Interior Design Blog

As you step into the exhibition of Haygarth's world you are captivated by the light of his 'Mirror Ball,' (above) a giant reflective sphere, edging you in. It is made entirely out of 350 broken and smashed wing mirrors Haygarth has taken from accident hotspots.

Instead of seven years bad luck, you see only good in the room as the light dances across the walls. Like a stained glass window the beams shake and shift around you, and Haygarth's vision becomes clear; how something so ugly can become something so beautiful. The giant disco ball makes you stop and look at the destructive life in the fast lane.

His lighting fixtures are stunning and his creative intricacy starts to become apparent. Looking beyond the entrance, you see what looks like a huge chandelier, already stunning, but as the aura drags you closer, you realise how truly amazing it is, as on closer inspection, this fixture is revealed to be made entirely out of lenses.

The light of 'Optical (Tinted) Large' (above) shimmers through each spectacle, and as you are lost in the light, you imagine the people that have looked through these glasses. Over 4,500 clear and tinted prescription lenses are used to create this wonder and you see how they are give new meaning and beauty. Something once an unfortunate necessity to a persons face has now become an enchanting fixture many would want in their house.

His fascination with glass and light is apparent. Collected glass and seemingly useless objects are now given a new significance. His 'Magoo Chandelier' (above) has the care and precision of any professional light installer, yet the glass is not new, rather uncut optical lenses. The eerie light is stunning. And the complexity of the structure is amazing; it holds your gaze like a moth to a flame.

Perhaps you are wondering where the rims of the glasses have gone? Well Haygarth is not one to waste such creative material, look no further then the 'Urchin' (below) installations. These unearthly fur-like structures are unmatched. Breathtaking, the unique unusualness of their creation is astonishing. All three of them sit there, fat, thin and slender, tempting you into their spectrum of obscurity.

You can see the hours and weeks Haygarth spends on creating his lights, he spends so much time giving insignificant objects meaning so we can see how fascinated he is with the relationships towards abandoned rubbish. The piece that embodies this, the most for me, is his 'Raft' (below) structures. People say you are either a dog or cat person, but with these pieces of art I find it hard to separate the two opposing sides. The shade looks like a hybrid between a charity shop bazaar and a scene from Alice in Wonderland, but it perfectly encapsulates the message. Conveying that there is nothing that does not have artistic value, Haygarth creates a pyramid of china dog and cat figurines; under a mushroom umbrella. The emotionless faces of these animal faces are enchanting, and make you look beyond useless junk to see the genius behind Haygarth.

Stuart Haygarth's exhibition, Found, is running until Saturday 30 January and is definitely something to light up your weekend.