Mind craft: the making of ‘Ritual Calendar’, by Ini Archibong and Testi
At first glance, the function of Ini Archibong’s piece for Holy Handmade! is cryptic. It’s a statuesque block of black granite with 31 droplets of white marble inserted in two perfectly symmetrical lines. Its intriguing presence is entirely intentional: ‘It’s meant to be viewed as a sculpture to anyone but the owner,’ explains the Basel-based American designer. ‘The owner has the secret knowledge of its function.’
The ‘Ritual Calendar’ is actually a tool for practising mindfulness. Each day of the month, a new droplet-shaped totem is taken out of the calendar and carried in a pocket for the day, before being put back in place at night. ‘So many things are competing for our attention throughout the day,’ says Archibong. ‘When you’re carrying the totem around with you, and you mindlessly put your hands in your pocket, you’re reminded to bring mindfulness to something that you’ve embedded in the object. Whatever power you’ve embedded this piece with, the totems give you the opportunity to tap into it.’
For Archibong, who grew up as the son of Nigerian emigrants in Pasadena, California, the exploration of ritual is nothing new. I’ve had various totems throughout my life,’ he says, remembering his days as an American football player in high school: ‘As an athlete, it was very important to practise every day until certain motions became like muscle memory. And being of West African origin, I grew up around a lot of masks and statues that carry a feeling of reverence. I wanted to embed this feeling within the calendar.’
To design the calendar, Archibong drew inspiration from dolmens, as well as the tribal artefacts he remembered from his youth. The simple silhouette he created is intended to convey a sense of reverence, or a spirituality that transcends different cultures. As such, stone seemed like the natural material from which to craft his altar to mindfulness.
Working with Italian stone specialist Testi, Archibong set about exchanging drawings and samples with the factory’s craftsmen, who, having worked on two previous Handmade projects, were familiar with the exhibition’s tight time frame. Guided by the expertise of Testi’s commercial director, Tomas Brolin, Archibong selected a Black Absolute Zimbabwe granite that was machined to create the main oblong form, while the smaller totems were painstakingly hand-carved from Creole Beige marble. ‘Given the time scale, what Testi delivered was incredibly impressive,’ says Archibong. ‘They were able to quickly handcraft those 31 pieces, which is by no means a simple task. Each one had to be almost exactly the same and slide into place in a very special way. They executed that perfectly.’
To create the velvety, honed surface of the piece, Testi employed the hand-finishing technique of zigrinato, which it first invented for a line of Tobia Scarpa lamps. ‘It creates a texture that feels crystallised and smooth at the same time,’ explains Brolin.
‘It was important for the totems to have a certain feel in the hand,’ says Archibong of their rounded and tapered form that fits perfectly into the palm. ‘The size, texture and gentle slope of the surface were all intentional. It’s the perfect shape for rubbing your thumb across and rotating it in your pocket.’
Just days after the piece was finished, on site at the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition in Milan, Archibong watched as curious visitors approached the calendar to closely examine its totems. ‘It was fascinating to see how people gravitated towards it without really understanding what it was,’ he says. ‘To me, it was an indication that it is imbued with the power of the concept.’
As originally featured in the August 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*221)
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Ini Archibong website and the Testi website. Available from the WallpaperSTORE*
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ali Morris is a UK-based editor, writer and creative consultant specialising in design, interiors and architecture. In her 16 years as a design writer, Ali has travelled the world, crafting articles about creative projects, products, places and people for titles such as Dezeen, Wallpaper* and Kinfolk.
-
JW Anderson and Pleasing design a balloon-inspired collection of nail polishes and more
JW Anderson and Pleasing launch an uplifting new capsule collection featuring balloon-inspired metallic nail polishes and a take on the viral rainbow cardigan
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Bottega Veneta drafts Venetian artisans for its unique ‘Bottega for Bottegas’ project, a gift list of local craft
Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta has sought out six craftspeople from in and around Venice to create precious objects – from playing cards to jigsaw puzzles – which arrive just in time for festive gift-giving
By Jack Moss Published
-
Agnès Varda, Luca Guadagnino and Wim Wenders: why Aesop’s love affair with cinema is more than skin-deep
Aesop’s new 2024 Christmas campaign celebrates its long love affair with cinema. Laura Havlin speaks with the brand’s head of global store design Marianne Lardilleux to discover why film is inherent to its DNA
By Laura Havlin Published
-
Is Emeco's 'No Foam KNIT' a sustainable answer to synthetic upholstery textiles?
'Make more with less' is Emeco's guiding light. Now, the US furniture maker's new mono-material textile, the 'No Foam KNIT', may offer a sustainable solution to upholstery materials
By Ali Morris Published
-
Smooth operator: Willett debuts new furniture at Design Miami 2024, with a playful touch of retro allure
LA furniture designer Willett turned heads in the design world with the launch of his eponymous brand earlier this year. Ahead of his Design Miami debut, he told us what’s in store for 2025
By Ali Morris Published
-
Forged in the California desert, Jonathan Cross’ brutalist ceramic sculptures go on show in NYC
Joshua Tree-based artist Jonathan Cross’ sci-fi-influenced works are on view at Elliott Templeton Fine Arts in New York's Chinatown
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Italian designer Enrico Marone Cinzano fuses natural perfection with industrial imperfection
Enrico Marone Cinzano's first solo show at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery debuts collectible furniture designs that marry organic materials with upcycled industrial components
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
One to Watch: Brooklyn studio Outgoing gives new meaning to the idea of world building
Life and creative partners Brett Gui Xin and Del Hardin Hoyle from Outgoing blur the lines between craft and concept in experimental designs that have the potential for greater application
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Discover the alchemy of American artists Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
The work of Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, prized by collectors of 20th-century American art, is the subject of a new book by gallerist Evan Lobel; he tells us more
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Sarah Solis’ first furniture collection is an homage to art deco
‘Is it weird to call furniture sexy?’ Los Angeles-based designer Sarah Solis discusses her debut furniture line and new brand and store, Galerie Solis
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Three sleek new design showrooms you need to see in Los Angeles
Three international design showrooms have started a retail design boom in Los Angeles. Here are the stores to put on your radar
By Carole Dixon Published