Material Matters in InsaArtCenter

One of the exhibitions going on there at the time was Material Matters. The exhibit showcased international furniture designs using unexpected, unusual materials or using materials in an unexpected way.

It was not a large exhibition, but it was pretty and interesting. I was familiar with some of the design pieces, but most were new to me. Logical, because there was quite some Korean design there.

Philippe Starck, Merett Oppenheim and Arne Jacobsen are some of the designers that I know. I even have six Arne Jacobsen’s Butterfly Chairs at home in Haarlem.

Let me show you around.

The explaining signs next to the furniture were in Korean;-).
All I could read was (often, not even always) the name of the designer, the name of the piece, the year in which it was made and the material that was used. Just right for me. The title/name of the pieces often said a lot already.
And there’s not a lot that a bit of googling cannot fix;-).

I guess many of you, like me, have seen images of this armchair somewhere before. Material: metal. How high the moon by Kuramata Shiro. 1990.

Harp Chair by Jorgen Hovelskov. 1968. Materials: wood and rope.

The red sitting element looks like giant paint rollers, don’t you think? It seems that you can rearrange the modules/rolls with the clamps. Not sure how comfortable it sits;-). Modular Furniture by Joe Colombo. The black chair is named Grand Repos by Jang Prouve.

I guess we all know this bird feet table by Merett Oppenheim?

Blo Void by Ron Arad. This seat is very sculptural and quite spectacular. No idea if you can REALLY sit on it. But then again, who cares? It’s more a work of art and an eye-catcher in your living room. Has to be one giant room though, for this to literally ‘shine’. Material: sheets of stainless steel.

Gorgeous shapes and materials, right?!

The fun thing about this furniture is that it resembles balloon-sculptures. You know, the doggies (and all sorts of other figurines) shaped with sausage-like balloons. Well, these pieces LOOK like balloons, but they ARE not. Or they are, but the balloons are coated with epoxy resin, making them strong enough to actually sit on and in them. Fantastic and fun! Blowing series, by Seungjin Jang Materials: rubber and epoxy resin.

Furniture with mother-of-pearl elements. Very pretty! Octopus series by Samwoong Lee

Ceramic chandelier (cutlery) by Hayoon Kim

Material: fabric. Idea: clothes and furniture. Dressed Up series by Korean designers KamKam The couch is appropriately named Marshmallow.

You can actually open the furniture; it is a cabinet, or a footstool annex small cabinet. I would not mind these felted pieces in my house!

Material: Dead Chair and epoxy Cheum by Fabrikr These Korean designers call this Art Furniture; they used epoxy to upcycle an old chair. I find the result quite intriguing.

This table, also by Fabrikr, is named Flow. Very nice!

Material: electric wires. Spaghetti chandeliers by Korean Zinoo Park

This furniture may look like egg-shell material, but is in fact made out of concrete! by Jeong Seob Kim

Material: metal, wire mesh Afterimage Furniture by Bomi Park This furniture looks like over-pixellated images. The pieces seem unclear and it looks like they change when you move around them. Not handy nor pretty, but fascinating!

Wood and elastic bands make unique shelving units. You ‘open’ them, by pushing some of the bands aside. The Lines by Eunmyung Soh

How fun was this? Did you enjoy your tour?

I think I ll have the golden bird-feeted table, the transparent balloon-stool, the mother-in-pearl corner lamp, and the whole Dressed Up series.

What about you?