ON HOW IT STARTED

• What first drew you to making functional objects that blur into art?

Postmodern Tectonics:

First, music. And then light.

Specifically, finding a way for them to work together in one functional piece of furniture.

We noticed a lack of contemporary DJ furniture that was affordable, served a functional purpose, and maintained a true artistic craftsmanship. Living in LA and NY, we were shocked that a $76 Ikea Kallax Shelving unit was the best option for many at-home DJ set-ups.

Not to throw any shade at Ikea though! 

We all deeply appreciated the high-quality custom projects coming out of the UK (e.g. JJ.Booth and others); however, we found ourselves frustrated with the inaccessible price points, especially in the US.

So we set out with the goal to bring Musical Furniture™ to the masses at an affordable price point with a versatile, modular catalogue of furniture parts. 

We acknowledge this first case study has not fully achieved the affordability side of things — yet! — but it is without a doubt our intent for future iterations.

In order to blend the never-ending debate between form vs. function, we joined forces with the incredibly talented Casa Ysasi studio in Los Angeles. Pato and Inigo share a common appreciation for artists such as H.C. Westerman and Donald Judd and their ability to blur the line between furniture as sculpture, or sculpture as furniture. 

The line was not always clear and that’s exactly what we love.

Our collective goal was to bring these two star-crossed lovers together, while turning an otherwise utilitarian object into what we all believe could also be viewed as an art piece – CASE STUDY 01.

We provided the function – they provided the art. 

And it worked seamlessly.

ON INSPIRATION & MATERIALS

• How do California’s Light and Space movement and the emotional architecture of Mexico show up in your designs?
• What do you hope people feel when they live with these pieces — from bookshelves to musical furniture to credenzas?

Casa Ysasi:

We’ve always been fascinated by the Light and Space movement and artists like Robert Irwin that expanded the idea of what light and space could mean for an environment. Their work showed us how perception itself could be a medium. But what we felt was often missing was the spirit that music brings. The sense that art is not only about structure or perception but about chasing a feeling. 

Music was our first entry point into art, and we try to carry that same sense of discovery into the objects we make. The goal is for it to move you on an emotional level. 

When we collaborated with Postmodern Tectonics on Musical Furniture, the concept embodied that ethos so perfectly.

Postmodern Tectonics:

If you have ever read Bachelard’s “Poetics of Space,” then you may share the same appreciation for a window from within a room. At POMO–TECT, we adore James Turrell’s ability to draw everyone’s attention to one profound “window,” or void, in an otherwise empty space.

Our collaboration with Casa Ysasi on the credenza and the rest of their light sculptures grew from a collective appreciation for the work of Luis Barragan and more specifically, his masterful ability to use “cheap” or affordable materials, like yellow paint on a window and texture on a wall, to control one’s feeling within a space.

For example, Barragan would say a yellow window into a living room evokes “spiritual warmth, joy, and contemplative serenity.”

Casa Ysasi harnessed that exact feeling of natural warmth and deployed it across many of their light installations – a feeling that can only be captured using their quintessential Amate paper sourced from Oaxaca.

As living costs rise and living rooms grow smaller, our CASE STUDY 01 was conceptualized around the Vitruvian idea of the hearth – the focal point in the earliest and most human space of gathering.

In simpler terms, our goal was to design a contemporary grand piano which simultaneously produced a warm, fiery glow that mimics a fireplace - combining both music and light.

When was the last time someone could fit a Steinway in their apartment...why not buy a DJ booth instead?

ON FUNCTION MEETING FORM

• How do you approach solving practical needs while maintaining a sense of artistry and craftsmanship?
• In your view, what makes a piece more than just furniture and into something experiential?

Postmodern Tectonics:

Our name quite literally means a distinct break from existing dogma in the art or science of construction — Postmodern Tectonics.

This is how we approach solving practical needs throughout our work. 

We deconstruct the problem down to its very foundation, understand all of the existing approaches to solving said problem, and then reconstruct a clear path using a scientific approach to solving the problem with artistry and craftsmanship at the helm.

This is precisely why we built the credenza together with Casa Ysasi.

In our view, we strongly believe that the only thing that turns a piece of furniture into something experiential is how the user interacts with it. 

We deeply appreciate how Olafur Eliasson has prioritized the same concept throughout his work. He thinks scientifically, artistically, and experientially. 

While the credenza may or may not be at the same scale of his installations, the only way for someone to understand it is to simply walk into the space and experience it. 

Olafur says that “we create reality as we go through space” and all of his work is completely dependent on the “spectator.” This deeply resonated with us as we simultaneously try to manipulate light and sound in Musical Furniture.

“What makes a space tolerable or inclusive? The body is a good indicator. Who knows about the body? Dancers.” -Olafur Eliasson, 2018

With a very similar logic, our collective goal was to create a furniture piece that MAKES PEOPLE DANCE.

As we always like to say: more dance, less talk!

ON THE COLLABORATION

• Was there a particular problem or inspiration that sparked the idea for musical furniture?
• Do you see musical furniture as an ongoing series?
• What else do you want to explore?

Postmodern Tectonics:

Absolutely. 

Our primary goal at the very beginning was to solve all of those painstaking problems a DJ experiences when they show up at a new venue...

Nowhere to hang their headphones.

Nowhere to put their beer without risking a spill.

Difficulty seeing the records they’re about to play or even display the records they’re currently playing.

For these precise reasons, we applied a scientific attention to detail – down to the millimeter – when setting out our dimensional constraints for variables such as record storage, drink storage, and everything else. These very simple variables are constantly overlooked and it's frustrating for DJs – and musicians of all types. 

In the long run, we aim to design objects for all musicians, whether you’re in a quartet or play the clarinet or just need a new piano bench – we want to build beautiful furniture that supports everyone's love for music.

It is our absolute goal to make Musical Furniture™ an ongoing, collaborative series. 

Postmodern Tectonics and Casa Ysasi could not be more proud and excited to be working together and can’t wait to show everyone what's coming next.