Spectacular Vernacular is the first major solo exhibition of work by the design studio Parsons & Charlesworth, formally founded by British husband and wife Tim Parsons and Jessi­ca Charlesworth in 2014 after years of informal collaboration. Showing three distinct facets of their creative practice – observation, experimen­tation and speculation – the exhibition reveals how Parsons & Charlesworth mix their craft and industrial design backgrounds with influences from fiction, science and the arts. The multifaceted approach explores the rhetorical as well as the practical oppor­tunities of designed objects, making the case for independent design practice as a critical response and essen­tial adjunct to the corporate design world.

Public Programs:
Friday, September 16, 5–9pm
Exhibition Open House with the Artists

Meet Tim Parsons and Jessica Charlesworth at the exhibition in the Chicago Rooms. This opening event is part of a building-wide Exhibition Open House on September 16, during which the Chicago Cultural Center will also “open” the exhibitions Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, Krista Franklin: Quest for the Marvelous, Laura Davis: Jewelry for My Mother(s) and Other Microaggressions, and Tom Denlinger: Ekstatic Edgewater.

Sunday, September 25, 2pm
Sandcastle Maker Demonstration
Chicago Rooms, 2nd Floor North

A chance discovery in an old photo album led to the resurrection of a device for sculpting sandcastles, designed by Tim’s great grandfather Henry Ingham. Tim will demonstrate the Sandcastle Maker and explain how to make your own.

Tuesday, October 4, 12:15pm
Chicago Rooms, 2nd Floor North

Gallery Talk with Curator Greg Lunceford and Designers Tim Parsons and Jessica Charlesworth

Sunday, October 23, 2pm
Chicago Rooms, 2nd Floor North
Culture Mixtape

Creative practitioners from Chicago, invited by Parsons & Charlesworth, reveal what inspires them in a quick-fire show-and-tell format. There is only one rule – guests may only talk about other people’s work and not their own – allowing them to wax lyrical about the muses that motivate their practice.

Tuesday, December, 13, 6pm
Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd Floor North
Observe, Experiment, Speculate: Parsons & Charlesworth in Conversation

Zoë Ryan, John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago, and writer Lee Ann Norman join Tim Parsons and Jessica Charlesworth in a conversation exploring the nature of Parsons & Charlesworth’s independent design practice and discussing questions raised by the exhibition.

Image credit: Image: Garage Sale, Parsons & Charlesworth, 2015.

Official Website

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Tags: Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center, Loop, PARSONS & CHARLESWORTH, Spectacular Vernacular