Designer: Nicolas Thomkins
Year: 2006
Colors: Platinum, Bronze
Material: Handwoven DEDON fiber on a powder-coated aluminum frame
YIN YANG – shaped by the elements
DEDON has designed a completely unconventional collection of furniture that has its origins in the harmony of forms: the DEDON Signature Collection, YIN YANG. The idea came to designer Nicolas Thomkins on the Island of Cebu’s beach of Olango. He sketched out the first draft of the design in the sand with a stick: a piece of furniture made up of two elements that appear as if they were formed by nature – like stones worn down by water or sand dunes shaped by the wind.
YIN YANG unites the dynamic opposites of ancient Chinese philosophy into a harmonious interplay of color and form – the bronze- and platinum-colored fibers reflect this harmony in alternating convex and concave surfaces. Surrounded by 4 km of woven DEDON fiber, they caress both the eye and the body; integrated seating depressions provide space for one person each.
The 4,000 meters of fiber was a challenge that at first had to be mastered by even the best weaving craftsman at the DEDON manufacturing facility in the Philippine island of Cebu: a work of art that unites two elements into a flowing form was the result of close cooperation between the designer and the development team.
The Swiss-born Nicolas Thomkins, for whom YIN YANG represents the second successful collection he’s designed for DEDON, considers YIN YANG to be the high point of his career as a designer: “with YIN YANG, we’ve achieved something completely new,” Thomkins said. “For a designer, that’s pure emotion.” Thomkins studied sculpture at the State Academy of Art in Düsseldorf, and studied industrial design at the University of Essen (West Germany). He has created exclusive designs for famous companies throughout all of Europe. After having worked in England, Switzerland and Germany, he now lives with his family in Lueneberg, in northern Germany. Thomkins has worked for DEDON since 2003.
