The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20081030105023/http://criticalmiami.com:80/2006/12/14/ThetablesofBasel

Thursday December 14, 2006

The tables of Basel

One of the great things about Art Basel was the galleries from all over the word trying to out-do each other with the tables and chairs they brought in, really the only non-art way they have to distinguish each other. This new photoset has my favorites, with commentary.

Tags: · Post to del.icio.us, digg, reddit · Comment feed for this post: RSS, atom

  1. Sara    Thu Dec 14, 05:28 PM #  

    Love the spread. Did you see the booth with cardboard-fabricated stools and table? I forget where I saw them, maybe at NADA? It’s all a blur…



  2. Rebecca Carter    Thu Dec 14, 06:25 PM #  

    I love it! Your pics lately are incredible Alesh!



  3. alesh    Thu Dec 14, 08:54 PM #  

    Thanks!

    Sara~ one of the pictures has cardboard stools, but a plastic table, so I guess I missed what you’re talking about.

    Rebecca~ I think the super-wide angle lens has a lot to do with it — it makes my photos look extra photoy. I have this one, and I think that with one of the cheaper new nikon bodies you could have a whole packate for under a thousand (caution: i’m not sure the lens will work with a D40. it might, but if not it sure will with a D50 or any other one). Maybe you need one!



  4. dreaming    Fri Dec 15, 08:21 AM #  

    i thought the furniture was one of the cooler elements of the show. in fact, i noticed it more than what was on the walls. i guess im more interior design focused than art centric. but nice touch w your table spread….



  5. Bert Rodriguez    Fri Dec 15, 12:11 PM #  

    Hey, I really, really enjoyed this table spread. It’s was a great idea to shoot these. I never got see basel (or anything else for that matter) so this was very informative.



  6. alesh    Fri Dec 15, 01:43 PM #  

    Were you reading bedtime stories to the city, Bert? How did it go?



  7. Jonathan    Sat Dec 16, 11:20 AM #  

    Cool and amusing.



  8. Maxwell    Thu Dec 21, 12:07 AM #  

    Greetings.
    I don’t mean to be this way but still.
    You say “the only non-art way they have to distinguish each other.”
    Many of these tables are sculptures by artists. For instance #15 your cartoon out of rags,Franz West #19 your bus benches, Rikrit Tiravanija #53 your yummy log cabin, Donald Judd #57 your classic picnic table,Gardar Eide Einarsson

    That’s just a few of the occasions of such. Is art better when it folds into its context and you take it for granted? Look closer.