Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design

S94 Design is pleased to annouce our participation in Mirror Mirror: Relfections on Design at Chatsworth House featuring two of our designers Max Lamb and Jay Sae Jung Oh.

For the State Drawing Room, Max Lamb engages the rich wood carving of Chatsworth’s existing interiors with an installation of his 6x8 Western Red Cedar Chairs. Beginning simply with large solid lengths of wood, measuring 6x8”, each piece in this series begins as if a puzzle in reverse: hand marking and cutting every segment, rearranging the pieces, then mortise and tenon jointing every fragment into a single functional chair, allowing for zero waste of material.

In the Chatsworth’s State Music Room, Jay Sae Jung Oh speaks to the room’s musical history with the inclusion of discarded musical instruments into a new Salvage Series leather wrapped chair titled Chatsworth Chair. Oh’s ongoing Salvage series is composed of seemingly jerry-rigged structures made of household objects, which are intricately hand wrapped in raw leather. The manufactured plastic objects that lie beneath, are transformed and unified into a sculptural design object, making a strong statement about the cultural condition of abundance and obsolescence. “Unlike fine art, design comes with more responsibility to provide better solutions. Most of my design inspirations are derived from the awareness of social issues like sustainability and abundant waste. Our disposable culture makes me interested in objects that people waste and treat as invaluable,” writes Oh.

Press Release

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

Chatsworth has always been a centre for creativity, with successive generations of the Devonshire family commissioning art and design contemporary to their times. ‘Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth', which will be on display in the house and garden from 18 March to 1 October 2023, reflects on that history and introduces new works to the house and garden, continuing this legacy into the present day.

Co-curated with writer, historian and curator, Glenn Adamson, the exhibition places contemporary works in direct relationship to the historic design at Chatsworth, creating unexpected connections with the house’s architecture, interiors, furniture, ceramics, as well as its essential materials of glass, stone, wood, and light.

The sixteen contemporary artists and designers featured in the exhibition are: Ini Archibong, Michael Anastassiades, Wendell Castle, Andile Dyalvane, Ndidi Ekubia, Najla El Zein, Formafantasma, Joris Laarman, Max Lamb, Fernando Laposse, Jay Sae Jung Oh, Samuel Ross, Chris Schanck, Ettore Sottsass, Faye Toogood, and Joseph Walsh.

“This project is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the design histories at Chatsworth and bring them to the fore with an exciting array of international artists and designers. We’re fascinated with how the contemporary works in our exhibition have used materials in innovative ways to make functional and intriguing objects that are also deeply connected to the house, garden, and collections here at Chatsworth – a place where design has been a key feature for 500 years.” – Alex Hodby, Senior Curator of Programme at Chatsworth

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

Image courtesy of the artists and Chatsworth House Trust. © Chatsworth House Trust. Photo: India Hobson.

‘Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth’ is delivered in partnership with Friedman Benda gallery and with the support of Salon 94 Design and Adrian Sassoon galleries.