VIVID Gallery presents:

Re-Imagining the Workshop: Design w/ Conscience

November 25, 2007 – January 13, 2008

Tord Boontje
Stephen Burks
Fernando & Humberto Campana
Hella Jongerius
Emma Woffenden

In “Re-Imagining the Workshop: Design w/ Conscience,” Los Angeles-based curatorial design firm Artecnica brings their award-winning Design w/ Conscience home design line to VIVID gallery.

In creating Design w/ Conscience, Artecnica strives to reintroduce traditional craft into the high design landscape.

Especially for this show limited edition versions of the Design w/ Conscience products were created.

In creating Design w/ Conscience, Artecnica strives to reintroduce traditional craft into the high design landscape. Each unique piece in the collection is a collaborative effort art directed by Artecnica, conceptualized by renowned international designers, and handcrafted by artisan communities across the globe. The exhibition highlights Design w/ Conscience's primary aim: to broaden the focus of design beyond the finished object, encompassing the entire design process from concept to creation. In doing so, Design w/ Conscience situates the craftsman's skills at the center of each successful design, delivering unique pieces that acknowledge the value of human skill. Subsequently, each Design w/ Conscience project provides all artisan communities involved with an alternative economic reality.

Since its launch, Tord Boontje & Emma Woffenden's tranSglass has become one of Artecnica's most critically acclaimed products. A part of MoMA New York's permanent collection, tranSglass is a series of sleek vases, candleholders, carafes, and tumblers crafted from recycled bottles. To create tranSglass, Tord Boontje and Artecnica art director Enrico Bressan trained a group of Guatemalan craftsmen in the precise art of cold glass making. Each vessel is hand-made by these skilled artisans and combines old-world craftsmanship and sophisticated design.

Come Rain Come Shine is Tord Bootje's lyrical reinvention of the traditional chandelier. The piece is a whimsical melee of crocheted cotton, organza, and silk flowers gracefully surrounding a solid metal base. An enchanting light piece that lends an air of playful elegance to any space, Come Rain Come Shine is handcrafted in the heart of Rio de Janeiro by the skilled artisans of the Coopa-Roca women's collective. These talented women earn a living in their own homes, turning high design concepts into works of art as they tend to their children and household responsibilities.  

TaTu is an innovative galvanized steel wire furniture set designed by Stephen Burks. In Zimbabwe's Shona dialect, "tatu" means "three"—the name references the piece's three-fold modularity. A coffee table converts into a tray, bowl, and basket, and a side table becomes a medium tray, bowl, and trash can; a stackable one piece stool provides seating. The three-piece collection cleverly combines traditional African design and craftsmanship with urbane pragmatism, and boasts a weatherproof polished powder coating that makes it ideal for both indoor and outdoor spaces. TaTu is handcrafted by a group of South African and Zimbabwean artisans, who artfully utilized traditional hand-weaving techniques to create the stylized pieces.