Object of Common Interest is a designer duo formed by Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis, founded in 2016. They share their lives and creative work between New York and Athens, two different poles that well represent the duality of innovation and history present in their work. In 2022, driven by a desire to take their know-how back home, OoCI decided to open a workshop based on craftsmanship in the Piraeus industrial area of the Greek capital. Located among the shipyards of the world’s third largest port, the first feeling upon entering the space is that of a vibrant factory. Their conceptual approach is driven by experimenting with new materials and is well reflected in the space, from the working machinery to the showroom and archive. Eleni and Leonidas talk to us about their democratic way of working in the studio, following up each project with an intuitive process. They share their method to ensure sustainability in their projects starting form the material sourcing to the way they work with it and the importance of research between art, design and architecture behind their multiple inspirations. They think of space in connection to their design objects and the interaction with people, for a free and ongoing interpretation.
What are your working methods and processes?
Eleni – We work in different ways for different projects. It depends on the scale, but it always starts with the input that comes from Leo and myself. We start with a discussion and we begin sketching to each other. Usually the final project aligns to what we have sketched in the beginning.
Leonidas – We discuss our projects all the way from the concept to the mock-up and even when we have the final product. Through discussions we make a concept concrete and we try to make up our minds before starting any testing. Sometimes for an object we jump directly from the sketches or 3D models to the craftsmen or producers of the end product. Other times we work with a lot of mock-ups and tests and try-outs. So, there’s not really a standard method that we use. It’s very intuitive, in a sense.
In studio we have a quite democratic way of working. We strongly believe in teamwork and we believe that everyone has a different talent. While working together everyone can bring the best out of their creativity
How is your atelier organized?
Eleni – In studio we have a quite democratic way of working. We strongly believe in teamwork and we believe that everyone has a different talent. While working together everyone can bring the best out of their creativity. So, depending on the project, a different member leads a specific part or even the entire project and of course we’re always involved.
Leonidas – Different people can jump in the process for certain things and then come out and then jump in again. Many times we collaboratively discuss the concept and the opinions and see who will be able to run the project more efficiently.
What is your criteria for selecting materials?
Leonidas – We work with many different materials. When we first started working as Object of Common Interest we were captivated by marble. We started researching and looking for many producers in Greece who had this amazing craftsmanship and we were exploring the use of natural materials. Today our vocabulary is more conceptual than material. Sometimes we start a project with an idea and later we find the material that will best describe it. Other times we start with an obsession, like resin, for example. Recently, we set up our own resin fabrication studio where we push exploration to the limits. We study how it has been used so far, challenge the material and try to work it in a different way. In resin, for example, we have been exploring how to expand craftsmanship, turning its appearance and fabrication into a handmade process rather than a perfect-shape machine process, as it has been done so far.
How do you ensure that the materials you use are sustainable and ethically sourced?
Eleni – The way we conceive a project always takes in consideration sustainability on a wider scale. When we create a huge installation with an inflatable, for example, we design it in order to pack it in a small box, reducing its footprint when it travels the world. When we opt for natural materials we do extended research to find companies that are sustainable and that ethically source their products. It is a complex process as many well-established companies have little consideration for this aspect. Also, we prefer using pieces that others discard, like with marble, for example.
Leonidas – Sustainability comes not only in the sourcing but also in the way we work on the material, in how we conceive a project in order to have less waste. With resin – even if it doesn’t sound like a sustainable material – we have been carrying out a zero-waste process. This means that the way we pour it, the way we mix it without the use of additives makes it 100% recyclable. All the samples and trials that we do, for example, are never thrown away but grinded, reused over and over again and re-poured into new products.
We love hearing from the artisans and the craftsmen the history of the fabrication with each material, bringing back handmade techniques that were used decades ago or a hundred years ago.
How do you choose the production method for each design piece?
Leonidas – It comes to our mind right after we have thought about the concept of the project or the exhibition. We try to be consistent in following methods and that will maintain the concept throughout, from the beginning to the end. Sometimes, when you think of something and then start realizing it, you are forced to change your ideas and connections. In several projects, for example, we wanted to create the illusion of two materials glued together: they’re not actually glued but just touching and resting. This juxtaposition informed the way we structured these projects from beginning to the end. The production method is never a standard one, many times we have to improvise and address details in ways we didn’t thought at the beginning, but this is necessary if we want to be consistent with our concept.
