Posted by sabine7
Interview | 03 Apr 08 | Comments (0) | Stumble
Katrin Sonnleitner’s PuzzlePerser was one of the most interesting floor coverings at this year’s IMM in Cologne. Looking like a cross between a giant puzzle and a Persian rug, PuzzlePerser is made up of 1225 rubber pieces that can be recombined in different patterns. Sonnleitner’s work includes some nifty conceptual storage pieces as well, such as the intriguing Möbelette that takes it shape from what goes inside and the bold Immöbel that plays with our perceptions of space and order.
PuzzlePerser is described as a modular floor covering in that the puzzle pieces can be removed from the carpet and rearranged. A lot of your work has to do with movement, but usually we think of furniture and accessories as being more static. What compels you to focus on this aspect of design?
Living in your space means also getting used to the space and its objects and to create special habits. Habits do not support mobility. Nevertheless, users tend to buy furniture with wheels or furniture that could easily be rearranged from bed to couch to cupboard to table. But those functions are very little used.
Furthermore, habits make things invisible – after a certain time they disappear from our perception. So what could a piece of furniture, for example, do to get noticed again? That is what I try to find out.
Your Möbelette is another brilliant idea that involves a piece of furniture in a state of flux. When I look at it, I instantly understand how it reflects on my own behaviour. But when we hide the mess inside, it is still a mess. Are you suggesting we abandon all attempts at keeping things tidy? Should we simply give up?
Möbelette tries to adapt your habits whilst keeping its character of a representative piece of furniture. This is quite courageous because in its new state it has to prove that it is still a worthy piece that maybe even deals better with your needs than any other cupboard...
Speaking of evolution, Möbelette is a classic mutation. And now we have to see if it can find a niche where it can survive and develop further... A pile of clothes does not necessarily have to be a mess. It is just one way of storing soft things.
It is funny: PuzzlePerser presents a very well-ordered interpretation to furniture and space, yet Immöbel leans towards chaos. What message would you like us to retain?
These are quite different. Immöbel presents a very strong character, is athletic and elegant but also sligthly cynical. It provokes the user to try and tame it and to find a new way towards using and living with it.
The inspiration for PuzzlePerser lies in combining two very different actions. On the one hand putting together the pieces of a puzzle as a pastime, on the other hand putting together the knots of an oriental rug which is hard work. In both cases you put small units together and create a pattern out of them.
