EXHIBITS
THE DREAM ARCHIVE
For the 2012 Interior Design Show in Toronto, Casey Design was invited to transform a standard shipping container into an environment that addresses how we live and work today. The Dream Archive was proposed as “a portal that directs us inwards on a sensuous journey of exploration and discovery, revealing the vast transformative powers of our imagination. It is a fictional space that acts as a metaphor for the design process itself.”
Project Description
Two dream spaces surround a small library/study at the centre of a 10' x 20' metal shipping container. The three spaces are interconnected both in plan and in meaning. The library walls are covered in objects, paintings and peacock feathers, while the dream spaces are, by contrast, covered in mirror to reinforce their immateriality.
Inspirational images of art, nature, architecture and interiors are projected onto an open portfolio book in the library/study, accompanied by an evocative musical score. The two mirror-walled dream spaces concurrently transform and interpret the portfolio images by means of projections into fluid non-linear dream representations. Through the infinite reflective optical properties of the projections, the mirrored walls come alive and transform into kaleidoscopic dream images. This exploration of the journey into creativity reflects the trip we as designers make to the psychic well - into the container of our dreams and memory.
The Dream Archive acts as a metaphor for the design process, and shows how the creative mind needs to access both worlds – the real and the imaginary – for essential sources of inspiration.
GARDINER MUSEUM
The Directors of “The Twelve Trees of Christmas” at the Gardiner Museum asked twelve top Toronto interior design firms to create a one-of-a kind Christmas tree for a spirited charity auction at a gala evening. The theme proposed was All Creatures Great and Small. After returning from an ARIDO sponsored trade mission to India that fall, we were inspired to create an elephant-themed Christmas tree entitled “Elephant Love.”
Our project description read as follows: “Elephants have been bejeweled as the bearers of Maharajas and as stalwart workers for over 3000 years. These gentle giants are favoured among children and adults alike, and embody the sentiments that centre on the spirit of Christmas. Elephants personify the family unit and the magic of the love that is created within it. This was the inspiration for our “Elephant Love Tree”.
“Love will draw an elephant through a keyhole.” – Samuel Richardson
CANADA BLOOMS
The organizers of the “Canada Blooms” annual spring garden show invited Casey Design Group and two other leading Toronto interior design firms to design and build a garden room. Our design concept was inspired in part by the outdoor dining pavilion in Robert Altman’s Gosford Park.
We transformed a square room into a classical gazebo by placing drapery and columns in a circular plan, which opened out through two antique doors onto an English garden.
The cinematic effect was enhanced by recorded garden sounds and blowing fans to create a multi-sensual experience. The room featured an antique fountain, a dining table and Lucite sideboards, and a special feature was the white silk drapery, screen printed with flowering dahlia’s, flowing in the breeze.
The final result was a classical round dining pavilion reminiscent of a Greek temple set in the English countryside.