Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Guest Contribution by Anna Foskolou

After fruitlessly trying to tear my gaze away from the surreal photos and mentally kicking myself for not living in Spain, grudgingly accepting the cosmic truth that no matter how many times I sing “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain” I won’t magically teleport there (or anywhere for that matter), I decided to embrace my fate and play the hand I’d been dealt. That’s how I ended up writing the praises of a sight for sore eyes, an enchanted world made for the true design lover, forever young at heart.

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

 The Design Circus exhibition, located at Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid (Fine Arts Circle), holds some of the finest gems of made-in-Spain Industrial Design in a nostalgic and poetic circus environment. Organized by the DDI (State Agency for Development of Design and Innovation) and designed by the amazing CuldeSac™, it constitutes the perfect setting for the playful display of creative inspiration. Everything is there. The tents, the curtains, the canon, the guillotine, even the seal with its ball. You get to enjoy the full circus experience sans the terrifying clowns and the animal abuse. It’s like stepping into a life-size storybook where reality fades and true brilliance kicks in.

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

The extraordinary samples of Spanish design featured in the Design Circus range from furniture, textiles and illumination, to shoes and jewellery, their sparkle and originality enhanced by the spectacular environment. There are really no words to describe the beauty of this exhibition at every level possible, and there is literally no time left to attend. After February 7, 2010 the Design Circus will be blissful history, a wonderful figment of an exquisite imagination that made us dream of the explosive experience of design and then disappeared into star-sprinkled air. So if you have the chance, don’t let it slip through your fingers, because this is one of those oh, so rare adventures in the design world that may permanently alter the way you view… just about everything.

Just like your very first night at the circus!

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

Image Courtesy of CuldeSac™

The Enchanted World of the Design Circus

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