WALL TO WALL
FLOOR INSTALLATION BY SHAY ALKALAY & YAEL MER
13 OCTOBER - 24 NOVEMBER 2009
Shay Alkalay & Yael Mer have drawn on inspiration from their commission at Design Miami/ Basel 2009 to design a flooring installation at our limited edition gallery to coincide with Frieze Art Fair 2009. Having won the Designers of the Future award the design duo have collaborated with Established & Sons for a second time following on from the international success of Stack launched during Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2008.
The exhibition shows an innovative installation of oiled oak herringbone parquet brick flooring. Taking a time-honored floor type, Alkalay & Mer have developed the traditional finish by staining the individual bricks from a pallet of 15 different colours. By taking an everyday product and twisting the core element of it they have developed a very characteristic mosaic design.
Alkalay & Mer have investigated the connection between flooring and textiles with their design comparable to a tightly woven knitted garment. By developing the notion of a textile rug being an intrinsic partner with flooring materials, the designers have combined two conventional surfaces, to create a visually dynamic finish reminiscent of traditional textile patterns used worldwide.
‘Shay and Yael’s use of immediately understandable language and material allows us to access this installation conceptually and aesthetically at a first glance. Questions are then raised after time spent with the pieces, as to why the chaotic breakdown of pattern from the controlled knitted design to the random spattered nature at the front of the installation occurs. It is here that the design moves from a purely decorative collision of languages to something all together more profound. This work both visually and conceptually excites me from two of the best young designers working in London today,’ says Alasdhair Willis, CEO, Established & Sons.