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Shaping Reality Through Time' exhibition at Zaha Hadid Gallery in partnership with Fritz Hansen

For Clerkenwell Design Week 2019, Fritz Hansen partners with Zaha Hadid Design to present ‘Shaping Reality Through Time', an exploration of Fritz Hansen’s design evolution. The exhibition will be held at the Zaha Hadid Gallery, 101 Goswell Road, London between May 21st – June 13th. 
On Tuesday May 21, to celebrate the opening of the exhibition, a talk will take place between Fritz Hansen head of design, Christian Andresen and Zaha Hadid Architects head of interiors, Kar-Hwa Ho.

Design DNA
The story of Fritz Hansen’s design evolution can best be told through the series of chairs produced since the cabinet maker Fritz Hansen obtained a trade license in 1872, before beginning his own furniture production company.
‘Shaping Reality Through Time’ will offer a rare glimpse at aspects of the Heritage Exhibition, brought to the UK for the first time from Alleroed, Copenhagen - home to the original factory plant and current Head Office.
This London exhibition will include anniversary pieces, early examples of the signature laminated technology still in use today, original prototypes and limited editions, alongside newer pieces launched at this year’s Milan Design Week.
Fritz Hansen has worked with Zaha Hadid Design to co-curate and edit the exhibition with a specific focus on chairs carrying a shared aesthetic and design DNA, typified by sculptural form and organic lines.

Fritz Hansen design evolution
'Shaping Reality Through Time’ will also see pieces revealed in the UK for the first time, following their launch at Milan’s Salone del Mobile, April 2019 including ‘Plenum’, Fritz Hansen’s 2018 first dedicated contract furniture piece. Arne Jacobsen’s ‘Little Giraffe’ was first produced in 2019 but created 60 years ago for the S.A.S Royal Hotel, Copenhagen; A new piece by Jaime Hayon will also mark ten years of Hayon’s ongoing collaboration with the brand and heritage pieces will include the limited edition PKO - Fritz Hansen’s first collaboration with Poul Kjaerholm as well as Henning Larsen’s ‘Kar'.

From vision to reality
Much of Fritz Hansen’s furniture begins life as an imaginative sketch before being transformed into functioning reality through impeccable craftsmanship, precise technology and excellence of materials. Pieces such as the original Swan, Drop, Egg - as well as Nendo’s more recent N01 and Hayon’s earlier Ro - perfectly illustrate the continued evolution of sculptural and at times almost flamboyant expression. The exhibition will be further bought to life with original sketches and drawings as part of an illustrative timeline supporting the historical journey.

Zaha Hadid Design
Established in 2006, Zaha Hadid Design’s portfolio includes commissions from a wide range of design disciplines including limited edition furniture pieces, fashion accessories, jewellery and other collections in collaboration with leading brands as well as under its own label.
The exhibition will be arranged over two floors at the Zaha Hadid Gallery alongside a revealing look into Zaha Hadid’s design process through a selection of work from the joint archives of ZHD and ZHA. The exhibition will also include a 2015 chair by ZHD, resulting from a brief by Fritz Hansen to seven architects, inviting each to reinterpret Jacobsen’s iconic Series 7 chair.

About Fritz Hansen
Since 1872 Fritz Hansen has been crafting extraordinary design. Fritz Hansen offer a modern Nordic lifestyle with a collection of high-end furniture, lighting and accessories. In collaboration with leading international designers Fritz Hansen create visionary and long-lasting designs that transform the everyday into something special. With a global presence in retail and corporate spaces around the world, the Fritz Hansen universe is for all who want design that is out of the ordinary.

'Shaping Reality Through Time'
May 21 - June 13 2019
Zaha Hadid Gallery
10 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7EZ.

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10.00-18.00.
Late night opening: Wednesday May 22, 10.00-19.00.