Telling Tales

'Telling Tales' is an exhibition at the V & A, here are extracts from a review in Crafts magazine by Gareth Williams.

Williams begins by writing "we can make stories from the things around us" (Williams 2009:49). He explains that,

"the function of these objects is evocative and symbolic rather than utilitarian. They seem to slip across an arbitrary and invisible line that separates design and art. Together, they make us think of something beyond the objects themselves: their narrative character bears associated meanings." (Williams 2009:49).

Hella Jongerius - "Vases were originally meant to be used, of course, but like any useful object a vase has a potential that goes beyond functionality. The story can rise above the object itself...Useful objects have a rich history. They are saturated with references to specific contexts and moments in history. If you refer to that history explicitly, and include all the associations in a new story, then you are communicating something - and it's something about useful objects" (Jongerius in Williams 2009:50).

Williams writes that,

"Twentieth-century and contemporary art practice has increasingly favoured 'concept' above 'construct'; the artist's exploration of ideas has become more important than his or her ability physically to construct them. Today, more than ever, the painter's supporting statement is liable to be judged as carefully as the brushwork. Broadly speaking, this left 20th-century craft practice to focus on the materiality of the object, its substance and techniques" (Williams 2009: 50).

WILLIAMS, Gareth. 2009. 'Tales Of The Unexpected'. Crafts. No 219. July/Aug 2009. Pg 48-55.