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Thematic Exhibition
Slab: The Form with No Name
(November 1999 – January 2000)
A shape which an intelligent species constructed through no previous natural reference. In essence, this nameless shape expresses the future like nothing else.
CONCEPT
The sphere, the cube, the pyramid, the tetrahedron and the cuboid are all names describing three-dimensional objects.
The rectangle with a minimal depth is an object without a specific name. First used in abstract art by Malevich and El Lizitsky at the beginning of the 20th century, the form was later used by Stanley Kubrik in 2001 Space Odyssey. He understood that the monolith/vertical slab expressed the infinite and the impenetrable.
This form, so common now and yet conveying something alien and timeless, cold and spiritual, offers itself as the 20th century element.
This exhibition paid homage to this unrecognised form with an intriguing array of designs, spanning architecture, furniture, lighting and accessories – most pieces available for sale.
EXHIBITS:
– Fiona Davidson’s multifunctional Room Project 1 furniture system;
– Mini-desk by Franco Albini for Knoll;
– Hive's ceramic placemat and felt book-bags;
– Clare Brew's concrete Slab Light
– Recliner by Barnaby Tuke;
– The Best of Flair - a deluxe compilation of the landmark magazine of 1950s, packaged in a luscious red 'slab' box;
– Chanel No 5 bottle (giant store display size), embodying modernity with the spare simplicity of its ‘slab’-like bottle;
– A selection of original 1950s/1960s glass and ceramics;
Editorial Coverage
