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A collection of lights by Studio Wieki Somers inspired by Japanese forms including sixteenth-century Samurai flags and the fabric worn by geishas is on show at Galerie Kreo in Paris (+ slideshow).

Studio Wieki Somers travelled to Japan to research local customs, materials and craft methods that influenced the design of the seven floor lamps.

The Jin lamp evokes the flags used to identify Samurai clans. Designer Wieki Somers explains, “We wanted to create a contemporary equivalent of sixteenth-century Samurai flags translated into ‘light poles’ – a family of lamps.”

Chuugi is based on the fabric used by geishas to protect their delicate skin from the harsh Japanese sun.

The dynamic composition of surfaces surrounding the light source of the Rei lamp is inspired by a traditional doll that appears to be dancing while holding several hats.

Bases for the lights are made from smooth polyester concrete with sections sliced off to reveal the material’s crystalline composition, or from wood in a form that resembles a traditional altar.

Galerie Kreo previously exhibited a collection of objects by Studio Wieki Somers that look like they are covered in ice, and also featured the studio’s work at the inaugural exhibition of its new Paris gallery, alongside products by Hella Jongerius, Marc Newson and Jasper Morrison.

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The following information is from Galerie Kreo:

The Galerie Kreo is happy to present its upcoming exhibition “mitate” from Studio Wieki Somers, opening on Friday June 7th 2013 until September 21st.

The new lighting collection of Studio Wieki Somers (Rotterdam) brings the pleasure of its evidence and oddity. As we move closer to the collection, the glowing figures become familiar—a familiarity in which we recognize the other. This sensation is not conjured by our everyday lives or background, but by our imagination and fascination for the otherness of a foreign culture, which seduces us as well as subdues our judgment. It is not the easiest form of seduction.

Larger than us, the seven floor lamps united under the name “mitate” fill and protect the gallery space, acting as flamboyant samurais. In Japanese, “mitate” signifies the perception of an object in a non-habitual way, to contemplate an object as if it were something else in order to renew its meaning and experience. An essential part of Japanese culture, the “mitate” principal was a cornerstone of ikebana art. In Western culture, Alfred Stieglitz taught us how to look at clouds with his photographic series Equivalents (1922–1935). Equally, Robert Fillou (known for his travels in Japan) stated, “Whatever you think, think about something else. Whatever you do, do something else.” It is tempting to add in this context: “Whatever you design, design something else.”

Since 2003, Studio Wieki Somers has personalized this philosophy in order to invent a breathtaking design practice, reworking the concept of “magic realism”. Often inspired by ancient or mundane customs, its creativity imbues fantasy into the most common objects, promoting an enchanted perception of our everyday life. A bathtub becomes a small boat (Bathboat, 2005); a teapot is concealed by a rat’s skull (High Tea Pot, 2003); a coat rack in a Museum becomes an interactive merry-go-round (Merry-go-round Coat Rack, Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, 2009). Its previous lighting creations are wrapped in the same spirit: the ceiling light Bufferlamp (2002) emits the golden blaze of a harbor at twilight; the iconic Bellflower (2007) is weaved from only one strand of carbon and glass fiber; the frosty pieces from the Frozen in Time collection (2010) are instantly refreshing.

With Mitate, a game is played between the simplicity of the lamps and the sophistication of their Japanese forms, inspired by several trips to Japan in 2011 and 2012. From this travel and through research of local craft knowledge, Studio Wieki Somers collected sensations, materials and images. For instance: the enigmatic XVIth Century Samurai flags whose designs identified clans and demonstrated their unique powers, the production and use of which was a highly ritualized affair (Jin, Fabric Lamp). Wieki Somers writes, “We wanted to create a contemporary equivalent of sixteenth-century Samurai flags translated into ‘light poles’ – a family of lamps.” Other inspirations for the Mitate collection include the fabric used by geishas to protect the light color of their skin from the harshness of the sun (Chuugi, Black Hole Lamp); the stone gardens re-enacting for the pleasure of the eyes the intensity of the world (Gi, Cord Lamp); the traditional doll who seems to be juggling with her hats (Rei, Shields Lamp).

Shown together and reflecting off another, each of these lamps possesses its own identity, displaying its specific surface, shape and chromatic colors while proposing a unique combination of technology and artisanal craft. What’s more, each of these light totems illustrates one of the seven principles of the bushido samurai code of honor, from which they are named*. The materials of each lamp are chosen with care. Whether reflective or mirroring, absorbing or translucent, each material creates a distinct lighting style. The lamps are created from two different kinds of bases. The first is a wooden base resembling a traditional tokonoma altar, creating space for the organization of different objects; the second is made from polyester concrete with its edges carefully sliced, revealing the texture of the stone.

But let’s not dwell on the matter any longer. The mitate effect is lurking. “Whatever you read, read something else.”
– Clément Dirié

*Gi, the right decision; Yuu, bravery; Jin, compassion; Rei, the right action; Makoto, truth; Meiyo, honor; Chuugi, devotion.

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at Galerie Kreo appeared first on Dezeen.

