Adam and Arthur's ‘Exquisite Corpse’ uses dyed straws to bring furniture to life

Adam and Arthur’s Exquisite Corpse collection redefines the aesthetics and design patterns that generally define straw marquetry furniture. By infusing their pieces with bright colours interlaced with one another, they create a beautiful tapestry of geometric shapes and tones. The three-piece collection by Australian industrial designer Adam Goodrum and French artist Arthur Seigneur comprises a tallboy, a console and a low credenza.

The collection derives inspiration from the early 20th century surrealist game ‘Cadavre Exquis’where an individual would draw a part of an object or person and leave it incomplete so that the next artist could take over from where they had left off by folding the paper; concealing their work and passing it on without any given context. This unknowing interpretation allowed surrealists at the time to create some bizarre illustrations and drawings. With this back and forth collaboration in mind, Adam and Arthur have created something that highlights their personal ingenuity to the craft of straw marquetry furniture.

Straw marquetry is a 17th century craft where naturally cured straw is flattened onto a surface and hardened through laceration, creating different patterns and shapes. This style of woodwork was revitalised at the turn of the 20th century by names like Jean Royère and Jean Michel Frank. With the themes of the exquisite corpse game being kept in mind during the design process, Goodrum would create the designs and shapes and then allow Seigneur to complete the design with straw, making the entire process collaborative. The use of brightly dyed rye straws have allowed the duo to truly transcend the traditional finishes that straw marquetry is known for and invigorating it with kaleidoscopic patterns and surreal colours that are vivid and enticing.

Experimenting with different techniques and applications, Seigneur has pushed the reflective properties of straw, giving the geometry easy flowing shapes and colours that brings out the three-dimensional look, almost as if the colours have a life of their own. The patterns, colours, textures, bends and edges make the work look as if it was made from a flock of tropical exotic birds. Each and every surface from the Exquisite Corpse collection has been decorated with thousands of straws in each piece. The Talleo tallboy uses over 14,000 straws per piece and the Longbow credenza uses 10,000 straws, while the Archant console uses 8,000 straws. The Exquisite Corpse collection innovates a 300 year old technique, showing how boundaries in design can be pushed through contemporary collaboration.