Hailed at intervals as the rising stars of European design, much as Philippe Starck was in the 1980s, the two Brittany-born brothers are just back from a major retrospective of their work at the Design Museum in London. This time in Amsterdam, at an exhibition designed by them personally, they are presenting some of their “inventions”.
Among these are their “combination vases” (vases combinatoires), designed in 1997. Each of eight vases in white polypropylene can be combined with the others to generate larger vases. “There are hundreds of ways of combining them”, explains Ronan. “Erwan and I loved the idea of giving people an object and letting them decide how to use it”. But that goes, too, for the “Hole Chair”, produced by Cappellini since 2000, or for the furniture designed for Ligne Roset, Authentics and Habitat.
“Our objects are meant to communicate like a Haiku: in a strong, poetic and crystalline way”, say the brothers when explaining their approach to design, which mixes and combines industrial materials and craftsmanship.
18.2.2003 – 22.3.2003
Work by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec
Droog Design & Co
Rusland 3 / corner Oudezijds AchTerburgwal, Amsterdam
http://www.droogdesign.nl
http://www.bouroullec.com
