The Tableau, made by the artist, John Kestner is one of the loveliest ideas that I have seen in donkeys years.

A twee vintage looking side-table that wouldn’t be out of place in a Brick Lane thrift shop. On it’s own, it’s the kind of table that tells tales of Parisian nights, holding the wine glasses of artists and models or perhaps the favourite hiding place of a long grown up child. On closer inspection though, it is clearly a little bit more than just an aged and prized possession.

Made entirely of reclaimed materials and old electronics, the Tableau is the perfect marriage of modern technology and comforting nostalgia, acting as a bridge between the physical world and the ethereality of the digital one.

Using Zink ink-less paper and a high-speed Internet connection tied directly to your twitter account, it will trawl silently through your live feed and collect photographs posted on it. It will then develop them as actual physical photographs, depositing them in the drawer for you to collect in your own time. You can even send messages back.

A truly inspired piece of art-furniture, that for once, genuinely thinks out of the box and makes the most out of modern technology.

Currently being displayed at Saint Étienne International Design Biennale, and according to Kestner, preparing for production next year.

http://johnkestner.com/