During the pandemic, photographer Brittney Kwasney of Bright Photography used her creativity and vision to feature local Victoria, BC businesses, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs on her Instagram page. She dubbed it #YYJLovesLocal.

The following is an excerpt from Bright Photo's Instagram interview with own very own Kirk Van Ludwig:

Introducing Kirk Van Ludwig from Autonomous Furniture.  A furniture designer, who’s brand Autonomous Furniture, studio and showroom is based in Victoria selling contemporary furniture with dealers in Vancouver and Manhattan.

How has your business been affected by the current health crisis?
We were having one of our best months ever as of the 15th of March, then everything halted. No inquiries, no new sales. A portion of our business is in other parts of Canada and the United States. We will have to pivot and employ other strategies.  It’s really important to me not to just lean on the government, because I don’t think they can cover the bet. But we’re a scrappy bunch so let's get it on.

What have you been most challenged and/or inspired by during the pandemic thus far?

In our business, we have deliverables, furniture being built, there is about 8 weeks' work, however, we require new orders to fund the current work. We will have to be highly strategic and our team and suppliers will need to play ball.

How can people support you and stay connected through this?

The pandemic has highlighted for us why we started the business, a home is your sanctuary, a place of comfort and peace. One good thing this crisis might yield is highlighting the importance of what makes us smile, your home to be beautiful and meaningful, maybe the things we’ve been purchasing that lack soul and effort weren’t needed. I’m designing a dining table to launch this month that embodies the Autonomous spirit, uses solid sustainably sourced wood, at a price everyone can afford. We are forgoing our usual margin in an effort just to keep our folks employed and fill your home with a beautiful piece that will stand the test of time. We’ve been scrapping it out for 7 years, we have amazing local customers, we need people to know we are working, building, and creating. I’m proud of the city, we want to be part of the solution as safely as possible.

Many thanks to Bright Photo for the platform to share our story. Be sure to check out Brit's stellar photography work here.

For 12 years, award winning Western Living magazine celebrates the design community with their DOTY (Designers of the Year) awards.  We are happy to say that for the 3rd time in four years, Kirk has been a DOTY finalist, including being selected as One to Watch in 2016.  We are delighted to be included in this rarified group of curated talent by the magazine which Kirk grew up reading.  Kirk is sincerely grateful to be included amongst it, the blood sweat and tears somehow are tempered when notice by peers and observers in our industry.  Congrats to all the winners and to WL Magazine for continued support in our work.

(view from Brooklyn Greenway)

2019 presented Autonomous Furniture with the opportunity to exhibit at Wanted Design's curated Lookbook exhibit, showcasing 10 designers across North America.  We currently ship a fair amount of furniture to the east coast therefore a wonderful chance to speak with folks and get their take on our goods.

(Wanted Design at Terminal Stores warehouse in Chelsea)

The exhibit, during NYCxDesign week, was held at the landmark Terminal stores warehouse between 10th and 11th Ave in Chelsea.  The building was constructed in 1890 with a design known as American Round Arch by architect George Mallory.  The one time hub of rail and ship use, also featured the famed 1980's Tunnel nightclub. 

Looking very serious upon request, we featured our Freeman Bench in Walnut,  Clair end table, and Constantinople table set. 

Across the street from the exhibit was this amazing 1969 911e at Manhattan Motor cars, a must see showroom for beautiful autos. 

Part of my daily commute from Brooklyn was walking the Highline, a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. Saved from demolition by neighborhood residents and the City of New York, the High Line opened in 2009 as a hybrid public space where visitors experience nature, art, and design.

(Brooklyn Heights)

A typical Brownstone in Brooklyn, a treasure really.  I'm hoping the glass towers and drywall boxes don't overtake these beautiful streets.

I commuted daily on the city bikes and NYC amazing network of bike lanes and courteous drivers.  A great way to see the city and look up!

Just as Manhattan and Brooklyn are different, however function together, our Constantinople table set contrasting form caught the attention from galleries, interior designers, and media.

Our latest design, the Clair table was on display.  This light, airy table is the result of my continued morning frustrations looking for a parking spot for my coffee and iPad.  Originally not part of our display, we just completed it in time for the launch.

 

(Opening night party)

Autonomous Furniture continues to show at Mebl Furniture Gallery in Manhattan, already looking forward to our next exhibit....stay tuned!

Kirk

 

The Autonomous Constantinople nesting tables by Kirk Van Ludwig demonstrates how two objects very different in geometry, colour, weight, and materials, can cohesively work together.

Made to size and fit to its environment, the whitened Ash round sits on three asymmetrical acrylic one-inch thick legs while the torched Vancouver Island Douglas Fir square sits on two one-and-a-half-inch acrylic legs slightly offset.  The result is a harmony of carefully considered materials and shapes.  

Much like its namesake city, the Constantinople nesting tables form a centre point for its living space with both pieces working harmoniously together.  See details for the Constantinople here.

Kirk Van Ludwig's Autonomous Furniture was selected to be 1 of 10 designers for NYC Design week's Wanted Design Manhattan Look Book this May.   Featured will be the Constantinople table set (shown above) and the Freeman Bench Walnut.  

Artist and photographer Jo-Ann Richards is exhibiting a solo show of her Emergence series of nearly all black paintings in our Victoria showroom. Always looking for quiet space, Jo-Ann's textured pieces use a Japanese process called nihonga that cooks the minerals and graphite.

Jo-Ann’s work is driven from a desire to move from the representational images she works with as a commercial photographer, to more ambiguous and less decipherable forms. Representation is replaced by abstract forms with a shift in focus to mood, emotion and atmosphere. 

“I have been exploring themes; movement and stillness, energy and calm. This manifests in the work as the quiet of the foreground containing or harnessing the activity in the background. The colour black represents a quiet and enveloping space, a meditation, the night. Immersion in this dark environment leads to heightened sensory responses. Forms emerge from underlying surface, distinction between figure and ground is blurred.”

Initially Jo-Ann combines bursts of vivid colours and textures using plaster and acrylic paints. The works are then finished with a veil of black minerals and polished graphite that brings attention to the expressivity of texture and nuance.

Join us in our Victoria showroom to see these stunning works of art for yourself. The Emergence Exhibition is on until the end of January 2019. And perhaps you're interested in hearing more from Jo-Ann? Check out Western Living's interview with her at our opening night here.