Frédéric Dedelley - Design Detective

Frédéric Dedelley is one of the few contemporary Swiss designers who is active both at home and abroad. In his inimitably quiet, witty and deliberate fashion, he has created an oeuvre over the past 13 years that clearly transcends the scope of the conventional designer. He has applied his skills to liturgical furnishings, seating for parks and experimental studies in new materials.

Dedelley’s projects are based not only on familiar design strategies such as research, analysis and the specifications of commissioned work but also on his photography. For the past decade, his small analogue camera has been a frequent companion, capturing unexpected situations, curious objects and surprisingly atmospheric moments of everyday life. His approach is intuitive rather than being motivated by the needs of a specific project. To date he has accumulated some 2000 photographs. The archive of impressions that he has discovered and collected resonates in his products and projects in space; it represents a study in perception that cannot but influence his work, whether consciously or unconsciously.

The fruitful interaction of two disciplines, the mutual insemination of unfettered passion and commissioned work: that is what this publication is about. Eight sequences of pictures are accompanied by texts in which the designer explains why he has chosen to photograph a certain subject matter and how it resonates in his designs. Readers learn to see the world as Dedelley sees it and to understand the way in which his visual discoveries flow into his designs; they learn about the thoughts, premises and inspirations that underlie his products. A combination of essay and work list highlights the designer’s main concerns and reveals the role that photography plays as a resource.

The publication Design Detective is the outcome of two years of prolonged discussion and the intense study of photographs and objects, during which time Frédéric and I tried to work out and define just what these main concerns are. Time and again we were astonished by the common ground that we discovered between his two passions – formal, constructive and substantive interests that characterize his photographs and design projects alike. The photographs tell us about Dedelley’s objects and projects in space, and vice versa. Graphic designer Jocelyne Fracheboud, infected by our enthusiasm and astonishment, skilfully helped us structure our findings on the printed page, enabling readers to follow the way in which Dedelley arrives at his designs.

Photography has given Frédéric Dedelley an artistic take on a field ordinarily governed by briefs and specifications. It allows him to engage in experiment and chart new territory making discoveries that in turn enrich the design process of a commissioned work. In his own words, “The most wonderful thing is when a finished project comes as a surprise.”

Ariana Pradal
Editor

Lars Müller Publishers
Baden, Switzerland
www.lars-muller-publishers.com