Ruckstuhl Edition DESSUS – Dessus Dessous Interior

Ruckstuhl Edition DESSUS – Projektansicht

Ruckstuhl Edition DESSUS – Dessus Dessous

Ruckstuhl Edition DESSUS – Detail der Teppichstruktur

Ruckstuhl Edition DESSUS – Dessus Dessous Designer

Above Above Below

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2010 · Edition of 1 · Ruckstuhl AG Bleienbachstrasse 9 CH-4900 Langenthal

In the early days of modernity, and even in the middle of the 20th century, they still existed: universal architect-designers who literally designed everything from the coffee spoon to the large building that demanded design. Those times are — in view of increasing specialization and differentiation, which has long since also affected the field of design — irretrievably over.

When Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis, and Patrick Reymond joined forces 19 years ago to form Atelier Oï, they relied from the start on teamwork and an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to tackle diverse design tasks. Success has proven them right. The office, based in the small town of La Neuveville located between Biel and Neuchâtel, has grown over the years to around 25 employees (architects, designers, graphic artists) who handle an impressive variety of projects in architecture, interior architecture, scenography, and design at the highest professional level. Among Atelier Oï’s clients, to name just the most important, are companies such as the Swatch Group, B&B Italia, Foscarini, Louis Vuitton, Ikea, Wogg, and Roethlisberger.

A fundamental basis for the work of Atelier Oï is the intensive engagement with a material or a specific construction method, which initially takes place in the office’s own workshop through the building of models and prototypes. The experiences gained in this often lengthy process, characterized by numerous experiments, usually enrich several, in principle independent projects. Ideally, it is possible to revisit, transform, and further develop individual formal elements or construction ideas over time.

Atelier Oï explicitly understands its collaborative creation as a large continuum. Accordingly, its own material and project archive is carefully maintained and constantly consulted. Individual works do not stand isolated but are meant to be understood as links in a chain. The continuation of a theme, even across disciplinary boundaries and often involving a change of scale, has by now become almost a trademark of the office. Indeed, this working method repeatedly leads to surprising and convincing synergies.

How a project at Atelier Oï can arise from a previous one is also demonstrated by their rug designs for the Edition Ruckstuhl. For example, the rug Dessus Dessus Dessous, braided from linen bands, is based on a textile installation titled “Plier - Entrelacer - Superposer” (Fold, Braid, Overlap), which Atelier Oï realized at the invitation of Ruckstuhl on the occasion of Designers Saturday 2008 in Langenthal. The starting material for this work, which was nominated for the Design Prize Switzerland 2009, consisted of the linen bands usually used as borders in the finishing of rugs. The transformation from the experimentally oriented exhibition installation to an edition product involved both a technical refinement and a graphical enhancement of the design.

Rug braided by hand from linen bands
Material: felt, linen bands

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