Alyn Griffiths talks to the British design duo about their ethos of making new from old and their first solo show
During Frieze week in London collectors from around the world descend on the city to browse, barter and buy contemporary art from the bizarre bazaar held in Regent’s Park, and the many satellite shows that pop up across the city. This year, the House of St Barnabas, a Grade I listed property in Soho, provided a suitably antiquated venue for an exhibition by London couple James Russell and Hannah Plumb (known collectively as JAMESPLUMB), whose work explores notions of age, beauty and memory by repurposing and adapting existing objects and antiques. To Have and To Hold is the couple’s first UK solo show and the inaugural exhibition of new London gallery, Kandasamy Projects.
“The title of this project, ‘To Have and To Hold‘ comes from English wedding vows and the idea was to focus on creating pieces that are able to contain beautiful things, whether that’s an object or a person,” explains Russell, as we sit in the venue’s on-site chapel. In the vestibules on either side of the chapel, a collection of old solicitors boxes raised on specially-made metal pedestals provide safe places for storing precious objects and have been fitted with lights that illuminate their patinated interiors.In front of us, an ornate nineteenth-century chandelier suspended from the ceiling seems to cast a perfect shadow on a panel positioned behind it. Only on closer inspection does it become apparent that the silhouette is a prerecorded projection with a running time that perfectly matches the lifespan of the candles, which are lit when the projection is turned on. “The chandelier is about trying to capture the shadow of the object but also the effect created by the flame,” says Russell. “It took us a long time to find the right way [to do it] because we didn’t want it to be novel or gimmicky.”
A collection of assemblages displayed in the main exhibition space includes an eighteenth-century wing chair with a long pew back added in place of the original seat and a Victorian pulpit, with a cushion perched upon the platform and a series of pew benches encircling it, creating a quiet sanctuary for reading or contemplation. “One woman who visited thought we’d found the pulpit as it was and just added the cushion, which I take as a great compliment,” says Plumb, neatly encapsulating the pair’s approach to reuse, which focuses on subtlety and restraint, resulting in objects with a timeless and mysterious aesthetic.
“Sustainability is important to us… There are enough beautiful things in the world so there really isn’t a need
for another chair, but what we try to do is to give new life to things by combining them in ways that sometimes result in pieces that look as if they were always like that”
So, where does the inspiration come from and how does their work relate to wider trends in design, particularly the recession-led fashion for reusing or redecorating old or broken furniture? “We’re not fans of the term ‘upcycling’ – that’s not the starting point for us,” claims Russell. “Sustainability is important to us; we believe that there are enough beautiful things in the world so there really isn’t a need for another chair, but what we try to do is to give new life to things by combining them in ways that sometimes result in pieces that look as if they were always like that.”
Before they head off to meet friends and admirers who are making their way into the chapel, I ask JAMESPLUMB what’s next for them: “Sorting out our studio!” exclaims Plumb. “We’ve just got too much stuff in there and we’ve been too busy to organise it properly.” Fortunately, I feel confident that, unlike the detritus that so many of us manage to gather around us, all of this “stuff” will one day be put to very good use.
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jamesplumb.co.uk
