Functional concept

The desk secretary was designed for central, compact storage of the most necessary utensils for daily writing and correspondence work, and corresponding compartments were designed. The following are included:

Upper level with hinged lid:

compartments for several writing instruments and two highlighters, a separate shelf for the main writing instrument

Level 2 (drawer):

Glue stick, adhesive film dispenser, staples, Post-it pad

Level 3 (drawer):

Paper scissors (included), eraser, pencil sharpener, staples, ruler 

 

Design & Processing

Somnia custodes somni sunt ("Dreams are the guardians of sleep")

The design of the box honours the importance of Sigmund Freud's pioneering work. His publication "The Interpretation of Dreams" (1899/1900) is considered a fundamental work of psychoanalysis. According to his theory, dreams help to prevent sleep from being interrupted by repressed psychological conflicts or unconscious urges. In this sense, for Freud they are both the guardians of sleep and the "gateway to the unconscious", as they symbolically express repressed desires and inner conflicts.  

In a perfect symbiosis of dream symbolism, psychoanalytical depth and precision craftsmanship, the ARCANUM SOMNIORUM design visualises essential core elements of Sigmund Freud's teachings: the significance of dreams, the role of driving forces and the path to self-knowledge as a prerequisite for healing. A metaphorical journey into the depths of psychology set in wood. 

Exterior

Dreams are fleeting and precious as gold. The golden flow of dreams in the midnight-black ebony cover visualises this perfectly: The crumpled fragments of gold leaf shimmer vividly in the light and hint at the inner unconscious tensions that can find expression in dreams. For Freud, the interpretation of dreams was the royal road to the unconscious.

Id, ego and superego (id: the unconscious part of the psyche follows the pleasure principle without regard to morality or reality / ego: the mediator between the id, superego and reality tries to fulfil the wishes of the id in a socially acceptable way / superego: the conscience, the internalised moral norms, values and rules). Based on these three levels of the human psyche, the secretary is also layered in three levels, although it is up to the viewer to associate what each one refers to. After all, according to Freud's understanding, it is not a topographical model. [Note: Perhaps this is why it is somewhat misleading to speak of "levels" of the human psyche].

Gold-coloured brass elements in the fronts continue the gold/black colour scheme of the lid. The frieze on the top level, hand-engraved using the traditional Japanese naguri technique, symbolises the separating layer that keeps the unconscious away from the conscious and which must be penetrated with the help of psychoanalysis in order to reach the unconscious.

The back of the box is dedicated to Freud's famous quote "Where Id was, there ego shall be" ("Ubi Id erat, Ego fieri debet."), the goal of psychoanalysis. Above it is a woodcut-like depiction of a section of Freud's face, limited to his eyes and ears, the basic tools of the analyst.  

A reference to the medical site that is home to the entirety of our personality - the neural network in our brains - is incorporated into the sides of the body.

Interior

The inside of the lid makes direct reference to Freud's interpretation of dreams: a dream spiral leads down into the depths of the unconscious, at the central end of which a mirror symbolises the goal of this path: self-knowledge, gained by making unconscious psychological processes conscious - the basis for healing. The colourful floors of the top level and the drawers are reminiscent of the famous couch in Freud's consulting room at Berggasse 19, his Viennese flat. It is one of the most iconic symbols in the history of psychology and was an essential part of Freud's revolutionary new treatment concept, which removed the therapist from the patient's field of vision and thus encouraged free association. When he emigrated to London in 1938 for fear of the National Socialists, it was also transported there and is now in the Siegmund-Freud-Museum there. Apart from that, however, black and white has now replaced the black and gold of the exterior. Black and white Makassar wood is combined with deep black ebony, both for the inner border of the top level and for the sides of the drawers. Black and white stand for Eros and Thanatos, the two fundamental opposing driving forces that shape human behaviour and the psyche. Nothing could represent the eternal conflict between them better than black and white, because Eros, the instinct for life, bonding and creation, strives for unity, synthesis and prolongation of life, which can certainly be associated with white. Thanatos, the death instinct in our psyche, on the other hand, urges dissolution, destruction and a return to the inorganic state with aggression, self-destruction, sadism and a longing for death - what colour could be more appropriate here than black!  Freud's dualism shows: Human existence is a struggle between creation and destruction - between the urge to live and the secret longing for the end. According to Freud, psychological disorders and problems can arise from this diametrical opposition. They can often find expression in dreams, which point the way to healing - dream interpretation, the royal road to the unconscious.

Processing

Sustainability and ecological awareness are playing an increasingly important role against the backdrop of climate change. For this reason, the material realisation of this concept has taken into account the requirements of our time and selected woods that do not endanger the existence of tropical rainforests. SaRaiFo woods (SAve the RAIn FOrest) are replicas of tropical precious woods made from fast-growing woods. Their quality is in no way inferior to the originals, and even experts can hardly distinguish them from the originals - even "growth rings" on the end grain are reproduced.  

The production process, from the wooden plank to the final lacquering of the secretary, is carried out by hand or with hand-operated machines. All edges and mitre joints are not machined, but precisely planed by hand and the Naguri pattern is engraved by hand. Functional millings are also produced without computer support. This approach ensures that all fits interlock perfectly despite any minor dimensional deviations in the material. Perfection is our top priority that´s why each one of them is a rare exclusivity!

Exclusively produced for: