ronan and erwan bouroullec designed ceramics, glass shelter for lincoln continental sculpture

ronan and erwan bouroullec designed a shelter

Brothers and designer Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec designed a shelter for the full-size wooden sculpture of a Lincoln Continental by French artist Pascal Rivet, a permanent public-art installation in Piacé, France. When he was a teenager, Ronan met Pascal, a student at Quimper art school where he also took a drawing class every Wednesday in the studio Pascal worked. Ronan admitted that he was blown away by the artist’s sculptures, having had no idea of the medium then. A few years ago, he gave a lecture in Quimper in which he mentioned how much Pascal’s work had marked him. By pure chance, Pascal was in the audience, listening to Ronan reminisce his wonder over the artist’s works. They became friends, and just three years ago, Pascal asked Ronan to come up with a solution for his full-size sculpture of a Lincoln Continental car design.

Between these meetings, Nicolas Hérisson, director of the Piacé le Radieux arts center, proposed exhibiting the piece in a roadside field of Piacé, a small village in rural Sarthe in central-western France, the subject of an architectural project by Le Corbusier and Norbert Bézard in the 1930s for a model farm, ‘la ferme radieuse’, which was never realized. Together, the trio’s collaboration culminated in Lincoln’s Pavilion, a project that came about through a series of chance meetings and resulting friendships. The Lincoln Pavilion is mostly made of ceramics and glass, and the frame and roof are in steel and corrugated iron, and are painted the same red as the Rombini terracotta tiles that cover the pavilion’s internal and external walls. The floor is tiled in Pico ceramic squares, and there is a ladder at the front of the pavilion to enable visitors to see inside the sculpture. During the day, the large display window reflected the surrounding landscape, while at dusk, it lights up and, like a mirage, the pavilion emanates a cinematic ambient. The team shares that the pavilion was built by local craftsmen and with the support of the ceramic company Mutina.

images by Claire Lavabre for Studio Bouroullec

Designboom with ronan and erwan bouroullec

Designboom visited the studio of brothers and designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in 2016 and found the brothers’ flair and penchant for their craft, underlined by the slew of functional and trivial objects and the clash of minimalism and maximalism that cocooned in their workspace. Queues of books stacked on multiple shelves. Chairs faced the four cardinal points. Drafts of sketches hung on the walls. Sticky notes stuck on surfaces and screens. Team members brainstormed and chatted.

The brothers told Designboom that producing meaningful objects had always been, and still is, their goal. They have given birth to inventive, whimsical designs for over two decades, all of which investigate the flexible interactions between people and their environments, as well as the potential of form, materials, and texture to bring comfort and joy. One of the reasons the duo has fulfilled and maximized the principles of their designs gravitates toward them picking up projects that sit close to their hearts.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec designed ceramics, glass shelter for lincoln continental sculpture

ronan and erwan bouroullec on their creative process

The Bouroullec brothers told Designboom that they recognize their fortunate position of always having been a very small studio. They receive many requests, which means they can be more selective, so this means every project – from a vase to a television and a big exhibition – poses a challenge, and there is no hierarchy between subjects. Designboom also asked the Bouroullecs about their creative process, and they shared how they steered from a single structure by opting for spontaneity over a rigid system.

‘We discuss, we sit down, we walk, we draw. It is more and more difficult to associate a specific process and to know what, in fact, is a good idea. The design process usually takes two or three years. It is not about the speed. It is a long time, and during this process, there are so many aspects that can destroy an idea. So, when it comes out, surviving a long period means it is a good idea.’ Two decades later, these ideas have braved the ever-changing art and design landscape, retaining their essence, quality, and grit along the way, and adding the Lincoln Pavilion with Pascal Rivet and Piacé le Radieux arts center to their ever-expanding repertoire of design.

close-up view of ronan and erwan bouroullec’s car shelter