Bangles to Benches: Contemporary Jewelry and Design - Campana Brothers, Ron Arad, Zaha Hadid, Marcel Wanders and Other Renowned Designers at High Museum of Art, Atlanta
October 8, 2013 - June 8, 2014
HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, GA
Museum's website: www.high.org
October 8, 2013 - June 8, 2014
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia (USA) will broaden visitors’ ideas of jewelry as wearable sculpture with Bangles to Benches: Contemporary Jewelry and Design, on view October 8, 2013 through June 8, 2014.
Ranging from mass-produced to one-of-a-kind works and from hand-crafted to digitally fabricated pieces, this exhibition focuses on the scale, range and creative dexterity found in many contemporary designers’ repertoires today. Innovative contemporary jewelry will be paired with other design objects—from chairs to climbing walls—created by the same designers.
This exhibition will celebrate the accomplishments of key designers currently in the High’s permanent collection, including Ron Arad, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Héctor Esrawe, Johanna Grawunder, Zaha Hadid, Joris Laarman, Marc Newson, Ettore Sottsass, Jr. and Marcel Wanders. The show will also highlight many of the High’s recent acquisitions by these designers and will demonstrate the range of contemporary design.
Examples of notable pairings in the exhibition include the modular "Bone Structures" necklace (composed of 18 leather pieces attachable by magnets) by Fernando and Humberto Campana alongside their vibrant 2010 "Sushi" sofa and the gold-plated clown "Nose" necklace by Marcel Wanders, displayed with his 2006 prototype "Crochet" chair made of hand-crocheted fiber and epoxy resin.
“Over the last seven years, we have grown our collection of works by these designers to reinforce and explore ideas of production, material, intent and form,” said Sarah Schleuning, curator of decorative arts and design at the High. “By showcasing wearable designs by these artists alongside their works in other mediums, we’ll celebrate the breadth of the influence of these artists and also show how their works have come to shape the High’s permanent collection.”
Other notable works in the exhibition include: Ron Arad’s "Blo-Void I" rocker and "Hot Ingo" earrings; Zaha Hadid’s "Glace" series with Atelier Swarovski and "Tea and Coffee Towers"; Joris Laarman’s "Credit" brooch and "Ivy" climbing wall; and Marc Newson’s "Orgone 1" bracelet and "Embryo chair".
HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, GA
Museum's website: www.high.org
Ettore SOTTSASS, Altar: For the Sacrifice of My Solitude 
Marcel WANDERS, Bella Bettina, 2007 