Israel 2015/16, metal frame, woven rubber bands, foam material, leather, height approx. 78 cm, length approx. 210 cm, width approx. 100 cm. (DRAX)

A custom-made item. With certificate of authenticity.

Exhibited:
The Recipients: Ministry of Culture and Sport Awards in Art and Design 2015, Herliya Museum of Contemporary Art 2016

“The symmetric design of the sofa allows that it can be used by one or two people, its bathtub shape suggesting that a reclining posture would be the best way to use it. I always wanted to design a sofa, the question that kept troubling me was, why does it always look the same? I have noticed that people most of the time put their sofas in front of their TVs. So I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the relationship between these two objects. I researched into the evolution of the sofa vs. the development of TV screens since the beginning of the 20th century. I realized that the role of the TV in our lives is changing and we no longer consume our entertainment in a social manner – families sitting in front of the TV. Instead, we have our own screens and use them by ourselves. So I thought to myself the TV was about to disappear, that it will become extinct. The sofa will be used in different ways, we will use it when we are alone, as a place to relax, a place for introspection (maybe a bit like in the days before TV). The best place for introspection is the bathtub, so this is a combination between a sofa and a bathtub. No doubt this is a speculation and may propose a critical point of view of our society and where we are heading. And because of that I have chosen black leather, so that the shape may be associated with whale hunting ships / barrels / animal skeletons / coffins [...]. I have chosen the name “Cradle to Cradle” as a paraphrase of the well-known expression referring to the way we design stuff. Here it gets a new meaning that may lead back to the original meaning of the expression.”
(Neil Nenner)

“Neil Nenner offers a fresh look at our taken-for-granted relationships with our domestic furniture. His design of the couch on view here is based on his research into the development of the couch as influenced by changes in viewing habits related to developments in TV technology. He reached the conclusion that as TV screens have grown larger so has the couch increased in size and gotten softer, turning more similar to a bed. The proliferation of personal screens has resulted in another important change in the way we communicate with our environment and has resulted in each family member sitting in the living room with their own screen. Consequently, Nenner has developed a model of a personal couch, whose form and usage recall a bathtub. It is a concrete design proposal that holds a critical mirror to all these changes.” (Tali Ben Nun, Herzliya Museum)