objects of common interest introduces its bold lighting and seating pieces

Cycladic-inspired ‘volax collection’ in wood and acrylic

carwan gallery has teamed up with the greek design duo objects of common interest (OoCI) to showcase a collaborative installation in athens, dubbed ‘volax collection’. the exhibition presents a cycladic-inspired series of irregular and bold lighting and seating pieces, made of wood and acrylic.

the name is derived from a tiny village nestled on a plateau in the center of the greek island of tinos; huge, mysterious and almost flawlessly rounded granite rocks surround the village, forming a charming scenery that remains an unexplained geological phenomenon.all images courtesy of giorgos sfakianakis

lighting and seating pieces marks studio’s first-ever use of wood

‘volax collection’ reveals OoCI’s interest in abstraction and exploration of forms and materials. life-size wooden elements carved into imperfect, round forms, manifest the aura of the island, creating a tactile experience that travels visitors’ imagination to the mesmerizing forms of volax rocks. for its first time, the studio used wood to form these solid elements, while sometimes rigid glowing acrylic volumes emerge from the wooden pieces adding a bright touch to the space.

taking shape as a sculptural garden, the centerpieces are dotted across the carwan gallery‘s entire area, inviting visitors to explore them and immerse themselves into a sensual experience. as they move around the pieces and observe them, a perception’s play of volume, material, transparency, and texture is created.

‘in our work we have been interested in abstraction through the formal and material investigation, simplicity and juxtaposition, not of materials themselves, but of their characteristic properties guided by general notions and spatial qualities such as: solid and void, opaque and transparent, rigid and malleable, natural and artificial.’ said the studio. ‘using the concepts of defamiliarization and illusion, we manipulate perception through spatial exercises and gestural forming, to create objects — mono-material or often by articulation of more than one — disguising their weight, softness, structure: a volume resting upon another, a light tube seemingly bent or a see-through inflatable appearing as solid and heavy.’

taking shape as a sculptural garden