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FEDER
10/29/2012

Kawamura-Ganjavian – humour-filled designs

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Librería La Fontaine (Lausanne-Suiza)

Librería La Fontaine (Lausanne-Suiza)

Librería La Fontaine (Lausanne-Suiza)

Librería La Fontaine (Lausanne-Suiza)

Informab10. Punto de información temporal de Madrid Abierto 2010

Informab10. Punto de información temporal de Madrid Abierto 2010

Informab10. Punto de información temporal de Madrid Abierto 2010

Informab10. Punto de información temporal de Madrid Abierto 2010

StickingSticks, sistema divisor modular diseñado para Velcro

StickingSticks, sistema divisor modular diseñado para Velcro

Caterpillar, familia de mesas y bancos diseñados para Covo

Caterpillar, familia de mesas y bancos diseñados para Covo

Caterpillar, familia de mesas y bancos diseñados para Covo

Caterpillar, familia de mesas y bancos diseñados para Covo

Key Portilla-Kawamura y Ali Ganjavian

Key Portilla-Kawamura y Ali Ganjavian

Kawamura-ganjavian is an architecture studio founded in 2000 by Key Portilla-Kawamura and Ali Ganjavian. After first meeting in London, where they were both studying, they worked abroad in various countries: India, the US, Japan, the UK and Switzerland in the fields of town-planning, architecture, stage and industrial design, both as professional designers and academics. In 2006, they settled in Madrid, where they oversaw their projects in Spain, the UK, France and Switzerland, and founded their multidisciplinary, creative practice, Studio Banana.

 

The studio’s work encompasses product design, temporary architecture, environmental and interior design and construction projects – the latter entailing architecture in the widest sense.

 

Portilla-Kawamura and Ganjavian talked to us about their studio and new projects:

 

Interiors From Spain: Which creative field are you most comfortable working in?

 

Kawamura-ganjavian: We feel equally comfortable in every area, and don’t see any differences between creative fields. The only thing that differentiates them for us is their scale, but the creative process with which we approach designing them is always the same. We’re primarily interested in what the user experiences, and this applies as much to buildings as to something you can hold in your hand.

 

IFS: Tell us more about Studio Banana, which seems a very interesting venture…

 

Kawamura-ganjavian: We set it up in a northern part of Madrid in 2006 with the aim of being a creative, multidisciplinary platform dedicated to creativity in the widest possible sense. Our company Kawamura-Ganjavian not only founded this new platform but also designed its office.

The office project consisted of transforming an old, disused printer’s workshop in the lower ground floor of a 60s residential building. The resulting area is light-filled and spacious, and today provides a flexible, multi-purpose space for 40 young creatives – as well as a catalyst for many cultural projects in this part of Madrid. Studio Banana’s multi-faceted, corporate identity – it’s simultaneously a space for working, for creative interaction and cultural debate – is expressed in the office’s flexible layout. We’ve converted the old ramp to the garage into a staircase that doubles as a display area and auditorium for events (conferences, debates and projections). The central, open-plan area in the heart of the office is used for collective work, and leads to the kitchen, toilets and a meeting room. Eight workstations radiate around this central area.

Studio Banana isn’t just a workspace, it’s also a forum for social and intellectual interaction where we foster innovation by exploring the limits of creativity and, by extension, help transform our clients’ and colleagues’ pipedreams into reality.

IFS: Your latest project, Ostrich Pillow, is garnering a huge amount of media attention. How did you get the idea for it?

 

Kawamura-ganjavian: The starting point for it was that our work patterns are constantly changing. We’re increasingly spending more time in our workspaces and this means our professional lives and our desire to rest in the same space need to be in harmony. Some cultures have adapted to this idea more easily than others, but, in general, workspaces rarely readjust well to this new work-rest paradigm. In response to this, we created Ostrich Pillow, which offers its users a micro-environment with which to catnap in comfort. The idea defies categorisation: it’s neither a pillow nor a cushion; it’s not a bed nor a piece of clothing; it’s a bit of everything. Its soft interior protects us and separates our heads and hands for a few moments, and allows us to rest without having to leave our workspace.

 

IFS: Your work is very arresting – what are your main inspirations?

 

Kawamura-ganjavian: The most important thing for us is functionality. We like to investigate new forms in order to solve everyday problems – in a fun way. Our designs focus primarily on the users, how they interact with objects rather than just how these look.

 

IFS: You took part in the 2011 exhibition Talk to Me at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. What was that like?

 

Kawamura-ganjavian: The exhibition was all about the communication between people and objects. We exhibited Earshell, a piece you put over your ears which improves your hearing. We’d previously observed that earrings have been worn in all periods of history and all over the world, yet they’re scarcely functional. But Earshell is a product that’s mid-way between being solely aesthetic and totally functional. Taking part in the MoMa show was an amazing privilege and really rewarding.

 

IFS: How do you see the future of the studio? What are its aims and hopes?

 

Kawamura-ganjavian:We’re going through a very exciting phase. In the middle of September, we showcased Ostrich Pillow on the crowd-funding US, web platform Kickstarter, and in a short space of time, thanks to the huge number of visitors to the sights and orders for the product, we managed to raise the necessary finances to manufacture it. We’re currently immersed in producing it, and the finished design will be ready to launch at the end of this year. The fact that Ostrich Pillow has been so well-received has encouraged us to continue developing new products. And we’re still developing a huge variety of projects –from architecture to product design.

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