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A red ‘Linya’ by Kenneth Cobonpue, one of the world’s best industrial designers, spans four floors in the newly opened SM J Mall in Mandaue City
MANILA, Philippines – World-renowned Filipino industrial designer and furniture maker Kenneth Cobonpue’s latest art installation was unveiled to the public on Friday, October 2024 in his home province of Cebu.
The Cebuano designer uploaded a video of his largest “Linya” art series as it was being set up in the newly opened SM City J Mall in Mandaue City, Cebu. At least 10 workers are seen in the video lifting, hanging, and securing the art work in the four-level mall weeks prior to the opening.
“A single line in constant motion, suspended midair like a ribbon frozen in time, caught in an eternal dance. It flits between light and shadow, weaving an intricate tapestry of curves that span across four floors…,” said Cobonpue of his bright red art work.
“Wow,” “Incredible,” “Stunning,” “Great work as always,” were some of the adjectives and phrases used by netizens who commented on his Instagram post.
Cobonpue has created smaller Linya art works for homes and other spaces. The Linya is made of rattan, a local material that Cobonpue has become famous for.
“A larger-than-life bow drawn from a single line — gracefully merging and continuously connecting, like ribbons overlapping and receding — our ‘Linya’ wall installation gives depth and drama as light dances around, casting playful shadows from the layers of intersecting curves and lines of rattan,” he said of his Linya series.
Cobonpue was influenced by the Japanese concept “katachi,” which means “form and design.” He describes it as a “mindset of putting together, and composing all things purposely and functionally.”
“My travels to Japan made me admire how the people expressed this in every aspect of their aspect of their daily life. I had the pleasure of learning the Japanese art of knotting and wrapping cloth. It is fascinating how the Japanese artistically wrap a bento box and its content,” he said in his story about his Linya series on his website.
“This wall installation, ‘Linya,’ is my expression of reverence for all things natural and beautiful.”
For the curious, here’s an example of how the Japanese made an art out of packing food, from Marie Kondo of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up fame.
Cobonpue has five Japan Good Design Awards, among his numerous recognitions worldwide. He is one of the world’s best industrial designers, with Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt, Lucy Liu, and Kendall Jenner even buying his works for their homes.
Cobonpue was influenced by his mom, Betty, his first design teacher who pioneered in rattan furniture.
“She had a strong sense of aesthetics and used this in creating beautiful forms using laminated rattan, which she had developed and popularized,” Cobonpue said in June 2023. “You were right, Mom. Good design is timeless.”
One of Cobonpue’s best-known work is the Yoda Presidential Chair which he made for 25 Asia Pacific Economic leaders, including then-US President Barack Obama, during the annual trade summit held in Manila in 2015.
Cobonpue finished his degree in Industrial Design from the Pratt Institute in New York in 1991, and returned to the Philippines four years later to manage his family’s rattan furniture business. He set up his name brand in 1998. – Rappler.com
