Side Gallery

Floor lamp
From the series "The Metamorphosis"
Manufactured by Tadeas Podracky
Prague, 2020
Mixed media, plastic, textile, wood, car lights, metal, foam

Measurements
230 cm x 100 cm x 120 cm
90,55 in x 39,37 in x 47,24 in

Concept
"The design has rendered our environment impersonable. Living in the prefabricated houses and occupied by mass-produced furniture we spend most of the day escaping to the virtual worlds. Through the questioning construction methods, putting the emphasize on the authenticity and revaluing material's ability to reveal characters, I propose a new methodology of making - a reformulated approach to design that is based on emotional decisions, unpredictability and expression. Ultimately, The Metamorphosis collection seeks to enhance the emotional bond to our surrounding environment.
To reveal the materials' character, I came up with the "Creating through Destroying" methodology. My understanding of Destruction is de ned as the in nite loop when destruction and creation are the one entity that renews itself. By working with glass for over 10 years, I have learned that Destruction has become a craft by repetitive usage with clearly de ned limits. But sometimes, when the limits are acciden- tally exceeded, it leads to a better understanding of the material which can even improve the technique. I have researched this point of uncontrolled destroying in order to nd the new perspectives of materiality. In the Metamorphosis of Gerrit Rietveld's iconic chair I worked with handicraft techniques that can not be entirely under control such as the pouring of colors and plastics, cutting and grinding with a chain saw or another tools, using the o cuts and sawdust as building material. My goal was to reach the unpredictabili- ty; I did not design the object's appearance at rst, but it was the outcome of quick decisions and a reac- tion to the material and object itself. It could be read as an iconoclasm or a critique on modernism, which is undoubtedly partially true, but I aimed to create a dialog between me and modernist icon in order to learn and be able to relate to it.
The environment that is surrounding us plays a crucial role in our behaviors and the current COVID 19 a airs has showed us how important it is to rethink our personal space. It is essential to connect with our surroundings intellectually, but now more than ever, it is crucial to research ways how to connect physically and emotionally too."