LDF 2015: Luxury Re-assessed

By Rhiannon McGregor 17 : 09 : 2015 Anna Lomax : Pound Shop Culture : Luxury

London Design Festival 2015 – Artist, collector and set designer Anna Lomax’s exhibition, Luxury Goods, explores changing definitions of luxury.

The material status of recognised luxury objects has been upgraded or downgraded
Luxury Goods reflects a growing interest in the symbiosis of Pound Shop culture and luxury brands

Exhibiting at Hoxton Square’s KK Outlet until 26 September 2015, Luxury Goods consists of an amalgamation of new and retrospective works inspired by the objects in Anna Lomax’s personal collection. The exhibition employs Pound Shop materials, such as inflatable swimming rings and balloons, to create objects that reflect everyday indulgence.

Lomax abandoned traditional notions of luxury to explore her fascination with popular culture, so that the everyday and mundane are re-ascribed an elevated, cult status. ‘I’m interested in the material status of the object taking on a new and exciting lease of life,’ she explains.

This method of attributing new meaning to well-known objects creates a balance between nostalgia and fantasy by presenting products we have grown up with in whimsical contexts.

The Big Picture: Advances in mass production allow fakes to become increasingly indiscernible so that questions of authenticity become more pertinent for designers. Find out more about re-assessing established ideas of luxury in our Iconoclash design direction.