Gerhana by studio.talk for Super Rattan
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This year studio.talk premiered its first furniture design collection in collaboration with Super Rattan, a company specializing in rattan craftsmanship. Consisting of an 11-piece living collection – Gerhana – is conceived as a celebration of the many inherent qualities of natural rattan, marrying the heritage of local rattan bending and weaving with the sensibilities and needs of modern living.
Gerhana, inspired by the Indonesian word for lunar eclipse, reflects the ability of natural rattan to achieve sensuous curves, creating geometries which are both playful and feminine. Simultaneously, the collection intends to emulate feelings of being at home in a modern living room with a touch of tropical nostalgia, with the intention that it can be a collection of furniture that can be enjoyed not only by Indonesians, but also adopted in the settings of many houses overseas.
There is no doubt that natural rattan offers a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood. It is fast growing, and affordable, making it readily available. Its nature renders it as a material that is easily bendable and malleable to shape, yet also lightweight, durable and appropriate for outdoor purposes, especially in tropical humid conditions.
The Gerhana collection is an attempt to make a come-back in rattan design. For some time now, there has been a decline in interest for rattan furniture, due to a preconceived notion within society of outdated and tired designs. Locally, many say that these types of furniture remind them of their grandparents’ house, hence the increase of unpopularity within the younger generation. Surprisingly, rattan furniture is highly praised within the international market, in places like Japan and Europe. However, most export markets still prefer a former and older design, which does not cater to contemporary taste.
It is this stigma of rattan that Gerhana attempts to break by creating a collection that will allow for it to be accepted by contemporary taste at home as well as abroad – we hope it can help revive a newfound interest in the art of rattan workmanship amongst the younger generations and simultaneously keeping the older craftsmen in the workforce.
studio.talk attempts to challenge the current notion by creating pieces which celebrate the beauty of natural rattan but still remaining casual, simple, flexible and affordable to furnish many various typologies of interior spaces from F&B to offices to homes – a collection for many to appreciate and enjoy.
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Photographs by Sugi Hermawan
