All the World’s a Stage 2024
Obayashi Head Office, Shinagawa, Tokyo
Corian, plywood, mirror polished stainless steel, lacquer.
Various dimensions.
All the World’s a Stage
In the words of William Shakespeare ‘all the world’s a stage’ and we are actors in the drama of life. In today’s information-rich world so many aspects of our lives are observed and recorded as we each play our part. We are surrounded by digital fragments that capture reflections of ourselves, our friends and colleagues, as though we live in a virtual ‘hall of mirrors’.
What Shape Table?
The three tables are for contemplation and for use. The square, the circle and the triangle are the essential geometry of architecture and construction. Each shape has its own symbolic and poetic potential. The square can indicate structure, stability and the home. The circle may symbolise the infinite universe, and the harmony of community, while the equilateral triangle refers to human endeavour with the dynamic relationships of the past, present and future, all in balance.
The mirror shapes on the walls are reflected echoes of the geometry of the tables with the glimpses of life that they capture, so the square becomes a diamond, the circle an ellipse and the equilateral triangle an elongated triangle. The two mirrors at the corners where the walls and ceiling meet, observe and reflect the whole space prismatically.
Furniture is symbolic. It mediates between our bodies and the buildings we occupy. We choose ‘what shape table’ when we meet or dine with a subliminal awareness that the shape of each table has a different significance and a special poetic resonance. Each table is conducive to a different type of interaction between participants.
Langlands & Bell 2024
