Postponed
September 30, 2005 - March 19, 2006
(final dates to be determined)
Tord
Boontje Solo Exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Innovative
Dutch designer Tord Boontje will be showcased in the third installment
of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's acclaimed Solos exhibition
series. Solos: Tord Boontje heralds not only his first museum
exhibition in the United States, but also the opening of Cooper-Hewitt's
new Ground Floor gallery. To mark this occasion, Boontje, rather
than simply exhibiting objects, will experiment with new materials
and ways of relating to a specific site. His new "True
Love" installation--one of the first he has ever created--is
an opportunity for the Museum to introduce the designer's "decorative,
anti-Modernist" design aesthetic to an American audience.
Born in
Enschede, the Netherlands, and a graduate of the Design Academy
in Eindhoven, Boontje, currently based in London, is one of
the most influential young designers working today. His work
often explores the juxtapositions of old and new, and of naturalism
and technology. His recent installation at the 2004 Milan Furniture
show used fabric as the bridge to an enchanted world of unrestrained
fantasy, inspired by fairytales and couture design. Working
on the cusp of design and craft, Boontje combines decorative
motifs from nature and contemporary versions of a seventeenth-
and eighteenth-century Romantic aesthetic, using precision technology—
such as laser and water-cutting methods—and industrial
materials such as Tyvek.
Boontje
has used this same combination of technology and historic, Romantically
inspired aesthetics in many of his lighting, furniture, and
glassware creations. He is best known for his Blossom chandeliers,
made with lacquered steel frames, Swarovski crystals, and 200
LEDs that twinkle on and off in sequence.
A more affordable
translation of this idea is the Wednesday Light—part of
his current series of work entitled Wednesday, which includes
an evolving group of chairs, tables, lights, glass, and other
objects for everyday use. Some works are unique; others are
production items. The Wednesday Light is a 1.5-meter garland
made by photographically etching stainless steel, which is then
attached to a wire and wrapped around a light bulb, a bit like
a flower arrangement. The light can be extended and freely formed
to any scale, and comes packaged in a flat envelope.
An example
of Boontje’s ongoing exploration of the relationship between
nature and technology is Inflorescence. In this project, Boontje
experiments with how a computer can be used to randomly draw
flower patterns. These drawings can then be physically produced
using other digital processes, such as a computercontrolled
embroidery machine, digital printing, or stereo lithography.
Collaboration
with his wife, Emma Woffenden, represents another aspect of
Boontje’s work. Together, they have introduced a line
of glassware made from recycled wine and beer bottles called
tranSglass. The idea behind the tranSglass series is to transform
found objects into beautiful and functional objects that reflect
a positive attitude towards the environment. For example, Boontje
and Woffenden turned a diagonally-cut Soave bottle into a jug,
and two Chardonnay bottles into a carafe. They have also transformed
Sicilian table wine bottles into vases for orchids and beer
bottles into drinking glasses.
Rough and
Ready is another socially conscious collection. It is comprised
of furniture that reflects urban situations, made from materials
which have been salvaged or are commonplace and inexpensive.
Possessing an incomplete, transient quality, these utilitarian
works acknowledge the beauty of imperfection, and offer an alternative
to slick design and production objects. A chair, for example,
can be made from found wood, a blanket, and some string, tape,
or wire. Instructions on how to build these chairs, cabinets,
and tables are available for free on Boontje’s website.
Anyone who wishes to build one of these objects does so by collecting
the necessary materials and forming the components in accordance
with the drawings. Construction is basic, making it possible
for everyone to build his or her own piece.
Boontje
has been involved in a number of other projects intended to
make art more accessible to a wider audience and provide new
ways of presenting and promoting art. For instance, in last
summer’s The Other Flower Show at London’s Victoria
and Albert Museum, he dressed a shed with garland curtains,
filled it with fresh flowers, and placed inside it a large lounge
cushion on which to sit and watch a video installation.
Boontje
also made, in collaboration with the Brazilian embroidery cooperative
Coopa Roca, a black silk chandelier titled Come Rain Come Shine.
This collaboration was established by the British Council, and
the chandelier is for sale at Selfridge’s in London to
raise funds for the cooperative.
Most recently,
Boontje was commissioned to make a public artwork for the façade
of a new development on Keane Street in Covent Garden, London.
Since the street does not have any trees, he is making a twenty-meter-long
garland of flowers, Floral Ribbon, made of water jet-cut copper,
which will slowly patinate over time.
Boontje
anticipates that his Solos: True Love Cooper-Hewitt exhibition,
still in development, will explore the theme of the passing
of time. The designer’s installation, featuring materials
characteristic of his earlier works, will slowly absorb color
from dyed “rain,” as visitors sit on Boontje-designed
chairs while sipping tea under an oversized clock.
Boontje’s
idiosyncratic decorative touch is a prominent contemporary signifier
of a return to ornamental and narrative richness in design,
after years of Modernistinspired minimalism. His current popularity
across so many mediums of art and design signifies the wide-reaching
appeal of his work.
The Museum’s
Solos series was conceived to showcase cutting-edge architecture
and design works. Each installation explores a singular work
or theme, and examines its development, creative process, and
innovative qualities. The inaugural installation, in 2003, was
the revolutionary “smart” building material SmartWrap
by Kieran Timberlake Associates; the second, in 2004, featured
architect Sean Godsell’s inventive relief-housing structure
FutureShack.
Education
Programs
Public
Programs/Adult Audiences Solos: Tord Boontje
• A lecture program discussing Tord Boontje’s use
of recycled materials, natural elements, new technologies, and
materials, as well as the experimental process that challenges
and informs his studio’s projects.
• A series of workshops for the professional design community,
investigating Boontje’s unique processes and use of materials.
School,
Youth, and Family Programs
• School Tours
• Guided tours and activity guides engage young visitors
in the design process as they explore the exhibition’s
objects and themes for information and inspiration.
Design
Directions
This series introduces New York City public high school students
to college and career opportunities in design. Solos: Tord Boontje
will provide an exciting context in which to introduce students
to the many design career opportunities related to science and
design.
Summer
Design Institute
For one week every summer, New York City becomes a design-education
laboratory, as leaders in education and design gather from around
the world to share their best practice models during Summer
Design Institute. Through keynote presentations, workshops,
and studio tours, between 200 and 250 program participants learn
strategies for promoting innovation, critical thinking, visual
literacy, and problem solving across the K-12 curriculum and
throughout the community. Hands-on workshops offered during
Summer Design Institute will provide the perfect platform to
explore the exhibition’s themes of craft, decoration,
old and new, naturalism, recycling, and technology, and how
the work of Tord Boontje can inspire connections to the curriculum.
Contact:
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Press Office
2 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
Tel.: 212-849-8420
cooperhewittpress@si.edu
http://ndm.si.edu
