Behind a clouded glass facade on St Martins Lane lies The Front Room. This small, clean space has been the site of Crane.tv's recent project, Crane.tv Curates: One Room, Three Global Names - an exhibition that aimed to bridge the gap between the video-magazine's online world and the offline existence of its subjects. Over three weeks the space has housed a series of immersive installations by celebrated, well-known creatives, whilst also acting as a live studio space for emerging talent.
The three incarnations of the space were varied and impressive. Design legend Sir Terence Conran, fittingly debuted with a mini-retrospective of his extensive contribution to style and design for the masses. The display of his historical influence on aesthetics was accompanied by an example of modernity in the form of Hye Yeon-Park's morphing electric clock. The second week saw artist, Kate McGuire, compile a cabinet of curiosities alongside her piece, FINE (Fucked-up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional), taking the room to a darker place and provoking visitors to question their perception of beauty. Finally, digital artist Matt Pyke took the space firmly into the future with his triptych of computer-generated imagery accompanied by a cabinet of 3D mathematical structures.
As well as providing a unique experience for visitors and artists alike, the exhibition has served to demonstrate the DNA of the Crane.tv brand and its cultural perspective. Traditional understandings of art, design, fashion and lifestyle must be rethought as the rules that have defined these categories from each other, no longer exist. Different creative disciplines influence and bleed into each other and ultimately permeate every aspect of our lives. The uncanny presence of Crane.tv's concept space, incongruously located right next to a gym on bustling St. Martin's lane, seemed to demonstrate this perfectly.
Text by Angelica Pursley for Crane.tv
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