KAMI by Garnier & Linker
Art & Design
Design studio Garnier & Linker has unveiled KAMI, an exquisite collection of furniture and lighting that celebrates the centuries-old Japanese art of urushi lacquering.
The collection seamlessly merges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design sensibilities, showcasing the versatility of this ancient material.
The collection's narrative begins with its source material - the remarkable urushi tree, a member of the sumac family indigenous to northern Japan. Archaeological evidence dates the first human interaction with this species back ten millennia on Hokkaido island. The tree yields a distinctive sap that, through careful processing involving water evaporation and filtration, transforms into the prized urushi lacquer. This deep connection between material and source is reflected in the Japanese language, where both tree and lacquer share the same name, emphasizing the cultural significance of this natural resource.
Historically serving both functional and decorative purposes, urushi lacquer has demonstrated versatility across various materials including paper, wood, metal, ceramics, and glass. Its evolution from a practical adhesive to a sophisticated decorative medium was marked by the introduction of colored pigments, leading to its widespread adoption in Japanese architecture and daily objects, from temple elements to household vessels.
The KAMI collection represents a contemporary interpretation of this time-honored technique. The range encompasses an array of furniture pieces - including tables, consoles, and cabinets - alongside lighting fixtures. Each piece demands exceptional craftsmanship, achieved through a meticulous process of alternating between surface polishing and the application of multiple urushi layers. The studio's experimental approach has yielded innovative finishes that play with transparency and texture, creating dynamic interactions between material and form. The collection's distinctive rounded silhouettes are deliberately designed to maximize the lacquer's light-catching properties.
In a notable expansion of their design language, Garnier & Linker has also applied the urushi technique to select pieces from their 2016 KITAYAMA collection. The marriage of urushi with Kitayama cedar - a highly specialized timber grown exclusively in Kyoto's northern forests - creates a compelling dialogue between two quintessentially Japanese materials. The collection is further enriched by the incorporation of traditional pewter craftsmanship, particularly evident in the delicate lampshade designs.
This ambitious project positions itself within a rich lineage of Franco-Japanese creative exchange, drawing inspiration from historical collaborations such as Jean Dunand's studies under master lacquerer Seizo Sugawara and Charlotte Perriand's influential cross-cultural collections of the 1940s.
The transformative qualities of urushi lacquer are perhaps best appreciated in low light conditions, where its lustrous surface captures and reflects ambient light in subtle ways. As described in traditional Japanese texts, the lacquer's surface becomes alive in darkness, responding to the slightest movement of air and creating ephemeral patterns that evoke the flow of water - a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow that adds another dimension to these carefully crafted pieces.
Words courtesy of Perrier / Giroire Communication | Photography by Julien T. Hamon | Set design by Charlotte de La Grandière
Art & Design
- 转自：New Norm
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