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It’s all coming together… presenting a collaborative exhibition of language & form by VaryLab and A Collection Of. SPECIMEN is a collaborative project between VaryLab and A Collection Of., developed within a shared Peckham industrial estate. Rooted in proximity and process, the project explores how letterforms can move beyond communication to function as physical elements across objects and surfaces. Working between hand-made production and industrial techniques, the collaboration opens possibilities at a local scale, where material experimentation and dialogue drive the outcome. Tanguy Bertocchi (VaryLab) screen-prints typographic compositions directly onto wooden panels to establish a graphic foundation for Peter Haynes (A Collection Of.) to translate and construct into a three-dimensional form. Through this process, letters move off the page and into a structure, where the surface becomes form. SPECIMEN works through material and language to transform multi-coloured surfaces. Each piece develops through an ongoing exchange between hand and machine, resulting in objects that exist between graphic expression and functional design. The exhibition presents a series of ten stools made from Valchromat©, an organic coloured wood fibre panel used throughout the project for its durability and saturated finish. Printed surfaces extend beyond furniture with a selection of textile works by VaryLab, including bags developed through the same process. Alongside finished objects, work in progress material is shown throughout the exhibition to showcase how the work develops from raw material into functional forms and objects. Presented from 22 - 26 April at Allotment E8, a process-led space that brings together exhibitions, making, and community activity. During the exhibition run, SPECIMEN will host a public facing workshop, to activate the project within a live setting. Opening: Wednesday 22 April 2026 - 6.30pm to 9.30pm (RSVP)
Dates: Thursday 23 April to Sunday 26 April 2026
Location: Allotment, Arbutus Street, London, E8 4DT Material Partner: Valchromat We look forward to seeing you there and chatting through our processes & learnings. The stools from the show will be available to be purchased from ACO. Shop from May onwards or in person at the gallery.
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