As part of London Design Week at the AUGUST + CO Gallery, Anna Agapova, Creative Director of O&A London, and British artist Shaun Stamp unveil “The Time and Art” a stunning example of scenography, highlighting the ultimate symbiosis of art and design, which is further enhanced by a deeply touching sound experience. The intricate art installation suspended from the ceiling was created to present the new HORAS table, an exquisite design piece born from the collaboration of O&A London and Maison Pouenat, the renowned French design and manufacturing house. Inspired by the passage of time, the HORAS table features metal legs reminiscent of hourglasses and a marble countertop with a circular metal platform resembling a clock face at its centre. The design and the execution of this piece reflect the mutual commitment of both brands to creating timeless interior treasures which exude an aura of enduring elegance and superb craftsmanship.
About the installation
“After two decades of shaping interior spaces as a designer, I have embarked on a new journey of self-discovery through art. This marks a significant shift as I channel my expertise into a fresh artistic direction, immersing myself in the creation of captivating experiences within spaces and objects”.
— Anna Agapova
The Time of Art” embodies the artistic passion behind every creation. At the core of the ceiling installation is a bronze sculpture by Shaun Stamp, titled ‘The Nature of Love’. It represents the tangible embodiment of the artist’s heart and soul, which drives the creative process. It also reflects the craftsmanship of Maison Pouenat, a Living Heritage Company and one of the few metal manufacturers where art and craft align in perfect unison. The branches act as a metaphorical canvas, capturing the essence of the artist’s thoughts, dreams and emotions. Viewers are invited to catch a glimpse into the depth of the artist’s mind and heart, revealing the vulnerability that underlies the creative process.
The branches act as a metaphorical canvas, capturing the essence of the artist’s thoughts, dreams, and emotions. The installation invites viewers to peer into the depths of the artist’s mind and heart, revealing the vulnerability and authenticity that underlie the creative process.
“Deciding to experiment in collaboration with Anna Agapova using sound and objects with my bronze heart sculpture, titled The Nature of Love… holds pain, was a new horizon for me to question how art and interior design interact (since they have coexisted forever)… so for me, it seemed logical, as we both share threads of interest in nature, philosophy and creative worlds. The combination of elements, like sound, a branch from nature interacting with objects and art, are something in dialogue for us to question, ‘what gives us connection to ourselves in architecture and nature’…It gives the eye a wider question to how art is lived with, and what transcends experience of interior living… the home is equal to that of the human body. We create a mirror of ourselves in those spaces, by opening our imagination to light, colour and texture, making our nest unique”.
— Shaun Stamp
Shaun Stamp
Born 1985, of poly heritage, Wales (UK). As a multiracial, Shaun Stamp describes himself existing without a homeland with his African, European, Indian and Indigenous Caribbean heritage. His work is experimental; bioluminescence, raw materials such as crude oil, whilst using traditional aspects like photography or sculptural work of mixed media, seen as engineering, science, alchemy and philosophy, that serves to disclose and ponder on psychological and psychoanalytic conduits to understand the complexity of being human existing between the natural and artificial worlds created by us.
Stamp has exhibited internationally, showing at Turner Contemporary Museum (UK), Kunst Museum Wolfsburg (Germany), Mid Wales Arts Centre (UK), Cambridge University (UK), WCCE Dubai Expo (UAE),Royal Ulster Academy (Ireland), Anderson Ranch Arts Center (USA), PH21 Photography Gallery (Hungary), Tashkeel (UAE), University of Fine Arts Armenia (Armenia), ToDA – Theatre of Digital Art (UAE), Broom Hill Sculpture Park (UK), Oriel Davies (UK). Stamps work has appeared through Sothebys / Luxhabitat International Magazine, SoFar Magazine Singapore, Gulf News, Vulnerability in Life and Art Podcast, Curator Dr Amin Jaffer (Al Thani Collection) Venice/Paris ; India Architectural Digest, University of the Arts Canterbury, The Wise Fool Podcast, Elephant Art Magazine (Octavia Bright), NY Global Photography Awards, Slaughter House Magazine, Balaclava.Q – International, The Times Newspaper (Rachel Campbell-Johnston), The Telegraph Newspaper (Louisa Buck), The World of Interiors, Art Aesthetics Magazine, The iPaper, Bloomberg Art (Mark Beech), Art critic Edward Lucie-Smith, Aesthetica Magazine, BBC News, Global Photo Curator New York, The Korea Times, Welsh Art Now, and Art Review (by Laura McLean-Ferris).
ON VIEW: AUGUST+CO, 2nd Floor – North Dome, Chelsea Harbour, London, SW10 OXE
