Convolutions of the Brain

Designer and architect Gregg Fleishman operates a workshop and gallery in downtown Culver City. Jamie and I had walked past it many times, and noted that the chairs in the upstairs lounge area of The Museum of Jurassic Technology, right down the street, appeared to be by the same designer. We finally walked in for the first time last night when we had an hour to kill before a movie and noticed some new items on display — hanging lanterns that resembled spherical japanese paper lanterns, but composed of many kite-shaped, identical pieces of translucent vinyl, held together with interlocking tabs. If Gregg has a single trademark, it seems it is probably an aversion to the screw, the nail, the rivet, the bolt, the hinge, and the tube of glue. It's like the joke, "How do lesbians build a house?" Answer: "No studs. It's all tongue and groove." Gregg designs like a lesbian.

In Gregg's gallery, one of the first things you'll notice are a number of different chairs scattered about. They are all strikingly handsome and modern, but often seem to conjure a sense of the organic as well (see above title). Almost all of his furniture designs are made from European Birch plywood. What seems to be an exceptionally strong yet yielding wood (or wood-product, I suppose, since it's actually wood and glue sandwiched together). Aside from what seems to be an aesthetic choice, the convoluted forms cut out of the plywood do serve a purpose. Take a seat in one of the "Nebula" designs, and you will feel the chair's back yield softly to the weight of your torso, functioning like a large ergonomic spring.

There are many other things to explore in Gregg Fleishman's studio, from the large jungle-gym structures in the middle of the room, to the Cluster Structure kits that fit on a bookshelf, and a sort of reclining bicycle that I swear I've seen Gregg zipping around town in/on. If you're ever in or around Culver City, try to drop in and see these creations. Your brain will no doubt be teased.