Gregor Jenkin at Design Miami/2011

Trevyn and Julian McGowan’s design gallery Southern Guild will be presenting the work of Gregor Jenkin Studio at Design Miami/2011 this month.

Established in 2008, Southern Guild is a platform for collectable, limited-edition South African design. Each year 45 diverse talents are invited to produce new work to be included in the collection.

Southern Guild encourages collaboration and discourse, aiming to stimulate and provoke the design industry – and they believe the designs of Gregor Jenkin Studio will do just that.

Trevyn and Julian describe Gregor Jenkin as “South Africa’s most fascinating contemporary designer”, and no doubt visitors to Design Miami/2011 will agree.

Gregor is known for creating pieces that present a new way of doing something old. In this way his pieces are functional objects that are thoughtful and, by extension, thought-provoking.

At Design Miami/2011 Gregor and his small team’s Migrant/Migrate collection will be shown along with their Engrained wardrobe.

The Migrant/Migrate collection is an example of subtle storytelling. The collection is a reference to South Africa’s migrant labour history, represented by a herd of wildebeest. The elegant yet awkward clutch of tables stands together to form a sculpture, poised.

Engrained, a wardrobe inspired by feed and grain silos, taps into Gregor’s enquiry into making the commonplace unusual.

Design Miami/2011 takes place from 29 November to 4 December 2011.

More information: www.southernguild.co.za, www.designmiami.com