λ MARC NEWSON (AUSTRALIAN B. 1965)"EVENT HORIZON" TABLEPolished and partially lacquered aluminiumImpressed MARC NEWSON/POD EDITION/POD and numbered 6/10 to the underside; further impressed MARC NEWSON POD EDITION EVENT HORIZON and dated 1992 to tabletop81 x 180 x 97cm (31¾ x 70¾ x 38¼ in.)This example is number 6 from an edition of 10 plus 3 artist's proofs and 1 yellow version, produced by POD Edition, UK. Provenance:Galerie Kreo, ParisSale, Phillips, London, 25 April 2013, lot 229Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiterature:'Tavolo Event Horizon', Domus, Milan, no. 741, September 1992, pp. 67-69Marie La Fonta, 'Alu Surf', Actuel, nos. 31-32, July-August 1993, p. 168Alice Rawsthorn, An Australian in Paris, London, no. 104, February 1994, p. 31Jean Bond Rafferty, Making Waves, Harper's Bazaar, April 1994, p. 140Simon Mills, Watch this Space, The Sunday Times: The Magazine (London), 27 November, 1994, pp. 60, 61, 64marc newson : Bucky, dalla chimica al design, exh. cat., Triennale di Milano, 1995, fig. 10Alexander von Vegesack, et al., eds., 100 Masterpieces from the Vitra Design Museum Collection, exh. cat., Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, 1996, p. 172Alice Rawsthorn, Marc Newson, London, 1999, pp. 64-69, 213 for a sketch, fabrication images and computer generated rendersthe magazine of the powerhouse museum: Powerline, Sydney, Spring 2001, pp. 6-7Conway Lloyd Morgan, Marc Newson, London, 2002, pp. 150-51, 157, 170-71 for fabrication images and computer generated rendersLouise Neri, ed., Marc Newson, exh. cat., Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2007, p. 64Alison Castle, Marc Newson Works, London, 2012, pp. 58-63In astrophysical terms an Event Horizon is the boundary of a black hole where the properties of space and time are altered. It is the point of no return, where nothing can resist the immense gravitational pull of the black hole. In giving this work such a universal title Newson not only announces this piece as an important fulcrum or pivotal moment in his constantly developing creative process but also reminds us of the importance of exploration and innovation in his work. As a six-year-old boy Newson remembers watching NASA's Apollo moon landings and feeling "a sense of utopia; a sense of optimism pervaded" and he recalled that "it led me to want to create things, to explore things, to be ambitious." By embracing science and technology as both an inspiration and a fundamental basis for his work Newson inspired a new generation of designers to explore industrial advances in materials, to use more traditional ones in innovative applications and incorporate new digital technology in design and production in the creative process itself. Event Horizon is a clear evolution of the Black Hole Table first designed whilst working in Japan in 1988. The beautiful fluidity of this piece was achieved through the use of polyurethane and carbon fibre. In Newson's best-known piece Lockheed Lounge, from the same year, he looked to recreate this plasticity in what he described as a "fluid metallic form, like a giant blob of mercury". However, he was to admit "I never wanted it to be covered in panels. That was the only way I could think of to achieve something close to the effect I visualized." In Event Horizon he realised the effect in metal that he had only previously been able to imagine. The circumstances of how this was achieved were serendipitous but also fitting to Newson's central design tenets. In 1991 Newson was looking to buy his ultimate car; an Aston Martin DB4, manufactured between 1958 and 1963. He went to view one in a car body shop just outside London that specialised in restoring Aston Martins. There he discovered the highly skilled craftsmen creating beautifully fluid car panels. He commented that "What they do is more akin to silversmithing. They work metal as if it were a piece of fabric or plasticene. What you see is this incredibly sensual and refined object." He showed them one of his studies and described what improvements he was looking to achieve. By introducing a small, undetectable degree of positive curvature in the tabletop panel, they were able to give it the strength it needed to withstand the curvature introduced at the edges. A groove was also placed along the top, lending subtle character to the surface and adding enough reinforcement to prevent the top from flexing. Newson wanted the table to be as light as possible while still having inherent strength. The ends of the table are rolled inward for reinforcement, adding a decidedly aerodynamic element reminiscent of the grille of a sports car or the air intake of a jet engine. Painting the inner surface to give it a perfectly lacquered finish was another challenge, requiring the talent of highly specialized auto painting experts. He initially used three colours to celebrate European motorsport; British racing green, Bugatti blue and as in the present work, Ferrari red. He later added orange, yellow and lime green as variations. Event Horizon plays on the dichotomies of mass and space, solid and liquid. Just as an astrophysical Event Horizon alters space and time, the point of no return between reality and theory, Newson has created his own point of departure. A continuous skin like form whose interior volume feels larger than the exterior surface. Its strength appears to come, not from the delicate structure, but from the void below the surface and the hollow funnel legs, which in turn draw you in like black holes. Its fluid sculptural qualities contrast the simple utilitarian nature of the object. From concept, production and realisation this work encapsulates all of Marc Newson's ideologies making it one of his finest masterpieces.Please note: ARR aplies to this lotCondition Report: Please contact the department for all condition report enquiries on pictures@dreweatts.com Condition Report Disclaimer
