True to its name, Tokujin Yoshioka's pure, unadulterated aesthetic underscores an elemental simplicity made visible by his approach to furniture design. Set atop inclined rectangular prisms, the Japanese designer's collection of minimalist tables is the fruitful result of his collaboration with Italian furniture brand Desalto.
Upon noticing the precariously balanced tabletops, I discovered an uncanny resemblance to the large-scale sculptural works of Richard Serra that were made famous by its gravity-defying configurations.
Having been exhibited at the Tate Modern, Richard Serra's sculpture Trip Hammer is a particular favourite of mine. Two slabs of steel are balanced in a delicate T-configuration, creating an interesting conflict between its serene appearance and volatile nature for self-destruction.
As part of his ongoing research, Yoshioka was largely inspired by his extensive research on the 'Venus' Chair; a chair that is organically shaped by the growth of crystals.
While the scale of Yoshioka's tables provoke less agitation than Serra's sculptural work, it is no less an engineering marvel with a bevelled corner system supporting the base plate and the table (all of which seem to defy the laws of gravity). Smaller tables (above and below) utilise a single stave for support whilst larger dining tables are supported by two crossing supports. Scroll below to see what Tokujin Yoshioka and Deslato have to say about their collaboration!
Description by Tokujin Yoshioka:
“Element is a sculptural furniture collection inspired by the natural structure of crystals, adopting the random harmony and beauty of nature. The collection was a development from the process of the numerous experiments and research for the ‘Crystallized project’ initiated in 2007. Through the project, I would like to raise the question of how we could connect our lives to the future, by being exposed to the serendipitous beauty born of nature. From these experiments, Element was born from the challenge of revealing new aspects of nature and it is a sculptural form of furniture.”
Description by Desalto
Element is a strong, poetic collection including a chair, dining tables, low tables and console tables, designed for Desalto by sensitive, visionary Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka.
The heart of the Element project lies in the single central support for the table, a metal parallelepiped that is reminiscent in its form of the minerals and quartzes found in nature, positioned at a slant, teetering between the base and the top as though almost challenging the laws of gravity. Magically suspended between earth and sky, “the mineral” gives character to a table that goes beyond the mere function of a support surface to take a prominent place as a sculpture in an environment. A project that is particularly complex from the engineering perspective, in which all of Desalto’s skill and experience in the working of metals are expressed.
The Element collection offers an extensive range of items, including dining tables that are rectangular - up to three metres long - round and square in shape, low tables for beside the bed or sofa, bistro tables and a totemic chair of great character, which is also well suited to standing alone. In the colours black and white, the tables are enhanced by interesting finishes: tops with open-pore oak covering, opaque black glass, rough iron, wax-finished to bring out the imperfection of the surface.
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