Ron Arad Restless at the Barbican
I thought everyone knew who Ron Arad, however, a quick straw poll from the nearest and dearest revealed that this is not the case, he is yet to bleep centrally on the radar of ubiquity (vis a vis his own Channel 4 reality show like Philippe Starck).
For those who haven’t heard of him, Ron Arad is an Israeli-born, London-based designer that has been working here since the early ‘80s. To me he is a very macho designer, from his early Rover car chair seat to the domineering seats in stainless steel or the latest hi-tech material. They demand attention, to be admired, and like that hot guy on the tube, that sits down opposite you, you can’t help but look and be drawn in. I admire his self-possession, his sense of experimentation and play, and his refusal to stick to the existing conventions of what furniture should be. His refusal to have any straight lines is a consistent motif of his work.
If you’re looking for the pioneer who brought humour and innuendo into furniture design, this is your man. The exhibition offers the chance to test out some of the chairs, or to have a game of ping-pong on a table that’s built to enhance Arad’s ping-pong game style. Now that’s a man who knows how to get what he wants.
