Materials :
Plywood, felt, Bonded foam, Leather, Black Mdf, Solid memory foam,
Turned wooden feet, non skid
Manufacturer : Self production, Partner DHG
Location : Paris / France
Year : 2016-2017
« LE STYLOBATE,
LE REPOSANT,
LA TÊTE,
LE BLOC D’HÉRODOTE,
& LE PLI » With the new collection of Cédric Canaud bodies are showed and presented like moving images. The second collection of this young designer is dedicated this time to the ‘seated’, collective or individual. The collection creates a gathering point and pushes forward the "in common" or "in parallel". Thought and made by assembling objects and space, the collection “Le Stylobate … “ is composed of 5 elements interrelated answering to one question or a need and linked to the seated of the installed body, resting or in activity. Contained "in common" or "in parallel", every piece is developed individually and at the same time linked to his neighbour form accomplice.
They assemble to form the wanted space…
So, the "Stylobate" base is in Mdf teinted in the mass and plywood has to be installed, alone. It remains raw and to be completed. We can then add, for example : "Un bloc d'hérodote", backrest or armrest with a leather handle, Mdf teinted, agglomerated foam and a cover of wool felt, that will form the backrests and armrests, you can then continue the assembly of the pieces and so on. "Le stylobate" is perched on feet of 45cm high. It's proposed in 2 lengths, 100cm and 150cm, to settle in alone or with others. Other elements such "Le reposant", articulated carbon foam mattress covered with a silicone skin, creates flexible seating surfaces either on the "Le stylobate" or on the floor.
The last two elements are forms of agreement of comfort improvement: "La tête" is a cushion with random forms made of extracted blocs, rubbles of a mousse bloc that memorises forms teinted in the mass, on wich we apply a wooden rivet in order to pass a climbing cord to simulate a handle. And finally "Les plis" plaid with two different size: a little onr for the knees made of a folded wool felt sheet and fixed on its diagonal and another one much bigger for the legs also in folded wool felt sheet but this time fixed on the horizontal. Each piece is assembled to form a single or two-seater seat. From the armchair to the méridienne, the elements move on the stylobate to reply to differents needs and positions of the body in activity. The space of the user is created according to his needs of the moment. This space is moving, it changes with our movements, the armrest must move, right now, it can, it must then go back to his original position or another and it will also be able to.
The elements forming the collection accompany the body in its installation and in its changes of positions activities. The bodies are all close one to another while being able to be independant. Here we don't all stack in the same sofa, side by side or knees to knees, everyone can build their space according to their needs: "Le stylobate" can spread on the ground to infinity. The installation of the five elements together creates a deployable, moving space, flexible according to their activities, common or individually. There is no predefined departure dorm, the possibilities of assembly are infinite and depend only on the number of rooms and the available space. Here, the idea of the seated has been broken down into questions: What do you need to be good? Frome ach question arises an object/answer separated from each other by offering the possibility of a moving space. The seated is connected to the architecture context welcoming the whole and the daily meeds of the users. The name of each element comes from an architectural, pictorial or sculptural glossary, the backrests and armrests are "Le bloc d'hérodote", the seated surface "Le stylobate", the cushion "la tête", the mattress "Le reposant" and the plaid "Les plis"
These parts could be seen as supports for bodies, a space to be put down: to support them, raise the head, the pelvis, the back, the legs. Each element lends itself to play to match the shapes of the bodies. Small anecdote, there's in our attitudes and our postures a false semblance to the Olympia of manet. There are lot of talks about the importance of the activity, but rest is a beatiful aesthetic-why not expose yourself in this space, to be seen whil louging in his sofa thinking we are Olympia or these Canal+ pinups of the 90s. Everyone has his own thing and its object.
Materials that plays and staged in order to expose their quality and suggest behaviours. The support, rigid with wood is a stable base, the soft and comfort is named by the touch of the foam, where the body will be in contact. An you can 'catch' with the handle and the cord. hawever we play here with this perception, "le reposant" seems to be made of stone or marble plates, but it's soft by it's touch.The foam is covered here with a silicone skin with alternating patterns between dripping and different types of minerals, "Le reposant" expose itself as a hard surface that proves to be flexible and soft. The same for "La tête" with it's appearance of stone rubble. "Les plis" are made of wool fet, folding a sheet multiplies the thickness, a particular sewing, partial, allows this sheet to remain flexible while maintaining a certain siftness, the big ones can form a shell in which you can slip, like a mini hut. This game with perceptions leads to a tactile experience. These objects are there to come into contact with us and our bodies. They are objects to live, their appearances are deceptive and they reveal their potential during the contact. Thanks to the materails an perception games they are both sculptural and alive. They name this idea of exibition, of display, they make a living landscape in which to slip, which will keep track of our passage, our position.
Precious partners :A big thank you to Dhg (Italian felt manufacturer) and the Instants chavirés (Montreuil) who supported us materially and logistically in this project.
@Cédric Canaud - 2016/2017