Joseph Coniff

Sometimes contemporary art can be all too serious. Josheph Coniff’s deceptively simple imagery, conveyed through the assemblage of familiar items, making you think and perhaps even make you laugh.

Coniff’s mix of photography and sculpture capture the very essence of the imagination. He work leads, investigates and questions themes, ideas, events that are evident within culture and society, with Coniff’s tongue firmly in his cheek.

“I see my work as ever changing; based on the individuals and/or groups that surround it. Many elements contribute to these changes: the energy, temperament, and disposition of a group or one individual, the space and time in which the work is shown and seen. All have a direct effect on the way an experience transpires.”

His work sets out to alter the viewer’s understanding and knowledge of pre-existing readymade objects. With this in place, one can begin to unravel the works physical layers. The use of recognisable objects act as a starting point, providing the viewer an accessible way of creating and establishing connections within the work.

Joseph Coniff is a breath of fresh air. His use of wit and humour sets his work apart, Coniff is surly one of the most exciting and electrifying young artists. for more information on Joseph Coniff check out his website.

The Nagoya house

Japanese architecture has always been as the forefront of innovation, when it comes to the home. Limitations become catalysts for originality. When it comes it the grand master of Japanese contemporary design, it can only come down to one studio, Suppose Design Office. Simplicity is key, but simplicity is far from bland when in the hands of Suppose.

The Nagoya house is situated on a narrow plot surrounded by neighbouring houses, making the location less than ideal. However innovation, creativity and resourcefulness has resulted in a home of pure beauty.

Within Suppose Design homes, natural plays an integral part within their design. Often blurring the lines between internal and the external. The internal garden within the Nagoya house creates an elegant internal landscape.

Suppose Design Office offers an alternate relationship between inside and external environment. When creating a design featuring this garden-like room, things that normally decorating a room such as art, books, and furnishings are in a way thrust into an exterior space.

The sleek and simplistic architecture silently complements the nature within, bringing it to the forefront of its design. Its white walls and smooth grey pebbles elevate the plants within, almost creating contemporary art, an object of fascinating beauty. For further designers check out the Suppose website. 

La Trufa

During this cold and gloomy time of the year, we often dream of a ‘little’ slice of paradise, preferably somewhere hot. This wish has been fulfilled and realised by the Spanish Ensamble Studio, when creating ‘La Trufa’ (the truffle), a small holiday house in Costa de Morte, in the north of Spain. Just like its namesake this tiny holiday home packs a sweet surprise, there is much more than meets the eye on this tiny abode.

The residence features only the bare necessities including a bed, sink, shower, and small kitchenette. The development process behind the Truffle House is truly amazing.

Carving out a hole within the Spanish hills, created the Truffles’ organic form. Once hollowed, the hole was refilled with stacked hay bails then topped up with concrete. After being left to age and going unseen within the ground, the Truffle was unearthed.

For the next stage in its transformation, the Ensamble Studio team formed an unusual alliance when transforming the rough concrete structure into a home. When it came to empting the straw interior, a calf called Paulina was the woman for the job. Once she had eaten the interior volume, the internal space appeared for the first time.

From then Ensamble transformed this blank shell into a simply stunning piece of architecture, with its method of construction being at its very heart.

Matias Faldbakken

Scandinavian artist Matias Faldbakken is currently commanding increasing attention on the international contemporary art scene. His bold and expressive use of material and aesthetics within their location create nothing less than a visual masterpiece.

Contemporary cross media sculptures can often feel cold, with a certain degree of disconnect with the viewer, using and combining ‘ready-made’ objects within the composition runs the risk of furthering this divide. However this can’t be said for Faldbakken. He portrays violence and destruction in a beautiful and controlled manner. The resonance of his ‘creative destruction’ is supported by the apparent level of impact and force needed in order to manipulate the materials is such a manor. Deformed and destroyed, the objects in which he uses are removed from their original function and, thus reformulated as sculpture.

Colour within his work provided by the tables ties and ropes seem to both heightens the visual intensity, yet linking the composition as a whole.

Along side art Contemporary Faldbakken is hailed as one of the freshest new emerging voices of Norwegian literature and contemporary Scandinavian fiction. He made his literary debut with the much praised and award-winning The Cocka Hola Company - Scandinavian Misanthropy I. Two years later followed, Macht und Rebel - Scandinavian Misanthropy II. In 2008, Faldbakken brought the “Scandinavian Misanthropy” trilogy to a close with Unfun - Scandinavian Misanthropy III.