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Home Alone
fyou’re the type of person who’s more
likely to be found in a style bar than an art
fair, Home Alone is going to come as a surprise. Macauley Culkin won’t be there (probably), but this year’s Glasgow Art Fair will have a ‘home away from home” designed by two young Glasgow-based companies. The style bar connection comes from Bar Strata, for it is here that One Foot Taller and Timorous Beasties first collaborated.
You might have seen One Foot Taller’s designs in the revamped Arches box office, bar and restaurant, while Timorous Beasties’ textile designs (yes, they do feature beasties
‘We’re trying to make it as much like a home from home rather than a showroom,’ Kathy Barak
more often than flowers) are sold across the globe. For this collaboration, their designs will be right there for the public to admire and, even better, buy.
‘Each time we do exhibitions they’re in a trade fair context and you’re limited by the hardcore sell and the fact that your space is very tight.’ says TB’s Paul Simmons. ‘The
We discover the designers who’re making themselves at home at the Glasgow Art Fair. Words: Louisa Pearson
good thing about Home Alone is that it‘s more direct. We haven’t been able to display much in Glasgow and this is a different clientele who‘re going to come and see it.‘
Both companies are looking forward to a design brief limited only by their own imagination and budgetary constraints. and will be creating everything from wallpaper. roller shades and lighting to furniture and accessories.
Hoping to avoid the ‘look and don’t touch‘ syndrome, Kathy Barak of One Foot Taller is keen to make the spaces (there’ll be more than one) approachable. ‘We’re trying to make it as much like a home from home rather than a showroom,’ she says.
As well as their own designs, Home Alone will feature other hand-picked items. ‘We will have some other things for sale, things that aren’t even ours; for instance we’re planning on having CDs for sale,’ says Simmons.
For a company whose specialin is patterns. isn’t Simmons concerned about the popularity of minimalism in many people’s homes
FASHION RETAIL PSYCHOMODA
Made to measure
Leather-clad goth meets fairy princess. is how I'd describe the style of Psychomoda. It sells clothes hand- made on the premises to cater for an unmistakably wide range of tastes and indeed sizes. PVC corsets nestle
boat out you could get an outfit exclusively designed and made for you from about £100. You could even throw in a matching handbag for good measure. It's a one-stop shop really, although I don't think they'd go as far as to measure you up for a crushed velvet bra and pants set. but you
Corsets or bust
beside flowing lilac ballgowns in this cluttered yet funky little shop. Pink plastic combines with sparkly silver to make this place a magpie's dream- nest. If it's unique design you're after, then this is the place for you. You can have any of the existing items altered to fit or if you felt like really pushing the
1 10 THE LIS‘I’ 15—29 Mar 2001
never know your luck. Mind you. matching your handbag with your g- string might be taking co-ordination in the name of fashion just a little too far. One of the most popular sellers at the moment is the boned corset as worn, very occasionally, by Posh Spice (and quite possibly by the famously
(especially those of us recovering from our parents' 70s household decor)? ‘C'ertainly in the last ten years patterns have been disregarded. but then. in design. a lot of llllllgs are.‘ says Simmons. ‘A lot of things are put on different pedestals. I think minimalism‘s great. but there are no absolute truths.‘
Both designers favour the idea that we should discover our own household ster rather than slavishly following one design theme. ‘In an ideal world you‘d have everyone thinking for themselves.‘ says Simmons. ‘But that doesn‘t happen.” retorts Barak.
In any case. they’ll be helping to clutter up their Home Alone space at the art fair in person and hope people will make themselves at home. ‘l'd rather people were in the space having fun. listening to a bit of music and looking at a few bits of wallpaper rather than just having a big empty space where everyone whispers.‘ says Simmons.
So go in and pay them a visit; you might even get a cup of tea.
Glasgow Art Fair, Thu 5-Sun 8 Apr. See Art preview, page 76
be-thonged David Beckham;. You can have one made to meaSure lfi whatever kind of material you like and you can bet that it will be a whole lot cheaper than Posh‘s Gucci creations. But of course, the best part of the whole thing is that yOur garment of choice will actually fit you, instead of hanging off your chest and punching at your hips. So if your purple plastic catsuit's getting a touch on the clingy side. never fear, Psychomoda's here! (Eleanor McGlynn)
I Psychomoda, 22 St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh, 0737 557 6777.