Dark Matter at PAD Design + Art London

10 - 16 October 2022

Dark Matter is a disruption of the stereotypes of eco-contemporary design and craft. The presentation will attest to the depth, breadth and power of the organic and hand-crafted, with no room for twee, folk whimsy, or kitsch. The curation will feature dramatic masterpieces of innovative wood fine-furniture design from Peter Marigold, John Makepeace OBE and Christopher Kurtz, lit by two new arresting pieces from our sculptural lighting collections. A scorched hand-carved solid-oak sweeping pendant light by Nic Webb will captivate from above while an undulating bronze candelabra by Julian Watts glints beneath. Two new sinuous consoles of bronze and bog oak by Marc Fish welcome you to the booth, populated by dark, totemic sculptures in oxidised and scorched Sequoia, Horse Chestnut, Oak and Hornbeam, fresh work from Eleanor Lakelin, Ernst Gamperl and Marc Ricourt. We are also delighted to introduce the work of artists Hong-gu Park and Etsuko Ichikawa. Hong-gu's performative and nature-led practice incorporates hot stones and burning branches to craft objects both quiet and powerful. Etsuko's Glass Pyrograph's are bewitching abstract drawings on paper which capture the fluid movement of her body, made with fire by scorching molten glass.

Dark Matter resolves the ostensible dichotomies that haunt contemporary craft, design and the decorative arts, showing that the sustainably crafted is compatible with the elegant, compelling and contemporary. We will show innovative reworkings of the ancient techniques and values of wabi-sabi, yakisugi and mokume-gane, and exceptional reimaginings of the limits of wood-turning. Dark Matter is a compelling argument for a shifting of perspective, it invites you to indulge in the sumptuous depths of charred wood and sumi ink, entices you with the rich shimmering of bronze , and remains fundamentally a collection of organic, sustainably focused fine furniture of extraordinary craftsmanship that will stand the test of time.

Participating artists include :

Marc Fish, Nic Webb, John Makepeace OBE, Eleanor Lakelin, Christopher Kurtz, Peter Marigold, Hong-gu Park, Etsuko Ichikawa, Gareth Neal, Julian Watts, Ernst Gamperl, Adi Toch, Aneta Regel, Alida Kuzemczak-Sayer, Fernando Laposse, Katrien Doms, ARKO, Luke Fuller, Marc Ricourt, Maisie Broadhead

Buy tickets for PAD London here