Kvadrat Opens Sculptural Conference Venue Co-Created by Artist Thomas Demand and Caruso St. John Architects
Located at its headquarters in Ebeltoft, Denmark.
Luxury textile label Kvadrat has tapped German sculptor Thomas Demand and architectural firm Caruso St. John to build a sculptural hospitality and conference venue at its headquarters in Ebeltoft, Denmark, dubbed The Triple Folly.
The Triple Folly, which the brand is calling a “still life assembled on a hillock overlooking the sea,” is comprised of three buildings, or volumes, that align with sculptural items created by Demand: a sheet of legal paper, a paper plate and an American soda jerk’s hat. Bridging art with architecture, Demand teamed with Caruso St. John architects to create the art-infused building, otherwise known as a “Gesamtkunstwerk,” the German term for a “total artwork” that combines different mediums within art, design and craft.
Working in tandem, Demand and Caruso St. John architects co-created the interior’s standout decor, including chairs, tables, lamps, door handles and more. Inside, the building hosts an expansive artwork made from suspended heavy wool threads, titled Yes but, by artist Rosemarie Trockel. The piece was initially purchased in 2006 for display at the Kvadrat headquarters, and The Triple Folly was built to include the work seamlessly.
With Kvadrat’s pioneering textiles at the forefront of his concept, Demand originally gravitated toward the idea of textile-composed tents for the building’s inspiration. After doing research on the history of tents, Demand’s concept evolved into an image of a pavilion, a form of a tent known to welcome visitors to exhibitions and various events. In line with his sartorial vision, The Triple Folly will incorporate new artworks into its scenic landscape around the headquarters, which already hosts pieces by Olafur Eliasson and Roman Signer.
Demand’s aforementioned elements make their way into the building’s composition, too. Architects crafted an elliptical volume, dubbed “the hat,” from welded fiberglass that operates as an open living room area. Meanwhile, meetings are held in the “legal paper” volume, which boasts a faded yellow-and-black-lined folded “paper sheet” made from translucent fiberglass; and the kitchen and dining areas reside in the “paper plate” domain, which resembles a formed sheet above a cylindrical volume, also made from fiberglass.
Take a look at Kvadrat’s The Triple Folly in the gallery above.
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