The new series of luxurious carpets by OEO Studio for massimo has a distinctly graphic character. The image - or signifier - is after all the particular legacy of man's presence on earth through millennia. Designer Thomas Lykke has assembled images from locations as far afield as South America, Africa, Australia and the Far East. A fusion of different impressions, from Peru's famous Nazca geoglyphs, through Chinese seals to African tribal art inform the resulting designs. "Our goal in this series was to create non-representational forms that nonetheless awaken a response. They are reminiscent of our past", says Thomas. The designer often has a 'toolbox' - a reserve of ideas and impressions gleaned from various cultures and epochs over a lifetime. Thomas revisits his own. Out of those impressions emerges the idea, be it a carpet, a rug, or a sofa. Equally feasible: the blueprint for an entire interior design theme. Such is the nature of art: it brings together disparate fragments to create something new. Hence the new series' name: Fragments 1-5. Fabrication by hand gives a characteristic structure Fragments 1-5 is moreover enlivened by a particular mood board; swatches were chosen with the special insight of a spring lockdown. Thomas Lykke calls it 'modern-era design humanism' - lustrous tones that awaken our senses and a range of colours wholly within the tradition of massimo. Currently, five variations are on offer, all hand-tufted by skilled craftsmen and women in a part-bamboo, part-New Zealand wool yarn. The bamboo element gives a smooth, silky surface; wool supplies wear-resistance and strength. Where two colours meet, their contours are hand cut. This procedure helps each motif to stand out. Whilst the process is time-consuming, the result is certainly something to treasure. Fragments 1-5 can be sourced from www.massimo.dk and at massimo dealers from March 2021. |