Blurring the lines between art and design, French Touch is an art chair inspired by French house music of the 1990s. It pays homage to experimental artists like Daft Punk, Cassius and Etienne de Crecy and the legacy they’ve imparted on modern electronic music. Designed and manufactured by Joogii in Los Angeles, the French Touch is composed of dichroic film applied to CNC-cut acrylic and is connected by steel bolts. The distinctive sound of French house is constructed through the layering of disco samples with new filter and phaser effects. In the case of the French Touch chair, the naturally light-interactive dichroic application combined with the puzzle-like lap joints are a conceptual demonstration of just this. Not only in construction, but also in essence, the chair captures the complex nature of French house. Much in the way that the tracks in question reveal undiscovered depth in a seemingly transparent sound, the flat surfaces and changing angles of the chair legs allows a luminous colour spectrum to reveal itself at every turn.
“The chair is as vibrant and mesmerizing as the combination of uplifting disco samples and heavy filters used in tracks during the heyday of the French house musical genre.” – Juliette Mutzke-Felippelli, French Touch designer
In an effort to heighten the sensory experience, Juliette has compiled a carefully considered mixtape which embodies the zeitgeist of 1990s French house music.
It's a pretty cool compilation in its own right, and even more so when paired with its furniture counterpart. Listen to the French Touch Mixtape here.
Joogii design studio was founded by Juliette Mutzke-Felippelli and her husband, Diogo, whose mission it is to design objects and art that cultivate a vibrant environment. Before founding the company, they were a DJ and music production duo, which has inspired them to pioneer projects that merge the worlds of music and design. Although fairly new on the scene, they have already produced an acclaimed line of ‘J1’ watches, and will be launching their online shop in the very near future. Until then, we’ll keep the mixtape playing and look forward to seeing what more this exciting new team has to offer.
Joogii; joogiidesign.com
@joogii_design