'Waiting For Ideas' crafts dialogues between abstraction and function through furniture

“All art is abstract, because art is an abstraction of the truth,” American artist Milford Zornes famously said. For many global artists and designers, the semantics of abstraction become a playground for exploration. Unhampered by the notions of pragmatism and conventionality, this language, in lieu of defining itself, opens the doors for perceptions that may differ from one person to the next. Amid the vagueness of its physicality lie cues that provoke thought, emotions, and imagination. What ensues when artistic abstraction meets function?

Founded by Jean-Baptiste Anotin, Waiting For Ideas is a creative studio based in Paris, France, underscored by an ethos that revolves around crafting a new story through each project the designer undertakes. The studio strives to create visually captivating and thought-provoking pieces that stir emotions and invite imagination. Their oeuvre constitutes innovative furniture designs, art pieces, objects, and retail-space projects that transcend boundaries, boasting international clients from diverse spheres. Collaborating closely with artists such as Guillaume Grando, painter Iris Marchand, photographer Mathilde Hiley and set designer Pierre Vaillant, the studio's product designers continue to blur the boundaries that dichotomise the disciplines and practices of art and design.

Waves Don’t Die: capturing perpetual motion in stillness

A unique partnership between Waiting for Ideas and French multidisciplinary visual artist Guillaume Grando culminated in an armchair that merges with the ceaseless ocean. Grando’s famous works are transposed onto the studio’s chair design to create 'Waves Don’t Die.' A juxtaposition of divergent languages is conspicuous in the chair; the undulating creations of the multidisciplinary artist contrast the otherwise architectural and linear language of the furniture. The limited edition chair is a composition of five plates simply assembled to create an illusion of perpetual motion—a sculpture that plays with the reflection and refraction of light. Grando’s pattern is machined directly onto the acrylic glass and polished, to achieve a transparency that distorts the vision of the seaside. “To be faithful to his works which are handmade, we tested different methods, and machining proved to be the most suitable," Anotin mentions.

Ready-made: transcending functionality through art

Photographer Mathilde Hiley, in collaboration with set designer Pierre Vaillant, set out to further enhance the functionality of Waiting For Ideas’ product designs. Employing elastic bands, bungee cords, and even a hosepipe, Vaillant morphs the pieces into multi-functional works of art—a moment that Hiley then captures through his creative lens. The transparent armchair dubbed 'Purity,' transforms into a long chair when connected to the stool design named 'Neo S,' while the black armchair, 'Through The Dark' becomes a protagonist for gardening sessions. Furthermore, the pipe chair called 'Slurp' enjoys its own armrest.

"They had no creative limits, and that's what I love about them," says Anotin. Vaillant envisions the concept of 'Ready-made' through a new lens, by giving manufactured pieces a new purpose beyond their original function, once amalgamated with collectable furniture. "I spent countless hours online searching for the perfect pieces that could match with Waiting For Ideas’ piece, and Mathilde is the perfect partner to capture and enhance those moments," the furniture designer continues.

Clarity: a play of light and gravity

This ongoing collection by Waiting For Ideas dabbles with gravity, transparency, and light. “Presence, absence. Transparency of light, density of matter. Comfort of the armchair, rigour of the lines. Like a prism, the collection Clarity puts our aspirations and contradictions into perspective,” reads the studio’s official release. Acrylic is selected as the main medium for each design to stage a play of light and its effects. Comprising assembled sheets, the clean lines of the collection are subtly revealed and underlined by its sheer simplicity of assembly. The process of assembly requires no fasteners—an installation that is straightforward and intuitive. A laser engraving renders each piece unique. The ensemble encompasses an armchair named 'Purity,' a low table design called 'Stand Tall' and a lamp design titled 'Any Colour You Like.'

Through semantics that border abstraction without compromising function, Waiting For Ideas 'captures moments through art and design.' With each new creation, the self-taught designer furthers the studio’s aspirations to realise furniture designs of a new kind—those animated by stories—a constant vacillation between art and design, and a cross-pollination between professionals from different disciplines.