Menu Close

The Knockoff Show pt. 2

Madeleine Parsons
Works on View: 

River, Hiroko Takeda
Cotton, Linen, Monofilament, Mohair
(2) 49"L x 25.5"W x 2.25"D

Boe Bebop Lounge, Studio Paolo Ferrari x Hiroko Takeda
White washed white oak, Cotton
36"W x 36"H

To Disappear into the Trees, Sarah Sherman Samuel
Plaster, Oak, Pine
6"W x 6"H per piece

The Knockoff Show on view through June 5 M-F 12-6 PM

To The Source

The Knockoff Show tasked designers to identify a source of inspiration from the past (see below) and create an entirely new piece of work (see above)...

Hiroko Takeda


Hiroko Takeda drew inspiration from the Japanese technique of boro, a practice of reworking and repairing textiles through piercing, patching and stitching for her diptych River. For this new work, Takeda improvised with various weave structures to create rhythm, movement and depth. A fine plaid pattern and line drawing in the textile’s ground morphs into irregular organic-shaped motifs of various dimensions and textures.  Showing alongside River is the piece’s inspiration source, a collection of textiles gifted by Takeda’s friend Stephen Szczepanek at Sri Threads, a textile showroom specializing in antique Japanese folk textiles. 

“I am inspired by the improvisational composition of boro, the layering and combinations of fragments, innocent stitching and patterns. And this beauty is born from necessity—the need to mend and reuse. Boro pulls me into its universe and fascinates me.”

-Hiroko Takeda

Studio Paolo Ferrari


The Boe Bebop Lounge, Studio Paolo Ferrari’s newest collaboration with textile artist Hiroko Takeda, is an extension of the duo’s creative journey as collaborators. Studio Paolo Ferrari takes inspiration from the collaborations between architect Pierre Chareau and textile artist Jean Lucrat and the resulting body of unexpectedly lyrical and beautifully eccentric work that blurs the lines between functionalism and artistry. In early discussions between Ferrari and Takeda, the designers considered expressing textile as structure, with their concept evolving into an exploration of the painterly, inspired by the work of Milton Avery.

Sarah Sherman Samuel


Sarah Sherman Samuel’s sculpture, To Disappear into the Trees, draws from Charlotte Perriand’s CP1 sconces. Inspired both by the modularity of these sconces and by how Perriand’s lighting is used as an architectural element in an interior space, Samuel worked with plaster and wood to address these themes in her own work of art. Each piece can be viewed singularly but is shown grouped together as a larger installation.  Similar to a CP1 sconce disappearing into the hard architectural lines of its surrounding, Samuel’s pieces are meant to do the same, but with the backdrop being that of the natural world rather than Perriand’s industrial settings.

The Knockoff Show pt. 1

Madeleine Parsons
Works on View: 

Lindsey Adams, Bec Brittain
Oil rubbed bronze, Hand-painted ivory globes
69"L x 46"W x 56"H

Off-Grid Credenza, Grain 
FSC certified solid American ash
72"L x 20.5"W x 30"H

Bend/Arc Desk, KWH Furniture
White oak, Brass, Leather
60"L x 27"W x 30"H

The Knockoff Show on view through June 5 M-F 12-6 PM

To The Source

The Knockoff Show tasked designers to identify a source of inspiration from the past (see below) and create an entirely new piece of work (see above)...

bec brittain

Lindsey Adams takes inspiration from Lindsey Adelman’s Branching Bubble, a ubiquitous design that has a personal link for Bec Brittain who left Adelman’s studio to form her solo practice twelve years ago. Named after Lindsey’s maiden name “Adams”, the piece exhibited is just as much a knockoff as it is an homage to Brittain’s past and early career in the lighting industry. Alongside Branching Bubble, Brittain also drew from a project she began back in 2013, where she created freeform shapes with lines of SHY bulbs. 

“Both Lindsey and I rely heavily on "systems" of parts that can be put together in a countless number of ways.  This knock off is substituting my kit of parts for hers, making analogies along the way. Her lines are tubes, my lines are the light bulbs. Her bulbs are globes, mine are the double diamond FKA Themis shapes.”

- Bec Brittain

KWH FURNITURE

The Bend/Arc Desk by KWH Furniture finds inspiration in an unlikely source, a trash can. Kai-wei Hsu came upon this particular trash can, made by Bottega Ghianda and designed by Emanuela Frattini Magnussion, back in 2016. Made up of multiple bent laminate verticals joined together at the corners for strength, each spoke of the Bend/Arc Desk is a singular component in its complex form.

