In our 5 New Design Exhibitions for October 2015 post we recommended, amongst other exhibitions, the Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec showcase 17 Screens at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, noting, "There is something very agreeable about the way Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec pop up in the most unexpected places with the most unexpected projects. Not least because, and as a general rule, the more unexpected the location and the more unexpected the project the greater the chance of experiencing something that expresses the true nature of the Bouroullec's understanding of design – rather than simply an object created in response to a commercial brief."
What the brothers are presenting in Tel Aviv would appear to support our assumption. At least judging by the recently released press photos. We haven't seen the exhibition and so can only base our views on the very cleanly post-produced press photos.
Despite the otherwise unambiguous exhibition title 17 Screens appears to present anything but, being much more a series of research projects on connection concepts that could be used in modular systems. By our calculations at most five of the 17 objects being presented can be considered screens. And while "5 screens and 12 connection systems which could eventually be used to create a screen, but needn't", would be more honest, we accept "17 Screens" is a much more succinct, and inviting, title.
Keen followers of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec's canon will spot a few established Bouroullec motives and concepts in the displayed works, and we strongly suspect that one or the other piece of research from the Tel Aviv exhibition will appear before too long in a Bouroullec product. And not necessarily as a screen, the work on show is fundamental research and the potential commercial applications of some of the concepts would appear to be manifold.
We'll be sure to keep you updated.
For all in or near Tel Aviv this winter Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: 17 Screens runs at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 27 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, Tel Aviv until Saturday March 26th
Full details, including opening times, can be found at www.tamuseum.org.il
