The Bouroullec brothers’ ’Album’ show, Bordeaux

They are known for their designs for the likes of Vitra, Magis and Cappellini, so you'd be forgiven for a expecting another polished selection of products from the Bouroullec brothers at their latest show in Bordeaux. But there's not a new chair or lighting design in sight at the Arc en Rêve Architecture Centre. Instead, the exhibition space's walls are given up to some 800 documents, photographs, sketches and mock-up outlines taken from the Ronan and Erwan's archives, giving a rare glimpse into the minds behind the hugely successful designs.
Titled 'Album', the show is about 'translating the multiplicity of what we do in a panoramic set up,' they say. Despite the wealth of material on display, no hierarchy is given to individual items, whether they relate to industrial projects, galleries, architectural designs or research projects, and all are framed in the same way. An entire wall is even given over to a hundred drawings of chairs that made it into production.
From what looks like doodles with felt tip pens, through to photographs of their latest designs for Alessi, the exhibition acts as a kind of treasure trail through the creative world of the French duo.
The exhibition is about ’translating the multiplicity of what we do in a panoramic set up,’ they say
Despite the wealth of material on display, no hierarchy is given to individual items, whether they relate to industrial projects, galleries, architectural designs or research projects, and all are framed in the same way
One wall of the show is even given over to chairs that never made it into production
A sketch of a chair
A photograph of the Ovale collection by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Alessi, 2010
A sketch of a chair
A photograph of the ’Vegetal’ chair by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra, 2008
The Axor Bouroullec bathroom collection, 2010, which won our Best Bathroom award
ADDRESS
Arc en Rêve Architecture Centre
Entrepôt 7 rue Ferrère 33000 Bordeaux
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Malaika Byng is an editor, writer and consultant covering everything from architecture, design and ecology to art and craft. She was online editor for Wallpaper* magazine for three years and more recently editor of Crafts magazine, until she decided to go freelance in 2022. Based in London, she now writes for the Financial Times, Metropolis, Kinfolk and The Plant, among others.
-
In Wales, Michelin-starred Gorse celebrates the country’s abundant larder
Gorse is the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Cardiff, putting Welsh cuisine on the map. We speak with chef and founder Tom Waters about the importance of keeping culinary traditions alive
By Tianna Williams
-
Ludmilla Balkis’ organic, earthy ceramics embody the Basque countryside
The sculptor-ceramicist presents a series inspired by and created from found natural objects in a New York exhibition
By Anna Solomon
-
At this secret NYC hangout, the drinks are strong and the vibes are stronger
For People's bar, Workstead serves up a good time
By Anna Fixsen