By Katie Dominy / 25-11-2009

Based in the South of the Netherlands, Jos Kranen and Johannes Gille who make up Kranen/Gille met at the Design Academy Eindhoven, from where they both graduated in 2004. A solo exhibition of their works is currently showing at London’s Gallery Fumi, marking their UK debut.

The collection combines the pair’s love of hard industrial design with a softer natural edge - citing the German photographer and sculptor Karl Blossfeldt as an influence; his late19th - early 20th century close-up images of plants have a strong sculptural quality.

For example, Kranen/Gille’s collection includes the Fredersen wing chair with its industrial nickel-plated steel frame softened by leather upholstery with asymmetric seaming – kept in place by rustic leather ties. The duo describe the piece: “Flowing from our fondness of nature in a Blessfeldt-esque way, we designed wingchair Fredersen. Taking the craft of upholstery in a new direction, the metal structure of this wingchair seems to have grown its own upholstery, whose roots have found their way through the metal.” The London version of Fredersen comes in black leather and the Miami one is bright white.

The collection also includes the nutwood and nickel-plated steel Moloch drinks cabinet, the Plant bench in lacquered steel and teak wood, occasional table, floor lamp and wine rack and the Chatterley bench in lacquered ash wood and sandblasted aluminum.

Why do the pair chose this mix of materials to work with? “We like clarity and honesty. Our material choice always depends on the function of an object and how the materials work together. We hardly ever work with more than two materials to preserve this clarity and pay special attention to the interaction between those two materials. The natural/industrial combination finds its roots in our affection for forests, mountains, huge desolate plains as well as the dark impressive machinery that fueled the industrial revolution. The result is a sum of components which lead to the final product.”

“Our Moloch drinks cabinet is a good example of the above explanation. The wooden frame and its way of construction tell a tale about Volkskunst (Folk Art) and craftsmanship of the Austrian mountains, while the doors (inspired by the 1927 movie Metropolis) are cold and hard with a cut out pattern that resembles machinery pistons or a city skyline. This cabinet was part of our Milan 2008 show 'At Ease', which was all about the 19th century London gentleman's lounge, so we are very happy the cabinet found its way to London. The name 'Moloch' derives from the machine/monster in Metropolis.”

How did they get to know the gallery? “On a rooftop in Miami last year. We were invited to the NY Times party during Design Miami and got introduced to Sam and Valerio (of Gallery Fumi) by Pieke Bergmans, who was already exhibiting there. Since we got on so well and after a lunch or two, we decided on working together, resulting in the exhibition which opened last Thursday.”

Kranen/Gille at Gallery Fumi is showing at Gallery Fumi, 87-89 Tabernacle Street, London EC2A 4BA, from 20 November until 23 December 2009.

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