Grain

Grain’s Off Grid Credenza takes inspiration from the distinctive checkerboard pattern and functional pivot hinge of a Door for an Inner Room made in the late 19th century by an unnamed Baule artist in what is now the Ivory Coast. Found within the pages of African Art in the Barnes Foundation, it was not the beautifully carved bird, crocodile and mask motifs on the front of the door that drew designers Chelsea and James Minola in, but instead the tactility of the imperfect check pattern on the door’s rear. With the check pattern originating as far back as 10,000 BC as a by-product of the textile weaving process, the Off-Grid Credenza shows reverence for its rich history and inspiration while still creating a functional piece of furniture for contemporary interiors.

“We know that the work that we make is never just ours. We know this first and foremost because we have always worked in partnership with each other, our employees and even the expertise of our vendors. We know this because we often can’t remember where something started or whose idea initiated the conversation. It is always a result of our collective lived experience and often it is hard to pull apart where inspiration stops and origination begins.”

- Chelsea Minola

Countdown to Knockoff: In the Mood for Melancholia

Madeleine Parsons

For this year's group exhibit, we tasked our designers to identify a source of inspiration and create something original in its wake. In anticipation of The Knockoff Show, we will share artists's whose work has reverberated for generations in beautifully unexpected ways. RSVP to the May 18th opening reception here. 

Wong Kar-wai doesn’t follow the rules. No storyboards, no rehearsals, no fleshed out scripts. This intense level of improvisation compels the casts of his dreamy, nonlinear films to rely on their instincts to mold a given scene, the way a bird builds a nest. It’s this reverence towards intuition which embeds his films with emotional truth, cutting to the core of human experience through the reflex behaviors we’re conditioned out of past infancy.

A darling of the second wave, Kar-wai got his start as a screenwriter before pivoting into directing. The results of his fly by the seat of your pants approach, combined with a historically dogged resolve (he shot 30 hours of unused footage for In the Mood For Love) has won him the admiration of cinefiles everywhere. His filmography is a striking, sometimes loopy, heart-pounding testament to what gold can be spun from trusting your gut.

Image Credits: 

In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai, 2000
Chungking Express, Wong Kar-wai, 1994
Happy Together, Wong Kar-wai 1997

 

RSVP TO THE KNOCKOFF SHOW BELOW

MAY 18 | 6-9 PM

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

TRACES OF

If we could we dream in the style of Wong Kar-wai or these three auteurs...

Barry Jenkins

Famed arbiter of the triumphant coalescence of blues and emotional punch that is Moonlight. 

Sofia Coppola

Coppola's distinct nuanced minimalism won her an oscar for Lost in Translation (she thanks Wong Kar-wai for his inspiration in her acceptance speech).

 Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Thai director known for his lyrical renders of the quotidian in his films. 

Countdown to Knockoff: Purple Rain brings May Flowers

Madeleine Parsons

For this year's group exhibit, we tasked our designers to identify a source of inspiration and create something original in its wake. In anticipation of The Knockoff Show, we will share artists's whose work has reverberated for generations in beautifully unexpected ways. RSVP to the May 18th opening reception here. 

We’ve all worn Prince songs like diamonds down the street. That feeling when the sidewalk becomes a catwalk. Prince innately understood and embodied the profundity of art, knowing it to be inseparable from life. An androgynous provocateur who lived his truth before it was a hashtag to do so, his lyrics were so shocking to Tipper Gore, then Senator Al Gore’s wife, that the Parental Advisory Label was born. His transgressive catalog is a testament to a trailblazing career, spent chasing the high of experimental genesis. Gone too soon, his work is an inspiring engine of individualism and touchstone to would-be rebels everywhere.

Image Credits: 

Portrait, The Prince Estate photo by Jeff Katz
Performing "Baby, I'm a Star" at the 27th Grammys, CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images,  1985
Prince on Tour for Purple Rain, The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock, 1985

 

RSVP TO THE KNOCKOFF SHOW BELOW

MAY 18 | 6-9 PM

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

TRACES OF

Vanguards in their own right, we think Prince would feel right at home with these three artists...

Lil Nas X

Country Rap artist Lil Nas X is known for his show stopping looks and the provocative videos accompanying his genre-blurring hits.  

Janelle Monáe

A protege of Prince himself, Monáe's R&B style is futuristic, playful, and at times, fiery.

Olivier Rousteing

As creative director of Balmain for over a decade, Rousteing brings resplendence to ready to wear. 

Countdown to Knockoff: A Sculptor So Impactful She’s On A Postage Stamp

Madeleine Parsons

For this year's group exhibit, we tasked our designers to identify a source of inspiration and create something original in its wake. In anticipation of The Knockoff Show, we will share artists's whose work has reverberated for generations in beautifully unexpected ways. RSVP to the May 18th opening reception here. 

There is a weightlessness to the ecstatic looped wire sculptures of Ruth Asawa, like rivulets of medieval armor somehow suspended in a breeze. Hand woven by the the artist in a painstaking process that left her with constant cuts on her hands, Asawa's work has been revered for decades. 

