Inspirations

Interwoven Design

In the hands of Sopheap Pich, rattan and bamboo are transformed into airy structures, with tactile textures and three-dimensional effects thanks to an old technique that calls for expert craftsman-ship and a love of natural materials. The Cambodian artist’s works are part of a rich and multi-faceted panorama of creations linked to the theme of weaving, from which come fascinating inspi-rations for designs of fabric-effect surfaces.

His compositions, with exposed joints and abstract forms achieved through the finest weaving, are the expression of a design linked to the expressiveness of natural materials which is echoed in architecture, albeit at different latitudes.

In the virtuoso bamboo creations of Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and in the constructions of Bolivian Simon Velez, for example. In the field of design, the appeal of woven textures has inspired not only unique or limited edition pieces of art-design, often arising out of collaborations between talented artisans, such as Brazilians Fernando and Humberto Campana and the Dutch Esmé Hofman, but also furniture such as the SuperElastica chair in reed by Giuseppe Raboni and Marco Zanuso Jr.

Glamora Diary Inspirations Interwoven Design Sopheap Pich — Delta, 2007, rattan and wire, 341x478x70 cm. Courtesy of NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore.

Today, the technique of weaving lies at the intersection between traditional craft, digital practice and 3D printing, but even in its boldest interpretations it maintains its own historic aesthetic features of texture and structural rigour. It is astonishing to find furniture in the Turin Egyptian Museum, discovered in a tomb dating back to 1600 BC, using the same style of honeycomb woven cane as the nineteenth-century Thonet chair.

Wall Structure No. 2, 2015, bamboo, rattan and wire, 252x192x21cm. Courtesy of Sopheap Pich Studio.

The compositions and textures of certain items in the Glamora collections reference this rich panorama of artistic experiences, of first class collaborations between designers and artisans, of testaments to the past. Tatami is inspired by the simple, sober design of the Fusuma vertical panels of traditional Japanese houses; Tangle incorporates geometric backgrounds with different surfaces, from the classic Viennese cane to denser weaves; Intreccio’s architectural separation of the space recalls wood panelling incorporating woven cane; Convivium recalls the combination of frames in natural materials and marble-effect surfaces.

This is always done with the aim of covering walls with an original mark, with material themes and inspirations that bring other places to mind, in a fertile meeting of different cultures and traditions.