Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis are the creative minds behind the design duo Objects of Common Interest: Milan Design Week, Poikilos at Nilufar Depot
Lampoon introduces Objects of Common Interest
Ephemeral and concrete, poetic and experimental mix in the works of Objects of Common Interest (OoCI), a design duo composed of Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis. Of Greek origin, they live and work between Athens and New York, two contrasting poles in terms of speed, quality of life and experiences, whose dualism pervades the projects of the two designers.
At the base of each project there is an artisanal approach, based on the expertise and manual skills of the makers with whom they collaborate: «Since early on we have established a very close relationship with makers with whom we collaborate in various different trades: marble, wood, steel. We have learned from them and have exchanged knowledge and stories around design, artistic practices and the history of making and our practice has gradually evolved through all those moments. We often jump straight to a final object form sketches trusting our intuition and the makers’ craft».
From designers to makers: the discover of resin
Today Petaloti and Trampoukis have made the leap from designers to creators thanks to the discovery of a material which has attracted the attention of many creatives in recent years: resin. However, this is not the classic resin which we have all come to know, but a particular iridescent material whose recipe was developed over forty years ago by an Albanian craftsman residing in New York, Ovidiu Colea. In 2019 Colea was ready to retire and did not know who to leave all his treasure of knowledge, machinery and miraculous recipes. Petaloti and Trampoukis courageously accepted the baton and decided to transport all the knowledge of this ingenious man to Athens, in a large space in the industrial area of Piraeus, with the aim of continuing and further expanding this unique artisanal practice.
«Now, as makers ourselves, we are bringing design and craftsmanship even closer as we have the chance to produce organically, sculpt, alter and introduce a handmade technique into resin as you would do with other materials, and follow artistic methods of research and experimentation in our own creative process». And they add: «What we use is 100% recyclable over and over again in new projects. We are currently working on making this process visible in a new work series, but we have so much more to discover as we dive deeper».
Fuorisalone 2023: Poikilos for Nilufar Depot
When the discussion for a collaboration with Nilufar Depot for Fuorisalone 2023 came about, the designer duo proposed a mono-material exhibition revolving around this peculiar iridescent mixture, the culmination of a long in-depth material research. The exhibition project, entitled Poikilos and curated by Studio Vedèt, was not just a collection of furniture items, but an experiential installation which took over the whole atrium of the former silverware factory. «It was the first time we handled the production of our own pieces in its totality, and also the first time resin was completely handcrafted, from sculpting to molding and casting in gently organic forms which reveal the artisanal process in their surface and tactility. This has been intentional, we wanted to uncover this specific aspect of a material which is known for its machined perfect-cut surfaces», Petaloti and Trampoukis explain.
Named after an ancient Greek word which at the time was used to describe the mottled coat of a leopard or the shimmering skin of a snake, the exhibition was an exaltation of the iridescent resin discovered by Colea, which has found new uses and purposes in the new laboratory of OoCI. «The beauty of the material is to create unpredictable effects as light penetrates it, an ever-changing experience as the day passes and the atmospheric conditions mutate: shadows, explosions of colors, warm and cold hues, transparency. Sometimes the works may seem vibrant, animated, floating and other times heavy, calm, solid», they claim.
Echoes for Alcova 2023 during Milan Design Week
During the last Milan Design Week, Alcova opened the doors of the former slaughterhouse of Porta Vittoria, where seventy designers and creatives presented their personal research in terms of materials, sustainability and innovation. The Athens studio was one of the selected talents and participated with an evocative installation entitled Echoes. The installation is a tribute to Italy’s rich heritage of public fountains which have always served as a place for social encounters and public gatherings. «The context gave birth to the idea. We were called to improvise with an open brief for a site, the public grounds of this year’s Alcova’s home. We have always had a love-hate relationship with public fountains, at the same time landmarks and awkward decorative space fill-ins, public activation nodes or neglected dirt-filled vessels», the designers explain.
Breaking down all preconceptions surrounding public fountains, Petaloti and Trampoukis have created a PVC inflatable fountain floating atop a constructed reflective water pond. A totally portable element which can be packed, transported and reinstalled literally anywhere, outdoors, indoors, on a rooftop, making this architectural feature – mainly known as a magnificent, heroic, often commissioned permanent element – a collectible item.
Light and transparency: a play of illusions and formal abstractions
OoCI’s research extends beyond specific materials or aesthetics focusing on concepts changing as their perceptions and impressions of the world change. But among some of their latest projects it is possible to glimpse a subtle common thread. «Tube Lights (2019) was the first project where we worked with light, but the focus there was to create a sculptural abstract object which was light transmitting but also able to stand alone as a sculptural element. The material, the extruded acrylic, gives the illusion of being pliable, but is actually rigid».
Similarly, the opalescent objects of Poikilos exhibition sometimes give the impression of being liquid as the surfaces create different glances, ripples, color hues as one moves around. Light and transparency and the states affiliating with them, provide OoCI with the opportunity to continue their exploration of such phenomena of illusion, playfulness and formal abstraction from which new ideas and concepts keep arising.
LIGHTS ON: a public installation in the city center of Bergamo
OoCI won the invited competition for the main installation of Bergamo-Brescia Capital of Culture 2023 with a visionary project engaging the whole square facing the renowned Palazzo della Libertà by the Italian architect Alziro Bergonzo. Revolving around three key concepts – reuse, reactive, renew – the radiant installation LIGHTS ON (2023) was selected for its ability to interact with the surrounding architecture: «Reactivate was the core concept as this plaza was neglected and misused and we wanted people to embrace it, by inviting them to pause and spend time renewing their interest for what was already there, just by seeing it from a different perspective».
The theme of reuse was tackled by the designers through the creation of a series of marble stack urban seatings made of leftover marble blocks from the periphery of Bergamo, working closely with local craftsmen to materialize them. LIGHTS ON thus proved to be yet another example of OoCI’s artistic eclecticism in which experimentation, research into innovative materials and techniques, artisan skills and a strong poetic vein, came together to create something capable of stimulating and seducing the public’s perception.
Objects of Common Interest studio
Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis are the creative duo behind the Objects of Common Interest studio, working in the world of art, design and architecture – combining projects ranging from objects and installations to immersive interactive environments and interior spaces. They are also the founding partners of LOT architecture studio, splitting their time between New York and Athens. Their works have been exhibited at art and design institutes, galleries and fairs, while their solo shows were hosted by the Noguchi Museum, Etage Projects, Carwan Gallery, Architecture Biennale and Salone del Mobile in Milan.
