Press

Galante Design Studio, where creativity, innovation, and meticulous craftsmanship converge in handmade objects, will introduce its Atlas Obscured Collection of chairs custom-cut from archival city maps in a pop-up gallery at 31 Brattle St., Harvard Square, on Thursday, October 17. This will be the third presentation of this collection, which was initially exhibited at New York City’s ICFF/Wanted Design, Launchpad Designer Showcase and at the European Cultural Council’s Time, Space, Existence, as part of the Venice Biennale, both in May 2023.

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In lieu of wicker and upholstery, these chairs are sculpted with crisscrossed lattice layers of historical street maps of cities, creating patterns that reflect each city’s history and evolution, highlighting the studio’s commitment to preserving and honoring historical narratives through design. The studio was founded by American architect Ted Galante, who is renowned for his design of thoughtful buildings that are cognizant of their cityscapes. He brings that builder mindset and maker aesthetic to the furniture objects he conceives, inspired by urban landscapes. “One is sitting on layers of history, which bring not only physical comfort but also psychological or emotional comfort about placemaking and bringing the place back to one’s home or place of business,” Galante said.

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This mission to turn ordinary objects like chairs into extraordinary works of art came to him while sitting and sketching in a Parisian garden eight years ago. “This project started because Harvard asked me to put chairs in Harvard Square,” he said. While sketching solutions for Harvard’s request, he couldn’t help noticing the commonplaceness of what he was sitting on. “Metal, numbered, awful green chairs surrounded me,” he said. “They weren’t connected to Paris in any way, and the lack of identity with these chairs of both institutions – the Tuileries gardens and Harvard – became a problem I felt compelled to study.”

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His studies led to that special chair that enabled the user to “sit on 400 years of history,” that is, layers of cutout maps of, say, Harvard Square from its genesis in 1638, its revolutionary period in 1776, its postwar geography of 1945, and its present-day streetscape on top, showing how the city has transformed over time. The studio produced similar effects from historical maps of Boston, Dubai, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Venice. The aim is for the user to experience the heritage of one’s hometown or a place of special significance when sitting down – hence  the Atlas Obscured Collection’s slogan, “Objects with Meaning.” “Galante Design Studio draws inspiration from the vibrant energy and intricacies of cityscapes,” said Galante. “Our objects capture the essence of city living, highlighting the overlooked beauty and complexity of urban environments.”

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Beauty and complexity owe to accuracy. The studio combines old and new technologies to produce historical and current-day maps. Each complex layer has its own nuance, which, once assembled, becomes a personal narrative for each client. Wood chairs come in a number of sustainable species, each having a custom “tattoo.” Aluminum chairs are powder-coated with any color enamel the client might desire.

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Galante Design Studio embodies everyday objects with new stories to tell, in its dedication to fusing traditional, expected forms with insights from space and time. Leaning on his early career as a craftsperson, Galante transitions his architecture drafting pen to the hand-built craft of making – where time, form, and materials are the inspirations. His initial collection of reimagined chairs with historical maps placed the studio on the scene and has become a calling card. With new collections in the works, Galante Design Studio continues to create objects with stories that challenge the boundaries of perceptual expectations. For more information, visit galantedesignstudio.com or email info@galantedesignstudio.com.