FORM&SEEK and STUDIO FLORE // Entangled Dimensions: Shape of Connection

On view in the Project Room November 18–December 24, 2023
Opening reception Saturday, November 18 (3-5pm)

Artists Irina Flore (Studio Flore) and Bilge Nur Saltik (Form&Seek) debut the joint exhibition Entangled Dimensions: Shape of Connection, presented through the end of the year in the Project Room. This suite of functional sculptures, textiles, and design objects embody a material exploration that occurs when physical form and emotional connection converge. The artists consider how shapes, structures, and objects can embody a communal resonance. What stories do these creations tell, and how do they invite us to join in their narrative?

In imagining new possibilities for traditional forms, Flore and Saltik craft a distinct poetic language. Saltik’s Entangled Rug Collection, a body of handwoven, textile pieces demonstrate innovation in creativity and craftsmanship. Directly mounting one such intricate piece to the gallery wall transforms the space in an unexpected and visually dramatic manner. Flore’s Nexus Mirror Collection—conceived in collaboration with her brother, Razvan, a motion graphic designer—takes a similar every-day-tool and, by way of 3D printing, enhances the untapped beauty in its utility. These reflective surfaces serve as both sites of personal contemplation and external reflection as they readily catch the various luminescent lights and forms of the adjacent works in the exhibition. Similarly, the RI Shelves—a collaborative project between Flore and Portland-based Merkled Studio—work in tandem with Joyful Glassware (winner of the 2021 Gray Awards) and Frosting Collection (winner of the 2022 Isola Design Awards), the dual-color, irregular shelves providing the display for Flore’s delicate yet formidable statement goblets and Saltik’s playful candle holders. This intentional harmony abounds as a result of the careful collaboration and natural kinship of the artists. Just as these forms entwine and coalesce, Entangled Dimensions: Shape of Connection reminds viewers that humans too are bound by invisible threads of emotion, empathy, and shared experiences.

Irina Flore is a multidisciplinary designer and the founder of Studio Flore, a design studio focusing on design research, functional art objects, and innovative products. She received her MFA and BFA in Design, graduating with honors from Haute école des arts du Rhin, Strasbourg, France. Her work has been presented internationally in museums, galleries, and design shows such as Edit Napoli, Fuori Salone Milan, Interior Design Show Vancouver, Detroit Month of Design. She was awarded the 2014 Design and Tradition Prize at the Alsacian Museum in Strasbourg, France, where her work is now part of the permanent museum collection. She was also the winner of the 2019 Prototype Award at the Interior Design Show in Vancouver, BC and the 2021 Gray Awards in the Product category. Most recently, she received an honorable mention from Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards in both the Home and Circular Design categories, and was the winner of the 2022 Gray Awards in the Collaboration category. Her work has been featured in renowned design magazines including Dezeen, AD France, Gray Magazine, Sight Unseen, Luxe Interiors+Design, and Damn.

Bilge Nur Saltik is a designer, curator, and maker based in Detroit, MI. She received her MFA in Design Products Department from Royal College of Art, London, and her BA in Industrial Design and Graphic Design from Yeditepe University, Istanbul. Saltik is the founder and creative director of Form&Seek, a design studio that creates and curates uniquely crafted products and experiences. She won the 2014 New Design Britain Award and was selected as one of the Top 20 Designers Under 35 by New York Magazine in 2013. Most recently, she won a 2022 Isola Design Award in the Tableware category. Her work has been exhibited internationally in prestigious institutions such as Victoria&Albert Museum (London), Cooper Hewitt Museum (NYC), and Het Nieuwe Instituut (Rotterdam), and featured in Wired, Evening Standard, ICON Magazine, and Frame among others publications. Saltik is an active member of the Detroit design community, where she was named Notable Woman in Design in 2020 and serves as a Design Network board member at Design Core Detroit.