In a spectacular installation that challenged gravity, as well the traditional ideas of flooring, Jean Nouvel reinterpreted Bolon's new Create collection at the Stockholm Furniture Fair. We caught up with the French architect and Bolon's directors, Marie and Annica Eklund, to find out more.
How did the collaboration between Bolon and Jean Nouvel come about?
Bolon: We always like to show our material in an artistic way and to challenge ourselves. To us it's important to see Bolon's material with new eyes and think outside the box. Jean Nouvel is a creative force in both design and architecture and has seen potential in our flooring for some time so it was an obvious choice for us.
Jean Nouvel: I used Bolon for the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, so have known and respected Bolon for a long time. To put carpet down there would have been a disaster, but I still wanted a material that was kind, hardwearing and tactile. It was also important to me that the material was something that was impressive when looked at from afar, but still interesting when up close. Bolon ticked all these criteria for me then so I began a relationship with the company.
What inspired the installation at the Stockholm Furniture Fair?
JN: My idea was to use the Bolon material as not just flooring but to create a Bolon universe, exclusively a universe of floors: no ceiling, no walls... just floors. Equally I thought it was important to incorporate people in the installation, to see them react to it, lie on it, touch it and so on. At first I was going to use regular mannequins but following on from Xavier Veilhan's sculpture of me in Versailles in 2009, I decided to make four copies and use them. I thought it was very funny having four flies like this. As an architect you have to take the opportunity for a bit of humour when you can, as designing buildings can feel like quite a serious business.
How has Nouvel's installation inspired the future of Bolon?
Bolon: Today Bolon is a 100% flooring company, but with this installation the idea of blurring the edges between floor, ceiling and walls was born. Who knows where the future of the material lies? Perhaps we could even cover the façade of a building?
Nouvel says of the installation: 'My idea was to use the Bolon material as not just flooring but to create a Bolon universe, a universe of floors: no ceiling, no walls... just floors'
The architect adds: 'Equally I thought it was important to incorporate people in the installation. At first I was going to use regular mannequins but following on from Xavier Veilhan's sculpture of me in Versailles in 2009, I decided to make four copies and use them'
The installation marked the launch of Bolon's new Create collection
Some of the designs in the collection incorporate a unique 3D-effect pattern
-
Ghanaian cuisine has a story to tell at Washington, DC restaurant ElminaThe new restaurant is chef Eric Adjepong’s colourful ode to the recipes he grew up loving
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’Mexico City-based architects Padro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
-
The Sialia 45 cruiser is a welcome addition to the new generation of electric boatsPolish shipbuilder Sialia Yachts has launched the Sialia 45, a 14m all-electric cruiser for silent running
-
Maria Porro: ‘We are pouring our hearts into Supersalone’Newly appointed Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro is the first woman in the role. She talks to Wallpaper* Milan editor Maria Cristina Didero, a Supersalone colleague, about her plans to focus the fair on design, sustainability and creative encounters
-
Hella Jongerius weaves the cosmos at Berlin’s Gropius BauOn the occasion of her ‘Woven Cosmos’ exhibition at Berlin's Gropius Bau in Spring 2021, we talked to Hella Jongerius about textiles and weaving, sustainability in design and the effect of the pandemic on daily life
-
Misha Kahn prepares to unveil his latest shape-shifting works in New YorkAhead of his exhibition at Friedman Benda, Wallpaper* pays a visit to designer Misha Kahn to discuss digital and analogue proccesses, low-brow pop-culture, and being an anomaly in contemporary design
-
Making of: Lara Bohinc weaves her passions into Kasthall rug collection -
International Women’s Day: leading female designers in their own words -
COS and Studio Swine branch out in Miami with scented bubble installation -
Boundary breakers Jasper Morrison and Jaime Hayon turn their hand to fashion -
Grand gestures: Fredrikson Stallard’s latest work makes a bold statement
