Lærke Ryom — Garments
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
Garments by Lærke Ryom continues the designers explorations into alternative upholstery techniques with an emphasis on circular design principles. A hollow tube steel frame is covered in foam blocks that simply slide over the frame – held in place through tension. Each chair – the Zipper Chair and Bow Chair, is then covered in a “jacket” – constructed from leather and canvas respectively, with dimensions that afford the maximum yield from each material. Exposed zippers and bows provide an instant visual signifier of how the chair cover can be dressed and un-dressed, and allow each chair to re-examine traditionally taught upholstery through a loose visual language, closely resembling how a garment sits over a persons body.
Material and dimensions:
Zipper Chair.
Leather, Steel, Foam.
40 x 52 x 80cm.
Bow Chair
Canvas, Steel, Foam.
40 x 52 x 80cm.
Year:
2024
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund
LONG DESCRIPTION:
Lærke Ryom’s latest project continues her fascination with “functional ornamentation” – a notion traditionally associated with decorative joinery techniques within classical mid-century Danish furniture. The designers recent projects – the Quilt Chair, and now the Bow Chair and Zipper Chair, shift the focus from woodworking techniques to that of upholstery. While these fixing techniques – exposed zippers and bows within her latest iterations, provide an aesthetic feature, they also become the functional fulcrum of the designers alternative approach to upholstery. Inspired by the craft and technique behind traditional garment production, the Zipper Chair and Bow Chair simply dress a framing structure, allowing upholstery free from glue and with the ability to be disassembled for repair, replacement or for recycling. The designers link to tailoring within these works creates an instant point of reference for the user, whilst allowing Ryom to experiment with a looser, more casual aesthetic not normally associated with traditional upholstered furniture.
DESIGNER BIO:
Lærke Ryom.
Furniture Designer, born 1995.
A strong sense of community and an explorative approach to design are essential components within the practice of furniture designer Lærke Ryom. With her studio and workshop situated in The Factory for Art and Design within Copenhagen’s Amager district, the open nature of her work environment fuels the opportunistic nature of her projects; discarded materials are often the starting point and form an aesthetic stimulus, combined with a rigorous approach to detailing to create objects that are familiar yet surprising. From timber to textiles, circular design principles are key within each outcome, resulting in furniture designed to be disassembled, repaired and recycled. Alongside her personal projects, Ryom also works with curation – championing other young designers through platforms such as Ukurant. In return Ryom utilises the energy of other like- minded designers to push her practice forward, forming a space where dreams, hopes and ideas emerge.
EDUCATION:
2022: MA, Object & Furniture, Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2019: BA, Furniture Design, Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
GRANTS & HONOURS:
2024: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Project Grant, Nationalbankens Jubilæumsfond, Denmark.
2023: Residency, The Danish Art Workshops, Denmark.
2023: Working Grant, Nationalbankens Jubilæumsfond, Denmark.
2022: Project Grant, Klint Fonden, Denmark.
2022: Talent of the Year, Design Awards, Denmark.
2021: Exhibition of the Year, Ukurant Perspectives, Denmark.
2020: Awarded by the Danish Arts Foundation, Ukurant Objects, Denmark.
EXHIBITIONS:
2024: Group Exhibition, Selected Projects, The Danish Art Workshops, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Ungt Dansk Design For Ukraine, Exhibition and charity auction, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Wet Work, Fabrikken for Kunst & Design, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Copenhagen Contemporary x Dinesen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Ark Journal x Local, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Ukurant 3, 3daysofdesign, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Largely (not wholly), Copenhagen, Denmark.
2022: Solo Exhibition, Offcut Collection, Dinesen Showroom, Århus, Denmark.
2022: Group Exhibition, Getting There Gradually, Tableau x Adorno, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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