Design And Product

Designs by Alexandra Zaharova & Ilya Plotnikov
L'Officiel Magazine
July/August 2009

Whilst fashion is undeniably an art in its own right, I have always been fascinated by the creations one happens to find where the lines begin to blur. Just as painting may on some occasions seek the fluidity of sketching, fashion may often seek the structure of architecture and sculpture. Where one art ends and another begins is most often down to individual interpretation. A dress may be sculpted like a beautiful marble statue of the human form, in both cases carefully following the curves and contours of the body. Similarly just as a building is constructed from its foundations and frame, the bodice to a garment must be boned, creating that skeletal form of structure.

The assembly of an artistic creation is a beautiful thing to behold, whether it be the patterns of a dress cut and sewn together or the parts of a car engine carefully given life in a complex mechanical unison. I often myself watching documentaries about the industrial processes involved in the design and creation of ostensibly insignificant objects such as tube lights, rubber tires, radiators, steam valves - the list is quite honestly endless. There is a sense of beauty in the machines that make the objects, in the individual stages of production, in the carefully drawn out lines of mechanical and hand production, and most importantly the finished objects themselves. Some may see the majority of everyday objects as somewhat less than inspiring, and yet design is always something on my mind. I can find myself in awe of the design of a latch mechanism, just as I may find myself in awe of the design of a jacket or piece of furniture.

What I find so wonderful about the editorial above is not simply the artistic nature of the outfits created from card, but the very bends and curves of the card and paper itself. Looking at the neat lines and gentle curves, I can not help but imagine the production of such designs. By looks I suppose comparisons to architecture are inevitable, with sculpture made for wearing resembling sculpture made for living in. Indeed I thought I would share some of the designs shortlisted for the 2008 House of the Year Award, if only for the appreciation of their beauty.

Trifurcation, Kanagawa, Japan
Shigeru Kuwahara Architects

IJburg House, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Marc Koehler Architects

Buisson Residence, Lake Anna, Virginia, US
Robert M. Gurney

Boukyo, Sapporo, Japan
Nakayama Architects

(courtesy of World Architecture News)

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