The new pieces designed by Daphna Laurens and presented in the ‘Cirkel’ exhibition at Galerie Gosserez are all based on the same shape: the circle. ‘Fantasy embellishes the object by encircling it, and, as it were, illuminating it from within with those precious images of which it reminds us or to which we feel an instinctive connection.’ Luigi Pirandello, 1904.
The two designers tested their ideas by playing with this elementary shape for months in their studio in Eindhoven thus producing their preliminary drawings. Basic forms and lines inspired them. Bauhaus was of course one of their sources of inspiration, and Laszlo Moholy Nagy in particular inspired the wall lights. Daphna Laurens wanted to create a wall light which was an art piece during the day when not lit, and of course a functional wall light once switched on.
This double formal and functional language best characterises the two designers incidentally. Their pieces do not immediately reveal the function of the object. The form comes first, through the design, the function is second. The mirrors and the coffee table thus result from a meticulous collage of forms, adding or removing lines, volumes and surfaces to accomplish these objects which have formal beauty as well as being functional of which the table is emblematic: the circle is manipulated here in every form, extruded, twisted, … to offer a double function: storage and a table. Whilst the lamp for leaning against the wall is a little creature which is looking through the walls to the other side, completes a collection with humour reserved for strangely inhabited everyday objects.

DESIGNER: Daphna Laurens, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. LOCATION: Galerie Gosserez, 3 rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris. DATE: 24th November 2011 to 14th January 2012. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.