alessandro mendini – DesignApplause

alessi wins 2021 good design awards.

Jan 4, 2022

above> twergi by ettore sottsass

alessi announces the recognition of four key projects designed by as many prominent figures of the international design scene in the 2021 good design® awards: with twergi by ettore sottsass, 100% make-up proust by alessandro mendini, plissé by michele de lucchi and sweetheart by jim hannon-tan

above> designed by michele de lucchi plissé collection features an electric kettle, a blender, a hand blender, a toaster, and a citrus juicer. the refined design of these small kitchen appliances perfectly embodies the alessi essence of objects conveying art and poetry, functionality paired to sophisticated aesthetical research that heightens them to domestic sculptures. echoing the fifties and sixties fashion, plissé collection covers with pleats and folds domestic objects, transforming them into contemporary objects to exhibit in all kitchen environments as modern sculptures.

above> designed by jim hannon-tan sweetheart is a nutcracker inspired by the tale of the australian crocodile carrying the same name. at nearly 6 meters in length, sweetheart had a curious penchant for attacking outboard motor propellers. in 1979 he accidentally drowned by getting tangled in a net; his stuffed remains are preserved in a museum. inspired by a late-victorian model, this nutcracker is a tribute to australian wildlife. made of cast aluminum, it is a resistant and practical object to use, suitable for opening all types of dried fruit.

above> part of the alessi 100 values collection too, 100% make-up proust designed by alessandro mendini celebrates art as a crucial component in making design, and as an intrinsic and signifying value of alessi products. an extraordinary object originally crafted in two pieces for a show in bonn in 2000 whose title was “italy-germany 4:3. fifty years of italian and german design”, now re-edited in a numbered edition of 999 pieces. the vase ideally joins the collection coordinated by alessandro mendini in 1992, titled “100% make up”, which saw 100 authors, hailing from diverse creative fields, imagine a personal decoration for the same vase designed by the designer himself. this charming object provides a new interpretation of a pattern dear to mendini, born during a trip to france in the places where the writer marcel proust lived.

above> created in 1989 with the hope of revitalizing the ancient tradition of wood turning, at the beginning of 2021 the collection twergi by ettore sottsass has been relaunched with a new color palette as part of the 100 values collection that celebrates alessi anniversary. the collection includes jars, a corkscrew, a table centerpiece and salt, pepper, and spice grinders. these are must-have objects interpreted by sottsass with his distinctive signature juxtaposition of colorful overlapping shapes, typical of his poetic vision. all the pieces are made in italy with a semi-artisanal wood turning process in compliance with strict environmental, social, and economic standards.

now in its 71st edition, [ good design ] is one of the most prestigious and recognized design awards in the world, conferred annually by the chicago athenaeum museum of architecture and design in collaboration with the european center for architecture, art, design and urban studies and metropolitan arts press, ltd. founded in chicago in 1950 by architects eero saarinen, charles and ray eames and edgar kaufmann jr., the good design® prize is awarded evaluating over 900 design, graphics, and packaging projects from more than 48 countries, based on criteria such as innovation, sustainability, creativity, branding, shape, functionality, materials used, usefulness and aesthetics.

rossana orlandi guiltlessplastic master’s pieces exhibition. milan design week 2019.

Apr 6, 2019

above > studio job master pieces

during fuorisalone 2019 guiltlessplastic will unfold in 3 events:
ro plastic prize
ro plastic-master’s pieces – see below
ro ring

ro plastic-master’s pieces
april 6-14
ro plastic-master’s pieces, curated by rossana orlandi, is an exhibition of 29 one-of-a-kind pieces in recycled plastic made by world-renowned artists, designers and architects. exhibition design: studio vudafieri • saverino partners. from april 6th-14th, the exhibition will be open to the public at the railway pavilion of the museo scienza e tecnologia leonardo da vinci in milan.
on exhibit: massimiliano adami – william amor – nacho carbonell – matteo cibic – enrico marone cinzano – jacopo foggini – formafantasma – barnaba fornasetti – maurizio galimberti – jaime hayon – piet hein eek – thierry jeannot – studio job – max lamb – piero lissoni – massimiliano locatelli -fernando mastrangelo – alessandro mendini – lucio micheletti – brodie neill – fabio novembre -studio nucleo – italo rota – james shaw – patricia urquiola – dirk vander kooij – tiziano vudafieri -marcel wanders – nika zupanc.