During her time attending North Carolina's avant-garde Black Mountain College, Asawa first developed her style, which continued to evolve for half a century thereafter, working with galvanized wire, stone, and bronze. Asawa's legacy is more than the sculptural forms we so admire, she was a lifelong activist and advocate for arts education, believing that dedication to be integral to her post. Her vision and commitment has inspired generations of students, artists, and novices; so much so that the weaving workshop taught by her daughter had to be disbanded after an influx of knockoffs hit the art market. Yet for every work relying on imitation, there are countless others that take inspiration from Asawa's buoyant forms while remaining wholly original.

Image Credits: 

Installation view, Ruth Asawa: A Line Can Go Anywhere, David Zwirner, London 2020

Ruth and Her Wire Sculpture, Photo by Imogen Cunningham,  2020 Imogen Cunningham Trust

Untitled (S.590, Hanging Open Undulating Form), Ruth Asawa, c.1960 

 

RSVP TO THE KNOCKOFF SHOW BELOW

MAY 18 | 6-9 PM

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

TRACES OF

We can see a nod to Asawa's legacy in the inventive works of the three artists below...

Korakot Aromdee

Thai designer Korakot Aromdee marries traditional techniques with contemporary forms; weaving bamboo and hemp ropes with sublime results.  

KENDALL BUSTER

Diaphonous, podlike, and striking a distinctively naturalistic tenor, artist Kendall Buster's Double Chalice is made architectural through exaggerated scale.

Doug Johnston

Sitting at the intersection of art and design, Doug Johnston's work is focused on a process of coiling and stitching rope using industrial sewing machines and is often made in collaboration with his partner, Tomoe Matsuoka. 

Save the Date: The Knockoff Show

Madeleine Parsons

One quick lap around our gallery here at Colony, brimming with the ingenuity of 17 North American independent designers, is enough to dispel the maxim that nothing is original. We’ve asked our cohort for an ardent and generative rebuttal to a bitter reality of our business.

A group exhibition opening May 18, 6-9 PM. We hope you can join us!

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

Notes From The Curator, Spring 2023

jeanlin

This spring we saw the launch four beloved new designers.

Scheibe Design, Nate and Tres (Nate's dad) from Nashville first came into my periphery back in 2018 when we did our Coast to Coast tour with Design Milk. To be honest, Nate wasn't quite ready for the Colony stage at that point. But persistence, an appetite for critique, and a positive perspective got him here five years later, and I couldn't be happier for it. 

SSS Atelier is the first self-produced furniture collection from Sarah Sherman Samuel, an absolute force of a woman who, as I can't help but constantly remind her, is kinda famous. Before meeting her, I was mystified by her unstoppable trajectory. But the mystery has since been solved. Sarah works hard and demands perfection. Her pieces reflect this rigor but they are also a portrait of the joy that Sarah brings to her work. The furniture is beautiful and undeniably approachable, and I think they are impossible not to love.

And then there are Alexis & Ginger and Marmar Studio, our most ambitious experiment to date. Since August, 2022, we have been hosting Ingemar Hagen-Keith, Alexis Tingey and Ginger Gordon for our inaugural Designer's Residency. Alexis and Ginger were fresh out of RISD with masters in furniture design. I was invited to teach a semester of their grad studio, and Alexis and Ginger shined. Their exuberant talent, their work and their work ethic made it an easy decision to ask them whether they wanted to join us as our first ever designer residents.

We first met Ingemar in 2017 when they were a student at RISD as well. I did a remote lecture and appreciated the sounds of approval that were coming from just off my screen. "Whoever was sitting *there" (pointing just down and right of my screened head) I said. "Thank you." An email came a few weeks later from that person I couldn't see, applying for an internship. They were a lovely intern, so much so that we hired Ingemar back full time a few years later. As much as I valued Ingemar as our employee, I was excited to offer the residency to them and give them the opportunity to fulfill what I knew was their dream to start Marmar Studio in earnest.

At Colony, we have a foundational imperative to support and celebrate emerging independent American designers. In recent years, my work in design education as a professor at both Parsons and RISD has inspired me to explore new ways to provide a bridge from designers in their nascency to professional practice. Starting one’s own studio is an enormous undertaking both creatively and financially, and a privilege that is not always afforded to many immensely talented designers. My hope is that this program allows more voices to shine, and more young designers to feel supported enough to take the leap into creating work that is wholly their own. 

If you are a designer with dreams of starting your own thing, I encourage you to apply for our next Residency. You can learn more about it here and you can download the application here.

I continually told the Residents as we were nearing the finish line to their show opening, this wasn't the end, it was just the beginning. I am so excited to share everything that's to come with you all. Thank you, as always, for following along our journey of growth here at Colony.

