U.S. furniture company Jean de Merry presents the second capsule collection of modernist, sculptural art furniture by designer and maker Azadeh Shladovsky.
Shladovskys premier furniture line, introduced in 2011, was well received by such designers as Michael S. Smith, Peter Marino and Victoria Hagen; garnered rave reviews by U.S. and international press; and was lauded by the prestigious Architectural Digest, France in its special edition 2012 Collectors Issue.
Her second capsule collection is called DE+ (pronounced De Plus).
Founder of her eponymous, Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary design firm, Shladovsky explores her unique relationship with nature. Her perspective is informed by the forces inherent in her wood medium. Using forms and structures present in the wood as guidance, Shladovsky adds an element of tension with brass and other metals. Opposing forces of soft and hard, lustrous and matte, organic and linear create a drama of contrasts, which reinforce the integral character of the individual materials.
“The pieces in the DE+ collection are an expression of my personal evolution, the way I see the world and interact with it,” she says. “My first collection was rooted in the forces of tension that exist in the natural world, forces that are beyond human control; forces that we try and resist and often struggle with. With De+, the theme of tension and control is explored from a different perspective and poses a new question: ‘What happens when one doesn’t resist tension or try to control it, accepts it and maybe even embraces the tension and struggle?'”
De+ is a collection of 10 pieces that serves to straddle decorative and contemporary art definitions. The forms created are mindful gestures that are seemingly simple at first glance, but after thoughtful reflection are complex, addressing the inherent juxtapositions that exist in the question of controlling tension. Translating these concepts visually, Shladovsky uses basic geometrical forms to exist without manipulation, exploring relationships between opposing forms.
As Shladovsky says, “When we allow these stronger forces to exist without manipulation, we are able to really ‘see’ and become aware of moments that engage are beyond just what’s seen.”
For more info, visit http://www.jeandemerry.com/