BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT

Led by designer Abdé Nouamani, another bureau of design has exhibited their latest work, an Untitled Drinks Cabinet,, at Material Culture presented by Marsha Golemac as part of this year’s NGV Melbourne Design Week (2022). This exhibition is dedicated to the ongoing evolution of ‘material culture’ - an attempt to expand on conversations surrounding why and how things are made, and what social, functional, or symbolic needs they satisfy.

Immersed in references from the past, Abdé has created the Drinks Cabinet as a piece that highlights the cultural significance of tea tables in a Moroccan household, taking shape in a contemporary form and material. The cabinet is seen as a friendly and generous reception, for hosts to entertain guests, visitors, or even strangers.

Abdé recalls his first encounter with a ‘tea table’, sharing: “The one that I remember the most is my grandmother’s. A low side table with a carved timber base and an etched brass tray placed in the corner of the room, surrounded by upholstered low seating”. These tables were always perfectly set, with the teapot, glasses, and sugar in place. An embroidered silk throw is also placed over the table to protect it from dust as they await for guests to arrive. His contemporary rendition is made of hand brushed Aluminium and linen.

Words by another bureau of design

Photography by Annika Kafcaloudis

Another bureau of design is a Melbourne-based studio working across furniture, lighting and object design. The studio utilises both industrial and handmade production techniques to create design objects informed by the aesthetics of the built environment.