DesignTO 2022: Libations for Liberated Living at Plumb Gallery

January 21 – March 6, 2022

Micah Adams, Joshua Augusto, Dexter Baker-Glenn, Sophie Dannin, Melissa Fisher-Rozenberg, Ryland Fortie, Lauren Goodman, Alastair Martin, Matt Nish-Lapidus, Julie Oh, Ciar O’Mahony, Pascal Paquette, Gord Peteran, Diana Lynn VanderMeulen & Meichen Waxer.

Curatorial text:

The idea of turning “garbage” to “gold” is as old as alchemy and has misled many if not most about its meaning ever since the first pursuit. Beyond materiality and through the objects we possess, the combination of function and fictions formed around one’s life create the transcendental spark that generates our manifested environments true worth.

Artists and designers have always been at the forefront of these explorations. When stepping into the field of interior design, no stone – or in this case, couch cushion – goes unturned.

The familiar yet typical nature of artistic design practice modifies our expectations of materiality and experience which will be seen through ergonomic exploration and (re)fabrication of everyday things remade into new.

Organized by Laura Carusi, Emma Green, Alison Postma, Callum Schuster & Emma Welch

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“There are no numbers” another patron whispers to his date as he reviews the plans. I look at him and say, I know. Despite there being a plan with numbers on it, which are supposed to correspond to the artwork, if you enter the wrong room you are starting at 15 and not 1. Good thing the audience are architects and designers so reading a plan is part of our jobs. But for those that aren’t, maybe a simple label on the work would really help others out 🙂

What attracted me to this exhibition is the notion of “another man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I’ve been doing a lot of thrifting lately, so this resonated with me. It is a common theme with designers. Transforming something normative into something extraordinary. I don’t know what the huge lean was towards Bic lighters but a couple pieces did stand out for me in this exhibition. Let me know your thoughts on the below:

I can 100% see this as a high end garden piece or something you put in your garage while you create your next creation.

I was really drawn to this piece. At first glance it looks like a bowl, but when you take a closer look, it’s a propane tank cut down. I haven’t seen this type of cleverness in a while and would put this in my home for sure.

The felt pieces are so playful, it is something I can see in IKEA.

This is actually a tech piece. I was drawn to this because among all the static pieces this was dynamic. There was movement, although simple. It was really something different. As technology like furniture and the other pieces in this exhibition are just “thrown away”, finding innovative ways of recycling tech junk will be part of our reality. This gives us a glimpse into the future of new treasures which were once considered tech trash becomes new treasures.