to create a variety of 3D designs, such as shifting patterns, interactive written content, and even touchsensitive visual effects,’ they say. Dream collaborators: Norman Foster; Tokujin Yoshioka. @jianizeng; @honghao_deng

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CÉLESTINE PEUCHOT Design Academy Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Peuchot’s project, ‘Inert Domestic System’, explores the idea of what would happen if our machines and production systems stopped – a far-fetched scenario made more plausible by the pandemic, which has exposed the fragility of our manufacturing supply chains.

Her series of six handmade ceramic objects points to how industrial production techniques can adapt and take note from artisanal manufacturing. Dream collaborators: Didier Faustino; Destroyers Builders. @celestin.peuch

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03 RICK CAZEMIER, MARTIN STEFFNER, ORELIO DE JONGHE, EMILIO DE JONGHE, THOR GERARD, DIMITRIOS SELERIDIS Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Imagine a home audio system that is fully recyclable and produces perfect sound using a sheet of glass. This is what these six industrial design students, working with Delft-based technology start-up DeNoize, have achieved with their ‘Ammos’ speaker. Made of smart glass, bamboo and a sturdy aluminium frame, it is environmentally sound, and can easily be repaired by users. Dream collaborators: Gispen; Victor Papanek; SpaceX; Bertone; Leica; Jony Ive. @ammos_techlabs

WRITER: JACQUI SCALAMERA

04 CHARLOTTE KLINGE CCA, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

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German-New Zealander designer Klinge’s ‘Boochi’ home-compostable cutlery is made from a by-product of kombucha production known as symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (or ‘scoby’). Finished with an antibacterial beeswax glaze, the pieces resemble textured polystyrene. ‘This project seeks to provide a secondary value stream for the waste industry,’ says Klinge. Dream collaborators: Scion; Callaghan Innovation; Fraunhofer; Braun. charly.klinge@gmail.com

05 ARIADNA SALA NADAL Elisava, Barcelona, Spain Sala Nadal’s Balisa project is a series of 21 therapeutic tools that are intended to facilitate communication between psychologists and survivors of child sexual abuse. Each element has a unique colour, weight and texture to help express the different emotions a survivor can experience during the healing process. For use in therapy sessions and at home, they stack to form a totem that can signify a safety zone in any space. Dream collaborators: Ellen Bass; Faig Ahmed; Vitra. @arisvla

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06 WEICHI HE PENG ECAL, Lausanne, Switzerland He Peng’s ‘Photonic’ is a modern iteration of Cooper Black, the famously heavy display typeface. The Chilean designer has explored ways in which Cooper could be transformed into three cuts, Black, White and Grey, thinning out the structural elements to create different characters for different applications.

Dream collaborators: Dimitri Bruni, Manuel Krebs and Ludovic Varon of Norm. @weshehe

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ABBIE REILLY Birmingham City University, UK

‘My work is digital, but having a physical colour palette is the best way for me to create the right feel for my illustrations,’ says Reilly, whose project is inspired by her lockdown experience and Adam Martin’s GABA meditation podcasts. The illustrator also cites Birmingham’s brutalist architecture and skate culture as influences. Dream collaborator: Carhartt WIP. @abbieblah

21 FOR ’21

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

WRITERS: JACQUI SCALAMERA, JONATHAN BELL

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JEWELLERY

08 ANNELI OPPAR Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia Oppar’s collection of 3D-printed nylon and stainless steel jewellery explores the concept of time. Titled ‘The Actual Calculations’, the series is based on the idea of Oppar retracing the steps she used to make around a pond during her childhood, and counting them as a way of defining the human perception of time. The pattern she found in these endless loops is encapsulated in her mesmerising brooches and rings. Dream collaborator: Patrícia Domingues. @annelioppar

WRITER: HANNAH SILVER

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09 SANG WON LEE Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, USA Lee’s concepts range from an electric version of the classic Citroën DS to this striking racing aircraft, the result of an inspirational internship with Daniel Simon, the concept designer on films such as Tron: Legacy and Oblivion.

