Hella Jongerius – DesignApplause

ready for your design applause? neocon 2016.

May 2, 2016

we’re reaching out to you > if you’re showing your products/services during #neocon2016 and wish to preview your effort, please submit your press materials now. we can also see you at your showroom between 12 > 15 june.

for a preview provide as many images as you feel tells your story in high resolution jpg format crediting (designer, object, brand, project and photographer, etc.) as well as your story in a press release. please send your submissions and include in the subject – neocon 2016 – your project name.

if you wish a post prior to neocon, please submit your materials no later than 09 june 2016.

thank you. DesignApplause [ questions / submissions ] [ neocon 2016 ]

below> vitra & artek / #1192 // north american introductions / vitra customized applications
at neocon, vitra will present a series of projects that demonstrate how it has optimized collaboration with client project teams. this provides clients a direct dialogue and unprecedented access to vitra’s top design talent, allowing for the custom-development of new product applications for large scale projects.

above> the vitra color and material library by hella jongerius – ten years ago, the dutch designer hella jongerius began a research project for vitra to study the properties and possibilities of colors, textures, finishes and materials. this long-term project has resulted in the vitra color & material library, devoted to the establishment and further development of an intelligent system of colors, materials and textiles. this concept facilitates a higher degree of specificity in interior design. in her book “i don’t have a favourite colour”, which was launched at vitra’s 2016 milan presentation, hella jongerius describes her method of research and the application of its results to the vitra product portfolio. courtesy © vitra photography labadie/van tour
below. the kaari collection by ronan and erwan bouroullec for artek courtesy © artek

below> mohawk group / #377 & 3-121
elevate contemporary spaces to inspired floorscapes through mohawk’s latest production collections. inspired by nature and designed to merge fashion with function.

below> mohawk group / moving floors collection / diagonal relief, fade relief, plane high, plane low, 656 green 24by24
designed to be dynamically moving base on the user’s point of view, moving floors was inspired by the multi-layered beauty of our cultural landscape. empowers designers to create kinetic floorscapes through limitless combinations.

last chance. royal tichelaar makkum. designer gift ideas 2014.

Nov 28, 2014

here’s timely news… after almost 30 years royal tichelaar stops producing the contemporary design collection of studio job, dick van hoff, marcel wanders, roderick vos, alexander van slobbe and jurgen bey. the last stock will be exclusively available at matter .of material amsterdam.

still life

for the still life series studio job chose five objects, each one a much-respected item in dutch ornamental earthenware history: the clock, the vase, the box, the sconce and the piggy-bank. each item made in an edition of 250 pieces.

bisquit for royal tichelaar makkum studio job developed this series of porcelain using a traditional molding technique. this resulted in a deep relief on a thick and pure white plate with no glaze.

work .clock by dick van hoff | 15 x 32 cm

work .lamp high by dick van hoff design: dick van hoff | height 43 cm | 2007

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

Talking to didier krzentowski of galerie kreo. Design miami/ 2013.

Dec 20, 2013

2012 galerie kreo booth

[DesignApplause] We talked with Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo in 2012 and 2013. But we never published 2012. The following is 2012 and Didier is going to start with where it all began.
[Didier Krzentowsk] OK, so like 15 years ago, I find out that in fact, if you speak about design and furniture design, or industrial design, we are living in a world where we remix everything, not much is really new. Even if you take the cars, you see fantastic design that happened between the ’50s and the ’70s. If you take the watches, it’s about the same. But after that, if you take into account much of the industrial design, even though technologically things get better and better, much of the design is a remix, a re-hash.

So I got the idea, at this time to have a gallery, one that could be like a collaboratory with the designers, where we could think about ‘new’ designs, plus thinking this new design could afterwards go to market. I never speak about decoration but more functional design. And all of the designers we work with like Konstantin Grcic, the Bourroullec’s, Pierre Charpin, or Martin Szekely or Hella Jongerius are also all thinking first in their head about industrial design with products going to market. And the gallerie concept in a good way allows them to pre-think, as you were, their designs and maybe helps them to build what they want the design to be in the future.

