Long Live And Love The Lobster

In case you didn’t know, Lobsters (along with crabs and other decapod crustaceans) are sentient animals, meaning they feel both stress and pain. The once-popular culinary method of cooking lobsters and crabs alive in boiling water has become increasingly controversial in the last few years. The practice is already outlawed in several countries including Switzerland, Norway, and New Zealand, on the basis such methods cause undue distress and pain. And now some enjoy keeping Lobsters as pets taking the care of this mollusc one step further. But what if you love this bright red creature so much that you decided to become a lobster? Lobsters feature large in the new collaboration of The Colbert couple with The Conrans Shop. Find out more about the lobster as a muse and other surrealist adventures in Long Live And Love The Lobster

Once upon a time, there was a Scottish-born artist who loved Lobsters so much that he became one. For Philip Cobert the lobster is a reflection of his artistic freedom and, a shell, if you like for his identity. Most of all is it a manifestation of his artistic practice

Still-Life with Lobster and Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz. de Heem 1634

Of course, in the world of Art, the lobster has a long and prolific history. From classical still lives, think, Still-Life with Lobster and Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz. de Heem 1634 to Salvidor Dali’s Lobster Telephone is not a bad sea creature to ‘envelope’ into.

Lobster Telephone Salvidor Dali from Tate Modern, main galleryAugust, 2018

The story of the lobster telephone, two objects never normally seen together, goes that it was made for an English collector of Surrealist art. Dalí wrote asking why, when he asked for a grilled lobster in a restaurant, he was never presented with a boiled telephone.

Dalí believed that such objects could reveal the secret desires of the unconscious. Lobsters and telephones had strong sexual connotations for him, but for a young lad in Scotland with no Disney and or American cartons the seaside was as much fun as it got, where lobsters were a-plenty.

As Dali used the motif across much of his work it became an object of surrealism and so for a budding artist, the link and love of the significant molluc makes sense. His world is one of multiple lobsters. After all, there is much in the way of tales, myths and legends in the country of Scotland. So obsessed was Colbert with this creature he started to become known as Lobster Man.

Image Andrew Farrar

Happily, his latest project with his wife is ‘swimming with lobsters’ and many other surrealist Objet d’art. Along with his artist and filmmaker wife, the pair have put together a collection for The Conran Shop. Modern Surrealism by Charlotte and Philip Colbert has taken over the flagship store with limited edition furniture and a range of homeware. 

Charlotte, who has been described as the ‘lovechild’ of Emily Dickinson and Salvador Dali, and Philip, often dubbed the ‘godson of Andy Warhol’, have joined creative forces to introduce a collection of limited-edition objects for the home. 

Find a limited-edition pop-coloured, surrealist dream of a product range in the designer brand’s flagship store on Sloane Square, the takeover will feature furniture, sculptures and objects from the artists’ design portfolio and will be in place at The Conran Shop from 22 July – 26 August 2024. 

Image Andrew Farrar

Now should you wish to dream of lobsters in a surealist worked then Charlotte’s Love Bed is the perfect place for a great imaginative night’s sleep. Complete with ‘eye linin’ you will be lulled into the best dreams you ever had. Complete the side table with a lampshade and ashtray.

Image Andrew Farrar

Crockery, linens and scented candles will feature within the immersive pop-up space alongside larger pieces. Charlotte’s ‘Eye-conic’ Eye Chairs will be available alongside Philip’s ‘Lobster Chair’, ‘Lobster Telephone’ and iconic hunt paintings.

Find even simple items for a fantastical homeware journey, like mugs teapots, plates and vases. Fill your space with colour and dynamism and make your home a whimsical world.

Bringing surrealism into the every day can only be a magical thing. Surrealism invites us to dream, explore and imagine. It brings colour and joy into our hearts and homes.

Charlotte and Philip Colbert already have this energy in their East London home and studio, Maison Colbert. Described by US Vogue as a “theatre fun house”, their home is a mash-up between Wes Anderson, Tim Walker and a bohemian warehouse.

Charlotte and Philip designed bespoke pieces exclusively for Maison Colbert, for which they have received a myriad of enquiries. For the first time, consumers will be able to shop a selection of their design collection from a physical retail space, at The Conran Shop. 

 Alongside the greats of Dali, Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Paul Delvaux, and Joan Miró to name but a few sits this married pair, who have taken this art form to a lifelong passion; alongside the lobster; their great muse. They may not have a Lobster pet but they may well have been inspired by Gérard de Nerval.

So the mythological story goes, Gérard de Nerval, the French surrealist poet, had a pet lobster and would walk around the subway in Paris with the pet lobster on a lead. 

Colbert x The Conran Shop pop-up runs from 22 July – 26 August 2024 16 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8ER

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