‘This is an imaginary propeller-driven craft for future air races. The canopy is replaced by cameras, and the pilot is surrounded by an interactive display,’ says the South Korean designer. Dream collaborator: Daniel Simon. @sangtheowl

WRITER: JONATHAN BELL

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GABRIELLE LIEW National University of Singapore, Singapore

Liew recently graduated with a highly praised final MA project that investigates global food production. ‘Despite urban agriculture being a widely discussed topic, I wanted to deconstruct it and twist it to create an extreme example of how we could achieve not just food selfsufficiency but also climate positivity for a country,’ she says. Liew is now working at the Singapore HQ of architecture studio Raglan Squire & Partners. Dream collaborators: Kengo Kuma; SANAA. issuu.com/gabrielleliew

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ISAAC NANABEYIN SIMPSON Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, UK

Inspired by Horace Ové’s documentary satire The Black Safari, Simpson’s master’s graduation project, which scooped the Bartlett Architecture Medal for 2020, explores ideas of race, power and identity. The project looks at the British landscape through the African gaze by designing a ‘vessel’ that travels across the Scottish Highlands, sparking conversations and challenging ideas around land ownership.

Dream collaborators: Grace Wales Bonner; Asif Khan; James Baldwin. @issi.nanabeyin

WRITER: ELLIE STATHAKI

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ARCHITECTURE

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ANAM IZHAR AHMED GSAPP, Columbia University, New York, USA

Supported by the Dean’s Scholarship for the academic year, Ahmed’s research on the concept of home for her master’s programme at Columbia received the 2020 Honor Award for Excellence in Advanced Architecture Design. Raised in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan but now based in the US, Ahmed sees architecture as a means to make life better for communities, and she is currently working at New York studio MOS. Dream collaborators: Neri Oxman; Assemble; Lex Pott. @kar___da

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SHAWN ADAMS Royal College of Art, London, UK

Adams’ MA graduation project explores the relationships of the ‘burner boys’, young men in Agbogbloshie, a 20-acre material graveyard in Ghana, who earn a living by extracting the metals inside discarded electronic devices.

In 2019, Adams founded the POoR Collective to help young people get their voices heard, and he is also a member of New Architecture Writers, a free programme for emerging BAME critics. Dream collaborators: David Adjaye; Francis Kéré. @_shawn_adams_

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IGOR PJÖRRT ECAL, Lausanne, Switzerland

Madeira-born, Paris-based photographer Pjörrt’s series Apartamento – meaning both ‘apartment’ and ‘separation’ in Portuguese – draws parallels between the transformations that occur within homes and the shifting of gender identities, and offers a glimpse into confinement during the pandemic. Dream collaborator: ‘Onfim, a medieval Russian boy, whose doodles were preserved.’ @pjorrt

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RORY HAMOVIT Yale School of Art, New Haven, USA

Hamovit’s practice is equal parts photography and performance. The Los Angeles-based artist subverts masculinity’s historic tendency towards self-adoration with staged scenes from a land in-between reality and absurdity.

Understanding humour as a unifier, he disarms his audience, compelling us to linger, but the punches don’t land as you expect. Dream collaborator: Rembrandt. @roryhamovit

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OLIVIA JOAN Parsons School of Design, New York, USA

New York-based Joan’s joyful portraiture of her female relatives challenges negative stereotypes of Black women and pays tribute to Black matriarchy. While her subjects are mostly directly engaged, regal in their strength and stature, there are also moments of tension. The best images, she says, often happen as she’s setting up her lens. Dream collaborator: Tyler Mitchell. @_olivia_joan_

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IOANNA SAKELLARAKI Royal College of Art, London, UK

Following the death of her father four years ago, Sakellaraki returned to her homeland of Greece and, as part of the grieving process, began a project exploring her mother’s grief in relation to local social and religious norms.

