The Barbican opens a major retrospective of the work of artist/designer Ron Arad. Georgia Anderson is impressed, and not just by the hat he wore to the Media View.
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No it's Ron Arad and he’s really into designing chairs.
Best known for his fancy chairs, this superstar of the design world has recently extended his hand to buildings as well, and I’ll bet he can put up an Ikea flatpack better than anyone you’ve ever met. I jest, he would naturally rather die than touch anything as conventional as an Ikea flatpack. For those of you unfamiliar with Arad, his ethos is strictly set on blurring the boundaries between functionality and concept, ergonomics and beauty, and generally pushing our Late-Capitalist-Post-Modern buttons just how we like 'em pushed.
His retrospective at the Barbican is a cross between an über-cool Clarkenwell furniture showroom, and a ‘What the Future Might Look Like’ exhibition at the V&A. The title of the show ‘Restless’ is apt to describe the unlimited possibility embodied in Arad’s designs: the impact of technology and ephemera on contemporary design is illustrated perfectly with Lolita (2004) an interactive Swarovski crystal chandelier.
With over 150 pieces on show, its quite a lot to take in, but I strongly suggest that you give the upper level a good going over, as it details the evolution of his major concepts, through different uses of materials and technologies. Although some pieces do require some bold imaginative leaps to figure out how one might actually perch one's bottom on them, without causing oneself quite a mischief.
An earlier design, Italian Fish (1988), casts a lustful ripple of light across itself in a way that can only be described as beautiful (and I don’t use that word lightly), whereas others like Gomli (2009) take ergonomics to a new level. Partly inspired by Antony Gormley’s figures, Arad has created an object that looks utterly abstract, but which he claims is his most figurative piece yet, capable of seating every single individual. Who actually gets to sit on these seats is probably unimportant anyway…
Elsewhere we’re treated to a selection of Arad’s mass-produced chairs, some of his failed designs, and some extraordinary bookshelves: one entitled Reinventing the Wheel (1996) is a must see, and another Oh, the Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends (2009) is shaped like the United States of America. The humour of his titling adds yet another dimension to his designs, and he comments that often the title can influence the design and vice-versa.
Arad’s single-handed straddling of furniture design, contemporary art and architecture make him undoubtably a major player in contemporary design today, and his prolific creativity and recent globally-spanning exhibition schedule can vouch for that. He’s even got a plastic figurine in the gift shop.
Ron Arad – Restless is at the Barbican until 16th May 2010.
Image credit: Ron Arad, Well Transparent Chair, 2010. Photo: Michael Castellana. Photo courtesy Ron Arad Associates/Timothy Taylor Gallery
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