Louis XIV Extruded
Text by Nora Schmidt
Berlin, Germany
06.01.09
Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents Sebastian Brajkovic's furniture series 'Lathe'.
His works are morphings – re-interpretations of antique items of furniture with a cultural origin which can be clearly identified, generally chairs in the style of the 17th century. Sebastian Brajkovic uses the techniques of traditional craftsmanship to re-shape these items of furniture by extruding or turning them and setting them in a new, contemporary context.
"My very first thought with making this design was actually a practical one. I wanted to create more space on a singular chair by “extruding” the seat’s surface area. This extruding idea came from a Photoshop function where you can pick a row of pixels and extend them as long as you want. This modern computer method aided me to devise new ways of sketching as a contradictory partner in my design process. In this paradoxical sense, using antique forms was the next logical step."
Lathe VIII adopts the idea of the traditional love seat, which is created by connecting two baroque-style chairs by an extruded backrest. The elaborate embroidery on the upholstery of the backrest is a significant element of this work. The regular overlapping of the outline across the entire width of the backrest creates the impression of movement which is reminiscent of super slow-motion shots á la Matrix. Brajkovic accordingly seems to integrate the moment of morphing, the element of time as a fourth dimension, into the object.
The Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London will be devoting an extensive exhibition to the work of Sebastian Brajkovic from 5 February to 14 March.