Book news: flick through February's titles
Book news: flick through February's titles
Martin Creed: What's the Point of It?
With essays by Bill Bailey, Cliff Lauson, Paul Morley and Joachim Pissarro
Renowned British conceptual artist Martin Creed divides the audience neatly between those who consider his installations to have a healthy self-conscious dose of wit - a rare quality in the art world - and those that consider his conceptualism to be critically overrated. We fall into the first camp, and this new tome, released to coincide with the artist's first major London retrospective, conveys the scale and intentional absurdity of Creed's oeuvre.
Published by Hayward Publishing, £25
Writer: Jonathan Bell
A spread from the book showing 'Work No. 1357: Mothers', by Martin Creed. Photography: Mark Colliton
'Work No. 135: A protrusion from a wall', 1996 (left) and 'Work No. 142: A large piece of furniture partially obstructing a door', 1996-2002 (right), both by Martin Creed. Photography: Mark Colliton
'Work No. 200: Half the air in a given space', 1998, by Martin Creed. Photography: Mark Colliton
Rabih Hage London: Selected Work
Edited by William Collins
This mini monograph celebrates the 12th anniversary of London-based architect Rabih Hage, best known as the originator of the Rough Luxe Hotel and the man who almost single-handedly ushered in a new wave of eclectic interior design. The firm has also built everything from beach houses to relief shelters and avant-garde furniture.
Published by Rabih Hage, £25
Writer: Jonathan Bell
From the book: Rough Luxe Hotel, London, 2008. Rabih Hage coined the term 'rough luxe' himself, and used it to inspire the fascinating blend of simplicity and bareness with contemporary opulence in this project. Photography: Marcus Peel
The Old Rectory, Oxfordshire, 2009. The guiding principles for this project were clean lines, subtle colours and uncluttered spaces. Photography: Marcus Peel
Great Portland, London, 2006. The challenge was to modernise the space without losing the drama and history of the existing building. Photography: Brian Benson
Library kiosk at Guildford Hotel, Radisson Edwardian, Surrey, 2011. Photography: Marcus Peel
City Cycling
By Andrew Edwards and Max Leonard
American cycling brand Rapha's full set of City Cycling guides is now available in a neat box set. Written by Max Leonard and Andrew Edwards and published by Thames & Hudson, the books cover the two-wheeled delights of eight European cities, including bike-centric metropolises like Amsterdam and Antwerp. Mixing the all-important maps with precise, vintage-tinged illustrations, these guides aren't just designed to slip into your saddlebags but to be perused at leisure before you head out and clip into your pedals.
Published by Thames & Hudson, £25
Writer: Jonathan Bell
From the book: an illustration from the Paris volume by Louis Thomas
Illustration from the Barcelona volume by Judy Kaufmann
Illustration from the Ghent volume by Sebastiaan van Doninck
Fuksas Object
By Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas
Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas are two of Italy's foremost architects with their major airports, exhibition centres and offices blocks casting elaborately glassy shadows across the modern Italian city. Fuksas Object is a companion piece to an earlier Actar monograph on the couple's studio, this time focusing on the multitude of subsidiary designs produced for their many projects, including lighting, furniture and bespoke components.
Published by Actar, €35
Writer: Jonathan Bell
A spread from the book showing 'Deep Purple' for Milan Triennale, 2008. Photography: Francesco Colarossi, courtesy archivio Fuksas
'Theresia' coffee machine for Victoria Arduino, 2013. Photography Roberto Mazzola
Armani Chater House, Hong Kong, 2002. Photography: Ramon Prat
'Carolina' lounge chair for Poltrona Frau, 2008. Photography: Pietro Carrieri
Harry Seidler: Lifework
By Vladimir Belogolovsky
Australian architect Harry Seidler was the flag bearer for Antipodean modernism. In a career that spanned nearly 60 years, the Viennese-born architect re-shaped the Australian skyline, bringing a very personal vision of hard-edged design to the country. Seidler spent his formative years working around the world with the masters of modern architecture - Gropius, Breuer, Albers and Niemeyer - before making his mark with a house he designed for his mother in 1950. Lifework traces the architect's career all the way from such early houses to the host of towers, galleries and embassies that grace Australia's major cities and beyond.
Published by Rizzoli, $75
Writer: Jonathan Bell
From the book: The Riverside Centre, Brisbane, 1986. Photography: John Gollings
The Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre, Sydney, 2007. Photography: Eric Sierens
The Hong Kong Club, Hong Kong, 1984. Photography: John Gollings
Platform 6 GSD
Edited by Rosetta S Elkin
Harvard's Graduate School of Design is one of the world's pre-eminent centres of emerging creative work. Platform provides an annual roundup of the latest conceptual work coming out of the school, as well as interviews with visiting lecturers and a preface by the school's dean, Mohsen Mostafavi.
Published by Actar and Harvard Graduate School of Design, €30
Writer: Jonathan Bell
From the book: a model by Aanya Chugh and Lik Hang Gu
A model exploring the concept of urban utopias, part of the 'Utopioids / The Generic Sublime IV' project led by Harvard professor Ciro Najle
VistaJet: The Illustrated Story
By Simona Rabinovitch
Limited to just 3000 copies, this neat little brand book from Swiss business-jet company, VistaJet, is illustrated throughout by the French artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme. VistaJet are our favourite purveyors of transport on demand, thanks to their consistently high visual standards. In its first decade, the company has commissioned fashion designers and artists to make their jet interiors stand out from the rest. As for getting hold of a copy? We suggest you make a reservation.
Published by VistaJet International Ltd
From the book: an illustration of VistaJet's cabin interiors and passengers by Jean-Philippe Delhomme
'Thomas, can we please hire your plane?', by Jean-Philippe Delhomme
'The mushroom effect', by Jean-Philippe Delhomme
