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British visual artist David Shrigley has turned his talented hand to contributing 245 densely arranged, thought-provoking drawings at French restaurant Sketch, London. It’s the largest collection of new works by Shrigley-who’s renowned for his dark, mordent style. The pictures were designed to elicit intrigue from the diners, without interfering with their overall dining experience.
Shrigley has simultaneously created a 22-piece tableware set with ceramicists Caverswall to complement the dining room, with simple black etchings on white ceramic s such as tea cups with “it’s ok” scrawled inside, and salt and pepper shakers emblazoned with “dust”, “dirt” and “nothing” (salt, pepper and an empty shaker, respectively)-they’re designed to offset chef Pierre Gagnaire’s much appraised food, by adding another dimension to the diner’s culinary experience.
India Mahdavi designed the accompanying furniture, all in a charming, dusty- pink art deco style-a light touch juxtaposing David’s drawings- which focus on matters such as life, death and what lies beyond. This new decor in Sketch’s dining room certainly makes a change from its previous, busy and somewhat confusing ambience.
Shrigley says of the project with Sketch, and its “art-gallery” connotations, “People go to a gallery and are willing and perhaps expecting to be upset or challenged or disturbed. But they don’t go to a restaurant for that. No, and this is definitely an intervention in a restaurant rather than a restaurant in a gallery.”
For those willing to try a dining experience with a difference, Sketch, the “Quirky, 18th-century townhouse tea room that transforms into a cocktail lounge every evening”, can be found on 9 Conduit Street, London. Just don’t forget to take your curiosity alongside your appetite!
