The UO’s Erdem Selek was one of just eighteen finalists among 157 entries from twenty-nine countries in the Objects category of the 2016 Belgian Biennale Interieur competition.
Selek is an assistant professor in the UO’s Department of Product Design. His entry, “Corrugated Ruler,” will be on display for some 90,000 visitors during Biennale Interieur 2016, to be held October 14-23 in Kortrijk, Belgium. The designers of the winning entries also were invited to a summer workshop to collaboratively develop the exhibition design.
"Corrugated Ruler" is a “non-numeric ruler using patterns and texture to measure,” Selek says. “In an environment where objects compete with each other visually, ‘Corrugated Ruler’ explores ways to turn our work environments into more harmonious and visually silent spaces. ‘Corrugated’ will appear more of a visual element to our eyes rather than a functional object when not in use. Its patterns will become functional when it comes to measuring objects,” Selek says.
“Winning the Belgian Interieur award is a great honor for a designer,” notes John Arndt, acting director of the Department of Product Design. “The jury is made up of a group of exceptional professionals in the field of design and to have not only their recognition of the project but also to grant it an award is a really nice accomplishment.”
“Corrugated Ruler,” crafted from ABS plastic, is designed as a set of four objects with two different colors, two different sizes, and two different textures. The smaller rulers are light gray to create a visual balance with the longer rulers, which are white.
“The aim with this was to prevent the longer rulers visually dominating the shorter ones and to form harmonious and clean-looking work spaces,” Selek says. “This visual balance is also achieved through the surface area of the objects. The smaller rulers are 200 millimeters by 37.5 millimeters while the longer rulers are 300 millimeters by 32.5 millimeters. In the design, each segment measures 1 centimeter, while on the other hand higher or deeper segments measure 5 centimeters.”
Selek joined the faculty at UO in 2015 after teaching at Iowa State University and Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. Many of his designs have been exhibited in international fairs and published in various magazines.
The Biennale Interieur, which began in 1968, marks its 25th Biennale this year.
Above: “Corrugated Ruler,” by Erdem Selek. The smaller rulers are 200 millimeters by 37.5 millimeters while the longer rulers are 300 millimeters by 32.5 millimeters. Image courtesy Erdem Selek.