The Great Hall
Atticus & Milo were chuffed to be invited along to the party that was the National Gallery of Victoria Womens Association’s BEST of the BEST Exhibition, held between the 11th – 13th of May 2016.
The Best of the Best is an exhibition that takes the concept of table art to a new dimension. From the glamourous to the avant garde; the tables were conceived and created by some of Australia’s leading artists, interior designers, galleries, decorators, stylists, couturiers and florists.
"The Dickheads" 2010, Joan Ross - A great centrepiece
As a practice we believe that no space is complete without original art pieces and our Design Director Caecilia Potter is a keen collector of Australian art. Joan Ross is a favourite artist as her work is both aesthetically arresting and intellectually engaging, whilst also striking an emotional chord for Australians. The contrast of high-viz fluoro tones set against the backdrop of muted colonial Glover landscapes strikes a discordant note and raises many questions.
Our design was originally inspired by a selection of Joan Ross recent works that deal with issues of colonialism, racism and appropriation, destruction of ancient culture, alienation of land from our indigenous owners, and of the Western materialist cult of reverence for the profane and irreverence for the sacred.
We asked Joan Ross to collaborate with us to produce a 3d artwork table design that illuminates some of her thought-provoking themes. We thought it would make a visual feast and a great dinner table conversation-starter!
Mixed media never goes astray when you're trying to start a conversation. Joan's "The claiming of things" played on either side of the centrepiece, intermingling native Australian bush sounds with mobile phone ring tones and garbage truck alerts accompanying the imposition of fencing and housing with the hiss of spray cans graffitiing the bush.
"The claiming of things" - 2013
While along the other side the bright fluoro sign "INSERT MEMORY STICK", made for us by the lovely folks at Electric Confetti, posits the question, have we airbrushed a controversial aspect of our history with our own sanitised version?
INSERT MEMORY STICK
All funds raised will be contributed directly towards the acquisition of artworks for the NGV. Best of the Best 2013 contributed towards the purchase of the wonderful John Longstaff’s “The Young Mother” (1891).
Thank you to Space furniture for the loan of our Masters Chairs, Electric Confetti for helping is get our neon sign on time! Design to Print for a fabulous job on the table cloth and napkins, and a special thanks to JOAN ROSS, a wonderful Aussie artist and a generous collaborator
-A&M