ENLACE byAranda\Lasch
The focus of this project is the renowned cafe chair, emblematic of French craftsmanship. Maison Louis Drucker, established in 1885, played a pivotal role in popularizing this chair, known for its distinctive bentwood frame and woven rattan patterns. Recognizing an opportunity to reinvent this iconic piece for the digital era, Aranda\Lasch and TRAME use generative weaving techniques to craft a series of bespoke chairs, initially released as part of the Bright Moments Gallery Paris Collection on February 20, 2024. The result is a seamless integration of both digital and hand-crafted processes, encapsulating the essence of the weaver's personality within each piece. Collectors of the digital pieces have the opportunity to claim a physical chair and artwork made by Maison L. Drucker using the unique weaving instructions in their digital artwork. Production for redeeming token is limited to December 31st, 2024.
Physicals Maison Louis Drucker
Each of the 100 digital outputs (or tokens) can be used to redeem a woven chair and/or canvas from Maison L. Drucker. The digital piece serves as the unique weaving instructions for their physical work(s).
Options: Woven chair(s) and/or woven canvas(es)
Supply: 100 digital outputs with no limitation on supply
Pricing: Chair $1250 each / Canvas $550 each
Deadline for redemption: December 31, 2024
Heritage Craft
"Enlace" conveys the notions of intertwining or embracing. In English, it refers to physical or abstract linking, reminiscent of weaving thread, while in French, it signifies an embrace, emphasizing human connection.
This project is about bringing together the algorithmic potential of the digital artwork with the time-honored craft of weaving in cane as exemplified by Maison Louis Drucker. Enlace uses digital tools to open a co-creative process with a historic house of craft. New technology and traditional craft are not in conflict. Enlace claims the opposite, that the deep and time-honored traditions of craft use generative processes as part of their making and heritage.
Weaving Draft
Enlace is visually expressed using the format of the weaving draft, a conventional template that conveys the minimal and necessary information for weavers to carry out a woven pattern, no matter its size and complexity. It is a graphic language to make a weave, one thread at a time. Visually, this project abstracts this language as the basis for novel generative outputs, altering its representation slightly from convention, while keeping its inherent utility intact. In other words, any weaver, human or machine, will know how to read Enlace as a set of weaving instructions.
Enlace outputs
Cafe Chair History
Established in 1885, Maison Drucker's iconic chair, popular in French cafes, offers a unique perspective on the intersection of history and generative art. Originally made of steam-bent wood and woven cane, it symbolizes a shift from craftwork to mass production, predating Ford's Model T. With roots in the Jacquard Loom—considered the first computer—weaving serves as a foundational digital language, foreshadowing modern computing. The chair embodies a moment of social and technological change, representing the emergence of a new economic class and urban culture.