By Sam Bovarnick Roy McMakin opened Big Leaf Manufacturing in 1997 as a workshop for his furniture and architecture firms, but now maintains a level of independence that allows…

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DotBox è un sistema modulare da ufficio disegnato da Hangar Design Group per Dieffebi.

Product news: Yves Behar’s San Francisco studio Fuseproject launches an office furniture system for American design brand Herman Miller at the Neocon trade fair in Chicago this week (+ slideshow).

Called Public Office Landscape, the modular design by Fuseproject for Herman Miller aims to encourage spontaneous conversations and continuous collaboration between employees.

Rather than design desks for individuals interspersed with pockets of collaborative meeting areas, Behar wanted to spread collaboration evenly throughout the office.

The designers came up with three main concepts: social desks for individuals to work in configurations that encourage interaction, group spaces for focussed collaboration and spaces in between that facilitate casual interactions and community.

The resulting modular system features seating elements that flow into desks and soft fabrics that flow into hard surfaces.

Fuseproject used the prototypes at their own office in San Francisco, testing and evolving the various elements in-situ over the course of 18 months.

Neocon continues until 12 June.

Yves Behar previously designed the Sayl office chair based on suspension bridges for Herman Miller. Other recent product launches by Behar include a lock with no keys and a remote control with no butons.

Herman Miller recently acquired New York-based textile manufacturer Maharam in a deal worth about £101 million and will also present work by Industrial Facility this week, who the brand previously worked with on the Enchord two-tier work desk in 2008.

In a recent Opinion column on Dezeen Sam Jacob called for an end to the “tyranny of fun” in office design, while Jean Nouvel told us than “apartments make better places to work than offices” in an interview about his office design installation at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

More design by Fuseproject »
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The statement below is from Yves Behar:

Public Office Landscape brings fluidity, variety, ergonomics to social seating in order to help people feel engaged, focused, and collaborative

I began thinking about the need for casual, collaborative office seating three years ago, when I was in Cologne for the Orgatec furniture show. I was walking with Don Goeman — Herman Miller’s Executive Vice President of Research, Development, and Design — when he stopped to point out a couch with sectionals made from large blocks of foam. It seemed like the designer of the couch had thought to himself, “big chunks of foam say comfort!”.

A year later, when Herman Miller asked me and my team at fuseproject to develop a more effective office environment for collaboration, I saw an opportunity to go beyond the superficial approach to social seating design I had observed a year earlier. I wanted to create a design that would support a more flexible, fluid way of working while addressing the very human need for interaction.

With research showing that 70 percent of collaboration happens at a workstation, I saw a clear need for desks that support interaction. This led to our concept for Social Desking for individuals, Group spaces to allow collaboration in proximity, and Interstitial spaces which are solutions which convert spaces in between into community space for casual interactions — a set of ideas that would ultimately become Public Office Landscape.

This system of shared surfaces would be inviting to guests, have no implied hierarchy, and offer collaborative zones spread evenly throughout the floor plan. The idea of integrated spaces for casual meetings went against the traditional thinking that individual and social work habits need to be separated. We believe collaboration doesn’t just happen in conference rooms— it happens everywhere. Public proposes collaborative areas in close proximity to individual workstations and addresses this disconnect and encourages the type of productive interaction that drives organizations forward.

As we worked with Herman Miller to bring our vision for Public Office Landscape to life, we were able to test our ideas and prototypes at our new office in San Francisco. We injected ourselves into the design process and inhabited evolving versions of the furniture for 18 months — literally growing every part of the vast system, while researching and evaluating variations, and refining the design.

The result of our work is a system that achieves an ideal state of flow in the office. Public Office Landscape encourages fluid interactions and spontaneous conversations with seating elements that flow into desks, and with soft fabrics that flow into hard surfaces. These designs culminate in a choice of focused and collaborative places to work. All of this variety helps people feel engaged, focused, and free to move between tasks without interruption. With the support of elements like the Social Chair — the first of its kind to introduce ergonomics into collaborative seating — people can feel good while doing some of their best work.

There is no technical reason why offices are needed today. In theory, we could all be working from home, remotely checking in when needed. The reason why people still want to go to an office, is to collaborate with others. Public Office Landscape offers a better way of working together with solutions that we believe will be increasingly relevant. Public addresses collaboration not in moments, but as movement. It is designed with collaboration spread evenly throughout the space, while the system’s modular components can evolve with the needs of groups and individuals. And with a variety of ergonomic and collaborative elements to enhance fluidity in the workplace, the system will continue to support the ways people want to work.

Herman Miller’s Living Office

Living Office is a different approach to managing people and their work, the tools and products that enable that work, and the places where people come together to do it. Together with Yves Behar’s fuseproject, Sam Hecht and Kim Colin, and Studio 7.5, Herman Miller is expanding its offering of human-centered elements to create a total work experience that is more natural and desirable, and within it the opportunity for individuals and organisations to achieve a new dynamic of shared prosperity. Built on what is fundamental to all humans, Living Office will help both people and their organizations to update their places, tools, and the management of the workplace, to uniquely express and enable shared character and purpose.

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for Herman Miller appeared first on Dezeen.