She was also drawn to the ritual laments of the last professional mourners in Greece’s Mani Peninsula. Dream collaborator: René Magritte. @ioannasakellaraki_photography_

WRITER: SOPHIE GLADSTONE

21 FOR ’21

FASHION

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MATHIEU GOOSSE Institut Français de la Mode, Paris, France

An elegant, gender-subverting fluidity features in Goosse’s pieces, which include both birdshaped bikini tops and leather suits. A former industrial design student, Goosse grew up in the Belgian countryside among a family of artisans. As a result, he favours craft-focused techniques and fabrics that have a time-worn quality: ‘Growing up in a remote region, I often had to work with materials I had right next to me.’ Dream collaborators: Expert artisans. @mathieugoosse

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KANMIN KIM Coconogacco, Tokyo, Japan

As a student in Seoul, Kim lived in a tiny room with no wardrobe – ‘My clothes were always wrinkled,’ says the South Korean menswear designer. Having dropped out of his business degree and moved to Tokyo to study fashion, he reinterpreted the undesirable creases as elegant draping in his Wall Street-worthy first collection, made mostly with deadstock fabrics sourced while working a pattern cutter.

Dream collaborator: A public bathhouse. @kanminkim

PHOTOGRAPHY: SADE-MIA SANGAR, SOPHIE EDGE FASHION: AYLIN BAYHAN WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS

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Throughout, knee-high boots, £584, by Manu Atelier, manuatelier.com. Black boots, €795, by Pierre Hardy, pierrehardy.com. ‘CH24 Wishbone’ chair, £443, by Hans J Wegner, for Carl Hansen & Søn, carlhansen.com

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CARLA CORPAS PARET Istituto Europeo di Design, Milan, Italy

Spending lockdown in her mountainside home in Catalonia, Paret found it difficult to source materials. ‘The postal service doesn’t operate where I live,’ explains the Spanish designer, whose creations are inspired by the contrast between urban and rural life. Evoking early 19th-century garments, her deconstructed overcoats are imagined in upcycled materials and dyed naturally. ‘Nature is the main subject,’ she says. Dream collaborator: Iris van Herpen. @carlacorpasparet

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PAOLO CARZANA Central Saint Martins, London, UK

Based on the idea of healing garments and designed as a response to personal trauma, Carzana’s MA project, ‘The Boy Who Came Back to Life’, features sustainable materials hand-dyed with anxiety-reducing lavender oil and spa water from Tuscany and Wales.

‘It was about blurring the rigidness of tailoring into something more fluid,’ says the Welsh designer, ‘and creating my own cauldron of healing therapeutic formulas.’ Dream collaborator: Anohni. @farfallapaolin0

Models: Arantza Goett at Milk Model Management; Chester at Tomorrow is Another Day Hair: Liam Russell using Oribé and Evo Hair Make-up: Anna Inglis Hall using Omorovicza and Suqqu

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FASHION

π Go to Wallpaper.com to see more on all our graduates. #WallpaperNextGeneration

PHOTOGRAPHY: BYRON CHAMBERS, ANDREA URBEZ FASHION: AYLIN BAYHAN WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS

Wallpaper* Bespoke

Cultural reach Hyundai Motor is supporting contemporary art to address the questions of our time

humanity. Art poses important questions for society and widens our view of the world.

With our engagement in art, we offer platforms to inspire, to listen, and to create a better future for all of us.’

Despite the challenges created by the global pandemic and the restrictions it has imposed on access to the arts around the world, Hyundai Motor has continued to explore culture and creativity with major initiatives during 2020.

Opened this autumn and ongoing through February 2021 at Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul is the exhibition ‘MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2020: Haegue Yang – O2 & H2O’. The series provides a platform for a leading Korean artist each year – Lee Bul, Kimsooja and Park Chan-kyong have all featured – and this time is dedicated to Seouland Berlin-based Haegue Yang. The show’s title, ‘O2 & H2O’, refers to the essential elements for life and was inspired by a petrol station sign that read ‘air and water’. Through

Above, from left, Sonic Domesticus and Sol LeWitt Upside Down, by Haegue Yang, as part of her show for the latest MMCA Hyundai Motor Series exhibition in Seoul Left, Fons Americanus,

by Kara Walker, for the Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, London

