Take a seat, take 10 of them

By Joseph L. Garcia, Reporter
THE CLACKING tiles of the Chinese game mah jong are laid out and dealt for you, just like your lot in life. But at some point in the game, you are allowed to exchange them for better ones as you see fit. The game is as much about skill and strategy as it is about chance.
Roche Bobois’ Mah Jong sofa, designed by Hans Hopfer in 1971, follows the same principles. It isn’t static; the sectional still grants its owner the freedom to switch or stack individual components, which follow the lines of a mah jong tile.
Last week, Roche Bobois in the Philippines tapped 10 designers from different disciplines to dress the Mah Jong sofa according to their will. This isn’t new for the French furniture company: it has called on the design prowess of people like couturiers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Kenzo Takada to create new versions of the Mah Jong.
“One can dress their pieces in a bright mix of fabrics by Missoni or choose from fabric collections created by Jean-Paul Gaultier or Kenzo Takada. If one prefers a more understated or conservative look, a mix of plain fabrics from the likes of the Designer’s Guild is also an option,” said Eugene Lorenzana, managing director of Roche Bobois Philippines. “There are endless ways in which one can mix and match the sofa’s fabrics, as well as its configuration to fit various homes and aesthetics.”
“We wanted to have a diverse mix of collaborators so we selected first based on the field of expertise—architecture, interior design, art, fashion, and industrial design,” said Mr. Lorenzana. “Then we selected based on their achievements and how each has contributed to art, culture, and even commerce.”
Architect Bobby Manosa came up with a Mah Jong set taken from indigenous weaving traditions of the Philippines, in line with his philosophy of showcasing Filipino identity. In each panel is a different fabric: for example, a pattern from Mindanao forms the seat and the backrest, while Luzon is represented on the seat as well. The sofa’s base in woven, laminated rattan, represents the Visayas, as inspired by banig patterns from Samar. Architect Ed Calma, meanwhile, placed irregular pleats on his, while playing around with the sofa to alter its surface without altering its shape. “The chair ended up having some kind of armor, like an armadillo,” he said.
Interior designer Chat Fores dug deep into her roots for her version, such as wrapping components with her mother’s obi. Furniture designer Vito Selma, known for his complex woodwork, used his favorite medium for his version of the Mah Jong. “Like my other pieces, I wanted to give people comfort while showcasing its raw beauty,” he said. Jewelry designer Bea Valdes, did hers up with a nod to vintage travel posters. Intricately done, her piece featured embroidery, appliques, and fabric manipulation, playing around with denim and chambray. Fashion designer and heiress Paloma Urquijo-Zobel, known for her brand Piopio, used her talent for upcycling and repurposing and came up with a design using Inabel from Ilocos, as well as using retaso (fabric scraps).
Jojo Lofranco turned his version into a veritable work of art, transforming his sofa into an abstract with splashes of black and yellow. Geraldine Javier meanwhile, in the spirit of collaboration, designed and stained the fabric for the upholstery, while five others helped her with needle and woodwork. The design is apparently based on her dog, and the result is inviting, with hinged doors on the side suggestive of a warm embrace. Artist Costantino Zicarelli meanwhile, said that he would regret to work on a sofa that was “so white and clean.” “My approach was to go the opposite direction: make it really dirty. My idea is to erase the white of the sofa with black.” The result is a black block, with textures and smudges suggesting an aging monolith.
Artist Nikki Luna used her version of the sofa to serve a political platform. “They say mah jong relies on the relationship of chance and necessity. These days, not everyone gets a chance to live. We hear and see people’s lives taken away brutally. The chair is based on three core values: form, function, and more importantly freedom. How much freedom do we have now?” The result of this righteous anger is a stark white sofa with a white neon sign that says “Dangerous Times,” achieving a look that is dignified, funereal, but still with the ability to shock.
Each collaborator created just one Mah Jong sofa, and the pieces are to be auctioned off at Interactions, an exhibit on the Mah Jong on Sept. 19. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each will go to the artists’ chosen charities, which would include main beneficiary Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Philippines Foundation, Inc., PAWS, Tukod Foundation, and AHA Learning Center.