nendo at maison et objet 2012

table from the ‘object dependencies’ collectionall photos by hiroshi iwasaki

during maison et objet 2012 in paris, japanese design studio nendo presents two solo exhibitions: ‘static bubbles’ at carpenters workshop gallery and ‘object dependencies’ at galerie pierre-alain challier with specimen editions.

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historically, the most important factor of a piece of furniture was its function, which ultimately determined its formal outcome. the ‘object dependencies’ collection presents ‘weak furniture’ which cannot stand independently until they have been made structurally sound by the addition of another object, which not only provides stability, but can offer other effects such as changing the angle of light emitted from a lamp, or expanding a bookshelf. occupying two floors of the galerie pierre-alain challier, the exclusive exhibition presents 14 new pieces of furniture created by nendo which address the these notions.

‘object dependencies’ table elements not entirely assembled

individual components laid out

shelf from the ‘object dependencies’ collection

the shelf can be separated horizontally to create more surface space

‘object dependencies’ container concept

‘object dependency’ side table concept

‘object dependency’ container concept

‘object dependency’ lamp concept

‘overflow collection’ for carpenters workshop gallery

for their show at the carpenters workshop gallery the studio will show their ‘innerblow’, ‘overflow’ and ‘farming-net’ collections.

the ‘overflow collection’ presents furniture which expresses how the glass material which it is made from is formed when the free-flowing liquid hardens in place. to produce the 12 varying tables, nendo placed plate glass into a frame with one section missing, turning the sheet into molten glass by progressively heating is so that in its liquid form it would run from this absent area. hardening the glass again at that particular moment allowed the edge of the piece to respond to surface tension, creating a table that resembles a pool of water. the amount of liquid material that overflows the frame and the position of the overflow, determines the final shape of the surface.

‘farming-net’ collection

‘farming-net’ is a series of sculptural objects made by heat-forming agricultural nets that have been placed around produce to prevent them from being harmed by wind and animals. stronger than organdy, but more flexible than wire mesh, the use of the nets, allowed nendo to evade the traditional necessity of combining structure with a separate surface material, creating a thin membrane, that appears almost as if it is floating.

‘the flower vase and bowl wrap the air like a furoshiki japanese wrapping cloth. the lamp softly emits light, in the manner of a traditional japanese paper lantern. the multiply-pleated table are reminiscent of the surface of japanese shibori (tye-dying) textiles and hand-made paper. the action of gently wrapping something and close attention to the texture of the surface endow these objects with the very particular sense of expression found only in japan, since ancient times,’ says nendo of the collection’s pieces.

‘farming-net’ collection