Fantasy, myth and legend may have enjoyed their heyday in centuries past. But where popular culture is concerned, everyone from movie directors to novelists to online game creators have relied on flights of fancy. Such escapism has also touched designers, who have taken elements of extraordinary narratives and come up with startling results.
XYZ Design is a group of artists and designers linked to the influential gallery Contrasts, which has bases in Shanghai and Beijing. Part of the group's interest centres on exploring elements of the ancient and present. Collectively, they say they want to 'incorporate elements of traditional Chinese culture in their products', which they do to great effect, mining the power of legend and myth.
Dragons may have become associated with the obsessives among online gamers. However, XYZ Design has rescued this beautiful creature from the depths of fantasy and given a nod to its pre-online regal past, when it was imprinted on the robes of Chinese emperors.
Although their Single Dragon Candle Holder might not actually be capable of breathing fire, the sinister aspects of the creature are exaggerated in its twisted body and aggressive stare. Also being lured out of the kingdom of make-believe is Lathe 1 chair, by designer Sebastian Brajkovic, who studied under Dutch designers Hella Jongerius and Jurgen Bey. Relying heavily on traditional folkloric colour combinations such as black, red and yellow, it looks like something out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Brajkovic - whose work is available from London's Carpenters Workshop Gallery - has also been commissioned by that catwalk maestro of fantasy and illusion, Jean Paul Gaultier.
Design that captures the spirit of fantasy and imagination need not always be so ornate, however. Another way to evoke the spirit of fantasy is to call on the serenity and elegance of white and silver. Francois Azambourg's Stick Lamp, for example, glitters with masses of shimmering bulbs. Intricate and spidery, it owes something to the spooky quality of an abandoned castle or haunted palace. His Silver Stool, available at Galerie Kreo in Paris, is equally ethereal. More Gothic than fairy tale is the beaded and feathered Copacabana chandelier. Also by XYZ Design, it is a clever update of the traditional glass and crystal chandelier, which has been looking increasingly tired in recent years. Replacing crystals with feathers makes it much more unusual and the catwalk colour purple brings it even more up to date.
Other works informed by the fairy-tale narrative may inhabit La La Land, but they are all unique. This is some feat when you consider many of us are familiar with the symbols of folklore and myth. After all, these timeless stories have already been plundered by everyone from Walt Disney to Angela Carter.