By Tilly Macalister-Smith
Chatsworth House, a stately home in England’s Derbyshire countryside, has long played host to an expansive art and design collection belonging to the Cavendish family, who have lived there for nearly 500 years. This week, Chatsworth plans to welcome additional works by 16 artists as part of the exhibition “Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth.” Among the pieces are a glass chandelier by the American designer Ini Archibong, which will hang in the vestibule, backed by a soundtrack he created to accompany it, and a custom light installation crafted from bamboo and metal — by the Cyprus-born Michael Anastassiades — which will illuminate the library. The writer and historian Glenn Adamson, who co-curated the show with Chatsworth’s senior curator of program, Alex Hodby, describes the installation as “a sort of matchmaking between space and designer.” Many artists and designers responded directly to the grand surroundings: Joris Laarman, for one, carved a new series of his Symbio benches using stone from Chatsworth’s own quarry.
“Mirror Mirror” will be on view from March 18 to Oct. 1, 2023, chatsworth.org.
