F  L  A  U  N  T

 Objects of Common Interest, _Tube Lights_ (2019), interspersed with Isamu Noguchi’s, _Deepening Knowledge_ (1969), in The Noguchi Museum’s indoor-outdoor gallery. Photographed by Brian W. Ferry. The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum is the host of a new collaborative exhibition featuring works from Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis, the cofounders of the Greece and New York-based art studio, Objects of Common Interest, curated Dakin Hart. The two artists, who created the featured works, aim to use objects and space in a creative, intuitive way, one inspired by “moments of unfamiliar simplicity.” Showcased throughout the museum’s garden and first floor, the exhibit will be open from September 15th, 2021 through Frebruary 13, 2022. Heavily inspired by Isamu Noguchi’s (1904-1988) use of architecture and space in his sculptures, Petaloti and Trampoukis focus on combining functionality with aestheticism to observe form more as an idea than as a set structure. The two artists sat down with _Flaunt_ to discuss their process and where they draw inspiration and motivation from.  Objects of Common Interest, _Tube Light II_ (2019). Light, acrylic. Photographed by Brian W. Ferry. **How do you draw inspiration from Greece in the new exhibition?** **Eleni:** We look into Greece in a blurry way, almost from memory or through our sensory experiences and not in an immediate or historic way. We associate Greece with certain values and physical virtues, highlighting everyday elements that inspire us. Noguchi looked at Greece in a similar manner, having mentioned it as his “intellectual home.” At this show, the associations with Greece are personal in such a way and not directly attributed to the works, and the installation is creating a dialogue with Noguchi’s own interpretation of Greece. Prior and during this exhibition, we have been working on a digital feature that is now leading to a book publication with the Museum entitled: _Noguchi in Greece, Greece within Noguchi_. We see this exhibition somehow linked to our experience working on this project. **What do you want to explore in the future of Objects of Common Interest?** **Eleni:** We work between object installations and spaces and through architecture with our sibling architecture studio LOT. We are looking into creating larger spaces of interaction and more permanent experiences, a topic we have touched upon with temporary installations that we have created and in the way we approach design shows such as this one with a scenography experience in mind.  Objects of Common Interest, _Offerings-Rock III_ (2000) placed with Isamu Noguchi’s _Practice Rocks in Placement_ (1982-83) in The Noguchi Museum Garden. Opal resin. Photographed by Brian W. Ferry.  Objects of Common Interest, _Offerings-Rock III_ (2000). Opal resin. Photographed by Brian W. Ferry. **What do you hope spectators gain from this exhibition?** **Leo:** I believe it’s a very representative show about our work overall with pieces from various dates, past and current: furniture, limited series, or unique objects, some parts of installations that we have created, but here curated by Senior curator Dakin Hart in association with Noguchi’s work, viewed for the first time altogether. **What was the inspiration behind the decision to use both indoor and outdoor space in the garden of the Noguchi Museum?** **Leo:** It is the curator’s response to seeing our works in the space and associating them conceptually, but also physically, with Noguchi’s exhibited works in creating a narrative within the space. Some of Noguchi’s pieces were also repositioned or brought in new, and some of our pieces were placed to interact with the newly installed exhibition entitled _Useless Architecture_, thus activating almost the whole museum areas, indoor and outdoor. **Q: What inspired the founding of Objects of Common Interest?** **Leo:** It started by experimenting with the small scale in parallel with our architecture practice as an inner need to create things in different speeds. Sketching ideas and materializing them directly in the final scale and materials inspired us to keep exploring into what formalized as our current Studio. **Q: What do “moments of unfamiliar simplicity” mean to you?** **Leo:** We tend to think in simple forms, but with added layers of complexity that are not directly visible as expected, but experienced through touch and interaction: elements seemingly attached but gently resting each other, illusion of weight volume or size, inversing what is perceived as soft or hard, etc.  Objects of Common Interest, _Formations_ (2018), installed among Isamu Noguchi’s collection, _Noguchi: Useless Architecture._ Photographed by Brian W. Ferry. **Q: How did you initially get the idea to pair up with Isamu Noguchi?** **A:** We were researching on Noguchi’s relationship with Greece, digging into the archives of the museum as a personal project. This led to a digital feature with the Museum (currently being further explored into a set of books publication), that led to the conception of this exhibition. **Q: How do you execute the switch between the formal and the intuitive in Objects of Common Interest?** **A:** This refers to our process, which is rather non-standard. We often discuss a project to completion before even putting any trace on paper and execute out of intuition without testing ideas, but other times we follow a long process of research and iterations to come to a final outcome.