Photography: Cheolki Hong, image provided by MMCA. Hyundai Commission: Kara Walker © Ben Fisher Photography

Far more than a means of transportation, a car is an expression of identity and a lifestyle choice. Accordingly, the contemporary car manufacturer needs to take a holistic approach to conception and design. With its vision of ‘progress for humanity’, Hyundai Motor goes as far as seeking to shape values and inspire innovation; it aspires to transcend the realm of technology and enhance our lives. By facilitating cultural experiences, exhibitions and installations, the company hopes to open up purposeful conversations for a better future. It sees art as a prism through which we can increase our understanding of the world and therefore strive to improve it.

‘We think that transforming people’s lives for the better will be possible only when technology reflects a deep understanding of society and the progressive ethos of art,’ says Cornelia Schneider, vice president and head of Global Experiential Marketing.

‘Hyundai Motor believes that the value of art lies in its understanding and respect for

the abstract language of art, Yang touches on topics from science to sensorial perception and climate change. ‘She deals with subjects such as the relationship between organisms and machines, domesticity, migration and borders,’ says Schneider. ‘These are issues that concern us all.’

In addition to its collaboration with MMCA, Hyundai Motor supports art initiatives through long-term partnerships with the likes of the UK’s Tate and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In London, Tate Modern is among art institutions that have faced periods of closure during lockdowns. Its showing of American artist Kara Walker’s installation Fons Americanus, the fifth Hyundai Commission in a ten-year series for the Turbine Hall, has been extended to February 2021. Walker is known for her candid explorations of race, gender, sexuality and violence, and her sculpture, a four-tier fountain, questions narratives of power

and uses water as a theme to refer to the transatlantic slave trade.

An initiative launched by Hyundai Motor and Tate, ‘Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational’ is an inclusive platform that encourages innovative ways of thinking about art and global art histories. Most recently, the centre’s research supported the latest exhibition of South African visual activist Zanele Muholi, on show at Tate Modern until March 2021.

Hyundai Motor has also embraced virtual platforms to disseminate art. This summer, in collaboration with Elektra, a Montreal-based art institution dedicated to international contemporary digital arts, it presented ‘Hyundai X Elektra: Metamorphosis’. Aiming to broaden our understanding of the relationship between humanity, nature and technology, the show considered what societal transformations may follow the pandemic. Work by artists from three continents was brought together

in an exhibition at Hyundai Motorstudio in Seoul, and shared digitally, on platforms including Google Arts & Culture.

In China, meanwhile, Hyundai Motor has an ongoing partnership with Shanghai’s Yuz Museum. Launched in November, the latest programme, ‘Hyundai Art + Tech Programme at Yuz’, explores the creative relationship between art and technology.

Since 2017, Hyundai Motor’s commitment to art and creativity has also been showcased in its annual Hyundai Blue Prize. The award is given to emerging curators in China with insightful approaches to presenting the complexities of contemporary society. This year, the fourth Hyundai Blue Prize reflects on the pandemic, with the theme ‘Resonant City’. Focusing on urban renewal, it offers a new perspective on quality of life in cities, when the world faces a common crisis.

Expect more to come in 2021, as Hyundai Motor continues to explore the world through art. hyundai.com

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JANUARY IS ALL ABOUT...

THE PERFECT MIX p090 GROOVE IS IN THE ART Gallery living with curve appeal p100 FAST FORWARD We’re falling for spring looks p114 FLIP SERVICE Sean Scully’s pancakes ∑

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TUBULAR BELLES Sensational spaces with bold volumes and retro vibes Illustrator Martin Nicolausson Interiors Olly Mason

From left, ‘Cabin’ sofa, from A$5,011 (£2,758),

by Gibson Karlo, for Design By Them. ‘Orbit’ side tables, prices on request,

by Jean-Marie Massaud, for Poliform. ‘Tomo’ suspension lamps, from €450, by MUT, for LZF. ‘Ila’ armchair, €2,034,

by Patrick Jouin, for Pedrali.

