Meet Fredericks & Mae: Timeless Design For An Endless Summer

New Yorkers Jolie Mae Signorile and Gabriel Fredericks Cohen share a love for classic craft materials that breed beautifully nostalgic and playful results. See all their work and read and exclusive chat after the jump.

Jolie Mae Signorile and Gabriel Fredericks Cohen make up New York design duo Fredericks & Mae

Meet Fredericks & Mae: Timeless Design for an Endless Summer

"We love materials, and it all started with feathers, thread and wood." - Fredericks & Mae

It's rare a day that you won't find New York based art and design duo Jolie Mae Signorile and Gabriel Fredericks Cohen diligently spinning thread, dipping paints, screen-printing, fletching or carving their latest playful object of intrigue. Their intricately handmade works are borne of a deep fascination with classic craft materials, and each carry with them a nostalgic nod to times passed. Kites, bows and arrows, prayer beads, board games - they all come together in a harmonious collection of designer playthings that leave you happily uncertain whether to take them to the park or hang on your wall.

Jolie and Gabriel took a break from the workbench to give the MINI Space Team an absorbing account of their musings and techniques. After perusing the fruits of their labours, read about their love for timeless objects and their plans to escape the gravitational grips of planet Earth.

Kite - Night. Materials: silkscreened kite paper, stretched on a bamboo frame.

Tennis has the longest line of consecutive world champions of any sport in the world.

The oldest bows in one piece are the elm Holmegaard bows found in Denmark, which were dated to 9,000 BCE.

Arrows. The design duo started out in 2007 with the creation of arrows as one of their characteristic designs. Materials: wood, feathers, thread, and gold/silver.

Flag Dominos. The designers have a personal love for classic games that pop up in very similar variations from culture to culture around the globe. "Dominos" comes from the pieces' resemblance to Venetian Carnival masks known as "domino", which were white with black spots. These masks were so named, in turn, because they resembled French priests' winter hoods, being black on the outside and white on the inside. The oldest known domino set was found in Tutankhamen's tomb, among the ruin of Thebes.

Broom. Materials: thread-wrapped horsehair.

Hallelujah. Based on the Puerto Rican game "Generala", the English game "Poker Dice", and known in Scandinavia as "Yatzy".

MINI Space (MS): One of your characteristic designs is the classic kite - why should we still take time to go fly a kite?

Fredericks & Mae (F&M): Because gazing into the sky is like looking into the face of god. Try it.

MS: We can't help but feel nostalgic looking at your game designs. They seems to trace the lineage of classic games right back to their roots. Are you declaring war on contemporary play like video games?

F&M: We don't think it's useful to create a hierarchy of play - we enjoy video games right alongside some backgammon. Humans have found community in play for as long as we have been. Obviously - like in all things - it's a matter of balance.

MS:What's your favourite tool?

F&M: Jolie: My favorite tool is the table saw. Gabriel: My favorite tool is my hands.

MS: If your products could speak, what would they say?

F&M: They have taken a vow of silence.

MS:How did New York become your playground of choice? Do you feel your products have a distinctly American identity or are they decidedly autonomous from your zip code?

F&M: The products we make have explicitly muddled origin. Every product has taken root in multiple cultures - and as such they have rather nomadic identities. That said, the versions we make are of course informed by our lives in New York. So... a little bit yes, a little bit no.

MS:Tell us about your design process and what first inspired you.

F&M: We love materials, and it all started with feathers, thread and wood. And a lot of talking, and not talking.

MS:Some of your pieces seem to be purely ornamental, while others have a utilitarian use. How do you balance form and function?

F&M: All of the objects have a utilitarian and ceremonial use. As designers I think we are most interested in their lives as ceremonial objects... their use in the context of domestic or ritual. Form is function?

MS:As a design duo, what makes for an exciting collaboration? How do your different interests intersect and complement each other?

F&M: I'm not sure how to answer this question - what makes any relationship work? Fredericks & Mae grew out of a friendship and a shared awe. The practice that emerged is organic and in a really pleasant way - totally obvious. Each object's process is different, some are created with 4 hands, some are passed back and forth. It's always changing really.

MS: If nothing held you back - no limit on cash or resources - what would you build?

F&M: A boat and a space station.

MS:What's next for Fredericks & Mae?

F&M: A boat and a space station!

To fly one of Gabriel and Julie's kites yourself, or get your hands on any other of their playful products, head over to their website, www.fredericksandmae.com

If you like projects like these, join our worldwide quest for the best design on the planet with the Dezeen and MINI World Tour. Our friends at Dezeen are scouring the globe in style with the new MINI Paceman and you can ride along every mile of the way. Start exploring here.

All images © Fredericks & Mae