Fine Art
Bouroullec Designs’ “Circus”
Erwan and Rowan Bouroullec at their Paris studio.
Image courtesy of: Stirpad, photographed by: Alexandre Tabaste
Earlier this year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art presented an exhibition of more than forty works that fully represent Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s carefree design language. With works across a number of different mediums, including lighting, glass, furniture, textiles, and ceramics, the aptly named “Circus” explored the past decade of the brothers’ designs. Unique to the exhibition is that the show was presented within a gallery environment that was designed by the pair and their acclaimed studio, Bouroullec Designs.
Slow Chair and Ottoman, 2007.
Image courtesy of: Stirpad, photographed by: Paul Tahon
The brothers are leading figures in contemporary industrial design; they are also recipients of the 2021 Collaboration Design Excellence Award. The brothers’ playful and creative designs investigate the ever-changing relationship between people and their environments. The Bouroullecs have also been instrumental in exploring and educating their audience on how to bring joy or provide comfort via materials, form, and texture.
The design duo has always been driven by the (courtesy of Stir Pad) “desire to create spaces that offer pleasurable experiences and a chance to establish a deeper connection with that place through their design.” As such, it is no surprise that the creations often inspire a sense of wonder from their users and viewers.
“Alcova,” 2018
About their glassblowing technique, Roman Bouroullec told Dezeen, “It’s a primitive technique of casting glass in an open mould. At the beginning, the craftsmen were a bit shocked that we let the material be itself, as all their work is to try and be extremely precise.”
Image courtesy of Stirpad, photographed by: Claire Lavabre
Many of the objects exhibited present a commingling of traditional craft techniques with contemporary styling. The brothers highlight the designs’ handmade qualities and the imperfectness that happens via varying production processes. None of the pieces are the end-effect of high-production, mass-produced items… as a result, the beauty lies in the minuscule imperfections that occur throughout the handmade process.
Over the years, Bouroullec Designs has been asked to collaborate with a number of different high-end companies. Some of the manufacturers that the pair has teamed up with include FLOS, Kvadrat, Alessi, Cassina, and Iitalla. Favorites from the Philadelphia show were a number of items from the “Alcova Collection.” In 2018, the dynamic duo collaborated with WonderGlass, a bespoke glass designer from the United Kingdom. WonderGlass designed a series of beautiful cylindrical vessels. The pieces are paired with rectilinear stands that mimic frames… these are characterized by the bubbles trapped inside the glass pieces. These bubbles occur via the fabrication process… they resemble (courtesy of WonderGlass), “rippling liquids suspended mid-air.”
“Clouds (370),” 2009.
Image courtesy of: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Without doubt, the scene-stealer of the exhibition was the large-scale “Clouds” installation. Designed by Bouroullec Designs and made by Kvadrat, “Clouds” is an interlocking fabric tile concept . The tiles are attached to one another by special rubber bands; they can be installed to a wall or hung from a ceiling.
As more and more pieces are added, a three-dimensional effect is achieved. The design promotes self-expression as it is possible to construct a customized piece and make a vision… reality. The Clouds Collection received the Design of the Year 2010 award by Design Musee London; in addition, the creation also won the Danish Design Award 2010. We were delighted to see this installation at the MCA in Chicago several years ago!
“Les Fontaines des Champs-Elysees,” 2019.
Image courtesy of: Bouroullec Designs, photographed by: Claire Lavabre
Perhaps Bouroullec Designs’ most familiar project was in 2019 when the studio teamed up with Swarovski to bring a breath of fresh air to a historical site with “Les Fontaines des Champs-Elysees”. Situated in the basins of Rond-Point des Champs-Elysees, the studio created six fountains, each with a central bronze mast which suspend branches supporting a display of crystal chains. Water rises through the mast prior to descending by way of the crystal to fall into the basin along the last thirteen feet of the fountain. Each structure rotates in a specific cadence as though following a choreographed dance of light and water.
About the project, the brothers told Dezeen, “Our aim was to blend into the urban landscape, to highlight as delicately as possible the view between place de la concorde and place de l’etoile, and to subtly mark the passage from the peace and quiet of the gardens to the bustle of the avenue des Champs-Elysées.”
