Body Parts

Whether it be as canvas, mold or actual building material, the human body plays an important role in the following designs.  Sometimes a little (or a lot) creepy, but always personal, these works feel like the product of a crazy but classic dream (like the one where all your teeth fall out) or a Michel Gondry film.

Cast from her own body, Ioli Kalliopi Sifakaki’s tableware is laid out on a dining table like a ceramic autopsy. In a performance piece called the ‘Tantalus’ dinner, a dozen of her male friends gather to eat various flesh colored food out of these vessel without silverware. The result is a cross between feminist performance art of the seventies, and Marco Ferreri’s film ‘La Grande Bouffe’.

I-ting Ho’s ‘Skin secret’ collection is definitely one of the creepy ones… Made of dimpled silicone rubber, these brooches, pendants and other sunglasses look like the product of a cute little Taiwanese serial killer’s imagination. Perfect for any occasion I’m sure.

Icelandic designer Sruli Recht’s flesh and blood went into making a ring with a surgically-removed salted and tanned slice of his own belly. Don’t try this at home! Sounds painful, and she probably wouldn’t say yes…

If you’re in a relationship and you want to test his or her jealousy, does Bjorn Franke have the tools for you! Conveniently stored in a little carry-kit, you can create all the exterior signs of an affair on your own body without having to go through the fun part. From bite marks, to hickies, to carpet burn, each tool has its specialty.

Shaped like sticks, stones and broken bones, this collection of door handles by Studio Toogood in partnership with hardware manufacturer Ize was made by casting the natural objects selected for how well they feel in the hand.

Made from the hair and ashes of deceased loved ones, ‘Mourning objects’ by Anna Schwamborn helps deal with a loss in style. Schwamborn has worked with both Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood and it shows. 

by Claire Toussaint

Artful Chairs

Art and furniture design have been closely linked for a very long time (e.g. Rietveld’s ‘Mondrian’ chair, or Dali’s ‘Mae West’ installation featuring a sofa in the shape of lips). The permeability of the two cultures goes beyond referencing each other, and has become innate.

Here are a few examples of creative cross-contamination…

 

 Maarten Baas’ ‘Plain’ collection of painted clay furniture has skinny, uneven and wobbly limbs, much like the painted bronze sculptures of Giacometti.

Ron Arad’s ‘Spring’ collection has the bright colors, rounded shapes and cartoonishness of Keith Haring’s street to gallery art.

Much like Theo Jansen’s moving sculptures, Zanotta’s ‘Reale’ table seems like it might go strolling down the beach with only the wind in its structure. 

Comic book clouds are printed in small dots on the top of Nendo’s ‘Cloud’ table, which is reminiscent of the pop-art works of Roy Lichtenstein (in a quiet Japanese sort of way). 

You can somewhat recreate the reflective nymphea-like effect of Buren’s Grand Palais installation in your living room, thanks to Nendo’s ‘Pond’ tables which even include the artist’s famous stripe (although not at 8.7cm wide).

Made of hundreds of little rings stuck together to create the shell of a piece of furniture, the pieces of the ‘Engineering Temporality’ collection by Tuomas Markunpoika Tolvanen bare a strong resemblance with the works of Tara Donovan, who covers large walls with polystyrene cups, metal rings or cut straws to impactful, organic effect.

With functionality being the only separating factor, Duchamp and Castiglioni’s ready-mades directly correlate to each other. Castiglioni assembles three pieces to create a seat, while Duchamp adds a wheel to a seat to create art.

Moroso’s ‘Muebles Amorosos’ armchair looks like it’s evolved from Sol Lewitt’s primordial soup. 

By Claire Toussaint

Factory Visit: Matteograssi

If Kim Jong Il were in Italy (not to mention alive), he would definitely be looking at these things.

Visiting the furniture factories of Brianza (Italy), one really starts to appreciate the dichotomy between the gleaming Piero Lissoni designed factories with their state-of-the-art leather-cutting, glass-printing or board-laminating machines and the still largely hand done processes requiring skilled artisans. (Some of it looks easy, but it’s not. Trust me, they made me try). The main difference with North Koreans being the world-class quality, and the red pants and shiny shoes under their work coats.  

Here are a few photos of these skilled craftspeople doing what they do best. 

By Claire Toussaint

Furni(cou)ture

The devil is in the details, and in this case it’s wearing Prada.

 Certain furniture designers are using subtle fashion-inspired features to add a bit of sophistication to a simple design.   

Updating the clasp design from a vintage handbag, Mathieu Gustafsson classes up a plain white cabinet without going all ‘Cornelio Cappelini’. 

 ‘Dear Disaster’ by Jenny Ekdahl was designed for the user to be able to create wave patterns on its surface, but ends up looking more like the disaster-mess of a sequin dress after a night out.  

Looks like those massive chunky knits strutted right off the autumn/winter catwalks and into the living room; complete with a ribbed texture and raglan seams. Designer Aga Brzostek’s fashion industry background came directly into play in the making of the ‘Autumn/Winter’ chair.

 Spanish designer Ornella Stocco has created porcelain ‘statement’ joints for her modular furniture design. Like a big bright necklace on a neutral outfit, these connection pieces become the main focus.

Korean designer Dong-Yeop Han has created a cabinet closed by the toggles from a duffle-coat in a n effort to keep your belongings warm and cozy.

Dubbed the ‘Home Traveler’, this giant handbag on feet by Anne Lorenz is portable enough to move from one of the part of the house to another, but not to leave the house. Definitely in our top 10 to never not leave the house without.

Inspired by the silhouette of a stiletto, the ‘Heel’ chair by Nendo has a dainty feminine sophistication that make my toes feel sore just thinking about it.

By Claire Toussaint