chamber presents a decade of studio job at new york's armory show

chamber presents a decade of studio job at new york’s armory show
installation photography by leandro viana / courtesy of chamber

at new york’s armory show 2016, chamber presents ‘a decade of studio job, 2006-2016’, an exhibition dedicated to dutch-belgian design duo job smeets and nynke tynagel. the presentation reflects the oeuvre of studio job through a curated selection of creative work from the past ten years, highlighting the practice’s attention to craftsmanship and ornamentation. the exhibition includes the iconic ‘homework’ series (2006); ‘piece for peace’ (2010); ‘horse bust (chess piece)’ (2014); and presented for the first time, ‘sinking ship’ (2016). the show is organized as a prelude to a comprehensive retrospective opening march 22nd, 2016 at the museum of arts and design (MAD) in new york. read below for more information on the individual pieces.

installation view of chamber’s presentation of ‘a decade of studio job’ at the armory show

a curated selection of creative work highlights the past ten years of the dutch-belgian studio

presented for the first time is a drawing of the ‘sinking ship’ table

‘pinocchio’ from the ‘homework’ series in included in the exhibition

the 2014 ‘horse bust (chess piece)’ and ‘bavaria mirror’ exhibited at the armory show

in 2014, designer alex de witte and studio job collaborated on the ‘standing bubble’ lamp. originally conceived while blowing bubbles, the object captures the fluid reflection, weightlessness and ephemerality of the playful act. by casting the base in bronze, the designers stall the singular moment of blowing a bubble with an unexpected result — a light object that takes after an archetypal oil lamp.

‘standing bubble’ (light), 2014 in collaboration with alex de witte
image by loek blonk

crafted from indian rosewood, the ‘bavaria mirror’ features intricate laser-cut inlays made from seventeen colored dyes, which depict idyllic pastoral and farm motifs. referencing 17th and 18th-century hand-painted furniture and storybook themes of paradise, studio job playfully employs marquetry to mimic the ‘fine art’ of painting.

‘bavaria mirror’, open and closed
image by robert kot

presented for the first time is a sketch in ink of the ‘sinking ship’ coffee table. the surface is made from polished bronze and depicts a billowing cloud of smoke, teetering on top of a half-submerged bronze-sculpted ship.

‘sinking ship’ (drawing), 2016 | ink, paper, facet cut glass, slurray | ca. 75 x 110 x 4 cm
image by loek blonk

original sketch of ‘sinking ship’

made for the administrative office of herman van rompuy — president of the european council in brussels — ‘piece for peace’ sees the collaboration of studio job with belgian crystal glassware manufacturer val saint lambert. the statuesque piece is made from polished bronze and colored crystal, sitting on a plinth made from indian rosewood. the object has the hybrid appearance of a teapot and a vase, while a bronze cast of the hand symbol for peace tops off the work.

‘piece for peace’ — read more about the project on designboom here
image by robert kot

‘horse bust (chess piece)’ — originally designed for jeff koons — references the american artist’s blown up sculptures of balloon animals, and the vacuum cleaners he placed in fluorescent-lit plexiglass boxes. studio job used a nilfisk GM 80 P vacuum as a bust, and bronze or brass for the horse’s head to mimic koons’ glossy surfaces. when the vacuum is turned on, the horse’s eyes light up as it sniffs through its nostrils.

‘horse bust (chess piece)’, 2014 | polished bronze, 24k gold gilding, paint, hand-blown glass, LED, nilfisk GM 80 P
image by loek blonk

original sketch of ‘horse bust (chess piece)’

the ‘homework’ series is suite of eight totems in bronze, glass, and wood. the precious yet common household objects — the likes of which include a fully-functional cooking pot, stool, lantern, and coal bins — are each hand-sculpted in wax in oversized proportions, rendered in polished bronze, and finally placed upon aged wooden pedestals reminiscent of sacred statuary.

the ‘homework’ series presented at the groninger museum, netherlands
image by kristof vrancken