LONDON.- Gallery FUMI is presenting Glass.Mekano, a solo show by Thomas Lemut.

In this new body of work, his first in glass, Lemut challenges the restraints of working with this material to produce functional pieces that reflect his distinct design approach and aesthetic language. The key to Lemut’s practice is the celebration of a chosen material; be it in wood, metal and now glass. Cut into strips, each element is then assembled using mechanical fixings as opposed to the traditional method of welding or gluing.

Of all materials the French designer has been working with to date, glass has been by far the most challenging: finding a balance between hand and mechanical assemblage using strips of tempered glass is extremely difficult.

Driven by curiosity and a desire to further explore the potential of the material, Lemut worked closely with Yvon Goude from Goude Glass, a glass factory based in the north west of France. After six months of collaborative research and much shattered glass, they finally found a successful equation. The result is an unprecedented collection of solid functional glass furniture comprising of a bench, a coffee table, a console, a mirror, a lamp and a chandelier. Glass.Mekano runs until 18 November.

Born in France in 1961, Thomas Lemut has worked in the arts since an early age and is now creating furniture as well as sculpting. His practice as a conceptual sculptor, combined with a series of jobs in film and artistic direction, has led to an eclectic approach to furniture design.

The celebration of the authentic qualities of materials, and the idea of ‘function follows aesthetic’ is crucial for Lemut. “Design must be functional because it cannot dissociate function from aesthetic" – he says – “even when the object is associated with social or environmental issues, we always come back to the pair: function and beauty.” Thomas Lemut lives in Paris. His work is exhibited at international art and design fairs and is included in prestigious private collections worldwide.