“If Books Could Talk, What Furniture Would They Ask You to Make For Them?”

The design world sprang almost alarmingly fast back into action this week in Milan, but before that, one of the quieter — and cuter — exhibitions to appear on our radar was by the peripatetic Norwegian design collective Pyton. Together with the artist-run publishing project Heavy Books, Pyton’s founders Tron Meyer, Henrik Ødegaard and Richard Øiestad created a small collection of new works to show at Galleri Golsa, an Oslo space almost on its way out of existence. (Golsa closed its doors after the exhibition ended on August 22.) The concept behind the show? Christian Tunge, the artist behind Heavy Books, gave several limited edition books and zines from his publishing house to the designers and asked: “If books could talk, what furniture would they ask you to make for them?” The results range from a collection in varnished pine to a hand-dyed wool rug to a conceptual glass column on wheels, holding several copies of the same tome aloft (Leaves of Grass by Yves Scherer) almost out of reach at the top.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN TUNGE