Reel side table for B&B Italia by Atelier Oï, 2008.
Atelier Oï has designed objects for some of the biggest brands in the world: Ikea, Hermès, Bulgari, Swatch, Foscarini and B&B Italia, just to name a few. The studio has also produced major architectural works and received numerous design accolades, yet the Swiss trio remains relatively unknown in the English-speaking world.
Formed in 1991 by Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis and Patrick Reymond, Atelier Oï derives its name from the Russian word tr(oï)ka: a carriage drawn by three horses working together as a team (or trio in general). And teamwork is deeply embedded in the Atelier Oï culture and philosophy. The three designers complement and balance each other as they work on projects that span the disciplines of architecture, design and installation. Their ideas may differ, but their passion for experimenting with materials binds them. “Often the materials for us are more important than the form,” says Aurel.
In fact, materials are so important to Atelier Oï that when the group converted a motel in La Neuveville, Switzerland into the “moïtel” that is their studio, as well as a workshop, showroom and laboratory, they also created a “materiothèque,” which is “like a bibliothèque for materials,” explains Aurel.
Les Danseuses (The Dancers) is just one of the projects that brings to life Atelier Oï’s mode of thinking. The lights/ventilators/ kinetic sculptures spin high overhead so that the fabric shades dip and swirl like the skirt of a pirouetting dancer. “It is not a form that we made with a drawing or design. It is a form that comes from the cutting of material, from its gravitation,” says Aurel. “We never do something directly for a function. We like to experiment with different materials.”
Alegretto Ritmico for Foscarini by Atelier Oï, 2009.
For the Allegro collection of lights, Atelier Oï pursued its fascination with sound. “We wanted to develop objects and shapes from sound,” says project head Ivana Gvozdenovic. So the designers experimented with an extraordinary array of materials and instruments, then joined forces with Italian lighting group Foscarini to produce a series of elegant luminary designs. Available in Australia through Space Furniture, these lights have aluminium elements that flow and combine to give a majestic, bodiless effect. Best of all, when grouped together they oscillate with a soft, magical sound.
The Three Musketeers of Atelier Oï use exploration and play, teamwork and passion to create unique, insightful work. And they love to remind us that it’s the journey that is all important – even if you don’t know where you’re headed when you take the first step.
www.atelier-oi.ch
www.spacefurniture.com.au
All quotes taken from Vernissage TV’s interview with Aurel Aebi.
Source
People
Published online: 20 Sep 2011
Words:
Deborah Niski
Images:
Marco Zanoni
Issue
Houses, August 2011
