Lara Bohinc Q&A
December means all eyes are on Miami for its string of creative fairs. The flagship public commission for Miami Design District comes courtesy of Lara Bohinc, whose Utopia installation consists of friendly-looking cork street furniture popping up all over. Here, the London-based designer explains how it took shape, and how it fits into her wider work
DESIGN ANTHOLOGY UK: Can you tell us more about Utopia in Miami?
LARA BOHINC: The whole idea for it was about nature, and how we might be in synchronicity with nature. The shapes are based on the cell at the beginning of life, or the egg at beginning of life. When cells multiply, you get these creature-like objects. And it’s made from cork, a very sustainable material.
There is a public space called the Palm Court, with a Buckminster Fuller dome, and one installation sits in front of that, with four armchairs and a lighting sculpture; then you walk down and there are little installations of sitting areas, with a bench and three stools; and then further down, another two lighting sculptures; and then right at the end, there’s an egg, with large sofas. And all along the Paseo Ponti, at all the crossroads, there are bird houses in the trees.
These pieces are also going into production, in very limited editions. They are totally suitable to be used outside all year round.
DA: How does it fit into the bigger picture of your work – is this the biggest project you’d worked on, and the first time you’d used cork?
LB: Yes, it’s the biggest in terms of size, and my first public commission in the US. It’s the first time I’ve used cork, but I’ve done something similar with wood before, using the same tools. We used these outdoor paints for the cork, and that was something I hadn’t done before, either.
DA: How are the cork pieces made?
The cork arrives compressed into quite large blocks, about a metre by 30cm, and they are milled [into shape]. Then they’re put around this steel construction which keep the form together – it makes it stronger, because the pieces are for a public space and people could be jumping all over them.
[When the piece is finished] it has this really nice texture, you can see all the holes in it, they are almost cell-like. It has a silk-like, velvety consistency.
DA: What was the inspiration for the colour?
LB:The surrounding area. In Miami there’s this ice-cream colour palette, but also the quality of the sea and the sky is lovely.
DA: And is colour important to you more generally?
LB: I do love colour. Bright colour, pastel colour… any colour. I think it’s a reaction to working with metal for so long previously, where you’re limited to certain tones – silver, gold, brass, bronze, black – so I crave to use colour wherever I can.
DA: How does Utopia fit into your wider body of work?
LB: My last work was called Peaches, inspired by the female body, so it was more about organic form. But even when I was working more with geometric shapes, I always liked rounded forms. Utopia was not so much about the body, but about life and living organisms.
DA: Can you tell us about your collaborations with other brands, such as Roll & Hill for lighting, and Kasthall for rugs – what makes you decide to either work on your own, or collaborate?
LB: When you work on your own, you’re more free, like an artist. The work you produce reflects some kind of personal exploration of certain ideas, processes or materials. When you work with a client, there’s a brief, so it’s a totally different way of designing, and you can also tap into their expertise. Neither is easier or more difficult – and sometimes it’s nice to have those limitations. An unlimited sea of possibilities can be quite daunting…
Working with a collaborator can also mean your work gets seen by more people. That’s why I enjoyed working on the Miami commission, because it means my work will be seen and enjoyed by everyone.
DA: Do you have a favourite project that you’ve worked on?
LB: It’s always the last one. No matter what.
