RECONCILIATION

The work titled Reconciliation presents a new development in the long line of woodworks Jungblut has produced between 2011 and 2015, which can be typified as an exploration of the boundaries between the practical functions of furniture, and the pure aesthetic forms of the autonomous art object. With this newest piece, the designer clearly embarks on a new phase in his research, departing with any references to functionality and instead focusing on the object-as-art.

Although the resulting piece is still reminiscent of earlier works such as Untitled One (2014), a table featuring a rounded base, Jungblut has radically inverted its outwards appearance into a sculptural, organic form that shows two embracing figures, while the characteristic use of wood and the curbed movements within the piece still clearly show the signature of the designer and firmly place it within his long-term series.

By going beyond the functionality of a furniture piece, the work Reconciliation invites new narratives and multiple readings, and as such, seems to position itself within an acute actuality, alluding to current (foreign) wars, heightened global tensions, and the desire for a better world. In a second reading, the work also seems to reconcile the dichotomy between the art object and the furniture piece.