Unlimited Edition
Lawrence Lek
Designer in Residence 2012 Commission at the Design Museum
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Lawrence Lek is a sculptor and architect who experiments with processes of natural growth and industrial fabrication through sculptural objects and environments. His work employs modular structures which connect to create larger forms or experiential installations that define the visitor's awareness of the surrounding spaces.
For the Design Museum's Designer in Residence 2012 programme, Lawrence has created Unlimited Edition, a series of bent-plywood modules that combine to form objects and environments that users can customize, including a pavilion and seating. Referencing psychological Rorschach tests, which ask subjects to interpret unfamiliar inkblot shapes based on things they already know, Lawrence channelled the element of subjectivity into shaping the organic structures that compose the project.
Throughout the design process, Lawrence constructed numerous maquettes in paper and thin plywood to experiment with form before progressing to full-size pieces. Combining digital design techniques, such as computer controlled (CNC) routing and laser cutting with hand assembly, Lawrence can easily customize the modules to expand or contract. The full-size modules were made from a single cut of standard 8-feet tall plywood sheets, minimizing costly fabrication time. Each plywood module is soaked in water before it is bent and braced in place while it dries.
Working with the inherent symmetry of the material, which bends along the grain of the wood, Lawrence was able to achieve a consistent molding of modules. The shell-like shapes provided rigidity while allowing them to be stacked for transportation and storage. When erected they create uncanny forms, spaces and tool-like objects that invite the user to nurture individual responses within an artificial environment.
During the residency, Lawrence moved into a studio in the White Building, a new arts centre across the canal from the Olympic Park. He is currently evolving Unlimited Edition at two different scales - as a system for site-specific urban installations, and as prosthetic objects that modify both our bodies and mental awareness of surrounding Nature.
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Lawrence Lek . Prosthetic Aesthetics . 2012 Design Museum Designer in Residence
A . Studio 3, The White Building, London E9 5EN | M . +44 (0) 7592 572329
