14 DAY TRIAL // More often than not, designers simply love and adore to experiment. Gigi Barker from the UK is no exception, and the downright bizarre collection of pieces of furniture she has recently introduced the public to stands as proof.
What makes Gigi Barker's collection stand out is not the shape of the pieces included in it. On the contrary, it's the texture and color the British designer used to complete this project that have turned out to be quite the head-turner.
This designer's latest creations, some of which are featured in the photo next to this article, look and feel like skin. Simply put, sitting on Gigi Barker's furniture is much like sitting on a living human being.
Fear not, the British designer did not have to go all Hannibal Lecter to complete this project of hers. The pieces of furniture might look like they are made of human skin, but they are actually made of leather, Oddity Central informs.
Thus, it's the texture of the leather Gigi Barker chose to work with, together with the furniture's peculiar color, that gives the impression that the pieces are the result of some wacky experiment conducted by one really mad scientist.
In case anyone was wondering, the insides of the pieces of furniture created by this British designer are made from silicone. According to Gigi Barker, this material was chosen because it matches people's own body temperature and is very much-flesh like.
Looking to make her furniture resemble human flesh and skin as much as possible, the designer even added pheromones and aftershave to the mix. The result was that the pieces ended up smelling like your average Joe or Jane.
By the looks of it, adults aren't exactly at ease when looking at this bizarre collection or touching the pieces of furniture. Children, on the other hand, appear to have no trouble coming close to the furniture or sitting on it. The designer suspects this is because they are more open to new experiences.
“Children have been one of the most interesting demographics in relation to the work. Without any of the hangups we later develop, they are free to truly explore and interact with the work,” British designer Gigi Barker tells the press in a recent interview.
Gigi Barker says that the design of her pieces is based on the outline of man's body. This gentleman’s identity has not yet been revealed, and probably never will be. Then again, since the designer altered this outline to a considerable extent, it does not really matter what the starting point was.
“I abstracted the shapes of his form so as to remove some of the immediacy of such a literal representation and allow the viewer to form their own conclusions,” the British designer stresses in a statement concerning this project.