STYLE & DESIGN
Originally published on Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Cross-country Chanel
When Karl Lagerfeld decides to pluck design off its high horse and offer it to the masses on their (street) level, he does it in style. His latest venture collaborates with architect Zaha Hadid on a travelling design museum.
The Chanel Mobile Art Gallery consists of an enormous white shell-like structure, whose organic inner landscape, created without straight walls, houses commissions from 22 international artists. Whilst quick to point out that this isn’t a publicity stunt, Karl still provided a bit of archive inspiration in the form of the classic Chanel quilted bag. The resulting installations vary from videos and sculptures to the photo-literature of Sophie Calle who approached women carrying the bag on the street and offered to buy it – and its entire contents – from them.
Currently docked in Hong Kong for the beginning of a two-year world tour, the Mobile Art Gallery will land in London in June 2009, with free entry.