-Jean Lin

Spec Sheet: The Source Console Table No. 3

Madeleine Parsons

The Source Console Table No. 3 is inspired by the exceptional craftsmanship and architecture of Armenia. Anna Aristova and Roza Gazarian, the creative team at A Space, create one-of-a-kind objects inviting their viewers to connect with the most primal nature of its elements.

Hand-carved by two local masters in volcanic Black Tuff, The Source Console Table No. 3 balances the heft of materiality with the delicacy of light emanating from its slatted voids. While the porous material offers a visual density akin to stone, its subtle flecks and matte surface provide a softened, distinctive quality. We've neither seen nor felt anything quite like it before. 

Notes

Standard Materials: Black Tuff
Dimensions: 55"L x 10"W x 32"H
Custom dimensions & finishes available.
Lead time: 14-16 weeks

INQUIRE

MORE OF

Not composed of volcanic ash, but equally compelling alternatives: 

Cumberland Console Table

Triadic legs in bleached ash serving equal parts sculptural and functional. 

Movement Dining Table

If you are lucky enough to be blessed with a spacious entry way, the Movement Table makes a shapely statement. 

Repeat/Arc Console

An intricate layered arc detail extends the entire profile. 

Meet our Residents: Alexis & Ginger, Marmar Studio

Madeleine Parsons

The final countdown commences as we prepare for the Designer’s Residency Show this Thursday April 6th, 6-9PM unveiling the debut collections of our first class of residents. We ask that you join us as the design world embraces these three exquisitely talented, young designers launching their independent studios: Marmar Studio and Alexis & Ginger. We sat down with Ginger Gordon, Alexis Tingey, and Ingemar Hagen-Keith for a quick download ahead of the big night. 

RSVP HERE

ALEXIS & GINGER

Ginger and Alexis met in grad school at RISD and knew immediately that they wanted to work together; they each have a design process heavily predicated on research.

What was the design process like for the Ode collection?

A&G: We began by going to the NYPL picture stacks and sifting through the endless trove of folders filled with images of lace, gloves, architectural details, greek urns, and portraiture from every era. We find inspiration in the smallest details and the largest forms. Lines, textures, and materials are collaged, like the images we pull, as new forms slowly begin to reveal themselves.

What was your vision for this collection/your studio?

A&G: We were interested in creating objects embedded with moments of the past, sharing stories through abstraction and composition of materials. Each piece is a keepsake, an ode to the silhouettes of architecture and the under-celebrated details of tapestry. 

What are your favorite materials to work with?

A&G: The best part about making furniture is that you are never required to stick to one medium. Materials and their different capabilities and qualities draw us to push our designs and to think of new ways to incorporate them. Light and shadow, heavy contrast, is something we are always looking to capture in our work. By mixing materials we are able to create this weighted balance.

INQUIRE

 

MARMAR STUDIO

Ingemar, how would you describe your personal and design style?

I: In one word, Fruity. 

What were your influences for Pet Collection?

I: The design process focused so much on the immediacy of attraction to an object. I wanted to follow my instincts and see the collection as what made meaning of those instincts, rather than using a framework to build something from. I think some of my greatest influences are the animals in my life, both in the joy they bring me and their beautiful forms and expressions.

Describe the moment this collection came into focus for you.

I: Quite honestly, when I finished the Clog Lounger. It was the piece I began with and the last piece I completed. Of all the pieces, it had the most iterations, and I think it is the product of everything I have learned making this collection.

INQUIRE

At Large: Introducing the Colony Residents

Madeleine Parsons

The excitement is building here at Colony as we prepare for the much anticipated Designer’s Residency Show on April 6th. Throughout their eight month tenure, our three immensely talented residents have worked tirelessly to produce their respective first studio collections; the fruits of their labor are even more spectacular than we could have imagined. 

Founded by Ingemar Hagen-Keith, Marmar Studio unites the practical and the fanciful with Pet Collection. The Pippi Nightstand, a playfully abstract interpretation of Hagen-Keith’s cat, highlights the intersection of smooth curves and crisp edges while the Noon Valet follows the recurring theme of animation in inanimate objects, with its circular cut outs casting unique and dynamic shadows that wax and wane throughout the day.

Alexis & Ginger is the namesake design studio led by Alexis Tingey and Ginger Gordon; together they present their inaugural collection, Ode, inspired by the delicate balance of weight in materiality, form, and color. An alluring inlay of mother of pearl undulates around the India ink dyed wooden base of the New Morning Side Table, beckoning a closer examination of moments often overlooked. Similarly with the Tower of Song Light, the hand pleated and cut ivory shade recalls architectural forms and details of tapestry.

Believe us when we say these collections in their entirety will live rent free in your brain until they can live in your home.

 

Notes

Further details forthcoming
Customizations available

RSVP HERE

INQUIRE