bouroullec brothers at galerie kreo

bouroullec brothers at galerie kreoinstallation view of ‘conque’ wall lights image © paul tahon / ronan & erwan bouroullec courtesy of galerie kreo

ronan & erwan bouroullec galerie kreo, paris april 24th to july 22nd, 2010

an exhibition of french designers ronan and erwan bouroullec is on show at galerie kreo, paris. the installation touches on the duo’s interest in industrial design, which is closely linked to the unlimited reproduction of objects.

for the past ten years, the bouroullec brothers have been producing pieces within the framework provided by galerie kreo:

‘this unique context has often led us to compare our work for the gallery to the use of a sketch pad, a more instinctive form of research free from the constraints imposed by industry, the norms, weight, size or other issues more or less justified by mass production. here we give ourselves the time to explore different media and extraordinary techniques that are rejected by industry, to approach unique skills.’ – ronan + erwan bouroullec

this new exhibition has a certain delicacy in terms of the materials used. the bouroullecs have taken leather to cover electrical wires of the ‘lianes’ lamps; their ‘roches’ shelving units have been painted with a finish of matte mineral-looking paint; and their ‘conque’ lamps have been mirrored to give off a certain sense of mystery when illuminated.

detail of ‘conque’ wall lights image © paul tahon / ronan & erwan bouroullec courtesy of galerie kreo

because of their wireless system, ‘conque’ wall lights can either standby themselves or interconnected to other ‘conque’ lamps. the glossy black finish of the lamps’ shells reflect the emerging light to its maximum. the mystery of this lamp comes from the fact that there is space between the wall and actual light, giving the impression of a flying object in front of the wall, with the fixing points masked.

installation view of hanging ‘lianes’ lamps image © paul tahon / ronan & erwan bouroullec courtesy of galerie kreo

the concept behind ‘lianes’ interconnected lamps is to incorporate and unify all elements of the lamp – from the long cables to the fixation points, to the actual lit shell. to achieve this, each single interrelated element is covered with black or flesh colored leather, including the fixation points which allow the ‘lianes’ to be hung from the ceiling. thanks to leather-to-leather adherence to the natural brakes that come from the topstitching passing through the tying points, adjusting the orientation and height of the lights can be done quite freely.

detail of ‘lianes’ lamps fiberglass and leather in flesh and black color image © paul tahon / ronan & erwan bouroullec courtesy of galerie kreo

image © paul tahon / ronan & erwan bouroullec courtesy of galerie kreo

‘lianes’ lamps can be hung from the ceiling or wall image © paul tahon / ronan & erwan bouroullec

a collection of shelving units, ‘roches’ were designed in 8 sizes (from 13.5 cm long to 1.17 m long). their ultra matte paint finish gives them a velvety feeling upon touch. the mounting elements are completely camouflaged, building on this idea of mysterious, mineral-looking elements growing on the wall.

bouroullec brothers at galerie kreo

galerie kreo (21)

ronan and erwan bouroullec (113)