Telling Tales: Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design

Contemporary design practice, the art market, and art itself are becoming more and more integrated, reflecting the merging of art, craft, and design. The links between contemporary design, history, and the imagination form the background for this beautiful and unprecedented exploration of Design Art.

Addressing works by visionary contemporary designers including Jurgen Bey, Tord Boontje, Dunne + Raby, and Studio Job, Gareth Williams explores how overtly functional objects, "designed" objects, can be made to carry meanings and associations, or tell tales. Featuring 80 specially commissioned color photographs, this unique and exciting book reads Design Art objects with the critical tools traditionally associated with painting, sculpture, and literary theory.

Gareth Williams is Curator of Furniture at the V&A. He has written several books, including Branded? and The Furniture Machine, and has contributed to numerous other books and exhibitions, both at the V&A and elsewhere.