Martina Gonano in Venice with Elvis Costello's Armed Forces LP packaging brilliantly designed by Barney Bubbles

Almost exactly a year since former CHELSEA space assistant Martina Gonano was working on our exhibition Process: The Working Practices of Barney Bubbles (brilliantly curated by Paul Gorman) she sent us an email to say that her boyfriend had just come home to their Venetian apartment with a copy of the Bubbles designed Armed Forces by Elvis Costello. This innovative packaging solution was one of many unusual Barney … Continue Reading

Champagne crowd for Richard Wilson at the Saatchi Gallery

The CHELSEA space team had fun at the Saatchi Gallery for the preview of Richard Wilson’s Hold The Line, a new commission for bespoke mobile phone company Vertu.

Richard Wilson's 'Hold The Line' at Saatchi Gallery

For the commission Richard had made a new film and a ‘cityscape’ model both made using parts from Vertu “luxury” phones. The film was a kind of puppet … Continue Reading

David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor in LA. Photo: Terry O’Neill 1975

CHELSEA space’s Donald Smith met up with Barney Bubbles curator Paul Gorman at Proud Galleries in the Kings Road for the private view of ‘Sex Drugstores and Rock & Roll: A History of the Kings Road’. Downstairs there was an arresting image by Terry O’Neill of David Bowie with Elizabeth Taylor whose death at the age of 79 was coincidently announced last night.

The West London Social Resource Project seems an unlikely place for an Elizabeth Taylor connection … Continue Reading

Scholars in Pimlico have been debating the complex issue of which way up the Barney Bubbles ‘M!SS!NG L!NK tattoo design was meant to go.

Professor Stephen Farthing RA, Rootstein Hopkins Chair of Drawing, University of the Arts London, demonstrates the correct way to wear a M!SS!NG L!NK T-shirt

The tattoo design was made for former Damned drummer Rat Scabies and, looked at in the orientation the drawing was installed at CHELSEA space, the links of the chain in the design appear to make a cartoon rat’s face with ears and … Continue Reading

CHELSEA space Assistant Gyeyeon Park models a Barney Bubbles 'M!SS!NG L!NK' T-shirt

The CHELSEA space team enjoyed seeing the images of CHELSEA space Assistants, artist Mike Iveson, and curator Gyeyeon Park, on the barneybubbles.com blog wearing T-shirts featuring the M!SS!NG L!NK tattoo design that the late Barney Bubbles created for former drummer of The Damned, Rat Scabies.

Barney Bubbles' M!SS!NG L!NK design (bottom right) in an installation shot at CHELSEA space

In Paul Gorman’s … Continue Reading

Nobby Graham and Virginia Whiles

The private view for the late Shelagh Cluett was held on the same night as the opening of ‘Le Cabinet de Curiosites de Mademoiselle Clouette’ - objects collected by Shelagh Cluett on her travels, particularly in the Far East. The ‘Cabinet’ was curated by Shelagh’s friend and Trustee of the Shelagh Cluett Trust, Virginia Whiles.

CHELSEA space's Martina Gonano and Barbara Elting working on the Barney Bubbles de-install

As the de-install of the Barney Bubbles show got underway the good news for Barney fans was that the second edition of Paul Gorman’s book, ‘Reasons To be Cheerful: The Life and Work of Barney Bubbles’ had arrived in the UK. For the many visitors to the exhibition who were asking for the book, www.barneybubbles.com/blog are exclusively offering signed copies. The book is excellent and CHELSEA space wishes Paul Gorman every success with … Continue Reading

The ladders go up and Elvis must come down

Today we start taking down Paul Gorman’s Process: The Working Practices of Barney Bubbles. The show has been a huge success and has given us our biggest audience figures. We have met Barney’s friends and colleagues, graphic designers, die-hard music fans, and new audiences to Barney’s work. The response from young students has been huge and they have come from colleges as far afield as Suffolk, Southampton, Brighton, Befordshire, and Worcester. Barney Bubbles’ influence is being felt by a … Continue Reading