greem jeong creates foam tube sculptures for bottega veneta's issue 02

south korean designer greem jeong takes her single-line doodles and translates them into three-dimensional furniture. for her ‘mono’ series of benches, chairs, tables and lamps, each piece has been made from silicone foam tubes, one of the most basic construction materials, more common to a worksite than a home or gallery-space. the tubes are smooth to touch and flexible to work with, yet durable, waterproof and resistant to external shocks. greem is also experimenting with covering them in different materials, including fur, velvet and steel. ideally, the mono series can scale indefinitely, from the smallest accessory to a giant sculpture.

issued by bottega veneta

for issue 02 — bottega veneta’s digital journal — greem jeong reinterpreted her mono series into knotted, spiraling colorful sculptures. 

image courtesy of bottega veneta

issue 02 

creative director daniel lee explains the universe of bottega veneta through a series of multimedia content. the approach to oblique communication maintains contacts (although with an attitude of resilience) with the virtual. after bottega veneta deleted its official instagram account and the presentation of its digital quarterly journal issue 01 (see designboom’s previous coverage here), the brand has now unveiled issue 02 during milan men’s fashion week. lee presents a new group of talents from the world of art, music, and entertainment, and features the italian ballet dancer roberto bolle, model naomi campbell, and musician travis scott (among others).

designboom spoke with greem jeong about her work.

image courtesy of bottega veneta

DESIGNBOOM (DB): HOW DID YOU DISCOVER SILICONE FOAM TUBES, WHICH WERE ‘HIDDEN’ CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL (USED FOR INSULATION – TO PROTECT WIRES AND PIPES, PARTS OF A BUILDING OR MACHINE)?

GREEM JEONG (GJ): I searched and tested a lot to discover uncommon material. I thought maybe the secondary material could be transformed into the main thing.

DB: THE MONO SERIES FIRST STARTED WITH CHAIRS, BY REMOVING THE SEATS, BACKS, AND LEGS THAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF CHAIRS. WHY?

GJ: I wanted to create something that stimulates curiosity. there are so many things that are easily used and discarded and I wanted to break this stereotype by questioning it. through a sort of communication between things and humans, in which the object gives an answer without words.

DB: WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT CREATING YOUR DOODLE-LIKE LINES?

GJ: the process of trying to find an organic and natural shape of a line that makes it look like a living creature. I’m excited when things are coming out the way I imagined them.

image courtesy of bottega veneta

DB: HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR COLOR PALETTE?

GJ: the most important thing is harmony, so the surrounding environment is an important factor when I choose the color. especially the space in which it will be placed. I draw inspiration from my feelings when I enter this space. for me, space is part of the work.

DB: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE IN THREE WORDS?

GJ: unlimited, expansion, vitality.

DB: WHAT DID YOU DO FOR BOTTEGA VENETA’S MAGAZINE?

GJ: bottega veneta got in touch as they followed my work via my mono series and proposed a collaboration for their issue 02. I was excited about the project as their products and my work are visually similar. I wanted to reinterpret relatively small products such as accessories and shoes into large pieces similar to the mono series. the pieces were reborn as sculptures with lines extending towards space. each piece’s total length from the main body to the tail is about 3 to 4 meters.

the ‘mono’ tube furniture appears to mimic the looped lines of a doodle one might make when testing a pen
image courtesy greem jeong

the silicone tubes are wrapped around a steel core to appear frozen, but coiled tightly, as if ready to spring…
image courtesy greem jeong
video courtesy of 021 gallery

the idea of drawing doodle-like lines three-dimensionally in space
image courtesy greem jeong

single-line drawings translated into a series of rope-like benches, chairs, tables and lamps
image courtesy greem jeong

the designer used bold colors that range from velvety blue to brilliant banana yellow
image courtesy greem jeong