A Conversation With Objects with Narratives

Memories & Reflection

What do you enjoy the most about creating a new piece?

Our stories never start from an aesthetic consideration, yet don’t necessarily need to solve a problem. It is for us more important to raise questions and discussions so one can form affinities with their object. So what we truly enjoy the most are these moments when narratives are intellectually formed and even better shaped into an object. The highest form of enjoyment is when the story of the object is just right like the object is what it is and it couldn’t be or look like something else. Where everything just seems to fit right in place and everything reacts perfectly to each other. Yet this only happens very rarely…

Objects can trigger thoughts and reflections in the viewer/user. What is your earliest memory of an object triggering a particular thought or reflection for you?

Gaetano Pesce’s La Mamma is one of those pieces that is always wandering in my mind. It results in an image that keeps on eluding, no matter what interpretation you give it. Is it an organic, very comfortable sofa? Is it reminiscent of the body of a woman? Are you its embryo? Then what does that connected ball mean? It really confronts you and asks for a discussion, while persuading positive and nostalgic memories.

How did the creation of Objects With Narratives come about?

Nik Vandewyngaerde is an engineer and architect who worked for the architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, and Robbe Vandewyngaerde is an architect and designer that worked for OMA. The world of architecture and design are closely linked to each other and so we have always been interested in furniture design. After some years of looking at the world of design, we saw many beautiful pieces but little of them had a true narrative. Yet architects approach design more often through narrative-based ideas. So about two years ago we decided to manufacture objects with narratives as a way to express ourselves. At the same time, we wanted to construct a creative space where we support other narrative-based designers who we really believe in.

What advice would you give to aspiring young designers starting out in their careers?

We ourselves are very young starting designers yet if there is one thing we can give as advice: Collaboration is key. One can learn and achieve much more by working together than alone, especially today where we after decades have the capacity to even work together across continents. At this moment we represent around 12 objects: 3 from ourselves, 3 through collaborations, and 6 from other designers. Even the objects from ourselves are made with local craftsmen to get the results we aim for. Collaboration is thus fundamental for our label and we think as well for all professions in these contemporary times. There are so many talented designers and craftsmen that it would be ignorant of us or other designers to state that we/you alone create objects with compelling narratives. It is self-evident that there are many designers who think this way, so why not embrace and support each other by the means of the collective rather than those of the individual.

Have you ever been to London? If so, where is your first port of call for great design when you’re in the city?

I (Robbe) have visited London several times yet I actually stayed in London for about 2 months, right before Covid-19 hit and during the pandemic. The pandemic of course changed the whole city, yet its true power arose from this emptiness too. Simply walking in the empty streets of the business district or Kings Cross can really be inspiring. I have also always liked to go to the Tate or other museums/theaters such as the Barbican, The Royal National Theatre, or Brunswick Centre that have a powerful show as also a powerful spatial presence.

The Tamayi Stool is an interactive and adaptive piece, and you’ve shared that the name translates to ‘shape things to your own liking’. What importance do you place on the interactivity and versatility of pieces?

This really depends on the object itself and its story. For example for the One Curve Chair, is a piece that doesn’t ask for versatility. It is also not an object to sit on all day or to put under your dining table and therefore to be moved around all day. It is a lounge chair that creates its own space and attention that doesn’t require movement. The fragmented shelf interprets adaptability in a different way. It is a shelf and has one expression, yet it can be easily disassembled (to be transported, moved, etc) since the material is stainless steel and therefore very heavy. The Story of the Tamayi allowed for a form to perform. It wants to be “child-like”, a “design object” as a toy for adults so to speak. We have some stools in our own house and we regularly change the design from time to time just to have some fun. It succeeds in that way where the object can be highly personalized and that is where the name Tamayi comes from.

Fast furniture, like fast fashion, is harmful both to the environment and the integrity of designers who often see their pieces replicated and mass-produced. What are your thoughts on this side of the industry, and how can consumers who prioritise affordability still invest in quality pieces?

One thing of the future is certain, that nothing is certain… What we do know is that technology’s footprint is increasing in every aspect of our lives. We get inspired by these new inventions and applications and so it is very important to adapt to our ever-changing environment. Yet we can’t forget the history of craft this world of design embraces. So we (will) always work with local craftsmen and continue to support our local economy. Yet design has a very specific contradictory position in our time. We believe that design should be for the masses, yet some designs’ production methods (long processes by local craftsmen, expensive materials) don’t allow this as some others do. We also don’t have anything against mass-production, there are some products that can be designed very well and they can be easily mass-produced. Many Alessi designs are very strong, yet allow them to be manufactured at an affordable price. Our Tamayi Stool and Fragmented Shelf are also 2 products that eventually allow it to be mass-produced, yet today they are manufactured on demand and made with rather expensive materials. Maybe in the future, we can find ways to drastically reduce the price in order to distribute them on a larger scale while still supporting our local economy.

Can you share some of your favorite design or architecture books?

We ourselves don’t have many design books laying on our shelves. Today we have some books of Vitra, Maarten Van Severen & Objects Of Desire. On the other hand, we have dozens of architecture books, mostly about specific architects or manifestos. Some of the books we are currently reading are Monographs of Christian Kerez, Rem Koolhaas, Victor Horta, and Anne Holtrop; all architects whose projects are story-driven, yet have a totally different expression.