Untitled, 2009
Soundsuit by Nick Cave.
Buttons, found vintage sifter, wires and bugle beads.

The Chinese artist Zhang Huan had never seen an opera before one of his latest projects. So with an ancient temple, a three-legged Buddha, Mongolian musicians, sumo wrestlers and a hummed version of the communist Internationale part of his staging and direction of Handel’s Semele for Brussels’ Theatre de la Monnaie, did he reach the high notes?

When it comes to selection it may have been easier to ask British designer Paul Smith what doesn’t get him going, but where is the pointless fun in that? From stores to sights and sounds that tickle, ‘his’ pages reveal the sheer delight of life’s stuff.

TEXT by HANS ULRICH OBRIST
Ever wondered how many interviews are waiting in the vault of eternity to finally meet the daylight of release? Hans Ulrich Obrist, a die-hard interviewer, did this one nearly a decade ago with architect, designer & artist Hans Hollein. It has never see the light of day before, but is dateless when it comes to intersecting creativity - that’s why we like it. A first in our series: The Lost Interviews. Talk about sustainability...

Family Stuff is a series of work that photographers Huang and Ma have been working on since 2005. Asking Chinese families from different regions and ethnic backgrounds to empty their houses and let the artists decoratively arrange their belongings outside, the portrayals of changing times are as intriguing as they are humbling.

A double take of DAMnˇ’s WGMG series this issue, Jasper Morrison captures the super normal things that are part of his daily observations, and explains why the Bermuda Triangle of the media, manufacturers and marketing is making life increasingly complicated for designers trying to find a position of respectability.

An odyssey into the ordinary takes the work of Swedish artist Michael Johansson from oversized kit-form to condensed and concentrated geometric units, forcing function into submission with notions of colour and shape. From serious to humorous, Johansson has made a series of works that while appearing both normal and chaotic suggest an underlying structure.

A new book by JDS Architects occupies the territory between a monograph, a diary, a collection of essays, interviews and other contributions. One of the conversations that the architects had was with award-winning filmmaker Lars Von Trier, here edited extracts make the connection between the work of a director and architect, both grappling with issues of freedom and constraint.

Takeaways and send-ins from the weird and wonderful world that is Productivity. Whether it’s a pick-up from a design fair, lone wolf ideas from the underground, embroidered pants or the latest releases from the world’s brand believers, all the good stuff that comes our way ends up in this creative collage.

Fancy a treat to a pre or post-New Year exhibition? From white cube spaces to outdoor activist events and the hall-pounding pleasures of trade fairs, this is a just a glimmer of the creative actions that will be happening on the streets and behind closed doors over the next couple of months in design, fashion, architecture and art.