#roplasticprize #guiltlessplastic #rossanaorlandi @rossanaorlandi

zoë ryan: the future is not what it used to be. 2014 istanbul design biennial.

Oct 15, 2014

zoë ryan | courtesy the art institute of chicago/ portrait by cynthia lynn

Zoë Ryan is the John H. Bryan Curator of Architecture and Design and Chair of the Department of Architecture and Design at the Art Institute of Chicago. I’ve been trying to catch her for almost four months to talk about the curator appointment of the 2nd Istanbul Design Biennial coming up in October 2014. We talk following her break-out session with formlessfinder at Design Miami: [ff] won this year’s commission to build the entrance to the Design Miami pavilion.

[DesignApplause] Zoë, have you had a chance to get around Design Miami?
[Zoë Ryan] I’ve only had a small window before this talk, then I’ll head back out and start walking around.

[DA] This is my fifth year coming to Design Miami. I am sort of yearning for something more experimental.
[ZR] I mean, I would say, it’s difficult in this environment, but if you go back to Galerie kreo, they have one or two pieces from Hella Jongerius and one or two pieces from Wieki Somers which came from really experimental exhibitions. They’re kind of one or two from a big collection that they had produced that was shown in Paris. They were really fantastic. I thought that especially the Wieki Somers, um, these hybrids, furniture-lighting- not even sure what they are pieces- they were very exciting for me to see.

I also really enjoyed Volume Gallery and their show with only featuring Jonathan Muecke. I thought it’s quite daring to do a solo show. But in this environment, it really works well. It’s very legible, you get to see a great breadth of work. I think they’ve taken a lot of time. Their collection is very rigorous. It shows the breadth and depth of work, and for me, that’s what I’m looking for. Of course, this is a very specific environment to see this work in but I’m also very interested in.

I want to go see the Charlotte Perriand house on the beach that’s at the Raleigh Hotel, which is going to be hopefully a fantastic piece to see. I’ve never walked through the Herzog & de Meuron parking facility and check out the ‘Art Drive-Thru’ (Colette & Alchemist) installation. I’m curious about the new piece (Phare No. 1-9) by Simon Heijdens, who, you know, we’ve worked with in the past, who seems to know no bounds of his own dexterity as a designer. So I’m excited about that.

In terms of new experimentation, and also I think that’s where- for me- Miami excels is in these types of projects. Projects like formlessfinder’s and the Perrier-Jouët sponsored Simon’s project, are brilliant, where really those are the types of designers that are going to take this opportunity and really do something terrific with it. And something that really relates to their practice and helps them move their practice further, not only something that’s really rigorous and makes a lot of sense for them, and they get as much out of it as they give to the sponsor who’s sponsoring them. And I think more of that kind of sophistication is really needed. What have you seen?

[DA] You’ve given me new glasses to look through. The Swarovski Crystal Palace collaboration with Guilherme Torres creates ‘Mangue Groove’, an insightful installation inspired by mangrove trees to remind us of aquatic conservation efforts surrounding mangrove ecosystems in Brazil. Carpenters Workshop Gallery instilled the concept of time with two creatively fun video/grandfather clocks by Maarten Baas and rAndom created ‘Study of Time’ a mezmerizing illuminated digital wall hanging. Off-site there’s the ‘Untitled’ tent, the venue ‘finally’ on the beach and in Windwood there’s great graffiti art everywhere.

You mentioned Galerie kreo. They’re debuting a Poltrona di Proust armchair, first created by Alessandro Mendini in 1978; this version is in gold Bisazza mosaics. I’m not crazy about gold glitter. kreo director Joanna Frydman said, “It fits entirely with the luxurious mood of the fair.”

Can we talk about Istanbul? – Did this commission come out of nowhere for you?

[ZR] (Laughing) Yes, this came out of nowhere. So, in about- I don’t know- May of this year, I got an email from them asking if they could speak with me about the Biennial. I thought they were calling to ask about different projects and designers to work with, so I was all geared up for that. And then the next day they call again and asked me to curate their event and I was a bit, I was absolutely flabbergasted, but of course really excited.

