When design breaks the mould
Successful design answers today's questions, including those that challenge taboos. I discovered this at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair.
How can a successful design bring you something enriching? Should it surprise or meet a need? Is the mere aesthetic appeal of an object and the occasional pleasure it brings enough? I'm sure you have your own opinion about the meaning of a well-designed object. These days, a successful object must, in my opinion, transcend form. Take a chair, for example. There are many successful models. In my opinion, each new model arriving on the market must justify a presence that goes beyond a pretty silhouette.
A designer also has to work with the unexposed everyday constraints of future users. And this is exactly what the #talktaboos furniture collection, developed by design students at Danish VIA University College, is based on. The collection focuses on a number of taboo subjects in modern society: "we occasionally tackle certain taboos such as depression, but only when they don't concern us", explains Oliver Ejlersen**, one of the designers who recently had the opportunity to present his study work at the Salone del Mobile in Milan.
Before showing me the exhibition space, Oliver hands me a wooden ball. I have to put it in one of the seven glasses in front of me on a pedestal. Each glass corresponds to a taboo theme: overweight, nudity or sex in old age, for example. I choose 'mourning'. Oliver then leads me to the object related to this theme.
"Mourning" as a taboo subject
At first glance, I see a wall shelf connected to a sandstone slab, enhanced by a sculpture. I still don't know what distinguishes this shelf from the others. Nor do I see what it has to do with the taboo concept I've chosen.
Signed by Annette Rosendal, the object entitled "In Memory Of" only becomes clear with Oliver's explanation: this oak sculpture is an urn acting as a memorial or memento mori for the house. A glass and brush next to the urn allow us to observe a funeral ritual in which a message is written to the deceased on the sandstone slab. It is then considered sent when the message fades away in a few seconds.
Oliver explains to me that this object is dedicated to Annette Rosendal's late sister. After her death, the designer had realised that the cemetery wasn't enough to mourn. She then had the idea of conceptualising an altar inspired by traditions from other cultures, including those of Mexico.
The idea of a modern memento mori to help people through a bereavement resonates with Oliver and me. Our conversation becomes more serious and personal. No one around me - including me - finds it easy to talk about the loss of a loved one. Most of my friends are in their thirties. At that age, the topics of conversation revolve more around starting a family, a professional career or the next big trip.
I understand better why it's more fun to want to talk about trivial future plans over an aperitif. People often keep what's on their minds to themselves. In reality, it's rarely the right place or time to broach a painful subject.
This is why a topic as ubiquitous as death can become taboo. No one should face bereavement alone. A designer like Annette Rosendal is all the more important because, with her furniture for the home, she manages to create a protected space that invites communion. This is how design can contribute to an individual's well-being.
An open dialogue
Oliver gives me a glimpse of all the other final projects by VIA University College students. Each piece of furniture encourages you to identify with a taboo and ask yourself why it is one.
To facilitate conversation between two people, the "Missing Link" project, developed by students Mette Casperse and Oliver Ejlersen goes a step further. It involves a bench designed in such a way that it physically encourages two people to communicate with each other thanks to two turntables incorporating a concealed gear system. When the first person turns, so does the other. This feature allows them to address each other optimally, even when the topics of conversation are not pleasant.
Taboos affect us all, some more than others. I wasn't expecting to come face to face with taboos at this show. I was pleasantly surprised by the designers at VIA-University College who set the bar very high for the other shows I visited. Want to know if I saw any other successful work in Milan? Then just click on the black Follow Author button in my profile. See you soon!
Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.