Atelo is an experimental furniture building system that seeks to embody the concept of inevitability. The domestic object, doomed by its own failure, becomes obsolete through use and time. All objects fail. As designers and makers, the fear of structural failure is an engrained anxiety in our practices. But is structural, functional or aesthetic failure the finality of the object?  My project wishes the present a piece of work that lives outside of these conscriptions.

The result is a collection of possibilities built with a proposed modular system. The pieces wish to be inviting through their archetypal form yet perceived as unsafe through their materiality and construction. The furniture, made out of repurposed float glass, bring a delicate and brittle presence to the objects and challenge our view of materials as commodities. The work is secured together using industrial grade suction cups. The technical joining system materializes our need for safety and stability, yet,  like all industrial parts, the attachments will eventually fail if not tended to. To encourage care, a graphic element appears on the joint when it is at risk of giving way. By joining the material by its surfaces and not the edges, I broaden the assembly possibilities and do not restrict the material to a perfect form.  Consequently, the relationship between the owner and the piece becomes active and engaging through the act of building, caring and repurposing.