Les Ailes Noires is a minimal design created by Toronto-based designer John Tong of +tongtong. Prior to establishing +tongtong, John Tong was a co-founding principal of the design firm 3rd Uncle Design Inc. from 1993 to 2012. The focus of +tongtong is to provide products and designs that enrich peoples’ lives through dynamic environments and phenomenal experiences.
Les Ailes Noires is a collection of clothing racks inspired by the simplicity of geometric line drawings. The collection contains 11 different freestanding units that are weighted to lean against a wall or flat surface. Tong found it interesting that a simple two-dimensional line drawing can communicate three-dimensions, and experimented with these shapes to create various volumetric perceptions.
When one initially glances over at these clothing racks, they will be slightly confused by its dimensions; however, once an individual begins to move around the object, engages with it, and observes its shadows and lighting, he/she will understand the design in its entirety. I love how such a simple design can create such an intriguing and unique play on shadows, lighting, and dimension.