Alexandr Strepetov · CLIENT: Alexandr Strepetov
Structural basis of Kepler-186f arm-chair is a griddle, soldered from a steel wire to which the elements carved from the oak are fastened with the help of brass sleeves. Various options of armature use combine in harmony with wooden carving and jewelers elements. This art-object represents an experiment in which different aesthetic principles are combined. It could be described as "Barbaric or New Baroque" in which the rough and the exquisite forms are combined. As a result of improvisation, the Kepler became multilayered, enveloped with the subtexts and new details.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This is both a piece of furniture and a complex sculpture, the body of which combines natural forms and futuristic structures achieved with different manufacturing processes. Monolithic parts are synergistically combined with a naked skeleton structure, revealing the beauty of both the external and the interior parts that are usually hidden.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- width 760mm. length 840mm. height 1070mm.
- Tags
- Arm-chair, furniture, furniture design, author furniture, wood carving, sculpture, wire articles, metal construction
- Production Technology
- Structurally, the main part of the armchair consists from steel wire 2-3 mm in diameter, intersections of main wire wrapped with thinner wire and soldered with tin alloy. Attached to the wire carcass are wrought brass bushings that are soldered with silver. They hold decorative elements, along with armrests and legs, hand carved from solid oak and finished with variety of paints and lacquers. The wooden seat cover is stitched, designed to be easily removed, while material on the seat back is affixed.
- Design Challenge
- The improvisational nature of the project leads me to the experimentation. In the beginning I only had upper part of the chair in my mind. Therefore, I had to work on feet with chair being inverted, which initially seemed like an obstacle, but later it helped formed the end design. Absence of access to welding, led me to seek structural rigidity in woven construction techniques, in wire crossing and wire ties, which eventually opened my eyes to the beauty, strength and awe-inspiring opportunities that arose from seemingly simplistic solutions.
I work in a common workshop together with other artists. If I had opened to them my plan, I would risk losing such necessary courage and inspiration, and start doubting under the pressure of their reasoning. The fact that I put aside another almost ready to sell commercial object for the sake of the tin soldering of wire could look like madness for my colleagues. So, it was necessary to keep focus, communicating only through artwork. When a month later, one of the artists said that out of my design could come out interesting furniture, I was relieved and open to discuss.
Armchair in its current state is an art object, an artistic expression. To prepare mass production version, tin soldering needs to be replaced utilizing mini-modules or welding. As far as language shape expressed in wire it can be explored and there are endless derivates possible. Leather could be used in upholstery. Making ends of the feet from wire are more practical, however, it is possible to make them with arch-shaped openings. Using asymmetrical capital allows visual and structural combination not only with horizontal, but also with angled structural trusses. - Project Duration
- The article was started in the summer of 2017, completed in the fall of 2018, in Sankt Petersburg.
- Operation Flow
- Kepler is not just ordinary piece of furniture, but an object of art with secret language. It can be interpreted as a piece from another world, created by alien mind. Sculpture reimagines geometrically plain and lifeless space as something cheerful and life-affirming. From the first sight it is obvious that elements were not created behind computer screen, but it was an organic process, almost like tree grows from the seed, or as if it separated from parental piece of furniture. Sculpture has hidden movement that makes you expect it to start walking, making it impossible to take picture of.
- Research
- Creative process was about using over exaggerated, over the top amount of details, to widen possibilities of technology and style used. It was an exploration of gracefully combining different materials. Also, I used some architectural ideas - inverted feet of the armchair remind columns made from rebar, topped with asymmetric monolithic capital. The airy nature and shape freedom allow multiple non-standard uses of Kepler language in construction design. It is clearly not a mass-produced item, but a conglomeration of ideas, based on which creation of simpler pieces is possible.
- Inspiration
- This artwork was created as a part of bigger project where one idea was exploited indiverse methods. I was fascinated of developing single idea in various techniques and materials. Driven by this encouragement I have created experimental works, based on which later appeared wardrobe, table, and this armchair. Here you can see ornamentation inspired by plants (vine, twisting around armrest), as well as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic details, some even end up being a pregnant with creatures, like
- Image Credits
- Image #1: photographer Tanya Bogdanova, Kepler-186f, 2018.
Image #2: photographer Tanya Bogdanova, Kepler-186f, 2018.
Image #3: photographer Tanya Bogdanova, Kepler-186f, 2018.
Image #4: photographer Tanya Bogdanova, Kepler-186f, 2018.
Image #5: photographer Tanya Bogdanova, Kepler-186f, 2018.
Video Credits:cameraman Mikhail Mikhailuk - Patents
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