Drawer story

A few weeks ago a saw a status on FB that Designer Ori Ben Zvi is looking for drawers. As I am a big fan of Ori, and full of mercy for the street’s treasures, the ad immediately captured my eyes. Although it was winter, after an hour I have already made him my first Sms. “I know how you like them: old, thick and made of dark wood, I have 5 of those on my street, come quickly, it’s raining and I’m in a hurry to pick up the kids” When he came by a few hours later it was too late. Somebody had already noticed the treasure and took the drawers. Anyway, Ori managed to collect 150 drawer to his drawer’s project. He got them from friends and from friends of friends, and even from a street residence whom he converted from collecting plastic bottles to drawers.
***

לפני מספר שבועות תפס את עיני הסטטוס של המעצב אורי בן צבי, בו הוא מודיע שהוא מחפש מגירות. בתור מעריצה מושבעת של אורי, ובתור האחות הרחמניה של כל הרהיטים השבורים ברחוב, המודעה מיד תפסה את עיני. למרות החורף והגשם כעבור שעה כבר סימסתי את ההודעה הראשונה שלי אליו: "אני יודעת איך אתה אוהב אותן, ישנות, עבות ועשויות מעץ כהה, יש כרגע 5 כאלו ברחוב שלי, תגיע מהר! גשום ואני ממהרת לאסוף את הילדים". כשהוא הגיע זה היה כבר מאוחר. מישהו כבר הבחין באוצר ואסף את המגירות לביתו. בכל אופן אורי הצליח לאסוף 150 מגירות לפרוייקט שלו. מחברים, מחברים של חברים ואפילו מחסר בית, אותו הצליח להמיר מאיסוף בקבוקי פלסטיק לאיסוף מגירות משובחות. 

Did you see a drawer? Do you have a drawer by any chance?

Ori is a well known designer in the local sustainable design scene. Between running his own Studio, teaching in H.I.T and showing his work all over the world, he longed for the drawer’s project.
***

אורי הוא מעצב מוכר וידוע בסצנת עיצוב הבר-קיימא המקומית. בין ניהול הסטודיו שלו, לימוד במרכז הטכנולוגי בחולון והצגת עבודותיו בכל העולם הוא השתוקק מזה זמן רב לממש את פרוייקט המגירות.

Ori, what is your obsession with drawers? “A drawer is intimate, shy and clever. Professional speaking, the drawer has high quality joints, grace of knowledge and high abilities of the craftsman who made it. I appreciate that. it’s enchanting. I see the drawer as naturally born upcycled item. It doesn’t get the proper respect out there in the streets. You could release it from the bottom and replace it to a new construction. For my opinion the whole story of the drawer is its back. The inside is much more interesting from the outside”. 

***

אורי,מה הסיפור שלך עם מגירות? "מגירה יש בה אינטימיות, בישנות וחכמה. מבחינה מקצועית למגירה יש מחברים ברמה הגבוהה ביותר, חן של ידע ומיומנות של בעל המלאכה שהכין אותה. אני מעריך את זה. זה קסום. אני רואה את המגירה כאלמנט שנולד להיות ממוחדש. לדעתי היא לא זוכה לכבוד הראוי לה ברחוב. אפשר לשחרר אותה מהתחתית שלה ולחבר אותה למבנה חדש. לדעתי כל הסיפור של המגירה הוא בכלל הגב שלה. הצד הפנימי הרבה יותר מעניין מהחיצוני".

Ori's drawers project will be shown this week in the “Fresh Paint” Fair.

***

פרוייקט המגירות של אורי יציג השבוע ביריד צבע טרי. 

Urban Forest Harvest

Ori Ben Zvi's studio is located in a workshops area in the south of Tel Aviv. Immediately as I walked into the main street I could feel the special vibes, lots of graffiti and lots of simple smiles. The alley was very narrow and made me feel intimate with every passer-by. Around 11:00 one could get an awful asthma due to the sawdust cloud. One of the tenant joked with me that they usually charge 25$ per a photograph (because I carried my camera with me), or that wasn't a joke?!

Now days Ori is full of new thoughts. One of this thoughts is the "Urban Forest Harvest" (hopefully he is going to "wiki" it soon), meaning that today there are more urban population than rural, and by that expression he is comparing the forest's harvest to the city waste, saying there are seasons in this case too. For example, last Saturday on his routine tour he found some umbrellas (as it was the beginning of winter).



Ori uses 100% recycled wood. He founds it in the streets, from carpentry shops at the neighborhood and sometimes he pays a visit in "Hiria" (the biggest landfill in Israel).


upcycled (1)
The Shelf-Drawer. (If you are a drawer, in your next life you can be a shelf)


upcycled (2)
The Stool. (If you are a carpentry's waste, in your next life you can be a stool)


upcycled (3)
The Spotlight. (If you are an olive can, in your next life you can be a "Kalmata Spotlight")



What would you do with an old (broken...) umbrella? and what's the meaning of "Ubico" - his brand's name (Ori's answers are above).



The concept of "The Wake" project (the trunk above in the center), is taken from the Christian funeral ceremony. It's about the opportunity to be with our precious for just a little longer. The trunk made from all kinds of wasted wood pieces, allowing the material (in its final grace) to stay with us for now, and maybe, in a sustainable way, forever.
"The Wake" has been shown in London's "100% design" showroom and in Singapore where it was rewarded for two prices.



My thoughts about "The Wake"'s compositions

There is an image accompanying Ori in his work and it is to take all existing wood objects and to plant them back in the woods. This image conceals in Ori's power of creation.