Marc Quinn’s ‘Frozen Waves, Broken Sublimes’ sculptures in the courtyard

My last stop at the design festival was the Somerset House, a new major destination this year. In the courtyard were four new monumental sculptures by Marc Quinn entitled ‘Frozen Wave and Broken Sublime’. The stainless steel sculptures’ primal, gestural shapes originate from shells eroded by the endless action of the waves. And the theme of nature continued inside the building…

 Max Lamb ‘My Grandfather’s Tree’

One of my favourite installations at the festival was British designer Max Lamb‘s ‘My Grandfather’s Tree‘. The rotten ash tree was located on the land of the designer’s grandfather’s farm in Yorkshire. With help from his tree surgeon friend, they managed to divide the tree into 130 logs laid out in order of diameter, with the 187 annual growth rings clearly visible. The designer explained his motive: “the ash tree continues to exist as an ash tree, but with a new life, a new function and the start of a new history.”

Top left: Arik Levy with Tabanlioglu Architects – Transition Warm/Wet; Top right: Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby‘s Hotaru Lanterns in The Reading room; 2nd row: PATTERNITY with Paperless Post – Connected by Pattern; Bottom left: Faye Toogood – The drawing room; Bottom middle: Alex Rasmussen with Neal Feay – The Wave; Bottom right: interactive light installation Spine by Nassia Inglessis 

In the west wing, ten well-established designers showcased their work in collaboration with their best clients. The most playful installations were by PATTERNITY for Paperless Post and Luca Nichetto’s modular Alphabeta lamps for Hem, which featured a grand piano connected to 44 Alphabeta pendants, and each of the lamps illuminated at the touch of the piano keys. Cool.