“we are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it’s forever.” –carl sagan

a month ago, on display in honor of the london design festival, was one of the most intricate pieces the v&a museum has ever seen. the exhibition curiosity cloud by mishler-traxler for the small discoveries series for perrier-jouët focused its attention on presenting insects in a live manner. the goal was to allow the viewer to focus more on the atmosphere, experiencing the essence of the space and engaging the viewer’s mind in the room’s beauty.

the piece aimed to “celebrate a moment in nature and the relationship that humans have with the entomological world."
inspired by the concept of museum preservation, curiosity cloud concentrates on the preservation of 25 represented insect species placed in glasses. the insects, varying from extinct, common and newly discovered are positioned into 250 hand-blown crystal glasses created by renowned viennese glass company, lobmeyr.

each artificial, hand fabricated insect has been printed onto foil, laser cut and hand embroidered to create its form. the figure is then connected with a small string to a motor and small light source that sits inside each bulb. due to the shape of the glass, the mechanical insects are provided with enough space at the bottom of the bulb to easily move around and appear as though they are flying.

the idea behind the design appears when the bulbs begin to be approached. sensors within the glass detect movement and thus begin the movement of the insects. upon initially entering the room, the piece is remarked as peaceful and calming, with no movement, yet once the life behind the glass is detected, the piece becomes a sort of imaginary playground for the viewer, with insects fluttering all around.

 

after the festival, curiosity cloud will relocate to perrier-jouët's maison museum in champagne in france to sit alongside it's art nouveau furniture pieces. there, the piece will continue to excite and awe many more.

that’s the thing about art, if it's done right, it'll make you question everything you are.

the key to making your interior perfectly personalized begins with a blank wall. from there, the decisions are up to you. creating your own gallery wall can be one of the best representations of your personal style. having a gallery wall brings a sense of excitement into the space and allows your guests to get an immediate impression for your likes. the feature can add texture to the space making the room pop amongst your overall interior.

the first step is to determine your individual aesthetic. begin by establishing the type of layout you wish to visualize. whether that be random, a grid, matching or varied artwork and/or frames or incorporating in alternative pieces, the decisions are up to you. try to select each article based upon what feel best expresses yourself.

when it comes to selecting your artwork, the fundamental base of the wall lies in selecting a large centerpiece to begin with. by starting with a piece to build off of, you can set a foundation to anchor your pieces around. having only small frames makes the wall look disorganized and cluttered, thus beginning with a big piece brings the attention outward, conveying various shapes, sizes and colors.

additionally, the best way to assure that you will be pleased with your “gallery look” is to lay the pieces you wish to include on the floor prior to hanging. doing so allows you to visualize the wall display and get a sense for the distances you wish to have between each piece. this also lets you coordinate your pieces to see which complement each other best, whether that be based on subject, color or size.

alternatively, if you chose not to have exclusively art on display, there are several items you can also feature on your wall, these include: 

taxidermy, hats, sculptures, mirrors, clocks, tapestry weavings, banners, garland and plates.

ultimately, the possibilities are endless when designing a gallery wall. the decisions are yours, so chose well.