How do you ensure that the final product meets your quality standards?
Eleni – We do an extended research on the best people working on each material and we collaborate with many different producers to find the ones that meet our quality standards. By doing so we have established a great network of specialized fabricators and we’re very proud of these collaborations. We love hearing from the artisans and the craftsmen the history of the fabrication with each material, bringing back handmade techniques that were used decades ago or a hundred years ago. When we work with marble, for example, we always finish it with bees wax the way our ancestors did.
Leonidas – It’s also a synergetic method, for example we leave room to the artisans and the fabricators to apply their own way of thinking, their own technique as they are the ones who know how to do it the best.
We work with abstraction and we like to bring in our work a sense of freedom.
How do you begin a new project? What is the ideation process?
Leonidas – Every project has a context and we like to work around that. But we also put in abstraction, that makes it universal: there is always this connection between the local and the general. Our process starts by sketching, discussing, walking through almost the entire process up to the end. We start a discussion and then analyze the process to shape the aesthetic we have imagined. It’s a very intuitive process and it involves sketching, 3D models and mock-ups.
Are there any particular design philosophies or principles that inform your work?
Eleni – We work with abstraction and we like bringing in our work some sense of freedom. Let’s say we leave it open-ended for the viewer to interpret the piece: there is always an element of discovery.
Leonidas – There is also surprise as we want people to approach our objects and installations from many different directions, not just physical but also conceptual, they’re not a one-way reading. In this sense the material informs the process, the articulation in space informs the process and also the interactivity informs the process. By using the word interactive it doesn’t mean the piece has to move or make sounds, but that it creates space around it. Thinking about space is one of the core aspects in our work.
Design is universal but there is something in responding to the context that gives richness to any proposal. Context is not necessarily the physical area where the piece is installed, context can be cultural, historical, social
How do you balance the aesthetic appeal of a design piece with its functionality and its environment?
Leonidas – Our installations are often made of many objects in space. Each object is a standalone piece but when they come together they form bigger picture, they actually become an installation. So we have two opportunities: not to control but to present aesthetic forms that can be viewed independently and have their own functionality. The complexity comes by experiencing these objects together: it allows us to present abstract simple forms that are not simplistic, creating richness when they are placed the environment.
Do you find that incorporating playfulness into your designs helps to create a stronger connection with the user?
Eleni – Playfulness in the sense of an open-ended interpretation of our pieces, yes. We do like this sense of cracking a smile or bringing the viewer back to his first childhood, when we were much more open. Yes, we like to reference back to this state of mind.
Leonidas – Playfulness is often misassociated to colour or funky shapes and things that look playful. But the way we incorporate playfulness is through abstraction, through simplicity. It’s not the shapes or the colours that make a piece playful but the fact that you can use this object in many different ways.
We do like this sense of cracking a smile or bringing the viewer back to his first childhood, when we were much more open. Yes, we like to reference back to this state of mind
How important is it for designers to be mindful of the local context where they are based and its culture when creating design pieces?
Leonidas – Design is universal and abstraction, the term that we use in describing most of our work, is also universal. But there is something about responding to the context that gives richness to any proposal. Context does not necessarily mean the local area where the piece is installed, context is also cultural, historical, social. This kind of references are very subtle in our work, you will not see history or a reference to the context right away. It is something that stays in the background, an underlying concept that it will not necessarily be visible, but that is part of the conceptual process.
How can designers promote sustainability?
Leonidas – Every craftsman, every designer, every practitioner has a responsibility over sustainability in larger or smaller accounts. A designer should be able to work efficiently and be mindful not just about sources, but also techniques and concepts.
How do you see Objects of Common Interest designs evolving in the future?
Eleni – We see ourselves being involved in a more public level. We love our work to be exposed in public setups so people can have maximum and free interaction with it. Of course we will continue experimenting with material forms by asking questions and finding responses, and conveying this into actual objects. This is always fulfilling.
