This article is part of the Design Special Section on Respect for Handmade Objects.
A practical, noisy piece suitable for evolving families
Paris-based design studio Goons is unveiling its first solo show and new collection at the St. Vincent Gallery in Antwerp, Belgium. The show, entitled “Evolving Forms,” stars a malleable dining set consisting of a console and two dining tables that can be placed in nine different ways. The collection also features a stool, bench and three chairs, made from Scandinavian birch plywood.
Goons co-founders Mia Kim and Paul Trussler combine fashion and architectural backgrounds to create multi-functional products that can evolve with the ever-changing demands of life. In fact, he said that many of their works were developed according to the voluntary needs of their young families.
Visitors to the show are encouraged to experience the objects themselves. “There's definitely something in our work that's more robust than you ask to interact with it because it's not that valuable or very sensitive,” Trussler said.
As the studio's name suggests, these idiots are far from stupid or cruel. “We don't want to make a fuss,” Kim said. Until March 23rd, at 13 Kleine Markt 13 in Antwerp, Belgium. Studiogoons.com – Morgan Malget
Marble chest inspired by Palestinian embroidery
Nisreen Abu Dail and Nermeen Abu Dail wanted to create something special for the young nie Siamese (the Arabic “sun”). As the founder of Naqsh Collective, a 16-year-old design studio in Amman, Jordan, the sisters have taken a retrospective look to their Palestinian heritage, translating bold patterns of traditional embroidery into marble bridal chests.
Nisleen, an architect in Amman, said the breasts were inspired by the Palestinian wedding customs in which women gathered Truthsea from an early age. On wedding day, “there is a tradition where the bride sits on her breasts filled with her precious products,” she said.
Nermeen, a graphic designer who now lives in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, added: “Embroidery was a common language for all Palestinians in the diaspora and Jordanian homes.”
The sisters remembered that their aunt was embroidering their wedding clothes. It took another woman a year to pitch. So they learned them.
The white Shams bridal chests are decorated with examples of antique patterns. Inside a marble door, they carved a guide to design: Cypress wood, feather stitching known as “moonfeather”, beehives.
Unlike fabric, the sisters pointed out, marble is not the subject of corruption. naqshcollective.com – Sara Archer
Fake cake that looks good to eat
Life wasn't necessarily sweet for Heather Rios. “I didn't have cakes or candies when I was little,” said the artist who grew up poorly in rural Appalachia and now lives in W.Va. for kindergarten birthdays. “I was staring at it. I couldn't wait for it to be my birthday,” she said.
Today, 45-year-old Rios is making his own fake cake. The confectionery is embroidered on a hoop with ramen-like loops that cut out to look like fluffy, colorful layered cakes. Using a piping bag, she paints acrylic paint just like she does buttercream frosting.
She uses a traditional oven to bake polymer clay sprinkles and coconut flakes and serves her own piece on a ceramic dessert plate. “I like the idea of something subtly surreal, something from our reality, but it's slightly slanted,” she said.
She opened an Etsy shop in 2018 to sell Tron Praill sweets after leaving her abusive relationship. “I was struggling,” she said. “I've started thinking about birthdays and celebrations. People enjoy cakes together, regardless of where you came from or your religion. It's a bit of a joy.” Etsy.com/shop/heatherriosarte – Yelena Moroz Alpert
Home objects reveal the history of race
For the past 15 years, art historian and curator Adrian L. Childs has scrutinized institutional and private collections for gorgeous European household items depicting black people. These are gruesome and fascinating works that proliferated between the 17th and 19th centuries, and are the subject of her new book, “The Black Figures of the European Decorative Art.”
Figures, many semi-nude and enching, muscles tense, back bowing, supporting tabletops, fireplaces, entrances and cabinets, clocks, sugar bowls and candlesticks. Some were carved from raw materials (ebony, precious metals, gems) and extracted from the Earth or harvested by slave laborers.
For the makers, Dr. Childs said “they were Toured Force Objects,” but for the noble owners it reached the “empire trophy.”
Many of the works remain in the original prince's dormitory. In Greenvault, part of a castle in Dresden, Germany, it appears, for example, a black man covered in shirtless jewels made from trays full of emeralds and pearls in the early 1700s. More recent avid collectors include Calvin Candy from Grotesque and Brutal Slave Inc., played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Django Unchained.
Dr. Childs said that the presence of depictions of conquered people sometimes makes him rarely aware of the “sadness for me” at the corner of a historic building. She described them as “permanent service.” yalebooks.yale.edu – Eve M. Kahn