It took me a minute to think on my good days, am I going to be able to do this project justice? And also will my boss, the Art Institute, allow me to do this? The museum is very committed to find work from other parts of the world and becoming more international, and definitely getting into parts of the world that have been, you know, largely ignored or overlooked.

One of the reasons why I was so excited to do the project was to work in Istanbul, a place that I’ve been to many times before, but never worked there, but somewhere I’ve always been a big fan of. And also to find that there really is a very thriving community of architects and designers there, which have a lot to give to the rest of the world and are really not known to the rest of the world. So that was really fantastic.

[DA] The theme ‘Manifesto’, was it given to you?
[ZR] No, absolutely not. When they came to me I asked for a few months to work on the title and the theme, and I was given complete carte blanche. I sort of floated some concepts past them last month- November. But I also went to Istanbul with my associate curator, Meredith Carruthers, who I hired, and we set out a number of different roundtable discussions with many, many architects and designers in the city, to get to know them and for them to get to know us and to start to throw ideas around. I already had in my mind what I wanted to- I love the history of manifestos, but I really wanted to rethink: what does it mean to have a manifesto today?

below> SIBLING reinstalls its video ‘The Encounterculture’, a manifesto of sevens ways to participate. The film, made in collaboration with Nicole Rose, is re-configured with eight tear-away propaganda posters that see the manifesto travel from the gallery wall out into the streets.

And the title of the Biennial is actually ‘the Future is Not What It Used to Be.” And it’s a way for us, I think we’re in this really critical moment, where we should take stock of where we are, where we’ve come from, and where we want to go. And we were using the manifesto really as a platform where we’re inviting architects and designers to rethink and revisit the history of manifestos, but propose ‘what is a conceptual design manifesto?’ You know, manifestos, towards the end of the 20th Century, seemed really outdated. They seemed naive, at best. And they were often very violent and destructive, they didn’t care about consequences. And so how can we use that talk and perhaps turn it around and reclaim it for our time?

Because I felt we’re in a moment where we do want both big and small ideas, but designers and architects really need to show that they can help us identify issues, work through issues and, at best, overcome issues. For example, how can the manifesto be something that deals with everyday realities, talk about the negative and positive consequences, look at the present yet potentially propose ideas for the future? A key- the manifesto does not need to be a text. It could be a project, it could be a provocation, it could be a service, it could be a publication. I mean, we’re looking for all kinds of projects that will make up the Biennial.

[DA] What’s your timeline?
[ZR] We’ve just launched the call for ideas, that’s gone online. And there’s a two-part call for ideas. The first part is the short statement and it’s about what your manifesto is, a few images, and what kind of platform or medium you want it to be in. And the deadline for that is February 1. And then we will circle back after that and start working individually with studios.

[DA] What are the expectations and criteria for the role of the curator? What’s the schedule for you going to be? How are you going to communicate with everyone to pull it together?
[ZR] Well, there are no hard and fast rules. I’ve been to Istanbul three times already, and I have my associate curator. There’s a team in Istanbul, there’s a foundation team that runs the Biennial. I’m building an international advisory. We have an informal advisory now in Istanbul. And we’re going to continue the idea sessions. We’ll be meeting at least once a month.

[DA] Zoë, is there anything you want to say that we didn’t talk about?
[ZR] Designers, we need you!

[ at-a-glance ]

below> Defne Koz, Marco Susani presents ‘Justaddwater’, their vision for the future of the food experience, where smart appliances meet creative gastronomy.

courtesy koz susani design

below> Turkey has had its share of earthquakes and there are earthquake kits available. In response to this need designers Jessica Charlesworth and Tim Parsons, who are looking at everyday surivivalism for different scenarios create a project called ‘New Survivalism: Alternative Bug-Out Bags’.

courtesy parsons & charles- worth

below> ‘Becoming Istanbul’ by Superpool and Project Projects, explores contemporary Istanbul through an interactive database of over 400 artists’ videos, photography series, documentaries, news reports, cartoons and architectural projects.

courtesy superpool & project projects

below> architect/designer Elena Manferdini serves up ‘Still Life to Living Pictures’ using digital rendering at the scale of architecture to create a space of aesthetic reflection, asking the viewer to be both critical and complicit in this transformed environment, to suspend disbelief and enter the imaginative space of the backdrop, but also to “break the fourth wall” and inspect the surface of her illusion.

updated / just in from istanbul sent by iphone | courtesy elena manferdini

[ participating designers and projects announced – updated ]

 ’The Future Is Not What It Used To Be’ hosts 53 projects that ask: “What is the future now?”  By rethinking the manifesto as a platform to frame pertinent questions, the projects question the role of design, its relationship to society, and its ability to be an active agent for change.

