Eikund – 26th may 2021

Eikund x Whatson

Rebels of their time

Eikund is releasing limited edition design classics in collaboration with street artist Martin Whatson.

“I´ve been thinking about doing furniture for a while, I’ve just been waiting for the right company to do it with.” Martin Whatson is better known for creating art pieces to hang on the wall, or even turning the wall itself into a piece of art.

“I think we have the same approach to things; It’s about quality rather than quantity. In the end it’s all about the craftsmanship.”, Whatson says.

With Eikund’s design history preceding Eikund as a company itself, quality and craftsmanship were where it all started; bringing these Norwegian design classics back to life.

The process

For Whatson this process has been quite different from creating on a two dimensional canvas. More angles, less space, and the balancing act of which parts are more important than others.

“I never know what the object will look like when I start out. I have a pallet of colors, and a general idea of the outcome, but I like to let the process itself reveal the end result.”

That’s why all of the chairs are unique – inspired by the music or audio books Whatson listens to when working with the design pieces.

“I do pick some details, like letters, words or symbols that are recognizable throughout the whole series to give it the same feel.”

He starts off with a spray box, fills every side of the chair with a well balanced mix of colors. Throw paint, mix it with his fingers. And for the final touch he applies pens and smaller markers to add the quirky details.

The Chair

Krysset is a Norwegian design icon with a distinguished cross- legged expression. It was designed by Fredrik Kayser in 1955. The crossed legs shape the overall structure of the chair with darker wooden nails in the joints enhancing the crafted beauty. The backrest is stretched out like a sail by a piece of leather sewn to the frame. A true classic.

The artist

“I’m inspired by graffiti, and it has definitely contributed to where I am today, but I’m just as much inspired by public bathrooms – perhaps the simplest form of graffiti.”. .

Whatson describes his way into art the same as for everyone else; through painting and drawing as a child

“I am very inspired by the evolution of a wall. How it goes from a blank canvas, to a mural – then somebody paints something on top of that; creating something new. Also the weather gives the wall a look of its own look and it just becomes something bigger than first intended.”

Much the same can be said about Whatson himself as an artist. With an honest intention of just creating, he never stopped drawing. From drawing in his school books, through his interest in graffiti, his background in graphic design – it all evolved into something bigger than perhaps first intended.

The figure

Isbjørn by Arne Tjomsland, is a physical pictogram resulting in a beautiful interpretation of the polar bear. It won the gold medal at the Deutsche Handwerksmesse in Munich, 1957. Designed in 1955, Arne Tjomsland got the inspiration from reading Polar literature as a child and the time he spent with his father, Preparator Michael Tjomsland at the Zoological Museum in Oslo.