Ronan Bouroullec, born 1971 and a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and Erwan Bouroullec, born 1976 and a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts in Cergy-Pontoise, began working together in 1999.

Their designs are manufactured by such major names as Vitra, Magis, Alessi, Established & Sons, Axor Hansgrohe, Kartell, Kvadrat, Cappellini, Camper and Ligne Roset. Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec are also involved in more experimental design with Galerie Kreo, and occasionally architectural projects.

Named Designers of the Year at the 2002 Paris Furniture Show and the 2011 Maison & Objet show, their other awards include the City of Paris Grand Prix du Design (1998), the New Designer Award at the New York International Contemporary Furniture Fair (1999) and the Copenhagen Finn Juhl Prize (2008). Their work has been shown in a number of solo shows, including at London's Design Museum (2002), the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, La Piscine, Musée d'Art et d'Industrie in Roubaix (2004), Villa Noailles in Hyères (2008) and Le Grand Hornu, Belgium (2009).

Their work is part of the collections at institutions such as the Centre Pompidou - Musée National d'Art Moderne and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Design Museum, London, and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

For the London Design Festival and in partnership with Kvadrat, their Textile Field installation is on display
at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London from 15 to 25 September 2011.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec were also awarded this year’s commission to design a contemporary addition to the Gabriel staircase at Château de Versailles.


Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec © Ola Rindal

Within the space of a few years, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec have constructed an edifice that towers over the landscape of international design.
Since their earliest appearances in the late 1990s, their work has brought a new energy to design. At barely twenty years old, they were driven by a determination that few would expect in such young men.

As part of a generation that works under pressure from time, in constant demand for media projects and high-profile events, the Bouroullecs stand out for their long-term view. The consistency of the objects they produce reflects this extended vision. Partitioning, seats and objects occupy the long transparency of the gallery space, dividing, framing, qualifying, giving character. By questioning our everyday habits, the two brothers raise interesting possibilities as to modern lifestyles. Algues, for example, invites the user to organise their living space how they want, by building their own partitions irrespective of conventional architectural logic. The Bouroullecs create objects for a changing, flexible environment that echoes a peripatetic world. A world where nothing is set in stone. Ronan is captivated by nomadic peoples: "Arriving, leaving, simply, pragmatically. I like the softness of Berber tents, the carpets on the ground… These are practical, self-evident, subtly ergonomic solutions, and at the same time they create a backdrop, an atmosphere. They show respect for the environment, leave no trace. It's refined, light, humble."

This freedom is evident in the materials and textiles they choose. Erwan is fascinated by jersey fabrics that adapt to the body's curves without restricting movement. They used this type of ultra-stretch textile to cover Ploum, a sofa whose homogenous form blurs the transition between seat and back. Its comfort comes from a combination of soft memory foam and this highly elastic fabric. The result is a gentle, nest-like form.

Comfort is one of their foremost concerns; in their eyes a responsibility even. Slow Chair is characteristic of this belief. At first glance, this transparent chair suggests none of the comfort of a traditional leather or fabric armchair, Chesterfield or any other well-stuffed seat, and yet… As Erwan explains, "It has the bounce of a tennis racquet. The impression is more sports shoe than slipper! It's a slightly different comfort that will inspire an inevitably different and, I hope, modern behaviour." These references to sport in a domestic context reveal a sign of the times that also emerges in the growing popularity of sportswear which, thanks in part to technical fabrics, has brought a new brand of elegance and well-being to urban dress. This mix of genres – in this case by introducing a hint of sportswear to the home - is one of the brothers' favourite practices. Their work seeks out variety.

NUAGES

Nuages 2002. Styrofoam © Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec

The polystyrene Nuages, designed to create temporary configurations, are reminiscent of a construction set. They interlock organically like “a growing plant, persistently reproducing its articulating nodes”(¹). The piece is easy to install, without the need for a set plan or particular skills. Nuages make it possible to intuitively and dynamically partition a space, guided simply by one’s imagination.

¹ Phaidon, 2004.

LIANES

Lianes 2010 Galerie Kreo. Fibreglass, Corian ®, Leather Collection Galeries Lafayette © Tahon & Bouroullec

Spaces such as Galerie Kreo represent an alternative to the constraints of industrial manufacturing by making possible the production of a limited number of experimental objects. Lianes lamps are completely sheathed in leather, concealing the technical aspects behind a natural material and an unusual shape. The sewing technique and the length of cable leave room for a certain amount of adjustment, offering the user a great degree of freedom in their use and composition.

IPAD-APP CERCLES

A digital catalogue will be published as an interactive presentation of many of their research designs and prototypes. This catalogue provides additional information and images extending the exhibition beyond the gallery and into the creative process behind some of the works. Published as an iPad app, it can be downloaded from Apple's App Store.

It uses the digital medium to provide a new perspective on the subject which other media, print in particular, cannot achieve. This application is an opportunity to explore the work of Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec in an engaging and different way.

The catalogue targets a wide audience. As well as a downloadable application, it can be consulted on iPads inside the exhibition itself.

bouroullec.com/ipad/

CATALOGUE

A catalogue will accompany Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Bivouac.
Scheduled for publication early 2012.

Published by Éditions Centre Pompidou-Metz.

Editors in chief
Hélène Guenin and Laurent Le Bon
 
Authors
Andrea Branzi, Alex Coles, Christine Colin, Valérie Mrejen, Alice Rawsthorn
and Eric Troncy
 
Editors
Claire Bonnevie, Elsa Belaieff
 
Photographer
Paul Tahon

Graphic Design
EricandMarie