A capsule Chamber gallery exhibition covering 10 years of work by designers Studio Job is on view at the Armory Show art fair in New York (+ slideshow).
The gallery is showing six Studio Job pieces at the fair, which is located on the far west side of Midtown Manhattan and runs for 3 - 6 March.
The objects created by the Belgium-based artists range from a bust of a horse mounted on a vacuum cleaner to a drawing of a sinking ship and a large three-part mirror.
The works mix materials including rare woods, handblown glass, cut glass, and polished bronze, and draw on folk art and other pictorial imagery. The objects include one-off unique pieces and limited editions.
The piece called Horse Bust (Chess Piece) was designed for the artist Jeff Koons and includes a Nilfisk vacuum cleaner in its base. When the vacuum is switched on, the horse's eyes light up and air pulls through its nostrils.
"We love Jeff Koons and I love Nifilisk," Job said. "It's such a high-quality vacuum cleaner!"
The Piece by Piece cut glass pitcher was designed for the private office of the President of the European Council in Brussels. Its handle is a pair of fingers forming a peace sign.
Standing Bubble is a large blown glass object based on a traditional oil lamp and produced in collaboration with artist Alex de Witte, while Pinocchio Homework is a totemic brass structure from the studio's 2008 Homework series that stands on a wedge wood pedestal.
The large ink illustration of a sinking ship, called Sinking Ship, is mounted on a wall above a life-size replica of a side cabinet created specifically for the show.
Finally, the wall-mounted Indian rosewood Bavaria Mirror is from the studio's 2008 Bavaria collection of furniture, which is decorated with marquetry showing farm motifs. Other objects in the collection included a cabinet, table and screen.
Founded in 2000 by Nynke Tyngel and Job Smeets, Studio Job seeks to "redefine the applied arts for the contemporary age."
Their whimsical objects are "more in keeping with with the traditional guilds than anything industrial," according to the designers.
The Armory Show is the oldest and largest of New York's art fairs. It anchors a group of fairs, including Pulse, Spring/Break Art Show, and The Art Show, among others.
This is the first year that design has had a presence at the fair. Beyond Chamber's booth, the show has initiated a program called Armory Design, which also includes a series of lounge areas, as well as a site-specific gateway between fair halls by Sung Jang.
Jang has previously showed at Chamber gallery, which is currently exhibiting Unpacking the Cube, with works by Steven Holl, Leong Leong, and Leven Betts.
The Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan open Studio Job Mad House, the group's first solo US Museum show, on 22 March.
Last year the studio collaborated with Italian brand Bisazza to produce a collection of mosaic tiles that depict bones and animal skeletons, created a "travelling circus" stage set for musician Mika, and opened an exhibition in Miami that featured stained glass windows and a roller rink.