The exhibition at the Galata Greek Primary School, the hub of the 2nd Istanbul Design Biennial, will spread over all five floors of the school, an area of approximately 2,300 square meters.  The projects imagine new possibilities that can transform the present and invite new potential futures. Arranged in five departments— Personal, Norms and Standards, Resource, Civic Relations, and Broadcast — the projects question the manifesto as a platform for situating ideas and pointing to new directions.

[ personal department ] The Moonwalk Machine—Selena’s Step, Sputniko!
Consider Beauty, Studio Frith & Thirteen Ways
Still Life to Living Pictures, Atelier Manferdini: Elena Manferdini
Jardin d’hiver, Dice Kayek: Ayşe Ege and Ece Ege
In The Future, Everyone Will Be Heroic for 1.5 Minutes, Sarraf Galeyan Mekanik: Memduh Can Tanyeli, Erhun Erdoğan and Emine Seda Kayım
BIRDY 2214, Meriç Canatan and Fatosh Erhuy
Ownership of the Face, Kristina Cranfeld
Manifesting the Look of Love, Haelo Design: Helen Maria Nugent and Ron Kirkpatrick
Poly, giffin’termeer: Jess Giffin and Jim TerMeer
Mapmaker Manifesto, Stamen Design: Beth Schechter and Eric Rodenbeck
New Survivalism, Jessica Charlesworth and Tim Parsons

[ norms and standards department ] N°41 Workoutcomputer, BLESS: Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag
Dyslexie Typeface, Christian Boer
Nap Gap, J. Mayer H. und Partner, Architekten: Jürgen Mayer H. with Wilko Hoffmann and Julien Sarale
smart design (. . .) smart life, Jacob de Baan, Giorgio Caione and Rianne Koens
Justaddwater, Koz Susani Design: Defne Koz, Marco Susani
LEPSIS: The Art of Growing Grasshoppers, Mansour Ourasanah
Designing for the Sixth Extinction, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg
New Energy Landscapes, Sean Lally
Incomplete Manifesto for The Night, Clio Capeille
Towards a Universal Mundane Manifesto, Emmet Byrne and Alex DeArmond

[ resources department ] A Reading Room, Future Anecdotes Istanbul: Can Altay and Aslı Altay
Open Manifesto, FormaFantasma: Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi
Palamut Timeline, Didem Şenol of Lokanta Maya and Gram, with Elif Esmez, Esra Aca
Rebuild the Electronic and Digital Tools, Coralie Gourguechon
NASALO Dictionary of Smell, Sissel Tolaas
This sea of sugar knows no bounds, AVM Curiosities: Tasha Marks
Hacking the Modern Kitchen, Gastronomika
Diario, Moisés Hernández
knowledge-tools-memory, Studio mischer’traxler: Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler
Crafted in Istanbul, Seda Erdural, Barış Gümüştaş and Bilal Yilmaz
Repair Society, Gabriele Oropallo, Joanna van der Zanden, and Cynthia Hathaway
Cultures of Assembly, Studio Miessen
Imagining Our Shared Future, Atatürk Library, Alexis Şanal and Ali Taptık

