Amy Congdon: V&A - "Telling Tales" Exhibition

I always enjoy a visit to the V&A and I happened to catch the 'Telling Tales' exhibition, I was not sure what to expect, but it was excellent. Framing the design works in the context of telling stories and the connections we make to things around us is a powerful and intriguing idea, which worked well throughout the exhibition conecting all the pieces.

One of the pieces exhbibited was 'Else' by designer Julia Lohmann. Lohmann's Else is one of a herd of 30 'cow benches', each is made of a single cow hide and is constructed using hand carved foam. The pieces are extremely effective and thought provoking, her work challenges the viewer to contemplate the source of the material and the life that was lived by the animal.

In another of Lohnmann's collections 'Ruminant Bloom', light shades made from pigs intestines, she looks at using normally discarded materials from animals. I am very interested in this idea of pushing people to consider the sourcing of materials used, if we use leather why not utilise as many products as possible from an animal? The lamp shades are incredibly beautiful and highlight the amazing natural structure of the intestine.