Material Compositions

A Mondrianian Approach: Abstraction of Space

The materials that we live within every day hardly ever get a second glance. The wallpaper, the carpet, the hardware on doors and cabinets, are passed by every day without analysis. It’s only until materials are deemed so completely out of fashion that they are regarded with disgust, a change in viewpoint that demands a renovation. This is because the materials are now subjective to the changing tastes of fashion. However, the materials have not changed at all, besides a little wear. If we take away the subjectivity of fashion from these materials, we are left only with an objective composition of materials. Like a Mondrian painting, they were assembled in such a way for their composition of color and texture, but in the case of “revetements” also for their function and comfort level in a space. 

By taking these materials out of context and looking at them objectively, we will have removed the negative connotations of these  materials. Wallpaper is no longer passe and those are no longer reminiscent of the 80s. The materials can now be seen only as a composition of a space meant for living. We can portray this by unfolding the room like a box and placing the materials on a flat, white surface, removing them from context.