Props
Date: 2007
Commissioned by: Jongeriuslab
Type: One off
‘Props’ is a special series of objects that Hella Jongerius created for Vitra’s presentation at the 2006 Salone del Mobile in Milan.
Normal props seem to be ordinary objects - they must appear to the audience as the real thing they represent. Hella Jongerius’ Props however, are hybrids between a functional product and a character from the fantasy world of animal fables.
With Props, Jongerius pulls a slowly grown phenomenon in design over its borders. During the last half century, the term of functionality has estranged far from its original instrumental meaning. Today design is about image, about meaning beyond use and utility, about context.
The necessity of cherishing meaningful objects is exemplified by Jongerius’ Props, of whom she herself claims “it’s not art, it is about function”.