Second Space Traveller Watch, George Daniels, about 1982
Time for Yourself, Marcin Rusak in collaboration with Iona Inglesby, 2013
Necklace, Bubble Bath, Nora Fok, 2001
Body 1, Re-materialisation of systems, El Ultimo Grito, 2014
Combs, Hair Highway, Studio Swine, 2014
Crown made of Diamonds, Emeralds and Rubies set into a Gold Crown with Rococo Scrolls, about 1750
The V&A answers the question that runs through all our minds at one point or another in their exhibition aptly titled ‘What is Luxury?’ Running from 25th April to 27th September 2015, the exhibit will present exceptional examples of contemporary design and craftsmanship alongside conceptual projects that interrogate fundamental ideas of luxury, its production and future.
On display will be objects which celebrate the investment of time and application of skill in the process of making, including the Space Travellers’ Watch, an entirely handcrafted mechanical timepiece by renowned British watchmaker George Daniels, a laser-cut haute couture dress by fashion designer Iris van Herpen, a chandelier by Studio Drift featuring real dandelion seeds applied by hand to LED lights, a Hermès Talaris saddle, which combines traditional leather craftsmanship with a technologically innovative structure, and the Bubble Bath necklace by Nora Fok, made from more than 1000 hand-knitted nylon bubbles. Through the movement from more traditional explanations of luxury to conceptual projects, ‘What is Luxury?’ aims to take visitors on a journey and prompt them to consider what luxury means and how it relates to their own lives.
Radhika Mehta