‘Storet’ cabinets, from €4,659,

by Nanda Vigo, reinterpreted

by Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces, for Acerbis

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Space From left, ‘Canaletto’ glazed sideboard, from £4,668,

by Mauro Lipparini, for Ligne Roset. ‘Specchidicarta’ mirrors, from €700, by Gumdesign, for Antoniolupi.

‘Gogan’ sofa, from £5,720, by Patricia Urquiola, for Moroso.

‘901’ coffee table, €1,449, by Nichetto Studio, for Rolf Benz.

‘PH5’ pendant light, £685,

by Poul Henningsen, for Louis Poulsen

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This page, from top, ‘Remnant’ armchairs, €1,874 each, by Note Design Studio, for Sancal.

‘Manto’ dining table, from £4,750, by Pietro Russo, for Gallotti & Radice Opposite, from left, ‘Matic’ chaise longue, from £3,340,

by Piero Lissoni, for Knoll.

‘Coordinates’ lighting system, price on request, by Michael Anastassiades, for Flos

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Space From left, ‘Calix’ console, price on request, by Baxter.

‘Around Object 02’ chairs, $1,950 each, by Jin-sik Yun. ‘Escargot’ table lamp, from $1,400, by Atelier de Troupe.

‘Calandra’ cabinet, price on request, by Cara\Davide.

‘Vipp 456‘ lounge chair, DKK15,500 (€2,080), by Morten Bo Jensen, for Vipp

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From left, ‘Liagò’ storage unit, from £7,640, by Piero Lissoni, for B&B Italia. ‘Torii’ armchair, £4,715, by Nendo, for Minotti.

‘Huan’ pendant light, price on request, by Mario Tsai Studio.

‘Spine’ table, £8,400, by Studio EO, for Åben. ‘Gardian’ stools, price on request, by Patrick Norguet, for La Manufacture For stockists, see page 112

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RISING SPIRIT

We’re swooning over spring’s eclectic prints, bold blocks of colour, refined ruffles and fine fringing Photography Gabby Laurent Fashion Sam Ranger

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Fashion This page, jacket; trousers, both price on request,

by Loewe. Shoes, £540,

by Valentino Opposite, jumper, £3,035; trousers (just seen), £940, both by Bottega Veneta Vinyl flooring in Antelope Grey (throughout), £29 per m sq, by The Colour Flooring Company

Fashion This page, shirt, £255; skirt, £235, both by Sportmax. Shoes, £320,

by Ugo Paulon. Earring, �340, by Acne Studios Opposite, dress, £2,050; legging boots (just seen), £2,150, both by Balenciaga

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Jacket, £2,630, by Gucci

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Fashion

Jacket; dress, both price on request, by Tod’s. Shoes, £320, by Ugo Paulon. Earrings, £195; ring, £395, both by Alighieri

Fashion

This page, overalls, £2,100; bodysuit, £1,800, both by Hermès Opposite, dress, £6,100, by Dior. Dress (worn underneath), £1,430, by Jil Sander by Lucie and Luke Meier.

Neck tie, price on request, by Maison Margiela

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Fashion

This page, jacket, £3,000; dress, £4,200; ruffle collar, £755, all by Louis Vuitton Opposite, top, £470; skirt, £585, both by Pleats Please Issey Miyake

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Fashion

Skirt (worn as dress), price on request, by Dolce & Gabbana For stockists, see page 112 Model: Mammina Aker at PRM Agency Hair: Eliot McQueen at Future Rep using Bumble and Bumble Make-up: Mattie White at Saint Luke using Gucci Beauty Photography assistant: Viva Arteaga-Rynn Fashion assistant: Beanie Stolper

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Shop now at store.wallpaper.com

