Wellington exhibition show-cases art and functionality

Wellington exhibition show-cases link between art and functionality

· Potocki Paterson Art Gallery, 41 Dixon Street, 3rd to 7th October 2018
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11:00am – 6:00pm weekdays, 11:00am – 3:00pm weekends


In a new exhibition, Plato – The Power of Play, Wellington-based designer, Kris Ericksen, shows the complementary relationship between art and functionality.

Through a spectacular display of domestic and commercial décor - lampshades, acoustic wall panels and sculpture - Mr Ericksen demonstrates how everyday practicality can be transformed into modern art.

He also tells the story of how creative exploration, and play, triggered the invention of the Plato system – a unique design concept which forms the basis of all his creations.

Made up of flat, pliable, interlocking individual pieces, the Plato system can be fastened together to create a multitude of shapes and structures of varying sizes and colours. Designs can be further modified by using different sized Plato pieces and by altering the shape of the fronds of each segment.

The exhibition features staples from the Plato Lighting collection – the Solsträle (Sunbeam Cylinder), Trekant (Triangle Tetrahedron), Firkant (Square Cube), and the Bold (Ball Dodecahedron) – as well as bespoke creations such as the gargantuan Sværm (Cloud) chandelier. The names of the pieces are words that reflect the artist’s Danish heritage.

Also on display will be a range of Ericksen’s sculptures including Rata in Flower, a 1200mm square made from 60mm Plato base pieces and Blue Waves, a decorative wall piece or ceiling panel comprising base pieces of 90mm each.

The wall art section showcases Mr Ericksen’s contemporary ‘hush’ panels which have been developed from two designs that he entered into the World of WearableArt Awards (WOW) – Phoenix Transformer, a winged cape, in 2014 and Tane’s Korowai (cloak of the forest, featuring rata flower tabs at the end of each of the pieces), in 2015.

Constructed from 30mm base Plato pieces, Phoenix Transformer came second in the South Pacific section. The garment is currently on loan from WOW and will be on display at the entrance to the Potocki Paterson Gallery for the duration of the WOW event - from 27th September through to 14th October 2018. Tane’s Korowai was a category finalist featuring a collection of three cloaks. These will also be on display.

Kris Ericksen is also a NYCxDESIGN Awards Honoree (Emerging Talent section, earning the accolade after he was invited to exhibit his lighting range at the 2016 New York Design Week.

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