by Daniel Sommer, Contributor

To many, trailer parks conjure images of poverty and undesirable living conditions. Brooklyn artist Kim Holleman challenges these misconceptions in Trailer Park, part of the Bushwick Biennial on view now at NutureArt Gallery. In the piece, Holleman turned the inside of a former camper into a live and growing public park. BrooklynModern recently caught up with Holleman inside her trailer and spoke with her about her work.

“I lived in a trailer when I was a young child, and I could always see to the other side of it. I always knew where my parents were, it was very cozy, it was very enclosed, it was a perfect oasis, and enclosed bubble…When we moved out of the trailer into our gigantic house, everything went awry. (This upbringing) give me the insight other people aren’t going to have.”

Holleman used her construction and fabricating background to turn a trailer into a fertile oasis, challenging ones expectation of what the object holds within. Replanting the trailer every spring, the plants themselves are found objects. Each one was found growing in Brooklyn and was transferred to the custom designed planting beds.

Also on view, Kim Holleman’s The View is a theoretical core sample of what the ground we live on has become. The hanging glass case contains a mini ecosystem, complete with living plants and bugs, but also toxins and pollutants. Over the life of the piece, the ecosystem has begun purifying the toxins and regaining control over the toxins.

The Bushwick Biennial includes shows throughout Brooklyn. Information can be found at www.bushwickbiennial.com

For more information on NUTUREart, see www.nurtureart.org.

M. Fine Lumber sells reclaimed wood in Brooklyn, NY. Most of their product comes from torn down factories from Philly to New Hampshire. While the majority of customers use the wood for flooring, wainscoting, and poster beams, a number of them are furniture makers. Merritt Fine, the firm’s spokesman, says the interest in reclaimed wood began about six or seven years ago and has grown astronomically since then. He sees the demand increasing even more and thinks that the reclaimed wood industry will make an effort to reduce prices to attract the average consumer.

If you are interested in adding historical value to your projects, M. Fine’s wood may be an option. Some pieces have been procured from factories that made Civil War uniforms and other pieces came from old railroads that lined the northeast.

If you decide to visit the yard and make a purchase, mention this article to Merritt Fine in sales and you’ll get 10% off.

Reclaimed wood as far as the eye can see.

Stacks of old growth pine.

Artist Marcelo Guidoli spies the piles.

This past summer, while walking by the display window of ADD Gallery in Hudson, NY, I was drawn in by a large yellow gear that formed the base of a glass table. I introduced myself to the owner, Jefferson Snider and learned that he not only sells but actually designs and builds the pieces himself. While he works out of upstate NY, his furniture speaks to the concept of repurposing, which has become a very popular theme in the Brooklyn design scene. I decided to set-up an interview and here is what followed.

BrooklynModern: How did you come to furniture design?

Jefferson Snider: I started out as an interior architect. Part of this job was designing custom furniture for clients.

BrooklynModern: How long have you been repurposing objects into furniture?

Jefferson Snider: Seriously, in the last four years. Before that I was just using objects and then I began to use objects that lent themselves to lighting and furniture.

BrooklynModern: What is your motive for using “found” objects?

Jefferson Snider: The aesthetic of the object and using the object. I use the object as an object, giving it a purpose to be used and used usefully.

BrooklynModern: Your work has a modern architectural feel even though many of the elements are vintage. Is this intentional?

Jefferson Snider: I’m very modern oriented. My viewpoint is between Minimalism and Bauhuas design.

BrooklynModern: Have you been influenced by any designers in particular?

Jefferson Snyder: More by sculptors, but I have respect for the Modernist designers of the 40’s and 50’s. Donald Judd and David Smith are a couple of sculptors who I am influenced by. For painting it’s Miro and Léger .

BrooklynModern: The use of a ship propeller for a table base is an innovative thought. How did you arrive at this?

Jefferson Snider: I usually get the form and then to respond to it as a form. Sometimes an object will sit around while I am trying to sell it and then I find and idea. I had the ship propeller for a while and I decided to put a piece of glass on it. Also, sometimes objects evolve as I have the piece, but now I make objects right away. There will always evolutions and there will always be surprises.

BrooklynModern: The reappropriation of found objects in furniture design is growing in popularity. Where do you see this trend going in the future?

Jefferson Snider: I don’t see it as a beginning or an end. In LA, there is quite a desire to use objects as furniture. It’s hard to say what the future of it will be. As society evolves there will be less and less steel and therefore it may increase in value and there might be an experimentation with plastics.

BrooklynModern: Has working in Hudson affected your design decisions?

Jefferson Snider: There are industrial collectors in Hudson. Some people sell objects as an object and I can buy them outright. There are a few artists in town who focus on industrial art.

