Despite growing public awareness of mental health in recent years, many men still suffer in silence – this is an issue that multi-disciplinary design studio Tableau has bravely tackled in a new exhibition, ‘Confessions’, which debuted during Milan Design Week 2022 and will travel to the studio’s hometown of Copenhagen for 3 design days (June 15-17, 2022).
As Tableau Creative Director Julius Værnes Iversen explains, the aim of the exhibition is to create “an open-minded space.” It has invited 14 male participants to articulate their anxieties through commissioned pieces: ‘Every artist, designer and architect has been asked to create a piece that shows vulnerability, something they’ve been struggling with or something they thought of when Think about your own mindset. Health.’
Exhibition view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring Paul Cournet’s ‘Barcelona Silver Bed’, Laurids Gallée’s ‘Wrap Yourself in Love’ mirror, and ‘Morphed State’ containers by Alexander Kirkeby. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
The divan, a piece of furniture reminiscent of a psychotherapist’s office, was the starting point for Rotterdam-based architect Paul Cournet, who presents a reinterpretation of Mies van der Rohe’s 1930 ‘Barcelona’ divan.
His version uses a second-hand frame (its original horizontal straps replaced with silver-coated ones (courtesy of Dutch manufacturer Ecco Leather)) that supports a mattress and headrest, both filled with recycled tennis ball foam under a silver coating. made with waste from the metallurgical industry It is a piece that invites the visitor to lie down and release their inhibitions, explains Iversen.
Exhibition view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring the ‘Wrap Yourself in Love’ mirror, by Laurids Gallée. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
Nearby, a mirror by Austrian designer Laurids Gallée, depicting a monkey clutching a blanket (like a bullfighter in his cape), has a similar silver sheen. Closer inspection reveals that it is made of chrome resin: Gallée applied the resin drop by drop in small patches to create the desired pattern, inspired by his reflection of not being very good at receiving help from others.
carswhich are often associated with masculinity, are, unsurprisingly, the subject of multiple confessions: impressed by the way many men buy muscle cars By way of papering over his insecurities, Copenhagen-based artist Jacob Egeberg devised a chandelier that resembles car parts crumpled into the shape of a human heart, with the harsh glare of the headlights softened into a gently pulsing glow: a reminder to measure one’s worth by emotional capacity rather than material possessions. Despite its industrial appearance, ‘Fast as Lightning’ (as it is titled) was in fact hand carved from Styrofoam, to create a precise shape that could not be achieved with CNC cutting.
Exhibit view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring, from left, throne of fragility, by Kim Lenschow; Mirror ‘:S’, by Lab La Bla; ‘WASDWASDWAS (can’t you see you’re running in circles)’ mirror, Beaumains sheetand the ‘Armoire of the Oak and the Reeds’ cabinet, all by Esben Kaldahl, and the ‘Spinebender_x_fatigue’ bench, by Kevin Josias. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
The word ‘car’ is also stamped in red on a workout bench seat of fellow Copenhagener Kevin Josias, titled ‘Spinebender_x_fatigue’. Upholstered in a patterned leather that imitates snakeskin, the bench is a critique of gym culture as a fetish: “He feels that going to the gym is like going to a sex club, because it gives him the same social anxiety,” explains Iversen.
The use of text is even more poignant on Dutch designer Willem van Hooff’s ceramic pot, on which he has scrawled the words “I didn’t do enough.” It is a striking and harrowing piece that nonetheless offered its creator a sense of catharsis. ‘Why do we, as humans, doubt ourselves? Why is it never good enough? […] As a creator, I hear this voice when a creation is finished, when people can criticize my work”, reflects van Hooff. “For me, this trophy is a celebration of the moment I accepted that little devil on the back of my neck.”
Detail of the “I didn’t do enough” container, part of “Confessions” from Tableau and Post Service. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
The same spirit of celebration is present in the lounger by Belgian designer Arnaud Eubelen. Eubelen creates his work exclusively from reclaimed materials, and this contribution to ‘Confessions’ is no exception: the combination of the metal frame, corrugated plastic seat, wooden armrest and upholstered headrest, all salvaged from a landfill on the outskirts of Brussels, suggests the possibility of salvage and repair; and visitors to the exhibition are invited to sit down and put on the accompanying headphones, which play a transporting electronic soundtrack, composed in collaboration with musician Cédric Elisabeth.
Exhibition view of ‘Confessions’ by Tableau and Post Service at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring the ‘After’ chair, by Arnaud Eubelen. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
Elisabeth has also created the background music for the exhibition, imbuing the visually dynamic space with tranquility and calm.
‘Confessions’ responds beautifully to its display locations. The debut in Milan took place in bedroom – a former military hospital, while the Copenhagen iteration will take place in Post Service, a clinic dedicated to mental health, bereavement and mindfulness (for which Tableau did the interior design in 2021).
Exhibit view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring Boris Peianov’s ‘Safe Space’ shelving system. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
In its confrontation with toxic masculinity, ‘Confessions’ resonates The origins of Tableau in the world of floral designthat for a long time was considered an exclusively female domain and, therefore, was not given the same value as other artistic manifestations.
The exhibition is an important instrument for changing hearts and minds, and ultimately Iversen hopes it can also foster more inclusive attitudes toward LGBTQ communities and other minorities. §
Exhibition view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring Arnaud Eubelen’s ‘Vice Caché’ cabinet. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
Exhibit view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring Oliver Sundqvist’s ‘Capri’ parasol. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
Exhibit view of Tableau and Post Service’s ‘Confessions’ at Milan Design Week 2022, featuring Esben Kaldahl’s ‘Armoire of the Oak and the Reeds’ cabinet. Photography: Piercarlo Quecchia and DSL Studio
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