Bless N° 59 Holding on to the Explosion can be imagined as a reconstructive response to the deconstruction begun with Bless’s Explosive Chair. Let’s begin with the furniture. The chair–it’s pillowiness a signifier of comfort–is literally torn apart and then suspended in a state of explosion, suggesting a binary between tension and relaxation where the dominant theme is instability.

These binaries continue with the clothing in the collection. Some of the “almost binaries” Bless lists include turbulent/soothing colors; stable/unpredictable surfaces; smooth/reflective fabrics. Occasionally two halves of a piece of clothing will seem to be in tension with each other.

Beneath the furniture and the clothing lies the rug. Lying on the ground as it, one might be tempted to glibly say that the carpet “grounds” the collection. However, this carpet is wonderfully vertiginous, creating a dizzying and magical effects which again destabilize anyone seeking grounding.

This is Ravelin’s third official encounter with a Bless collection, and we continue to be impressed with the way they creatively incorporate designs for so many accoutrements of lifestyle. The previous collection included less exploded furniture but more costumes and even body stickers. Nothing about the way life is lived is taken for granted or overlooked. As with all the Bless collections and the Bless project as a whole, Bless N° 59  the spirit is highly experimental and the results are highly successful.