Wolf-Gordon`s Office_Excavate Rethinks Office Interactions at

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wolf-Gordon’s Office_Excavate
Rethinks Office Interactions at
NeoCon® 2016
NeoCon Installation. Rendering: Graham Kelman
New York, NY– Wolf-Gordon, the source for contract textiles and wallcovering, will open
Office_Excavate, a custom made lounge area for the attendees of NeoCon® 2016, taking place
June 13-15 at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Located between elevator banks on the first floor of
the Mart, Office_Excavate puts the emphasis on Wolf-Gordon’s extensive and beautiful
collection of upholstery textiles while poetically deconstructing the formerly cubicle-driven
office block and transforming it into an inviting and flexible space in which to work and interact.
The area will feature an 18 foot-long, grotto-like banquette created by extracting asymmetrical
forms from the “block”. The residual forms can be positioned as desktops, tables, and stools.
Both the excavated seating and forms are upholstered in over 100 Wolf-Gordon textiles arrayed
by color. Designed to accommodate a range of workplace functions, Office_Excavate will provide
a welcoming space to stop for a chat, coffee break, email check, phone recharge or a
serendipitous meeting.
“Office_Excavate suggests the dramatically different office environments that can be
imagined for 21st century work, enabled by technology, and equally important, more flexible
norms for individual and collective work,” states Wolf-Gordon vice president of marketing
and product design, Marybeth Shaw.
The project began with a conversation between Shaw and Hjalti Karlsson and Jan Wilker of
karlssonwilker, inc. during which they discussed a rather extreme range of contemporary
workplace activities and policies: beyond lounge areas, nap rooms, game rooms, spa services,
cafeterias with catered meals, flex time, unlimited vacation. Following the conversation,
karlssonwilker drew up a series of “postures” or positions for the body in the modern office, and
architect Graham Kelman visualized the idea and developed the architecture of the installation,
in close collaboration with Shaw and karlssonwilker. Jorge Parreira of New Motor devised the
fabrication and installation plan, and Hoover Canar upholstered the over 100 forms. As with
previous sponsored installations for Wolf-Gordon at NeoCon®, Office_Excavate represents a
best-case scenario of collaborative process, talented designers, and complete freedom of
program.
Office Interactions sketch. Courtesy karlssonwilker
Process renderings. Courtesy: Graham Kelman
Map of upholstery textiles. Courtesy: Wolf-Gordon
With Office_Excavate, Wolf-Gordon marks its fifth anniversary of innovative NeoCon®
sponsorships. For four consecutive years, Wolf-Gordon’s site-specific suspended sculptures
graced the space above the 1st to 2nd floor escalator, welcoming attendees and celebrating the
industry’s creativity. The company debuted its innovative sponsorship of the escalator “air
space” in 2012 with “Canopy,” an asymmetrical, crystalline structure that celebrated its newly
expanded product line in upholstery and drapery textiles, followed up by “Force of Nature” in
2013, “Ribbon Cloud” in 2014, and SLICE in 2015. With Mart renovation plans pending and its
focus on upholstery textiles ever stronger, Wolf-Gordon decided to create a highly usable space,
in 2016, that brings NeoCon attendees in direct contact with its collection of 118 different
upholstery patterns in diverse materials and constructions.
Follow the project on social media using hashtags: #OfficeExcavate, #WolfGordon.
Wolf-Gordon's products can also be viewed in showroom 10-161.
Wolf-Gordon is an American design company offering designers a wide range of interior surfacing
products united by the common qualities of excellent design and dependable performance.
Founded in 1967 as a comprehensive source for wallcoverings, its product line has since added
upholstery and drapery textiles, paints, and Wink clear, dry-erase coating. Through its
collaborations with leading national and international designers and in its Design Studio, WolfGordon continues to develop new work that is provocative, inspiring, and of our time. WolfGordon’s growing portfolio of licensed collections includes designs by Laurinda Spear, Karim
Rashid, Petra Blaisse, Grethe Sørensen, Kevin Walz, the Boym Partners, Tjep., and Mae
Engelgeer. Wolf-Gordon sales representatives are based in all major markets in the United
States.
karlssonwilker inc. designs graphics and three-dimensional projects for a diverse mix of cultural
and commercial clients, from local non-profits to global corporations. Founded in 2000 by Hjalti
Karlsson and Jan Wilker, who met while working for Stefan Sagmeister, the studio is known for its
clever, adventurous and, often, insouciant design solutions.
Graham Kelman is an installation artist based in Brooklyn. An architect by trade, Graham has been
a creative director for several experiential design agencies in New York. His focus lies on the
intersection of Architecture, Graphics, and Sculpture in order to create seemingly complex forms
through parametric design, modularity, and repetition.
New Motor is an Art, Architectural, Furniture, and Retail Fabrication firm. The New Motor's focus
is on a collaborative relationship with the client first and foremost. The vision must be
understood before we can grab the tools. We specialize in the difficult and are aesthetically
aware fabricators. We understand that the designer is the choreographer and we are the
ballerina.
Press Contact
Dalia Stoniene
Susan Grant Lewin Associates
Tel: 212-947-4557
dalia@susangrantlewin.com