[ civic relations department ] Public Drawing, Atelier Bow-Wow: Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima
Use of Shores, a Micro-Manifesto on Micro-Urbanisms, İyiofis: Elif Ensari and Can Sucuoğlu
The Moment for the Generic is Now, fala atelier: Filipe Magalhães and Ana Luisa Soares
#occupygezi architecture, Architecture for All (Herkes için Mimarlık)
The Encounterculture or, Seven Ways to Participate, SIBLING: Amelia Borg, Nicholas Braun, Jonathan Brener, Jessica Brent, Jane Caught, Qianyi Lim, Timothy Moore, and Alan Ting
Retreat, dpr-barcelona: Ethel Baraona, Studio-X; GSAPP: Marina Otero and FAST, The New Institute, Rotterdam: Malkit Shoshan
Design Activism: A Contemporary Design Manifest, Manufakturist: Mia Bogovac, Matea Bronić, Maša Milovac, and Kristina Volf; GOTWOB: Begüm Çelik and Berk Şimşek
TWTRATE, Cansu Cürgen, Eren Tekin, Yelta Köm, Barış Gümüştaş, Avşar Gürpınar, Yağız Söylev and Arzu Erdem
Who Builds Your Architecture?, WBYA?: Kadambari Baxi, Jordan Carver, Laura Diamond Dixit, Tiffany Rattray, Beth Stryker, Mabel O. Wilson
How To Do Too Kadıköy, 72 Hour Urban Action: Kerem Halbrecht and Gilly Karjevsky; with Tasarım Atölyesi Kadıköy (TAK): Onur Atay, Omer Kanıpak, Sıla Akalp
Retroactive Manifesto, Rural Urban Framework: Joshua Bolchover and John Lin
UMK: Lives and Landscapes, Dunne & Raby: Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby
Phoenix Declaration, Arctic Perspective Initiative (API): Matthew Biederman and Marko Peljhan
The Cultural Sauna, Åbäke
ABC Manifesto Corporation Writers and Consultants, disturbATI collective

[ broadcast department ] Kontraakt, H. Cenk Dereli, Hayrettin Günç, and Yelta Köm
Growing Manifesto, Something & Son: Andrew Merritt and Paul Smyth
Unfacebook, Vibok Works: Paula Alvarez
140journos: Data Concretization, Institute of Creative Minds: Cem Aydoğdu, Engin Önder, Hilal Koyuncu, İgal Nassima, Meriç Şeker

The biennial’s exhibition space, catalogue, and visual identity are designed by Istanbul based Superpool and Project Projects, New York.

[ the opening week program | 30 october > 2 november  ]

>press and professional preview | 30>31 october 2014
>press conference | 10am 30 october at galata greek primary school, followed by an exclusive tour of the exhibition with the curator zoë ryan, associate curator meredith carruthers and the director of the istanbul design biennial deniz ova.

The opening week will provide special opportunities to hear from a number of the participating designers as well as key experts from a variety of fields and occupations. Kicking off the biennial, Curator Zoë Ryan is joined by curators, designers and thinkers in an informal discussion on the Future of Manifestos with Aric Chen, Alison Clarke, and Fiona Raby, exploring the key themes of the biennial on Friday, 31 October between 2>4pm.

Related panels explore the Future of Exhibitions with Paola Antonelli, Jan Boelen, Vasıf Kortun, and Prem Krishnamurthy with curator Zoë Ryan on Saturday, 1 November between 4.30-6pm; and the Future of Publishing with associate curator Meredith Carruthers and Can and Aslı Altay (Future Anecdotes Istanbul) Simon Johnson (THAT Magazine), Adam Michaels (Project Projects) and TWTRATE, on Sunday, 2 November between 4.30>6pm.

Also included in the opening week’s programme will be personal dialogues by designers from all around the world. Designers in Dialogue moderated by Denise Marie Bennett will include Jessica Charlesworth & Tim Parsons – Coralie Gourguechon; Mansour Ourasanah – Marco Susani & Defne Koz; Joshua Bolchover and John Lin – Kadambari Baxi and Mabel Wilson; Natasha Marks – Katharina Mischer Thomas Traxler on Saturday, 1 November between 2-4pm; disturbATI collective – Clio Capeille; GOTWOB – Manufakturist; Arctic Perspective – Cenk Derelli & Yelta Köm; Beth Schechter – Helen Maria Nugent on Sunday, 2 November between 2>4pm.

[ 2nd istanbul design biennial events ]

In addition to the exhibition, the biennial hub at the Galata Greek Primary School will host different events for design enthusiasts daily for six weeks: the Kontraakt team’s broadcast programming will be held on Tuesdays and throughout the week, Q&A’s and panels on Wednesdays, film screenings on Thursdays, and Children and Youth program every day.

Design Walks, comprised of visits to design studios, stores, manufacturers, and noted buildings in 6 neighborhoods and 6 thematic walks on Istanbul’s Asian and European sides to examine the textures of the city and observe traditional crafts are organised throughout the biennial.

