Philosophical table
2016
Design/Object
Function dictates form in schneider+schumacher’s newly designed table: the table is round to ensure all guests are on an equal footing and its diameter, measuring 260cm, is derived from the width required to seat twelve people comfortably. The table segments form concentric rings around a 130 cm radius hole in the centre, corresponding to half the diameter of the table.
Constructed by the joinery workshop Schreinerei Hein, the table is made entirely out of plywood, with four base-frame elements that support two square elements above. The segments that create the table surface are milled and sawn in such a way that they can be transported as rectilinear pieces, so a circle is formed only when the table is erected. Lastly, twelve placemat settings, connected together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, are laid out adjoining each other, thus preventing anything falling down between them. When folded away, the entire table fits into an estate car and can be easily transported from place to place.
The table was designed for a series of culinary events under the motto ‘philosophical dining’. Frankfurt’s Book Fair provided the catalyst to bring together writers and philosophers from Flanders and the Netherlands to exchange ideas over a meal. The table format was initiated by Leon Joskowitz and Ronny Bolz and although it normally resides at Frankfurt’s Museum Angewandte Kunst it can also travel.
