Flavor Paper Merges Design & Science to Create Modern Art

You may associate wallpaper with your grandmother’s living room, or worse, your freshman roommate’s awkward wall decals. Brooklyn-base wallcovering company Flavor Paper is trying to change that.

Along with design firm UM Projects, Flavor Paper has a new exhibit at Collective Design as part of New York’s month-long design festival NYCxDesign. The installation, titled Conduct, seeks to bring together tasteful wallpaper design and the science of conductivity for a cohesive and interactive experience. When you touch one of the screen-printed conductive ink tiles, it triggers abstract interpretations of a lamp, a speaker or a fan to “turn on.”

Conductive ink is a speciality of Flavor Paper. “The availability of a water-based conductive ink made my brain go into hyperdrive with thoughts of the multitude of potential uses for fun and engaging designs,” said Jon Sherman, founder of Flavor Paper, in an email to Co.Design. UM Project’s founder, François Chambard, said that the design firm’s interest in Conduct stemmed from their desire to create a smoother experience for the viewer. “Conductive ink is not new and it has been used a lot, but often the devices attached to and triggered by conductive ink feel disconnected, not integrated,” Chambard told Co.Design. “We worked hard to creative a cohesive language and environment.”

Conduct functions exactly how Flavor Paper and UM Project wanted it to function. The installation takes the concept of wallpaper to a new and higher level, while remaining charming and accessible. It’s art, and it’s familiar—but it’s also completely new.

Conduct is on display at Collective Design until May 7, and you can check out the images below to get a better idea of the installation experience. If this has peaked your wallpaper interest, don’t miss Paste’s “7 Smart Ways to Use Just a Little Bit of Wallpaper.”