Art you can sit on

Sally Dan-Cuthbert's gallery is a cabinet of immense curiosity. Within its pristine glass and plaster walls, chairs are conjured up from rusty car bonnets, benches sprout emu plumes, a stoic steel cabinet has been hand-hammered to dimpled imperfection, shimmering against one wall. Each of the dozen or so peices on show has an allure beyond its immediate use, an indefinable something the French call a je ne sais quoi. The gallery, which opened to the public this week in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, is setting a benchmark for collectable design, sometimes referred to as functional art. "I'm interested in artists, designers and architects who are making functional work that is unique and therefore of value to a collector," says Dan-Cuthbert, who is as chic and poised as much of the work on show....