Puzzle Me This
As children, we stacked blocks, gnawed on toys, rolled balls. Our understanding of objects was tangible. As we grow up, more and more, objects become things to look at rather than touch. German product and exhibition design, Katrin Sonnleither, isn’t interested in making things that sit untouched on shelves; her designs rely on interaction.
What results are tables that fold and twist into different shapes, floor rugs made from rubber puzzle pieces, or a cupboard like a Mary Poppins bag – the door leads not to not to a similarly proportioned wooden cabinet, but a santa sack attached to the back. As someone who’s sense of tidying is pretty much opening a closet, throwing stuff in and closing the door again, I laughed with how ingenious this storage system is.
Sonnleitner plays with objects, spaces, and existing ideas in order to find unexpected interpretations of the familiar. Often, these subversions have a quirky sense of humour, like the Puzzleperser rug – which looks like a pixilated Persian rug when assembled posing questions about authenticity in a tongue and cheek manner.
Katrin Sonnleitner will be speaking at the upcoming SemiPermanent design symposium, and her work is included in a touring international design exhibition somewhat different: Contemporary Design and the Power of Convention on at Shed 10, 90 Wellesley St, between 31 July – 29 August. urbis
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