Bringing Play and Free Time Into Home Decor
Didi Dunphy is the primary at Modern Convenience, LLC and designer of the Recess line of art-hybrid play furnishings.
Didi’s designs stem from the concept of Recess: bringing the "free time" of Recess indoors and reintroducing play through sculptural furnishings.
"I am interested in the intersection of art and design - fabricating furniture objects that facilitate an interactive cooperative play."
For school kids, Recess is a magical moment - the doors burst open, the playground in site with joyous possibilities, unlimited potential for imaginative games that build valuable social interaction. For adults though, Recess is mostly an idea of long ago now replaced with hectic scheduling, endless responsibilities: family, country, business, another load of laundry a cell phone or email to check. Thus the "See Saw," the "Swing," the "Jack Rocker Joggle Board" and the "Inside Skateboards/Longboards" are designed for interaction with the hopes that through this Recess or play activity, the collaboration, (you need two to See Saw!) brings about good ideas and well being between people.
Didi Dunphy received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Ms. Dunphy and her Modern Convenience studio have shown at the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) for three years as well at the West Coast Independent Design show, CABOOM 2005. Selected Museum exhibits include, Push Play, Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, A/D 2004, The Lab, San Francisco, AIM, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA, Chairs Project, Emory University, Sexual Politics, Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Georgia Triennial, Telfair Museum, Savannah, GA and most recently Playscape, at the Atlanta Contemporary. A number of features have been written about Ms. Dunphy including CMYK, Southern Living Magazine, as well as reviews and editorial coverage in the LA Times, SF Chronicle, AD, Time Out New York, Interior Design, Readymade, Vogue Living, Cookie, Nashville Scene, Canadian Interiors, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and more. Ms. Dunphy’s designs have also been featured on web journals such as core77.com, coolhunting.com, mocoloco.com.
Currently Ms. Dunphy lives with her painter husband Jim Barsness and 11 year old daughter in Athens, Georgia. Ms. Dunphy also teaches part time at the University of Georgia Art School in the Digital Media Department.
Contact Didi and Modern Convenience:
dididunphy@modernconvenience.com
