Design Miami/ Podium x Shanghai

André Fu, ‘ARC’ occasional chair, 2021
COURTESY: André Fu

THIS WEEK, AS part of Design Miami/Podium x Shanghai, Hong-Kong based designer André Fu is showing ‘Objects’, his very first collection of collectible design. All made of bronze, each in an edition of twelve, the ‘TWIRL’ Floor Lamp and Table Lamp, ‘ARC’ Occasional Chair and ‘ORB’ Arrival Table represent a new departure for Fu, known for his beautiful hotel interiors, from the Upper House Hong Kong to Villa La Coste, in Provence.

André Fu, ‘TWIRL’ floor lamp’, 2021
COURTESY: André Fu

The preview will be followed later this month by the unveiling in Pacific Place, Hong Kong, of the first standalone retail flagship store of his cross-cultural interiors lifestyle brand, André Fu Living – first launched at the Salone di Mobile in 2019. Before the opening, The Design Edit interviewed Fu about this first collectible design collection.

André Fu, ‘ORB’ arrival table’, 2021
COURTESY: André Fu

TDE: What was the impulse behind creating these four limited objects, alongside your already flourishing André Fu Living lifestyle brand?
André Fu (AF): Creating this series has allowed me to challenge myself by creating a dialogue between object and the user. I wanted to explore bronze as a medium and different techniques of using it to create forms that could evolve. As most of my work has been in spatial design, I also enjoyed working to a much smaller scale and thinking about how the object itself might be used as both a practical object and a work of art.

André Fu, ‘ORB’ arrival table’, 2021 (detail)
COURTESY: André Fu

TDE. What is it about bronze that inspires you?
AF: Bronze is one of my favourite materials and I have used it extensively. However, the play of cast bronze is an unknown medium for me. I am particularly intrigued with the possibilities of this material as the outcomes of casting from a mould are infinite. In these pieces, I wanted the bronze to appear as almost fluid, contrasting with the strength and hardness of the material.

André Fu, ‘TWIRL’ table lamp, 2021
COURTESY: André Fu

TDE: Can you explain your other choices of material – the marble, the silk?
AF: I have chosen materials that add or emphasise the narrative behind each of the pieces. And because they are simply quite beautiful within themselves. The marble [of the ‘ORB’ Arrival Table] is a rich burgundy marble from Brazil which contrasts beautifully with the bronze, and the grain of it works well with the fluidity of the bronze sculpted base. The delicacy of the silk [on the ‘ARC’ Occasional Chair] emphasises the subtle lines of the chair.

André Fu, ‘ARC’ occasional chair, 2021 (detail)
COURTESY: André Fu

TDE: What were your inspirations for the forms of the four objects?
AF: I am very much inspired by shapes found in nature, particularly plants, flowers and fruits, and my inspiration for these objects is a progression in that thinking. I also wanted to create objects that would expand my techniques and craftsmanship with bronze.

André Fu, ‘TWIRL’ table lamp, 2021 (detail)
COURTESY: André Fu

TDE: What techniques were used in the realisation of these objects?
AF: All the objects were cast in Thailand, the city that is based known for bronze craftsmanship within the region. Each piece began with a series of my hand sketches , which were then interpreted as a mould into which bronze was poured.

André Fu, ‘TWIRL’ floor lamp, 2021 (detail)
COURTESY: André Fu