Pillow Talk is the latest concept from COLLECTIBLE In-Depth. This new series of articles  instigates  design encounters in a playful setting. The idea is simple: we pair designers from the Curated Section and each duo then freely chooses three questions to ask to each other. They can tackle any subject, within the realm of design - or not! Today’s duo is Boldizar Senteski and Manifold Studio.

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Boldizar Senteski: I've seen in your bio that you have a degree in applied mathematics. How do you think this background affects your design process?

Manifold Studio: So Fengyi from the team had a bachelor’s degree in applied math, and honestly, he is quite embarrassed when people ask about the degree as he has never worked in mathematics, post-university . But one thing beneficial is that a distant background can also provide an alternative perspective, so when we create our pieces, we feel less constrained by the academic knowledge or the empirical approach.

BS: How do you implement escapism in your everyday life?

MS: By taking our time and listening to others’ opinions.

BS: Have you seen Escape from New York by John Carpenter?

MS: Not yet, but now you give us a reason to see it.

Manifold Studio: We are particularly interested in your work around the mirror since we love reflections from shining surfaces - mirror, water, screen, polished metal, and so on. Have you used any other things that are reflective as a substitute for a mirror, and what is the difference for you compared to a mirror? (This doesn’t necessarily have to be relevant to your work, it can be your daily usage as well)

Boldizar  Senteski: I have researched and experimented with many reflecting surfaces and alternatives before creating my first oxidized silver mirror collection. I love these surfaces as well and have a lot of plans /unrealized designs in this realm. As a substitute for a mirror that I use daily, the only thing that comes to mind now is the black screen of my iphone. I currently  have a project related to this that I am working on. I don't see any difference between these alternatives, anything can be a mirror that reflects its environment, and it doesn't necessarily have to be an object.

MS: If you have to pick a word to describe escapism, what would it be and why?

BS: Fantasy. For me, escapism is something that happens in your mind. Something that rips you out of your reality and puts your mind in a different state.

MS: Where are currently based and what’s the first thing that comes to mind about this place?

BS: I am based between Budapest (my hometown) - Paris, and New York. I have been bouncing around between these places recently; prior to COVID, I lived in the US for some time. Now I definitely spend more time in Europe. The first thing that comes to mind about Budapest would be eclectic.

Boldizar Senteski (Budapest) 

Growing up in Budapest, Boldizar Senteski was influenced by the eclectic environment of the city where post soviet brutalism blends with the elements of a once prosperous monarchic era. He incorporates fragments from the urban landscape. Boldizar celebrates the simultaneous existence of past and future, passing and renewal, decay and flourishment. He uses alchemy and praises uncalculated errors while he lets materials shape themselves. Bridging the contrast between intentional and unintentional, traditional and progressive, craftsmanship and industrial solutions.

Boldizar spent years experimenting with reflective and distressed surfaces, which resulted in his collection of handmade silver Mirror works. Currently Boldizar is expanding his collection with sculptural furniture pieces and collectible design objects. Boldizar is based between Paris, Budapest and New York.

Manifold Studio (United States)

Manifold is a Brooklyn-based design studio run by Yihan Chen and Fengyi Zhu since 2020. Both trained as artist and designer, Yihan & Fengyi’s work under Manifold focuses on creating sculptural objects and furniture that contents with structure and connectivity. The name Manifold derives from the way a pipe or chamber branching into several openings in a tight engine compartments, and such serpentine shaped bended tubular metal has become an essential inspiration to most of our work as it shows softness through strength and does not compromise with the limitation of the space.