April, 2016 - Robbie Antonio

Ron Arad and Kengo Kuma pavilions test new ways of living within landscape

by Jenny Brewer, It’s Nice That

Architectural installations by Ron Arad, Jean Prouvé and Kengo Kuma will form part of this year’s Design at Large series at Design Miami Basel, exploring new ways of living within landscape. The series of pop-up structures will be curated by Cabana Magazine’s Martina Mondadori, and aim to demonstrate inventive approaches to architectural design for the outdoors.

Ron Arad Armadillo Tea Canopy is a free-standing structure comprising five overlapping timber shells, designed to blend with natural surroundings and provide an intimate enclosure within a garden. The pavilion was originally made for Revolution Precrafted Properties in 2015 and presented at the festival’s US show, Design Miami.

Jean Prouvé’s Temporary School of Villejuif was originally made in 1957 as part of a commission to design a lightweight, easily dismantled and rebuilt school for the inner Paris suburbs. This is presented by Galerie Patrick Seguin.

Kengo Kuma will present a brand new pavilion with Galerie Philippe Gravier, called Owan, made from interweaving metal strands with an inner membrane. The architect previously showed two other structures at Design Miami in December, including the Oribe Tea House (pictured).

The Design at Large programme will also show pop-up gardens and prototypes for urban farms. Design Miami Basel opens 14-19 June in Basel, Switzerland.

AboveJean Prouvé: Temporary School of Villejuif, presented by Galerie Patrick Seguin

AboveKengo Kuma: Oribe Tea House for Galerie Philippe Gravier

Home + Design Departures

by Spring

Building the Revolution

by SIGNED Hong Kong Design Institute

Calm in the storm: Hugh Dutton designs Art Basel’s Swire Properties Lounge

by Ann Binlot, Wallpaper*

For the occasion of Art Basel, British architect Hugh Dutton created a rare oasis of calm in the middle of Hong Kong. The Swire Properties Lounge – located on the Level 1 Concourse opposite the Hall 1C entrance of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre – provided select visitors with a place to relax and have a drink or snack while perusing the seemingly endless aisles of galleries at Asia’s biggest art fair, which ended its five-day run on 26 March.

For the lounge, Dutton referenced the Climate Ribbon he designed for the almost-finished Brickell City Centre by Swire Properties in Miami, a city that has a very close connection to both Art Basel and the Hong Kong-based real estate developer. The floating ribbon took the shape of a figure eight, a symbol of infinity and continuity, winding around the front column where the circular bar area was situated, before completing the figure eight around the opposite column. In front of the bar was an area for visitors to take a break from the crowds and discuss the myriad works of art they had just viewed while enjoying the view of the harbour. The figure eight echoes, according to the press release, ‘Swire Properties’ commitment to environmental sustainability’.

‘The essence of this lounge design is about creating a canopy — a shelter over people to come and celebrate and enjoy Art Basel,’ explained Dutton in a short film on the project. ‘And to do that, we have this idea of creating a fluid ribbon that begins at one end, and then just wraps around a column and then engages with the people and the shelter and then comes back down again. So it’s a simple movement in light, picking up the light we have from the harbour, and celebrating architecture and design, science and art, here at Art Basel in Hong Kong.’

In partnership with UTA Fine Arts, the Swire Properties Lounge also hosted a number of talks during Art Basel touching upon topics like temporary architecture, art disruption in fashion and art in malls. Invited to participate as a panelist, Dutton engaged in conversation with artist Larry Bell, UTA Fine Arts head Josh Roth, Serpentine Gallery director Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator and art dealer Jeffrey Deitch, Paddle8 co-founder Alexander Gilkes, M+ curator Aric Chen and collector Robbie Antonio.