JOINT DOUBLE is the overarching title of several interconnected design projects. Started in 2021, these consider regional traditions and qualities of chair-making and joinery with a focus on the Western Estonian islands and Suffolk, United Kingdom. 2023 work on JOINT DOUBLE encompasses survey records, pattern and material studies, site- and process-based performative actions and the construction of small-scale architectural structures and seating prototypes.
Patterned lid of the dowry box, Jämaja, Ösel (early 1800s); J. Kermik (2023) Moon Cycle Weave, RANDWALL archetype restoration; J. Kermik (2021) BURNING CHAIR - Midsummer in Suffolk, performance video; J. Kermik (2022) SUFFOLK chair – woven seatframe; Micko’s Hut at midnight (14/07/23); Micko’s Hut at noon (17/07/23).
Hullo’s cow bell, Jämaja, Ösel (1800s); J. Kermik (2007-23) RANDWALL chair restoration; J. Kermik (2023) SUFFOLK chair – archetype and its double.
J. Kermik (2023) SUFFOLK chair - 1.
Micko’s Hut, Ösel, December 2023.
VALOKANTA lamp features a tripod with an adjustable arm to enable positioning of the light source in space. Options for shades and diffusers, pivoted in pairs from the adjustable arm, include wood, plastic and 3D-printed forms. Turned wood components are developed collaboratively with A. Ansper (Päikesepuu).
J. Kermik (2019) VALOKANTA series of lights.
VALOKANTA is part of the KUUD Collection (curated by T. Vellama | SEOS) launched in Helsinki in 2019.
Development of the WOVEN WIND seating coincided with an invitation to the EcoDesign 2012 exhibition in Helsinki. WOVEN WIND was one of 44 shortlisted designs from over 100 international entries alongside J. Irvine, K. Rashid and Y. Kukkapuro.
J. Kermik (1992-94) Plywood research and experiments, RCA.
Building on his expertise in plywood, Kermik experimented with flax fibres to formulate the PlyFlax process. PlyFlax comprises layers of birch veneer reinforced with a matrix of flax fibres and resin allowing to reduce the thickness of the plywood shell without compromising its strength or flexibility.
Designed to test this new composite, the seat was given a name WOVEN WIND - a Japanese reference to flax.
Apple picking steps, Bignor, Sussex. Photo: P. Nash (date unknown), Tate.
J. Kermik (2020) STAND-POINT configured as a cucumber frame, Suffolk, UK.
STAND-POINT is a concept developed in the context of multifunctionality. By examining possible functions within the lifecycle of a product, Kermik explored how these could be shared and shortcut to create new meaning.
STAND-POINT was designed by minimising its components, yet expanding the definition of multifunctionality through user-defined options for assembly and application.
Pulled by gravity, a suspended rock descends. Its pendant line engages with a pulley on a cog, winding a motor to produce light. Arms holding spotlights bend down and up and turn back on themselves, punctuating the path of the rock and revealing the edges of the dark. Shadows thrown from the moving weight shift slowly. Swelling and contracting they steal and surrender space.
The project started as an open-ended experiment to design a self-contained lighting system with energy provided by the light itself. Design development focused on kinetics for the optimum geometry, linking gravity to variables of time and movement as a formula to produce light.
Design of the electrical circuit evolved in parallel to the testing of mechanics. Necessary diodes and capacitors were allocated to the ‘motherboard’ of 10 x 20 mm. CAD-modelling was used to combine ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ testing with visualisation and the production of component parts.
Weight-Light was exhibited at the International Ecological Lighting Exhibition (Helsinki 2010). According to Ingo Maurer who curated the exhibition, ‘there was no lack of innovative designs. For example, Dutch Joris Laarman’s Half Life – with its light source from a hamster’s ovary cell […] and Estonian Jyri Kermik’s Weight-Light which utilises the gravity of two rocks to engage with a generator to produce light’.
E-L. Kiviniemi, Light: The Highlight of Habitare, Aamulehti, 4 September 2010.
The structural type of the RANDWALL chair results from a speculative attempt to ‘reconstruct’ a regional archetype, which never existed. Randwall (rannavall - beach ridge), as a geo-linguistic reference point, connects it to Sõrve peninsula in the Baltic Sea. First prototypes utilising traditional carpenter techniques were made from locally sourced ash and birch.
J. Kermik (2009) RANDWALL chair. Ash, birch, plywood seat.
The construction and detailing of the chair support the idea of interchangeability of materials and production techniques - both ‘old’ and ‘new’. Locally sourced wood can be combined with components made from industrial board materials and recycled plastics.
ÄKSI chair is inspired by a design descending from a tradition of regional chair making. Variations of these rustic chairs, commonly referred to as ‘Latvian chairs’ by the end of the 19th century, were produced by a number of carpenter shops in South-Estonia. ÄKSI chair derives its name from one of the villages associated with regional production.
Design of the ÄKSI chair is based on interchangeable components. Fabricated in timber, plywood, sheet metal and plastics, they provide choice for the assembly of individual chairs.
J. Kermik (2007) ÄKSI variations include the ÄKSIARM chair.
ÄKSI chair has been widely exhibited since its first public presentation in the ‘Sitting Pretty’ exhibition which featured seating furniture from an international group of designers including C. Silvestrin, K. Rashid, Eley | Kishimoto, D. Linley, Langlands + Bell and EOOS.
‘It is a rare thing to find an interactive exhibition of contemporary design, particularly concerning chairs … Definitive highlights include Jüri Kermik’s installation of 16 ÄKSI chairs and the imposing minimalism of Claudio Silvestrin’s G.A Chair’. L. Bhaskaran, Sitting Targets, Blueprint, August 2002.
J. Kermik (2002) ÄKSI chair installation, Belsay Hall, Northumberland. Photo: English Heritage | K. Paisley.
MOON chair launched by Avarte of Finland in 1998 had a predecessor developed between 1992 - 94. Based on experiments in shaping plywood without formwork, the first version of the chair was made entirely out of plywood. Later production model incorporated a metal frame and an extended range of colours and finishes.
MOON chair in the formal interior setting: Finnish Embassy, Tallinn, 2002.
In 1998, the MOON chair represented new British design in the promotional exhibition and the accompanying publication.
New British Design Exhibition, HAUS Gallery, London, 1998.
P. Levi (ed), New British Design, Mitchell Beazley, London, 1998.
ON chair results from a period of collaboration with the Finnish company AVARTE.
‘Kermik considers that there is a constant dialectical relationship between problems and their possible solutions. The ON chair is a product of notable quality, both for its careful finish and its good aesthetic taste’. F. A. Cerver (ed), European Masters, Ediciones Atrium, 1991.
The seat and backrest of the chair are formed from birch plywood and the structure of the metal frame enables stackability.
J. Kermik (1989) ON chair prototype development.
ON chair was successfully marketed in Finland and internationally. In 1992, it was included alongside designs by A. Aalto, E. Saarinen and Y. Kukkapuro at the exhibition celebrating 75 years of Finnish design.
75 Jahre Republik Finnland: ‘Aktuelles finnisches Möbel- und Wohndesign’, Karlsruhe, 1992.
Experimental seating designs focus on form, materials and techniques of fabrication: TEACHERS (1988), WASP (1989), PYRAMID (1989), ORIGAMI (1990).
The UMBRELLA table (1992) represents a starting point for the development of a BUTTERFLY series of folding tables (1993).
Lighting designs from 1987 - 1991 investigate optical qualities of the material and their applicability for the small-scale production: HOLY MEN OF VILNIUS (1987), ISIS (1987), JYKE standard lamps (1988 - 1991).