Studio Tord Boontje

September 2011

tranSglass on show as part of Confluence

Selecting one object from each year showcased at Designersblock events since their launch in 1998, tranSglass, by Emma Woffenden and Tord Boontje, has been chosen for the exhibition Confluence to represent 1999 as it anticipated upcycling and interest in not only sustainable design but sustainable and socially responsible concepts and practice.

The exhibition runs from 14 – 30 September at Europe House, 12 Star Gallery, London.

July 2011

Rain Table and Chairs part of Sotheby’s Material Worlds at Sudeley Castle

From 28th July to 30th September 2011, Sudeley Castle located in Gloucestershire, England, will host Material Worlds, an outdoor selling exhibition presented by Sotheby’s.

The work of 11 contemporary artists and designers will be on show around the grounds including Tord Boontje’s Rain Table and Chairs.

An app and video will be available on the Sotheby’s website from the end of July.

April 2011

Stitched Collection presented at Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan

Stitched Collection, designed for Moroso and consisting of a chair, table and pendant lights, was presented at this year’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan.

For a long time, I have been interested in sewing and embroidery. When I was a child, my mother would show me how to sew and I made some clothes for myself (with her help). More recently I have used embroidery in my work on textiles and furniture. The action of sewing, creating holes in material with a needle comes back in pieces like the Rain Chair and Wednesday Table. This time I started to think in a more functional way about sewing, the idea of creating holes in materials and connecting pieces with yarns. I realized that by stitching plywood components together it would be possible to create strong structures for furniture. After making scale models, I started experimenting in my studio with a full size chair. This led to the prototype for the Stitched Chair.

I like the idea that the stitching is a very simple, low-tech way of making. As stitching is a very universal and ancient technique, it gives an almost tribal or folk character to the pieces. I imagined that someone could construct their whole environment in this method; the furniture and also the room itself, therefore we decided to start this as a small domestic collection that can expand in the future.

More details to follow