Art Furniture rainbow bench

Serial deformations make this colorful series of art furniture into as much an experimental sculptural sequence as a functional living room accessory. Starting with a standard shape – an almost intentionally generic form – each added layer of a given table, chair, bench or storage cabinet undergoes a slight twist from the previous so that the net result is almost like seeing a 2D object passing through three-dimensional space (for those familiar with Flatland).

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Art Furniture sculptural bench

The decorative appearance of these rainbow-hued works of art furniture is not the result of artistic planning by their creator Julien Carretero but rather the random variations that occur when recasting an object, then casting the recast. Over time the changes build on one another and the end furniture product is at once a work of art, design and unpredictable variables that are part of the process. The colorful zebra pattern is simply a by-product of using a different color polymer sheet for new each iteration.

Art Furniture view through

To Be Continued deals with creating a real and recognizable uniqueness within serial production. Instead of leaving randomness manage the differences, it uses the repetitive actions existing within the production process as a tool for differentiation. Each piece produced comes as a result of a process applied on the piece that came before. Each piece is then existing because of the others and couldn’t have been designed without the others. Each layer is casted on top of the one casted before following the exact outline of it. Because of the imperfection of the cast, the object slowly mutates and start designing itself.”

Art Furniture close up view

About designer Julien Carretero:

“Born in Paris suburbs, Julien Carretero studied industrial design consecutively in France and in England before attending the Contextual Design MA at the Design Academy Eindhoven. In parallel of his studies in the Netherlands Julien worked for designer Maarten Baas. After his graduation in 2007 he founded Studio Julien Carretero, which moved to Brussels in 2012.”

Art Furniture fabric like folds

“Studio Julien Carretero is a multidisciplinary practice involved in the design of objects, furniture, lighting, processes, interiors, workshops and exhibitions. In an attempt to question contemporary production methods it often focusses on the crossover between craftsmanship and industry, through either the transformation of artisanal techniques into serial production processes or the use of heavy industrial facilities as simple mediums.”