In 2009, Dirk van der Kooij set about creating a new identity for plastic. Could he make honest and durable furniture from the ultimate imitator? The resulting series—aptly named “Elephant Skin”— saw recycled plastic wrinkle and contract as it cooled: conjuring a rich, living tactility. These early explorations set a precedent for the work that would follow. Through the union of craft and machine,
Dirk has built a vocabulary of lines, forms, and functions which see recycled plastic establish its own powerful tone. A tone which sees waste evolve from loss to luxury. The patchwork of imperfect machines employed to tame this unlikely ubermaterial have imparted a beloved oddness to the Kooij collection. Softened by the careful attention of carpenters, metalsmiths, and painters, Kooij objects emerge as tender portraits of an eccentric materialist. A decade since this adventure began, Kooij produce a tightly curated range of forever furniture in an Amsterdam-based factory. Select pieces have joined the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum, MoMA New York, Centre Pompidou, and the Design Museum, London.
