Twig Saints by Chris Kenny

Twig Saint

St Desideratus – May 8th

Little saints live within the fine branches of certain bushes. They are released by cutting away everything that is not them.

Twig Saint

St Eugene – July 13th

These emaciated little figures demonstrate the saintly characteristics of self-denial and humility. They twist and gesticulate, openly expressing their agony or their ecstasy. Their fragility may withstand hardship and torture but in the end they can be so easily crushed, martyred.

Twig SaintsA week of August saints

Every day of the year certain saints are commemorated. Commonly it is their birth into heaven, the day of their death on earth, which is celebrated.

saint

St Cajetan – August 7th

I am presenting every day a unique, named little twig saint. To accompany each one, I am writing a brief life-story pieced together from many sources – biographers, historians and holy texts.

saint

St Cyriacus – August 8th

Each morning this Saint of the Day appears on Instagram, the little person and their story.

twig saints

I am placing many of my twig saints in little boxes, something like relics. The evidence of carefully preserved relics in a large number of churches proves the miraculous existence of many saints, rather like a preserved narwhal’s horn proves the existence of a unicorn.

You can follow on Instagram: @twigsaints to receive their daily visits.

By Chris Kenny. See more of the artists work here.

Mayfair Flower Show at sketch

On 17th May sketch in Mayfair launched the second edition of its Mayfair Flower Show, presenting the most whimsical garden outside of Chelsea, right in the heart of London.

Sketch

In homage to the annual RHS flower show, sketch presents the second edition of the Mayfair Flower Show with Diptyque and Pommery. Running concurrently to the Chelsea event from 17th to 29th May, this year’s exhibition has transformed No.9 Conduit Street into an oasis of colour and scent, with immersive gardens by five of London’s leading florists.

Sketch
Each ‘garden’ celebrates the British Landscape with bold designs and explores their personal relationship with sketch whilst showcasing their craft, passion and dedication to the environment. Within the sketch building there are large scale installations by some of London’s leading florists, including Rebel Rebel, Tony Marklew, Carly Rogers, Figa and Co and JamJar. Each florist has created an immersive garden, installed throughout the interiors and facade of the former Dior atelier on Conduit Street.

Sketch

To compliment the exhibition, the legendary French perfume house Diptyque has paired the rich scents of the flora throughout the restaurant with its much-loved Cypres blend. Warm tints of honey and resin create a fragrance that is both green and woody, like the freshly crushed needles from the cypress tree. For a fully immersive experience sketch has created a cocktail inspired by Cypres, a fresh, green and woody serve, aptly named Pique-a-Pine (Plymouth Gin, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, Green Chartreuse, Skinos Mastikha, Aromatic Tonic, Cypress Mist, £17).

To celebrate proceedings, award-winning milliner Piers Atkinson has created a line of bespoke floral headpieces, to be worn by front of house ambassadors throughout the show.

More information here.

Art Afternoon Tea, Mirror Room at The Rosewood London

Rosewood London hotel has just launched a new art-inspired afternoon tea, which could just be the most beautiful tea in London yet. The ‘Art Afternoon Tea’ is served in the decadent ‘Mirror Room’ restaurant, with each cake immediately recognisable as being influenced by London’s most prestigious artists.

Rosewood London

The pretty patisserie have been created by the Mirror Room’s creative Head Pastry Chef, Mark Perkins, who has a keen interest in art. The afternoon tea represents London’s vibrant and unique art scene, celebrating the five iconic artists; Yayoi Kusama, Alexander Calder, Mark Rothko, Damien Hirst and Banksy.

After a glass of bubbly, a pot of subtle white tea and a plate of delicious, delicate finger sandwiches, the cakes arrived. The mini masterpieces looked almost too immaculate to eat. Mark Perkins has used traditional techniques to create replicas of the contemporary artworks, each wildly creative in taste and texture.

Rosewood London

The Yayoi Kusama pumpkin inspired cake was my favourite… a wonderfully light milk chocolate mousse, passion fruit crémeux and chocolate feuillantine, set on a chocolate sable biscuit and encased with a vibrant yellow glaze. The perfectly executed Alexander Calder sculptural cake is glazed with red chocolate, reminiscent of Calder’s famed mobiles. British-born Banksy’s iconic ‘Girl With a Balloon’  is a wondrous white chocolate cube filled with a light vanilla cream choux, cherry jelly, hazelnut caramel and chocolate crémeux, garnished with an intricate and tiny replica of the enigmatic artwork itself. The Damien Hirst cake mimics the famous spot paintings with a white chocolate tart flavoured with cassis jelly and yuzu curd, and finished with Hirst-style regimented and decorative pop-art coloured spots of gel. My least favourite was the Mark Rothko cake… a layered coconut and raspberry sponge, filled with coconut mousse, fresh raspberries and adorned with bright pink raspberry chocolate.

Rosewood London has long established itself as a leading exhibitor of an exceptional array of contemporary artists. From witty illustrations that document the rich political and social culture of the 18th Century, to quirky pieces that reflect the style of the Pop Art movement of the mid 1950s, the walls of Rosewood London are a tribute to art through the ages. Rosewood London is also the hotel partner of Frieze London, the world’s leading contemporary art fair and one of the few fairs to focus only on contemporary art and living artists.

Pop in to the Mirror Room anytime between 4.00-7.00pm for a glass of Champagne and one of their beautiful artist-inspired cakes or bring a guest to enjoy the full tea experience.

The art-inspired afternoon tea is priced at £50 per person or £65 per person with a glass of “R” de Ruinart Champagne. More information and book here.