ELSEWHERE

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Novalis Art Design is pleased to present Elsewhere, a new collection by design duo Batten and Kamp. When designing the pieces in this collection, Batten and Kamp tried to imagine them from an alternative universe, a world much like our own but just slightly different. Perhaps created by an alien race in a place where gravity, or materiality or memories work differently.

This collection is about exploring the concept of ‘Elsewhere’, of the many layers and connotations this word conjures up. There are many ‘elsewheres’ hidden within this exhibition. The main principle being that even though we project ourselves to a time or place to get away from the present, we always end up circling back to it. The word itself implies a sense of escapism. We want to run from the problems of our present and hence we go to this hypothetical fictional place that we conjure up. In a sense science fiction also presents a thought experiment to get away from present problems, and yet, the imagined world is never detached from the contemporary as it is an attempt to imagine solutions to current problems. We might also choose to conjure up an ‘elsewhere’ from our memories, a place from the past and yet, details are always blurry, never completely accurate, tinted by nostalgia. Those places from the past too, are to an extent imagined places, tinted by our current mood or outlook within our perspective. Hence, ‘elsewhere’ is a projection that always ends up circling back to present day, our here and now.

As part of the BODW CityProg, we will be hosting guided tours on the 4 December 2021, 3 – 6 pm. Interested parties please sign up on the event page linked here.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Batten and Kamp is a creative partnership between Alexandra Batten and Daniel Kamp. The New Zealand born, Hong Kong based design art duo create functional sculptures, acquired and commissioned by collectors, galleries and clients around the world. Their collection items are made one at a time by the artists themselves in a converted factory space between a densely jungled mountain and a bustling port at the edge of Hong Kong Island.

Batten and Kamp’s work is represented by collectable design and art galleries in New York, Tokyo, Geneva, Copenhagen and Hong Kong. The couple have completed a number of site specific and custom furniture and sculpture commissions in Hong Kong and designed boutique interiors such as the much loved Brut! restaurant in Sai Ying Pun. Their works have been showcased in many group exhibitions, a solo show at the Designart Tokyo 2020, and most recently group shows at Enter Art Fair Denmark and Fine Art Asia in Hong Kong.
Batten and Kamp’s works have featured in Hype Beast, Designboom, Design Anthology, Sight Unseen, ID Magazine, Somewhere magazine, Axis Magazine, Ignant and more.