The Narcissus Desk By Sebastian Errazuriz

The New York artist Sebastian Errazuriz modified an antique 1880 French desk in his new design. It has become the reflection of his contemporary "I" and his relationship to himself and to the world around him. American designers’ Sebastian Errazuriz childhood experience with Caravaggio’s painting of "Narcissus" has turned into an interactive design Narcissus desk.

"I was shocked by the idea that someone can look at his reflection and have no conception that he was looking at himself. I think that now we are becoming the god Narcissus from Greek mythology, because we are completely obsessed with our personal perfection, how we are reflected in the well-edited photos, and completely forget about real "me" out of the photo screen," explains the American artist. It is assumed that at the Narcissus desk a person is handling a moment of reflection, a moment of belief at the one space where we make most of our essential decisions in our life.

In order to make this table, Sebastian Errazuriz found a broken antique French desk from around 1880 and completely restored it. He cut a semi-circle in the counter top and covered it with a mirror.

"I like the way it looks while sitting at this table. He recognized it as the queen of hearts on a playing card. Surrounded by only themselves, the viewer is, all of a sudden, quite aware of themselves. The girl we photographed at the table reminds me of a famous photo «Noire et blanche» by Man Ray. I'm sure that this image of the girl next to the mask is always present somewhere in my subconscious," explains the American designer.

The Narcissus desk is made out of bronze, wood and mirrors. It is a new addition for the functional sculptures with which Sebastian Errazuriz wants to draw attention to objects, spaces and situations, which in everyday life we neglect. 

Article by Angelina Vin
Russian Design Hub

Aug. 8, 2014