A Look Inside Samuel Ross' SR_A Book, 'Object - Form. Form!'
Dissecting his work over the years alongside words from Virgil Abloh, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Nike heads, and more.
British artist, fashion and industrial designer Samuel Ross is best known for his work under his label A-COLD-WALL*, but ever since the multihyphenate unveiled SR_A (Samuel Ross & Associates) back in 2019, there’s been a shift in his practices, tapping into the “progressive study of design and practical experience creation” that dominates his work under the SR_A division. Now, Ross — under the SR_A moniker — has released his first book, titled Object – Form. Form!.
The 457-page book is more like an anthology of Ross’ work, touching upon his artworks and studies in the worlds of fashion and design frequently while also zoning in on A-COLD-WALL* and its subsequent footwear, garment, and Pre-Fall/Winter 2021 lookbook.
Under the section “Contribution of the Zeitgeist — Art,” heart-felt letters to Ross written from dear friends and collaborators such as Takashi Murakami, Virgil Abloh, Futura, Daniel Arsham, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and more can be found, each decorating these tracing paper-like pages that add a technical feel to the book — expected, given the publication’s roots in A-COLD-WALL* and SR_A’s design approach.
As we move on, Samuel Ross himself becomes the focus, with photography predominantly shot by Oliver Matich spanning dozens of pages. Here, design objects such as the project “Signal 3” appear alongside notes of each work, giving us a deeper insight into Ross’ fixation with developing a futurist language through furniture design, all while reflecting on the complex nature of the past and future.
Again, another round of words come from Nike‘s chief design officer John Hoke and Nike’s global senior director of influencer marketing and collaborations, Fraser Cooke, in the feature “Contribution of the Zeitgeist — Design,” subsequently leading on to Ross’ more design-led work such as his A-COLD-WALL* x Beats Studio 3 Wireless Prototype collaboration, the Nike x Concrete Objects for the London Borough of Hackney study, and the ACW* team-up with RETROSUPERFUTURE.
The theme repeats before entering a new round of contributions from the world of fashion, notably hearing from Grace Wales Bonner, Jerry Lorenzo, Jefferson Hack, Ib Kamara, and many more from various global publications, which again leads onto a direction of his work in fashion.
Object – Form. Form! is essentially Ross’ life work, immortalized. Available in limited quantities — notably, “Edition Two” will be limited to just 70 signed pieces — the independently published, pressed, and printed in England book is set to release on October 7 at a range of exclusive partners including ICA Boston, the Design Museum London, and Selfridges.
