Doorknobs:
Beyond the Everyday
“The door handle is the handshake of the building.”
— JUHANI PALLASMAA
Co-curated alongside designer Gregory Beson, we invited 18 celebrated designers, artists, and makers to reimagine a ubiquitous, overlooked object for the exhibition Doorknobs: Beyond the Everyday. The show was conceived for and presented at WantedDesign 2019.
Always in service, yet asking for little, the doorknob’s form, material and detail can assist or dramatically hinder the user experience. In its function, it denotes a portal for possibility, piquing our curiosity: What is on the other side of the threshold? What lies beyond the door? We are compelled to investigate the limits between interior and exterior, private and public, this world and another.
Designed, left to right, by Pete Oyler, Rama Chorpash, Bertille Laguet, Fumiko Ito, Natalie Weinberger, Yvette Chaparro
Designers contributed everything from wood knobs – wearing beautifully, with teak and Spanish cedar employed for their natural rot resistance – to brass knobs – a material whose natural antimicrobial properties illustrate early human understanding of alloys. A tactile exhibition, visitors were invited to touch, grasp and grip, experiencing for themselves the unique story each object tells.
This exhibition was listed as one of Dezeen’s 10 must-see installations and exhibits at NYCxDesign 2019. Learn more at www.doorknobshow.com
FEATURING:
Yvette Chaparro
Rama Chorpash
Claesson Koivisto Rune
Keetra Dean Dixon
Joe Doucet x Brian Ornduff
Rogan Gregory
Fumiko Ito
Liz Jackson
Bertille Laguet
Inna Lobel
Steph Mantis
Jasper Morrison
Damian O’Sullivan
Pete Oyler
Karim Rashid
Tucker Viemeister
Natalie Weinberger
Allan Wexler
Exhibition photos by Bruce Willen
Designed, left to right, by Jasper Morrison, Claesson Koivisto Rune, Inna Lobel, Tucker Viemeister, Karim Rashid