The Academy Programme featuring 72 projects including workshops, exhibitions and panels organized by over 33 universities from Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Europe and the United States to reveal different aspects of the biennial theme can be viewed at university campuses and at Antrepo no.7.

event> [ 2014 Istanbul Design Biennial ] @tasarimbienali #tasarimmanifestosu #designbiennial
date> 1 > 14 november 2014 | tuesday > sunday 10a > 7p | free admission
venue> galata greek primary school | istanbul

<a href="about ron kovach

made in brazil. icff 2014.

May 14, 2014

above> booth #1572

Brazilian Furniture Organization will present Made in Brazil at this year’s ICFF. Ornare, A Lot Of and Saccaro will debut collections at ICFF by the following iconic and emerging designers: Alessandro Mendini, Karim Rashid, Guto Indio da Costa, Vico Magistretti, Fabio Novembre, Xavier Lust, Borek Sipek, Pedro Franco, Roque Frizzo, Emerson Borges and Nika Zupanc. Combined, these furniture companies represent some of the best design practices in Brazil. Each are focused on new technologies and materials, sustainability, and originality in design.

air cabinets | guto indio da costa | ornare

Ornare, will exhibit the Air Cabinets Line of custom-built closets by Guto Indio da Costa designed exclusively for the High Line Collection. Known for creating innovative solutions for urban furniture in cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Indio da Costa incorporated a polyester mesh into the Air Cabinets Line. This mesh ensures natural ventilation and provides light protection to contents inside the closet.

air cabinets | guto indio da costa | ornare

arraia | guto indio da costa

Saccaro, founded in 1946, primarily works with Brazilian designers and incorporates proprietary processes and unique materials into its collections. Saccaro will present Callas, an upholstered seating collection with mid-century modern connotations and angular lines designed by Emerson Borges and Noronha, a colorful outdoor furniture collection inspired by Fernando de Noronha archipelago, the Brazilian national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, designed by Roque Frizzo. Also on view will be the limited-edition Mangue table, also designed by Frizzo; the Arraia chair by renowned designer Guto Indio da Costa, handcrafted in high quality Malacca and stainless steel and inspired by the form and motion of a Stingray; and a collection of Cowhide Rugs in a wide variety of unique and exquisite patterns from a simple checker to a Morrocan tile.

k2 sofa | alessandro mendini

A Lot Of, founded by award-winning Brazilian designer Pedro Franco, will present 20 pieces by a roster including Alessandro Mendini, Vico Magistretti, Fabio Novembre, Xavier Lust, Karim Rashid, Borek Sipek, Pedro Venzon and Nika Zupanc, among others. Highlights will include the K2 colored sofa designed by Mendini as an evolution of his Kandissi sofa, introduced in 1979; the Golem Chair designed by Magistretti and re-issued with the permission of the Magistretti Foundation; the Skeleton Chair, Crocodile Chair and Underconstruction Armchair by Pedro Franco; Karim Rashid’s Siamese Chair and Vida Table; Fabio Novembre’s RPH Sofa and Xavier Lust’s Cone Chair.
cadeira timida | pedro venzon

mesa vida | karim rashid

[ brazilian furniture organization ] is a partnership between The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), and the Brazilian Furniture Association (Abimovel). Their goal is to promote Brazilian Furniture Exports around the world. They currently represent 72 industries that manufacture a wide range of products, including furniture for home, office and outdoors.

amen/lumen. milan 2014.

Apr 4, 2014

alessandro mendini | joe volutto

“Give me a bright idea, blessed lamp!”
A lot of people on pilgrimage at the Milan Design Week, looking for sparks and inspirational ideas, relentless run through the streets of the design, touching all the “stations” not to be missed. JoeVelluto (JVLT), with Maestro Alessandro Mendini, offers the “station” cornerstone of this pilgrimage: the exhibition ‘Amen/Lumen’ at the space MARS Milan. Anyone who comes will be able to reach this goal and find the real Enlightenment.

event: AMEN/LUMEN | curated by beppe finessi
when: vernissage 9>10 april from 6.30p
where: MARS | via guido guinizelli 6 20127 milan

[ atelier mendini ] [ joe volutto studio ]

Heijdens, krzentowski, palomba and torres previews. Design miami/ 2013.

