“I’ve a reason to believe
We all will be received. . .
In Graceland, Graceland,
Memphis Tennessee”
Paul Simon’s masterwork “Graceland” is a song that captures the exuberant spirit of the 1980s. Simultaneously, The Memphis Design Group (from Milan, not Tennessee) was the great cultural phenomenon of the 1980s. Also known as Memphis Milano, the collective was founded while Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde album played on repeat. They named themselves after the song “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.”
Memphis Milano revolutionised the design world and came to define the decade of excess – in its binary colours, blown up proportions, dizzying patterns and playful nods to Art Deco and Pop Art. Its enduring influence and musical correlations are strongly felt in Departure to Graceland, the second solo exhibition by accomplished glass artist and JamFactory alumnus Drew Spangenberg.
Spangenberg channels the aesthetics of the era, while challenging both the function and consumption of everyday objects. “My work sits on the border between functional and ornamental, similar to the idea Memphis inflicts on its products as an object being more aesthetic than useful,” describes Spangenberg.
For Departure to Graceland he has created over 40 new, bold, multi-functional objects that can be used as intended – as a teapot, canister, bottle or goblet - or simply as a covetable decorative item. The line drawn between artist, craftsperson and designer can often be blurred and Spangenberg creates objects that defy categorisation. Similarly, these pieces demonstrate Memphis’s characteristically humorous anti-functionalism as in World’s Most Useless Canister, 2022. What this puddled container lacks in function it offers in optical intrigue.
Spangenberg radically tests the boundaries of the medium. With a meticulous level of care and craftsmanship, he remains geometrically coherent while considering the harmony of colours and shapes. He articulates how in this exhibition:
I have pushed my skills as a glassblower in creating these deceptively intricate forms. Glass as a medium naturally curves and softens in sharp areas when heated, making clean lines a challenge to achieve.
Spangenberg employs centuries-old Murano glass-blowing traditions. He also looks to the Murano manufacturer Venini & Co. who made the glass objects for Memphis designers Ettore Sottsass and Marco Zanini.
The exhibition design is loosely inspired by Ettore Sottsass’ Carlton Room Divider, 1981 – a mesmerising laminated-MDF deity. Its bold colours and frenetic patterns and shapes seem to fight each other for attention. This piece had a place in David Bowie’s extensive Memphis Design collection which was auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2016. Spangenberg’s ode to Memphis, like Bowie’s music, stands somewhere between punk pop aesthetics and high art, acknowledging a classic vernacular while at the same time disrupting it.
Bowie, who was known for his alter egos –Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke – also played Jareth the Goblin King in the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. If Bowie is the Goblin King then Spangenberg is the Goblet King. A series of 18 Pineapple Goblets are the centrepiece of this exhibition. Their complexity, colour variety, lightness and delicacy highlight the versatility and deftness of Spangenberg.
My background as a musician influences the way I approach my artistic practice. In creating a musical composition, I think of how the many parts work together to create a complete piece. These objects are made as an ensemble rather than individuals, with the colours and shapes thoughtfully chosen to play together in harmony.
Departure to Graceland is a cross-contamination between artisan and musicianship, Murano’s glassmaking heritage and avant-garde design. Spangenberg challenges both the function and consumption of everyday objects which exemplify his endless pursuit for the perfect composition.
For additional information, image requests or interviews please contact Holly Wood, Marketing and Communications Assistant at holly.wood@jamfactory.com.au or +61 8 8410 0727.
