For their solo exhibition at Helmrinderknecht contemporary design gallery in Berlin, Rianne Makkink and Jurgen Bey of Studio Makkink & Bey created a site-specific tour through the three-dimensional landscape of a rural village. The woven woollen blankets are the design objects that defined the space.
The mohair blankets that are pegged over wooden frames make it seem as though visitors are walking through a series of washing lines or a representation of a village that features brickwork, roofing, wooden buildings, vegetable patches, animals and means of transportation. Although the frames function as laundry racks within the space, in the fictive landscape they become trees.
WashHouse reflects on private and public space and our perception of it. Like houses, blankets offer protection and shelter. Studio Makkink & Bey have the ability to incorporate intimate, private scenes in their work and create large public spaces. The line between these two spaces is vague. The TextielMuseum has acquired part of the WashHouse installation for its collection.
Merino wool was used for the initial woven samples but was later replaced by softer, hairier mohair. All the blankets are double-sided and use two different colours. There are five patterns in all, and each woollen blanket is unique.
Studio Makkink & Bey was founded in 2002 by architect Rianne Makkink and designer Jurgen Bey. The studio works in various domains of applied art, including public space projects, product design, architecture and exhibition design. Previous commissions include Droog, the Hermitage Amsterdam, Hermés and the TextielMuseum. The duo has been nominated a number of times for the Rotterdam Design Prize and won the Prince Bernard Cultural Prize for their collected work in 2005.
