Jamaica Observer Design Week Ja 2022 has officially started and we were happy to attend our first event on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at Spaces Furniture & Decor.
Design Week Ja is a weeklong event series in the design, construction, and real estate industries, as well as homeowners and homemakers. The week brings a forum for the exchange of design information and specials on products from participating outlets.
Spaces Furniture & Decor Goes Digital With Local Artists
The event dubbed the “Digital Art Exhibition” featured four (4) local Artists; Bonita “Don Dodda” Thompson, Kianne Patrice Hutchinson, Lisa Golding, and Christopher Fuller. Spaces Furniture & Decor Creative Director Janelle Pantry-Coke was in high spirits as she expressed she explains why she hosted the event at her Ardenne Road Space:
“We are so happy to be a part of Observer Jamaica Design Week. As you know, Spaces is everything style and everything home. When it comes to the Interior, we are the place to go. For our event, we are actually featuring 4 designers Don Dodda, Lisa Golding, Kianne Hutchinson, and Christopher Fuller. If you’ve never heard about these guys, you need to know them and you need to have a piece in your home”.
The exhibition included an eclectic mix of Digital Artwork including Photography, Textile Print Design, Paintings, and even Augmented Reality pieces. When we arrived to the venue we were greeted with delicious mini cupcakes by Scotiabank and Wine by Select Brands. The wine and music flowed in tandem which set the perfect tone for great conversations and learning more about the artists and their work. We immediately spotted Entrepreneur and Interior Designer Cecile Levee who paired hues of browns to create a chic outfit that was complemented by a printed headscarf with a perfect pair of sunglasses and leopard stiletto heels. We then started to work the room to chat with the Artists and the work they had on display.
Our first chat was with Kianne Hutchinson, Digital Artist, and her eponymous brand as she gave a quick overview of the inspiration behind her work.
“My style ranges from purely abstract to photography with digital elements. I also do augment reality and I do murals. Because I work digitally, I can collaborate with people all over the world to send my prints which can be hung in their spaces”.
Up next, was the Augment Reality Artist who goes by “Don Dodda” or his given name Bonito Thompson who shared that his pieces are inspired by Jamaican life and culture.
“I’m really excited to be a part of Design Week with the Jamaica Observer. I make augmented reality art that is inspired by Jamaican Culture and the pieces will literally come to life when you scan them with your phone camera. It has a QR code in it and it launches automatically. It is a whole new way to interact with art and it’s changing how you view art and how you can immerse yourself in a piece”.
Our penultimate chat was with Lisa Golding a Textile Designer who Digitizes her Fabric whom we met at a previous event who shared that she has now added Digital Artist to her repertoire.
“ I’m actually a Textile Designer and now also a digital artist. I’m still creating fabric and transferring it to your walls. I play with color, layers, and patterns to create wall art”.
Our final chat was with Nature Photographer Christopher Fuller whom we met for the first time and were intrigued by his work. There was one piece that stood out and was a conversation starter for patrons.
“I’m happy to be at Jamaica Observer Design Week — I am passionate about photography. I love it, I love nature as well and It’s always a good thing when I can bring something back from my journey — from print to remind me of the journey from the location to print and the process of creating that image.
Design Week Ja has given me the opportunity to showcase my work to you all and I appreciate that I look forward to doing this again.
Spaces believe styling your home should be fun and affordable. Since 2007, we’ve served as the leading Furniture Store in Kingston. No matter your taste or budget, we have something for everyone.
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Written by Lorane Rhoden | hautepeople@yahoo.com
