youhutseymatic table by michael young, richard hutten, jerszy seymour

michael young, richard hutten & jerszy seymour lay out marble youhutseymatic table with surrealist inlays
photo by tomáš souček

the creative practices of michael young, richard hutten and jerszy seymour vary in approach and characteristic outcome, but what does unite them is the unconventional way that they interpret design commissions, along with their deep friendship.

detail of the tables natural stone inlays that include the dollar sign symbol and the band nirvana’s ‘smiley face’ logo
photo by tomáš souček

based on the surrealist game ‘cadavre exquis’, the trio collectively developed the ‘youhutseymatic’ table that encompasses and reflects each of their personalities. made from marble, the expansive horizontal surface features inlays of leonardo da vinci’s ‘vitruvian man’, the atomic atom and dollar sign symbol, the band nirvana’s ‘smiley face’ logo… realized in collaboration with belgian natural stone experts van den weghe.

up close look at the ‘youhutseymatic’ table
photo by tomáš souček

the work was conceived for the ‘friends + design’ exhibition curated by tulga beyerle and maria cristina didero who invited seven international designers to interpret their relationships by means of new works. in doing so, they collaborated together to handle their friendships ‘as free as entrepreneurs’ — on one hand rivals and as a rule do not work together; on the other hand, sharing a passion for their métier.

installation view of ‘youhutseymatic’ table as part of the ‘design + friends’ exhibition
photo by tomáš souček

concept sketch of the ‘youhutseymatic’ table

alongside michael young, richard hutten and jerszy seymour were: mathias hahn and tomás alonso, who although sharing OKAYstudio in london, have never worked together. they were asked to give each other a present. they responded with something surpisingly touching, devoting time to each other by setting off on a journey from london to dresden (the location of the exhibition), perceiving a common passion for production and process. and, there was bethan laura wood, paired with philippe malouin, who both feel at home with experimental design, despite their work methods being as different as night and day. they reacted to their respect for one anthers work and the task of empathizing with the other’s perspective with a personal project.

installation view of bethan laura wood and philippe malouin’s ‘freaky friday’ installation

bethan laura wood and philippe malouin on their installation ‘freaky friday’:
‘by nature we start from different ends of the equation. one known for minimal form and muted tones, the other for bright colors and heavy pattern. however, both of us respect and love the other’s work. what would happen if were asked to take direct reference from the other? how would these two worlds collide and reform? taking the most personal of furniture, the bed, we have both created that and the adequate bedding, using as a starting point, a design from the other’s back catalog.’

bethan lauren wood and philippe malouin each designed a bed for one another

detail of the woodwork

the london-based designers also conceived accompanying bedding

installation view of mathias hahn and tomás alonso project

mathias hahn and tomás alonso were supposed to design a gift for each other. they responded with an idea of taking a trip together in order to spend some time with one another—the most important gift they could ever imagine in today’s contemporary, hectic pace of life. the result is a documentation of their journey, for which they researched special places and companies along the way. through their installation, we understand the specific view of two designers and their production and processes, while being able to follow their experiences and understand more about their practices besides their sharing of time, music and mutual love for design.

close up view

mathias hahn and tomás alonso present a documentation of their journey together

both two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects are presented

‘friends + design’: designers and curators during milan design week 2016
back: curators tulga beyerle and maria cristina didero
front from left to right: tomás alonso, mathias hahn, michael young, jerszy seymour, richard hutten, bethan laura wood, philippe malouin

on show at the kunstgewerbemuseum (museum of decorative arts) in dresden, ‘friends + design’ presents an extraordinary opportunity to get to know the work of seven designers who have never previously—and probably will not again in the near future-design products together. the exhibition runs until november 1st, 2016. collectively, the works demonstrate a bold and optimistic ethos of different cultures and work methods towards an age rushing headlong in the fast lane of cynical consumerism.

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