Felt Chair & ArtHall 2 by Marc Newson, Zaha Hadid, Seoul Design Foundation and Photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
The chair is a design we, as human beings, spend the most time with. Throughout history, furniture that combines form and function has been designed and used in various forms according to the needs in our day-to-day lives. The development, applications, and experimentation of new materials have driven designers to create new furniture products.
Thus, the diverse styles and roles of furniture range from minimalism to decoration, from function to emotion, from ordinary to innovative concepts, all of which are now established in our lives in some form or fashion.
Drift-In Drift-Out, Drift Bench & ArtHall2 by Amanda Levete, Zaha Hadid, Seoul Design Foundation and Photo by : PARK Hee YoungDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
In order to create an environment that is simple and easy for people to understand, the exhibition has been divided into “East” and “West” sections. Also, the exhibition features an open-access space that invites the public to participate and a managed section for viewing only. Together, these sections take advantage of DDP as an atypical venue, and exhibits are placed to fit the architectural concept of “Metonymical Landscape.”
DDP Western Furniture Collection by Studio65, Antoine+Manuel, Jaime Hayon and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
For Western furniture, items that fit well with DDP’s architecture were selected. In particular, items that were witty and amusing were chosen for the exhibition. As for Eastern furniture, items representing the local cultures of various Asian countries were included, especially those attempting to reinterpret traditional culture through a more modern lens, and those experimenting with traditional materials.
DDP Asian Furniture Collection by Alvin Tjitrowirjo, Kenneth Cobonpue, Hiroki Takada, Suwan Kongkhunthian, Korakot Aromdee, Eggarat Wongcharit, Abie Abdillah, Kenneth Cobonpue and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
The DDP Furnitures exhibition, planned in order to showcase aesthetics by promoting DDP’s architecture and furniture, will create a new multi-sensory experience with colorful design content and offer the public a place for culture and learning.
DDP Information Desk by Zaha Hadid and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
DDP embodies the principles of Zaha Hadid, who believed that the interaction of space and the public was the most important element when it comes to architecture, and DDP’s furniture helps the public understand the essence of its giant structure. First of all, there are the DDP information desks located in the lobby area of each of the five spaces at DDP.
DDP Information Desk by Zaha Hadid and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
At times, DDP’s magnificent design can be difficult to fully appreciate due to its sheer size. But DDP’s information desks offer visitors a chance to get a better idea of DDP’s overall structure thanks to their designs, which resemble miniature versions of DDP’s sleek and streamlined facade. In other words, if you study DDP’s information desks closely, you will start to appreciate the message Zaha Hadid was looking to convey through DDP.
Getting a bird’s eye view of DDP is almost impossible. But DDP’s information desks, with their miniature designs of DDP’s five structures, are small enough to help you get a good look at DDP’s overall architecture, and you can actually touch them for a more up-close experience.
DDP Information Desk by Zaha Hadid and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
In fact, DDP’s information desks were “objets d’art” included in the DDP design process. As such, they do not exist anywhere else in the world - they were created exclusively for DDP. But the information desks are more than just fashion objects or accessories. At their core, the information desks are also pieces of furniture in the lobby, which serves as the anchoring point for each of DDP's five spaces.
DDP Information Desk by Zaha Hadid and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
DDP’s information desks are located in the lobby on the 1st and 2nd floors of the five different spaces in DDP (Art Hall, Design Playground, Business Center, Museum, etc.) spread across DDP’s three sections - the Art Hall, Museum, and Design Shop.
All of these spaces were design based on Zaha Hadid’s sketches made to fit the ambiance of each section. In particular, the information desk in the art hall, featuring a collection of 180 separate pieces, is the largest among all information desks at DDP at 13 meters, and it has the design that stands out the most.
DDP Information Desk by Zaha Hadid and photo by : PARK Hee WoongDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
DDP’s information desks were inspired by Zaha Hadid’s philosophy towards architecture. But how were they actually created? Zaha Hadid did not hesitate to ask DDP to build each of DDP’s information desks in Korea according to the vision she had in her mind. Of course, she did not alter her design to accommodate the furniture production environment in Korea, nor did she provide any special explanations, suggestions, or guidelines.
Zaha Hadid asked DDP to build the information desks based on her trust and confidence in the building technology available in Korea. The information desks are especially meaningful in that DDP understood the vision Zaha Hadid had in her mind and imagination, and created the items relying on DDP’s own capabilities only.
DDP Information DeskDongdaemun Design Plaza | DDP
Contributions –
Jong-Won Baek
Zaha Hadid Architects,
Seoul Design Foundation
Photo -
PARK Hee Woong
Seoul Design Foundation
