Knoll (verb)
Encyclopedia
Knolling is the process of arranging like objects in parallel or 90 degree angles as a method of organization.
's furniture fabrication shop. At the time, Gehry was designing chairs for Knoll
, a company famously known for Florence Knoll's
angular furniture. Kromelow would arrange any displaced tools at right angles on all surfaces, and called this routine knolling, in that the tools were arranged in right angles—similar to Knoll furniture. The result was an organized surface that allowed the user to see all objects at once.
The American sculptor Tom Sachs
spent two years in Gehry's shop as a fabricator and adopted use of the term from Kromelow. Nowadays, knolling is integral to his process. Sachs adopted the phrase "Always be Knolling" as a mantra for his studio (in direct reference to Blake's infamous "Always be Closing" in Glengarry Glen Ross
), which he expands on in his 2009 studio manual, 10 Bullets:
Knolling is present in Sachs' oeuvre in pieces like Hardcore, a cabinet filled with objects neatly arranged at right angles. He has also had a long-time obsession with Knoll furniture, most evident in pieces like Knoll Loveseat and End Table (currently at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) and Barcelona Pavilion, both full-scale replicas of Knoll furniture by the same name.
Origin
The term was first used in 1987 by Andrew Kromelow, a janitor at Frank GehryFrank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
's furniture fabrication shop. At the time, Gehry was designing chairs for Knoll
Knoll (company)
Knoll is a design firm that produces office systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks, textiles , and accessories for office and for the home. The company also manufactures furniture for the home by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll , Frank Gehry, Maya Lin and...
, a company famously known for Florence Knoll's
Florence Knoll
Florence Knoll Bassett is an American architect and furniture designer who studied under Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saarinen. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan as Florence Schust and is known in familiar circles simply as "Shu"...
angular furniture. Kromelow would arrange any displaced tools at right angles on all surfaces, and called this routine knolling, in that the tools were arranged in right angles—similar to Knoll furniture. The result was an organized surface that allowed the user to see all objects at once.
The American sculptor Tom Sachs
Tom Sachs (artist)
-Life and Early Career:Born in New York City on July 26, 1966, Sachs grew up in Westport, Connecticut and attended Greens Farms Academy for high school. He attended Bennington College in Vermont. Following graduation, he studied architecture at London's Architectural Association before deciding to...
spent two years in Gehry's shop as a fabricator and adopted use of the term from Kromelow. Nowadays, knolling is integral to his process. Sachs adopted the phrase "Always be Knolling" as a mantra for his studio (in direct reference to Blake's infamous "Always be Closing" in Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross (film)
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 American drama film, adapted by David Mamet from his acclaimed 1984 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play of the same name...
), which he expands on in his 2009 studio manual, 10 Bullets:
BULLET II: ALWAYS BE KNOLLING (A.B.K)
- Scan your environment for materials, tools, books, music, etc. which are not in use.
- Put away everything not in use. If you aren't sure, leave it out.
- Group all 'like' objects.
- Align or square all objects to either the surface they rest on, or the studio itself.
Knolling is present in Sachs' oeuvre in pieces like Hardcore, a cabinet filled with objects neatly arranged at right angles. He has also had a long-time obsession with Knoll furniture, most evident in pieces like Knoll Loveseat and End Table (currently at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) and Barcelona Pavilion, both full-scale replicas of Knoll furniture by the same name.