Talie Shalmon, Feels #2, 2017.Supplied
The ability of raw materials to heighten aspects of storytelling in design is an underlying theme throughout this year’s DesignTO Festival in Toronto, which runs from Jan. 19 to 28 (with some exhibitions continuing into February). Those interested in natural dyes will be drawn to Forest Underwater, textile artist Gitte Hansen’s exploration of how plant life creates permanent colours and patterns on cloth. Future Matters, a group exhibition at Harbourfront Centre, features an array of works from sculpture to photography that explore how the elements of making add meaning to the objects that surround us.
If you’d like to bring a bit of its creative bounty home, here are six standout pieces you’ll find while making the festival rounds.
Clear cut
Island table.Supplied
The group show Lucid Ideas, organized as a partnership between DesignTO and Umbra, probes the concept of translucency through novel prototypes from Montreal’s Atelier Fomenta, Lara Knutson Studio from New York, Toronto-based interdisciplinary textile designer Stephanie Singh and more. Singh’s contribution, a table that displays a variety of vegetation found in Jamaica, pays tribute to her childhood there.
“I wanted to focus on materials that I grew up with,” says Singh, who’s known for inventive applications of plants and flowers. “I had the idea of getting sugarcane and ackee and other things from the island and placing them in resin.” The silhouette of the table’s top is also a reference to Jamaica – its shape resembles the island’s outline and takes inspiration from the carved wooden maps that can be found in traditional homes. “The table represents a new era of that homage to the island,” Singh says.
Island table, starting at $4,500 at Lucid Ideas, on at the Umbra Concept Store (165 John St.) from Jan. 19 to Feb. 16.
Emotional states
Feels #2.Supplied
You may recognize Toronto-based artist and designer Talie Shalmon’s work from one of her vibrant public murals. In the exhibition, The Feels, Shalmon brings together a variety of skills in one boisterous display. Its pieces, which include paintings and ceramic bowls, vessels and necklaces, are meant to channel a range of moods. One of Shalmon’s sculptures conjures the look of a chunk of coral while another vessel amusingly appears to have sludge oozing down its sides. The eclectic mix – as motley as any person’s range of emotions – simultaneously interprets and rouses strong reactions and ruminates on our connections to colours and contours.
Talie Shalmon, Feels #2, 2017. Acrylic on wood (2 x 2 feet), $700 at The Feels, on at Stackt Market (28 Bathurst St.) from Jan. 19 to 28.
Fibre content
Open Cabinet.Supplied
Co-curated by Adrienna Matzeg and Betty Wood and featuring the work of fibre artists including Kentucky-based Baylee Schmitt and Ottawa’s Claudia Gutierrez (as well as that of the curators themselves), Artifacts “is an exploration of how textiles crystalize memory,” Wood says. “The show is a love letter to textiles and the environments we inhabit – both past and present.”
Wood’s contribution is a piece called 46 Bedford Road, a work “based on the remnants of demolished Toronto landmarks.” It features a ”floating mantle engulfed by greenery – an architectural ‘spectre,’ ” she says. Matzeg will share two new pieces based on travels to the Algarve, Portugal. Schmitt’s selection is more homespun – a richly hued, woven rendering of a cabinet with door ajar and contents obscured. “They’re all artists we admire,” says Wood of the show’s diverse participants.
Baylee Schmitt, Open Cabinet, 2022. Yarn, wire, cotton stuffing (44 x 37 inches), $1,630 at Artifacts, on at Bulthaup Toronto (280 King St. West) until Jan. 27.
Branching out
Concord Hemi wall light.Supplied
Concord, a Toronto-based lighting studio founded in 2018 by Kate MacNeill, unveils its latest assortment of locally fabricated fixtures and a range of decor objects in the exhibition New Work. The show aims to accentuate how process brings a piece to life, celebrating craft and skill in a world that often overlooks these concepts for the sake of cost and convenience. Concord’s roster of impressive custom projects such as the Pendry hotel in Chicago, private residences at the Ritz-Carlton, and the Library Bar at the Fairmont Royal York, have informed this new selection. Find stained-glass candle sconces, a custom mirror and furniture pieces as well as four lighting styles (a table lamp, floor lamp, wall sconce and pendant light) that have a blown glass sphere as their focal point.
Concord Hemi wall light, $4,300 at New Work, on at 2104 Dundas St. West from Jan. 21 to 24.
Play time
Juliet dining chair.Supplied
Toronto-based product studio Republic of II by IV has collaborated with Italian furniture company Suite 22 on a set of tony seating styles for a collection called Juliet. Named after the Shakespearian character, the offering – composed of a dining chair, counter stool and bar stool – is made in Verona, calling attention to the city’s storied craft practices. “Something we always talk about is creating heirloom pieces,” says studio co-founder Keith Rushbrook about the collection’s careful attention to detail. A sleek hook on the chairback speaks to the collection’s ability to live in equal comfort in residential and commercial settings.
Republic of II by IV Juliet dining chair, $2,000 at Juliet: A Journey from Verona, on at General Hardware (1520 Queen St. West) from Jan. 19 to 27.
Take three
Nassa Vase.Supplied
A trio of new works that revel in the divine power of details will made their debut at Mjolk this month. The Arm Sofa and Wall Light were designed by Montreal’s Thom Fougere. The light’s shade is handcrafted from Japanese mulberry paper set against a brass articulating arm. The Nassa Vase – named after the type of netting used for catching octopuses and hewn to resemble the rich texture of tentacles – is a limited-edition item born from a continuing collaboration between the shop and designer Luca Nichetto. Here, Nichetto endeavoured to give a “contemporary twist” to the tradition of Murano glassmaking.
Nassa Vase, $3,990 at Mjolk (2959 Dundas St. West) from Jan. 25 to 31.