BrooklynModern: Do you work on commission?

Jefferson Snider: Not really, but I may consider certain projects.

ADD Gallery Ltd. is located at 610 Warren St. in Hudson, NY. Jefferson can be contacted at 518-822-9922, 518-392-5312 , and jeff@addgallery.net.

BrooklynModern: You are a trained sculptor and studied at Pratt. But how did you come to furniture design?

Eric Managian: After graduating I organized an extended trip throughout Asia.  I traveled to Japan to investigate the Zen rock gardens and while there I stayed in a temple and became utterly amazed with the subtlety and grace of the architecture.  I stayed for a year as a Zen student at Daitokuji temple and took all opportunities to visit as many of Kyoto ’s temples and gardens as possible.

Dane, solid walnut coffee table, 48 x 24 x 14″

When I returned to NYC, I worked for the art world in various functions to my discontent and looked up an old sculpture teacher who was a master woodworker form Japan .  With him I was introduced to traditional hand tools and techniques and the underlying philosophical perspectives of the craftsman.

I came to understand design as a way to express subtle, poetic or simple ideas while being grounded by the sincerity and integrity of craftsmanship and utility.

BrooklynModern: Your work references Japanese and Danish design? How did these traditions come to influence you?

Eric Managian: I would say that I am influenced by these design traditions from the inside out–investigating the “why” instead of simply copying the stylistic affects.  Once firmly centered on the content/meaning that informs these traditions, one is free to investigate new forms and respond to the new moment and context we are living in.

We can also include Shaker design which embodies similar perspectives.

Matador solid walnut coffee table 60 x 48 x 14″

BrooklynModern: Do you have a favorite designer?

Eric Managian: Of course George Nakashima is an important person, James Krenov and Sam Maloof make up the three pillars for me as the ones who have made it possible to work in this manner today, but I would say that I’m more influenced by Isamu Noguchi as an artist.  I look more often toward a few architects than furniture designers and would note Peter Zumthor as a person I admire.

BrooklynModern: Do you have a favorite Brooklyn furniture designer?

Eric Managian: I would say that I am more inspired by the energy and new surge toward design that is buzzing within the entire borough.  I tend to look outside of furniture design, for instance, I like the jewelry work of Patricia Ficalora. She is also a sculptor by training and has similar influences and I think her work is beautiful as sculptural objects.

BrooklynModern: The simplicity and elegance of the pieces make the process look effortless. How did you develop the skills to achieve this?

Eric Managian: I was told to pay attention and learn from everything around me.  My skill level jumped a lot also after having worked on two small structures with master temple builders from Japan .  They have been a source of inspiration for me in many ways.

Fold, solid walnut, single flitch coffee table, 52 x 22 x 14″

BrooklynModern: Simi Zigzag is a fascinating piece. How did you conceive and execute it?

Eric Managian: In 2000, I made a piece called “Fold” where the concept was to express wood as paper/paper as wood, since paper is made from wood.  It goes against our understanding of physics but is a simple gesture.

Similarly, “Zigzag” is like a straw wrapper that has been folded back and forth to create a zig-zag pattern. It uses the bold sap wood (the wide light colored wood on its edges) to its advantage well.

Simi Zigzag, solid English walnut, coffee table, 64 x 41 x 14.5″

BrooklynModern: Your work shows innovative thinking. How do you keep your ideas fresh?

Eric Managian: What has been useful to me is to “shut up and listen” (as my teachers used to tell me), the wood itself will show you a lot.  The challenge is to stay open and receptive to it.

BrooklynModern: You say nothing is “green” if it ends up in the landfill. Does this mean that high quality work will be held onto for a long time, as opposed to being replaced in a few years, thus not endangering natural resources? And adding to the landfill.

Eric Managian: I also see the subtle slowing down of people when they are about to commission a work.  They often consider their children or grand children when making decisions.  This is quite a different perspective than we are used to and I see it having very positive effects.

Riley Cabinet, solid spalted maple, curio cabinet, 52 x 34 x 17″

BrooklynModern: You have several lines. Do you do custom work in addition?

Eric Managian: Yes, very often.  Since each piece is a one-of-a-kind, they are often tailored to a specific client or space.

BrooklynModern: Has working in Brooklyn affected your design decisions?

Eric Managian: Yes, of course.  We are all constantly in flux and challenged and improved by the international, multi-disciplined perspectives of New Yorkers who feel compelled to express their every opinion at all times!  Ha!  : ]

It’s why we pay so much frickin’ rent, to be affected by the best of the best.

Eric’s work can be seen at ericmanigian.com. His email is info@ericmanigian.com.