Tony Chambers on social media for your face

The Royal Hospital Chelsea becomes the meeting point of creatives and collectors during Masterpiece London, an art and design fair that runs from 29 June to 5 July. Its old-world grandeur and bucolic surroundings make the hospital an unlikely choice of venue, but Masterpiece is no ordinary fair. What sets it apart is the juxtaposition of art and design from all periods and origins.

Visitors are likely to find furniture by the likes of Zaha Hadid (from David Gill Gallery) near a sarcophagus from Sir John Soane’s country home (presented by Rose Uniacke), or contemporary aboriginal art close to a 1929 bar cabinet on skis by Paul Dupré-Lafon (at Galerie Dutko). As Masterpiece chairman Philip Hewat-Jaboor explains, this allows buyers ‘to engage serendipitiously with periods, genres and disciplines they might have previously been unfamiliar with’.

Echoing a trend for immersive installations at art fairs, first-time fair participant Paul Kasmin Gallery has commissioned artist Iván Navarro to transform Masterpiece’s entrance hall. Chilean-born, New York-based Navarro is known for powerful light sculptures that wrestle with issues of politics and time. His Impenetrable Room will comprise multiple 6ft by 6ft structures — resembling musical instrument cases on the outside and fitted with mirrors and neon light on the inside. Arranged in circular formation in a nod to Stonehenge, this is bound to be a dazzling and evocative piece.

Another stand-out installation comes courtesy of London design studio Based Upon, led by twin brothers Ian and Richard Abell. Inspired by their travels to Inis Oírr, an Irish island famed for limestone formations that have been sculpted over time by natural forces, they are presenting five sculptures to explore the intersection of natural and manmade forces. The artists will be seated in meditation throughout the fair, and as they inhale and exhale, the sculptures will ‘breathe’ along through light and movement. Their aim is to show how the greatest luxury lies not in objects, but in the way they make us feel.

For a showstopper piece that you can (theoretically) take home, don’t miss the booth of contemporary art gallery Blain Southern, which is entirely given over to one work by Jeroen Verhoeven. The Dutch artist, who is known for harnessing cutting-edge production techniques, has created a Bubble Cabinet. What appears, at first glance, to be an ephemeral cluster of soap bubbles is in fact a functional cabinet, crafted from high-strength borosilicate glass. It’s a feat of material engineering, but also a triumph of imagination. A true masterpiece. (masterpiecefair.com)

The technology

The rounded, boldly coloured video glasses by the creators of Snapchat caused quite a stir when they debuted in the US last year. Simply called Spectacles, they can record between 10 and 30 seconds of footage from the wearer’s line of vision, and share this instantly on the ever-popular social media platform. They are now available in London through a whimsical vending machine attached to a bunch of bright yellow balloons, which is set to move around the city from one day to another. £129.99 (spectacles.com)

The experience

A new installation-based exhibition at the Design Museum, titled Breathing Colour, looks at how colour shapes the way we see the world. Devised by one of the foremost industrial designers of our time, Hella Jongerius, it includes simpler elements such as textiles and ceramics, but also ‘3D colour wheels’ of Jongerius’ own invention to illustrate the complex behaviour of light and movement on surfaces. As Jongerius says: ‘My goal is to call attention to colour as a mysterious, ever-changing entity.’ (designmuseum.org)

The person

Artist and designer Nathalie du Pasquier was an original member of Ettore Sottsass’ design collective Memphis, before dedicating herself to painting three decades ago. As prolific now as ever, she recently produced a capsule collection of exuberantly patterned scarves for Hermès and lent her playful aesthetic to Valentino’s AW17 collection. Her first solo art exhibition in London opens at Pace Gallery on 27 June. (pacegallery.com)

The building

The V&A unveils its Exhibition Road Quarter on 30 June, designed by architect Amanda Levete and her practice, AL_A. It comprises the first porcelain-tiled public courtyard in the UK, populated with a glass-fronted café and chairs and tables of Levete’s own design. The adjacent Sainsbury Gallery, a 1,100 sq m space, will initially play host to an immersive light experience by artist Simon Heijdens. (vam.ac.uk)