Dec 7, 2013

above/below> The Swarovski Crystal Palace collaborates with artist Guilherme Torres to create the installation ‘Mangue Groove’, inspired by mangrove trees to remind us of important aquatic conservation efforts surrounding mangrove ecosystems in Brazil.

guilherme torres

above/below> Perrier-Jouët collaborates with London-based Dutch designer Simon Heijdens titled ‘Phare No. 1–9’, explores light and liquid. Simon will share in our upcoming interview how the Art Nouveau aesthetic evolved with him into the 21st Century.

simon heijdens

didier krzentowski

above/below > DesignApplause combines interviews from 2012 and this year and Didier explains what amazingly happened over the past year.

poltrona gold | alessandro mendini | galerie kreo | 2013

above/below> Kartell, Laufen and Ludovica+Roberto Palomba create the ‘Palomba Collection’, a clever and beautiful bathroom ensemble. Roberto Palomba shares with us in an upcoming interview how a new and unique porcelain reinvents how to work with the traditional material.

[ design miami/ ] @DesignMiami #designmiami

Important design 2012 auction. Wright.

Jun 2, 2012

no. 4 chairs by jean prouvé | click > enlarge

Sale highlights include an exceptional Nuage Bibliothèque by Charlotte Perriand, a rare set of eight No. 4 chairs by Jean Prouvé an early spindle back bench by George Nakashima and a custom dining table by Paul Evans. Italian masterworks include an important dining table by Dubé for Fontana Arte, collaborative furnishings by Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana as well as significant works by Gio Ponti, Angelo Lelli, and Gino Sarfatti to name just a few. auction: 7 June 2012, 12 pm cst

nuage bibliothèque > charlotte perriand

table > osvaldo borsani and luci fontana

spindle back bench > george nakashima

terra chair > alessandro mendini

josé zanine caldas’ > demountable house

A selection of rare works from the Cassina Archive Collection is also included in this sale; works include Mario Bellini’s Teneride chair (technically difficult create, this chair never went into production), a prototype Sessantuna table by Gaetano Pesce and a Terra chair by Alessandro Mendini. The auction also includes large scale sculptures by Harry Bertoia, Kenneth Snelson, Isamu Noguchi and Guy de Rougemont. Important Design concludes with an influential collection of works from Brazil’s top designers and architects and the sale of José Zanine Caldas’ Demountable House.

Important Design features more the 200 lots of exceptional mid-century design. Each item is featured in Wright’s award-winning full-color catalog as well as presented online [ view lots ] Gallery preview runs 31 May > 7 June | 10a > 5p Monday | Saturday and Sunday by appointment at Wright, 1440 West Hubbard Street, Chicago. For additional information about this sale, please contact [ wright ] or call 312 563 0020 [ wright ] auction: 7 June 2012, 12 pm Central

Alessi. The spring/summer 2012 duality preview 1.

Feb 6, 2012

moka alessi | alfonso mendini | click > enlarge

Only a glimpse of the Spring/Summer 2012 line and our focus ( not Alessi’s ) will be the theme of duality. Let’s start with “old and new” via the “Moka Alessi” by architect Alessandro Mendini’s homage to Alberto Alessi’s maternal grandfather, Alfonso Bialetti, creator of the indispensable Bialetti Moka Express that is a mainstay in many Italian kitchens. [ bialetti moka express ]

all-time | guido venturini

‘All-time’ represents both “formal and casual” with minimal flowing smooth classic lines but designed for daily use and includes all the basic elements of flatware, bone china, and glasses. A re-design of the “Pluto” collection designed by Guido Venturini.”I immediately knew I didn’t want to do anything too different. I’ve got a strong bond with the formal style – for me, it’s a real necessity. The language of shapes has its own priorities, and it draws me into it in a way that I can only control up to a certain point.”

is01 | inga sempé 2012

This spoon serves up both “Italy and France” and designed for a competition organized with the magazine “Domus” to celebrate the anniversary of the “Cucchiaio d’Argento” (in English “Silver Spoon”) – the historic recipe book with its 12,000 recipes and as a star of Italian kitchens for the past 50 years. For this special occasion five international designers were asked to come up with a new serving spoon. The winner, Inga Sempé, for her ability to design a very simple, rigorous and yet highly expressive tool which, thanks to its precise details, well fulfills the practical need to gather up and serve risotto. France? The designer is of course French.

Be alert for other examples of duality in the Alessi Spring/Summer 2012 line.