'Strativarious' celebrated the rich layers of contemporary design with exclusive commissions and selected works including the ethereal Lightweeds project by Simon Heijdens, Peter Marigold's Split Boxes and Pied de Biche, Nicolas le Moigne's Slip stools made from Eternit in association with ECAL and an exclusive dinnerware series by Khashayar Naimanan and Nymphenburg porcelain.
The group show highlighted the layering and unveiling of contemporary design. Expectations of meaning, value, materials and form were all challenged as each new layer was applied or revealed, and new ways of seeing were presented through the rich stratum of ideologies. The title, a fantastical hybrid word, is suggestive of the poetic associations such messages can convey when presented in sequence. Far from the excessive and boisterous designs that have dominated the international scene over recent years, each of the works presented in 'Strativarious' represented an exercise in subtlety and quiet achievement. Rather than giving their all away with one single media-savvy soundbite, these works required time and contemplation to be fully audible.
