One of the highlights of our recently-inaugurated new studio in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a capsule of interior objects, custom-produced by J.Kim in collaboration with ANZA architectural office.

The capsule is ideated by J.Kim creative director Jenia Kim and is meant to place the audience in the milieu of its creators’ vibrant childhood memories—her and ANZA founder Anastasia Zemlyanskaya spent their childhoods in different cities but the early-post-Soviet streets they played in ultimately were largely similar. In the words of Zemlyanskaya:

An object that becomes the centerpiece of our new flagship space is a chandelier constructed out of streetlight fixtures sourced on aftermarket platforms. Now that such lamposts have been largely replaced by their more modern counterparts, these older types evoke fonder memories. The fixtures were assembled in an artistic composition in a manner that minimized the use of additional materials.

The second object unveiled is a “rainbow” semicircle monkey bars unit from a typical playground of the creators’ childhood era. As a result of the J.Kim x ANZA intervention, it has acquired new a meaning and function as a clothing rail. The smell of the metal on one’s palms after interacting with the piece is meant to bring back the euphoria of climbing up one years ago.

The usage of found objects feeds into both Kim’s desire to employ largely familiar symbols and Zemlyanskaya’s commitment to sustainable design. This collaboration is ongoing, so more pieces are supposed to be presented in the future.

Meanwhile, you are welcome to pay a visit to our HQ to get to see these first two compositions.

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