Normal Studio design élémentaire / Les Arts Décoratifs museum 2010
A THREE-PART EXHIBITION
The Normal Studio, Elemental Design
exhibition clearly explains their way of
conceiving design. The term âelementalâ,
meaning that which concerns a first
or original element or that which is
part of the original, inherent nature
of substances or primordial forces,
perfectly sums up their approach to
design.
The exhibition design the duo has devised
aims to show the procedures they use
to generate forms. The exhibition has
three sections.
The two-tier Rack in the middle of the
room displays some twenty finished
designs produced over the last three
years. They include the pieces for Tolix
(trestles, benches, furniture, etc.)
and new designs such as their Passive
Cooling project using terracotta for
ENO, based on conservation techniques
researched in Africa. There is also the
office furniture they designed for the
Danish manufacturer Hay, a technical
tour de force via folded metal sheet
with a sliding system replacing the door
and drawer hinges.
The ten metre-long wall opposite the
Rack is devoted to production processes
which, stripped down and analysed,
provide a kind of x-ray and entry into
the reality of the duoâs design work.
The formal dimension they have given
this wall helps illustrate the idea that
fundamentals and form are inextricably
linked in their work.
La Nuée des possibles, at the end of the
exhibition space is composed of a mass
of images, exploratory drawings and the
inspirational objects brought back from
their travels which have nourished and
enriched Normal Studioâs work.
Normal Studio won several awards
in 2009, including the Elle Déco
design award, the Label VIA for their
âSurfacesâ collection for Tolix, and the
Designerâs Days âEntreprise / Designerâ
award for the exemplarity of their work
for Tolix. Normal Studio were one of
the ten designers chosen by Starck,
Maison&Objet Creator of the Year 2010,
to answer the question: What are we
lacking today? Their reply: âNothing.
One just has to learn how to look.â