Gallery Fumi in London presents Now Isn’t That Lovely, a series of one-off objects by artist Stephen Johnson.
The objects are created by welding together metal animal figurines.
See more of Johnson’s work in our earlier story.
Here’s some info from the gallery:
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‘Now isn’t that lovely’ by Stephen Johnson
Edition of 7 from Gallery Fumi
By designing items void of physical function, the ‘Now Isn’t That Lovely’ range aims to expand people’s perceptions of design. It sets out to highlight how design can reside in the cognitive, as well as its more commonly perceived physical state. By using objects of ornament from the domestic interior, the collection underlines how design can serve to fulfil emotional needs like escapism, nostalgia and humour.
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Posted by Marcus Fairs
June 21st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
oh boy that’s really terrible…..ugh
see the chapman brothers for figurines done well….
June 21st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
odd
June 21st, 2008 at 10:47 pm
whaoo it’s truly horrible ! speechless ….
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 am
lovely
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
These are stunning. Elegant and playful – wish I had one!
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:56 am
charming and absolutely beautiful!Wish I had one too!
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:37 am
Stunning …. fantastic work, very visual, eye-catching and very thought provoking!
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
my natural reaction is – this is shit… really shit.
however, its not design. .. its art…
and i’m a desginer.. not an artist..
which is why i log onto dezeen..
So either this doesnt’ belong on dezeen. or i dont. humm.
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
As a product designer I love Johnson’s take on DESIGN!!! Just because it’s not a desk lamp or book shelf does not mean it is not design and therefore art by default. His work is about the emotional side to design… consider Lladro for example, there works are commodities DESIGNED to evoke emotions… Johnson’s work is just the same.
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Beautiful work, fresh and thought provoking!
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Design or art …. whatever!!!!! Fact is they are striking, and I have to agree very thought provoking…. most of all they are fun!! Wouldn’t mind owning one either!!!!
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
So unusual, beautifully fluid, love them.
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
this is in the category ‘objects my granny had in the window’. This doesn’t belong here (not design for sure), but it isn’t art either, it’s kitsch
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Art in Design or Design in Art? Who wins? Neither!
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
when i click on design rubrique…i hope design project
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
WHOA! i am like TOTALLY inspired! i’m gonna 3D scan all the shit lying around my house, drop them into solidworks and 3D print some ridiculous objetcs too.
then have casts made, cover them in platinum and swarcovky (sp?) crystal and sell then to galleries for gagillions of $$! i’m rich bitches!
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:54 am
It is kitsch. But that’s a good thing. It’s kitsch meets design. I think that’s what makes them so cool.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:25 am
This is seriously shit. Really, someone needs to put an end to this raving mad art/design movement. Has everyone gone mad? This is more and more starting to look like the emperor’s new cloth.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Animal figurines and gold….how original
yes, my perception of design has truly been expanded
(note: sarcastic tone)
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
This are not gold and this are not cast in one piece. They are individual bronze pieces attached to each other and then polished.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
u guys including myself are doing exactly what the ‘designer’ wants us to do and what these pieces of shit are made for: to talk about something that is not worth to be talked about.
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
For me its kitsch sculpture
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Well love em – or hate em (and just for the record I’m a designer and I happen to ‘love em’). This designer’s work is ‘thought provoking’ – even if it does mean eliciting sarcastic comments from some seriously miserable, staid, set-in-their way people out there!!!!
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
it’s meant to be ironic and kitch… twats.
if you can’t understand this expression, and need to judge or treat it as “serious design/art (who cares either one)”, you won’t ever… and i’m sceptical about if you can (then) even understand something that IS true and serious and meaningful. we need a bit of irony every now and then to laugh at how funny we can be… sometimes. it’s healthy.
now isn’t that lovely
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Love the last one. with the duck
It is very amazing one piece art.
Simply sophisticated.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Me again on this one. Reading some of the seriously dim remarks on this work, they make me realise how many designers out there who are so narrow minded! Kitsch is a very powerful, and well documented aspect of design. Perhaps there are some designers out there who don’t know as much about design as what they may like to think!!!
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
- If one stuck animals that rhymed together. Goose – Moose – Mongoose – Kangaroos -
Would have been infinitely more powerful kitsch aspect of design never seen before – capable of wiping out design life completely in the northern hemisphere for a hundred years.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:44 pm
- winnie the poohs -
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
–norwegian blues-
June 24th, 2008 at 2:08 am
oh wise “Jonesy”…
please master, explain the ‘thought provoking’-ness occuring here that i am too dim to appreciate. is it the the sweet way they balance themselves, the shift in scale, the shiny goldness or something even MORE amazingly high brow that we “seriously miserable, staid, set-in-their way people” don’t get?
oh, and what the hell does being a “designer” mean anyway when you refer to yourself as one….?
June 24th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Like 2 unlimited said “theres no limit”
June 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I have been bored with the ranting and contention of the designtards and inefartucks since university 20 years ago. If you are a preening posturing ponce you should wonder what people say behind YOUR back.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Amazing work and would love to own one of these wonderfully odd pieces.. I think the designer will be over the moon that it’s caused such a stir!
June 25th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Great work, It’s refreshing to see a little fun in design, and even more interesting the debate that it creates.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Yep!!! Interesting, odd, fun ……. love em!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
B-O-R-I-N-G…Somehow this area of design has descended into some sort of Freudian sublimation…perhaps a Unicorn connected to a disco ball then…?
June 25th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
the object is what it is, boring things barely related welded together. like an intro to welding class first project. what IS annoying is the pretentious drivel in the gallery’s statement. “By designing items void of physical function, the ‘Now Isn’t That Lovely’ range aims to expand people’s perceptions of design.” please tell me this is a joke. does any non-functional object expand my perception of design? sometimes scrap welded together is just a larger piece of scrap.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Yes ….. designed to evoke emotions …… yipee!!!
Well they certainly do that now don’t they? Even the seriously dull, narrow minded, sarcastic twats have had their emotions seriously tweeked now haven’t they?
Lighten up you staid brigade …… they look wonderfully refreshing, beautifully made, odd and fun!!!
Love to own one too!!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I love these!
June 26th, 2008 at 5:01 am
bald skull: I’m wishing to see your finish products. ;p
June 26th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Can’t we all get along, artist and designers!?!?! I think they are great, it would be cool if he could get them to arch end to end!
June 27th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Have been keeping an eye on this young designer’s work for a while now….. his work is elegant, fun and refreshing ….. he displays a hell of a lot of talent!!!
June 27th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Not that’s not lovely, gold doesnt make stuff nicer , it’s just shiny and quite frankly .. gratuitous.
June 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Stimulating and thought provoking, but fun! Mass production turned on its head, quite literally! Love it!
June 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I think that they are great!
March 25th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
they are very romantic to me!