‘Angui’ mirror, AYTM —— €335 ——

‘Balloon’ vase, Normann Copenhagen

‘Filigrana’ table light, Established & Sons

—— €80 ——

—— €456 ——

‘Glow’ dish, Georg Jensen —— €189 ——

‘Tearoom’ club chair, Menu —— €1,563 ——

‘Fidelio’ console table, Poltrona Frau —— €5,722 ——

Ashtray, Alessi

—— €70 ——

‘Text Block Wood’, Tre Product —— €439 ——

‘Nera’ stool, Zanat

—— €636 ——

‘Piani’ side table, Editions Milano —— €902 ——

‘Billie’ rug, Poltrona Frau

—— €9,028 ——

Stockists NEXT MONTH

A

G

Acerbis acerbisdesign.com

Georg Jensen georgjensen.com

Acne Studios acnestudios.com

Gucci gucci.com

Alessi alessi.com

H

Åben aben.as

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DESIGN AWARDS 2021 Celebrating the design hits of 2020, our Awards issue looks back on the places, products and phenomena that have given us pleasure and purpose.

From Jaime Hayon’s fantastical playground in Seoul to Boonserm Premthada’s elephant sanctuary in rural Thailand, from Noma’s burger bar to NLÉ’s floating music hub, from furniture that embraces material innovation to a necklace that captures a piece of the sky, these winners have lifted our spirits in a challenging year.

Plus, the Judges’ Awards, as decided by our six-strong judging panel including Sabine Marcelis, Ivy Ross, Christopher John Rogers and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, and the finest looks from the S/S21 fashion collections.

ON SALE 7 JANUARY

Alighieri alighieri.co.uk Antoniolupi antoniolupi.it Atelier de Troupe atelierdetroupe.com

B

Gallotti & Radice gallottiradice.it

Hermès hermes.com

J

Jil Sander jilsander.com

B&B Italia bebitalia.com

Jin-sik Yun jinsikyun.com

Balenciaga balenciaga.com

K

Baxter baxter.it Bottega Veneta bottegaveneta.com

C

Cara\Davide caradavide.com

D

Knoll knoll.com

L

La Manufacture lamanufacture-paris.fr Lanvin lanvin.com Ligne Roset ligne-roset.com

Design By Them designbythem.com

Lindberg lindberg.com

Dior dior.com

Loewe loewe.com

Dolce & Gabbana dolcegabbana.com

Louis Poulsen louispoulsen.com

Dunhill dunhill.com

Louis Vuitton louisvuitton.com

E

LZF lzf-lamps.com

Emporio Armani armani.com

F

Flos flos.com

M

Maison Margiela maisonmargiela.com Mario Tsai Studio mariotsai.studio Minotti minotti.com Moroso moroso.it

P

Pedrali pedrali.it Pleats Please Issey Miyake isseymiyake.com Poliform poliform.it Prada prada.com

R

Rolf Benz rolf-benz.com

S

Sancal sancal.com

T

V

U

Vipp vipp.com

Tod’s tods.com

Ugo Paulon info@ugopaulon.com

Valentino valentino.com

Viu Eyewear shopviu.com

Schiaparelli schiaparelli.com Sportmax sportmax.com

Above, coat, £1,670; shirt, £510; skirt, £1,020, all

by Prada. See page 100

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113

Artist’s Palate

SEAN SCULLY’S Pancakes

#117

Sean Scully has spent the last six decades fusing spirituality with abstraction, creating grids, stripes and bold stacks of colour. When the Irish-born artist proposed pancakes for our recipe series, we imagined a stack, but as he explains, ‘I could make a stack, like one of my sculptures or paintings. But the family is eagerly waiting, so they take them as they come, with maple syrup for the kids and jam for the adults.’ He has his pancake production down to a fine art, creating them a few times a week for his wife Liliane and 11-year-old son. For Scully, giving a pancake enough air time before serving is crucial because it excites the recipient. ‘If you can flip it over a couple of times in the air, you’re a master.’ seanscullystudio.com. For Scully’s recipe, and to watch his pancake flipping in action, see Wallpaper.com ∫

‘Loochtootoo’ kitchen ladle, £35, by Philippe Starck, for Alessi. ‘Bernadotte’ salt shaker, €60 with pepper shaker, by Georg Jensen For stockists, see page 112

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GUSTAV ALMESTÅL FOOD & SET DESIGN: NIKLAS HANSEN WRITER: HARRIET LLOYD-SMITH

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