2024

CRAFT FORWARD II

J*GAST X KARUUN


A Conscious Hallucination

An exploration of modern natural materials and a reinterpretation of the kitchen that challenges traditional notions of usability and prestige.

Modern natural materials offer a harmonious blend of traditional appeal with advanced functionality, providing sustainable, efficient, ethical, and aesthetically pleasing options for the living space.

On J*GAST CRAFT FORWARD, we explored the qualities of karuun®, a material crafted from rattan, a nearly forgotten raw material characterized by its capillary structure, robustness, flexibility, and lightness. We used karuun® panels and blocks, which preserve the natural linear grain and color of rattan; and karuun® shine, a permeable panel to light and air, produced by saw cutting the face wood of karuun® block.

As functionality becomes a given due to technological advancements, aesthetics and social perception are taking center stage.

Much like in haute couture, the primary function of J*GAST CRAFT FORWARD might not be practicality or utility but rather to evoke emotions, provoke thought, express personal identity, and make a dramatic visual statement.

Since the beginning of J*GAST in 2015, we’ve always paid attention to the status quo of the latest tools for conceptualization and production. For the overall development our kitchen system, we have consistently considered progressive tools, and as of 2024, it would be unthinkable not to consider AI.

We’re now starting to use AI as a collaborative tool during the design process. In our view, one of the most interesting aspects which define generative AI is the phenomenon known as “hallucinations,” where the AI generates variations that fail to understand the purpose of a given solution. Current AI models lack the deep contextual understanding that humans possess. Just as Surrealism sought to liberate thought from the conventional by embracing the irrational and the abstract, AI facilitates a similar breaking of boundaries in creative fields. It enables the exploration of forms, colors, and elements that might not have been considered before, pushing the limits of what is considered normal or acceptable in design.

While AI can be a wonderful tool when used collaboratively, it also risks leading us into an “age of randomness,” where humans may relinquish their responsibility in leading the creative process and choose solutions that lack purpose.

With ethical concerns on the rise, generative AI models are accused of being trained on the work of authors and designers and using their “signatures” in questionable ways. When designing this kitchen, we thought about reversing the scenario and “stealing” the hallucinative character of generative AI, although no AI was involved in the process.

By creating a kitchen that looks like a “hallucination,” we challenge the usual expectations and invite viewers to reconsider the role and definition of a kitchen. J*GAST CRAFT FORWARD turns the space into a conversation piece, prompting discussions about the nature of design and the role of rooms in our homes.

– Approximately 35% material savings
– 100% recycled wooden board with biogenic glue


Team: Holzrausch, RELVĀOKELLERMANN & OHA

Client: J*GAST

Foto: Gerhardt Kellermann