Salone del Moble.Milano 2024
≪Pointillisme≫
Freeing Furniture From Its Original Form
Salone del Moble.Milano 2024
≪Pointillisme≫
Freeing Furniture From Its Original Form
Every April, Milan, Italy hosts the Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest furniture fair. It attracts professionals from across the globe who shape the product and interior design industries. In 2024, DAFT about DRAFT made its second appearance at the event, following its debut the previous year.
The theme chosen was “Pointillisme.” We wanted to express it using light across the entire space, creating an installation with around 13,000 transparent spheres suspended from a mirrored ceiling. The 5 cm diameter spheres, arranged at equal intervals, scattered light in all directions, revealing different expressions depending on the viewing angle. The intersecting rows of spheres guided the viewer’s gaze along radiating lines, creating a sense of depth. For the first time, I was able to experience how the human gaze directly links to the object of attention. Surrounding this installation were 16 pieces of DAFT about DRAFT furniture, though in some ways, the furniture itself seemed to play a secondary role in the presentation.
The gradation of diffuse reflections of light falling in a radial pattern is another device that gives movement to the space.
Amidst a trend that feels closed off, the installation stands out in a particularly striking way, and passersby stop in their tracks, take out their smartphones and take pictures. This is the same as when you see a beautiful landscape or delicious-looking food and want to take a picture of it.
Each time I’ve visited the Salone del Mobile in recent years, I’ve noticed that the commercial aspects are becoming more dominant. The element of playfulness seems to be slowly fading away. In fact, the name "DAFT about DRAFT" comes from the desire to create designs that are free, playful, and full of humor—hence the phrase "daft about," which means to be crazy or passionate about something.
Creating living spaces that evoke scenes from everyday life by staging furniture in settings that resemble a living room or bedroom can feel simplistic and dull. Instead, I want to place furniture in a context that disconnects it from its conventional role. This exhibition has prompted me to reconsider how to infuse playfulness into my designs.
Miki Kikuchi
Furniture exists only when there is a space and people in it. We wanted to show the interest of the space by using the entire space, not just the furniture.
To keep the focus on the radiating spheres, I chose to arrange the furniture around them instead of interrupting the visual flow.
I tackled this project from a somewhat unconventional angle, yet I often find myself contemplating how this has always been a part of my creative process.
If you were to ask me why I pursued this, my honest answer would be, ‘Because it’s engaging.'
Initially, I had the idea of placing furniture atop clusters of pampas grass, reminiscent of the Senjōgahara marshland, located in Nikko. In the end, the final concept turned out entirely different, with none of those original elements remaining.
Elegant and cozy at the same time. The “play of contradictions” in which two different elements coexist is one of his specialties in design expression.
When people see something beautiful or are moved by something, they unconsciously want to point their camera at it and capture themselves in it. This behavior evokes positive emotions.
At events such as the Salone del Mobile, I want to foster a sense of it being a ‘celebration,’ steering clear of an overly commercial mindset.
Rather than passively accepting coordinated designs, I think it’s worthwhile to delve into the process of selecting captivating elements in a more liberated manner.
While photographing my furniture designs, placing them in surprising contexts, like the coast, offers a more dynamic and compelling atmosphere than traditional domestic settings.