465 | konstantin grcic | galerie kreo | 2011

For example we are in the DesignMiami art fair, and here’s a table (465 from ‘champion collection’ that consisted of eight tables) by Konstantin Grcic. You see on the feet of the table you have decorative symbols which are unique to the table, and in fact, it is ideal to say, now everything is branded because of those symbols. And then a new idea arises that the next generation tables will be come in an assortment of colors. Each time the designer has an opportunity to see their effort, there are new ideas.

In fact, the very idea of the gallery is to be a platform where the designer, the collector, the visitor can speak of design in the future. That’s 90% of the work of the gallery. The rest of the work is aimed at collecting. I’m kind of a furniture collector. And for 30 years I’m collecting lamps. There is a book by jrp|ringier called The Complete Designers’ Light (1950-1990) where I was showing like 800 lamps from the ’50s to the ’90s. And this book lists all the lamps with the designers I work with. And in fact, the book was just to show that we invent and when people invent.

[DA] What did you do prior to 15 years ago? Were you just collecting or did you have a gallery?
[DK] I was a collector, an avid collector of art and furniture design. And when we sold the company I was working with, I thought that my next edition would be to do something I like and what I like was art and design. And before I opened the gallery, I was thinking about industrial design but the financial side of it. That perspective came when I was working in the sports industry, I was working with Jean Claude Killy, the skier, and I saw all these sports guys had agents and Killy signed on with Mark McCormack who headed IMG (International Management Group).

And I thought why can’t we bring these designers who also work in a huge industry and bring them together to think about new products. And the company was called Kreo. And in fact, everyone was quite happy with all the products that were introduced. There may be 30 million pieces in the world now. And at this time we work with Marc Newson, the Bourellacs’, with all of them. But we couldn’t succeed, because people were not in the mood to wait and they wanted the product right away. But some were ok with a copy of the product, which we can now call a limited edition of the product.

[DA] How, how do you collaborate with your designers? How do you commission them? What determines what you carry?
[DK] We are like partners. Well no, in fact, we are the first to work the way of the art industry, that means we are not exactly partners but instead we split the production and we split the margin that we earn. And this was different from everybody else. So maybe it’s for this reason, for 15 years or 14 years (Galerie Kreo opened in 1999), we continue to work with all these designers. And if you take people like Konstantin Grcic, like the Bourellacs, like Charpin, they have one gallery in the world, and we are that gallery.

[DA] When they have an idea do they approach you? Is that how that works?
[DK] Yes and no but whenever they do approach us and we begin to speak together, it can be really very long. Jasper Morrison, we had to wait five years to do an exhibition, but we have made two in a row.

strong>[DA] And what of the other way around? You have an idea and you want something to happen?
[DK] No. In fact, I never have an idea because I’m not a designer. So in fact, they work on research and when they ready they come to me. Though, if we have a group show, it can come from me. I will finish with a fantastic show, but with only three answers. The question with the missing object. (both laugh.)

strong>[DA] Do you want to say anything about Design Miami?
[DK] Of course, I’m very happy about Design Miami. Why? Because, in fact, you know, we went to see Craig Robins a long time ago to say a lot of art collectors collect our furniture, and we wanted to begin something with them. And we began the fair with them. So when we saw the success of Basel, Art Basel and Design Miami, we were really happy.

strong>[DA] You’re on the vetting committee to determine who’s going to be here. Obviously, since day one, right?
[DK] Exactly.

strong>[DA] Do you have to turn any away?
[DK] Sometimes we turn away. Sometimes we say people be careful, because you are showing the same thing, you know just like a vetting committee.

[DA] There are 36 galleries this year, so congratulations are in order. Is there anything you want to say about the business aspect in general?
[DK] Thank you. I’m really happy because in fact, we see that more and more people beginning to look at the furniture designer, and that’s great.

didier in 2013 galerie kreo booth

[DesignApplause] Back at it with Didier in 2013. What’s happened this past year?
[DK] I think people are more and more involved in design and look intently at furniture, especially at Design Miami/. They are also more interested in content and the story of the designer’s who are making the pieces.

[DA] Do you have an opinion on why this is happening?
[DK] I am not sure why. We have definitely seen a rise in the interest for design; you now have major Art Museums organizing very important design shows. Such as the Marc Newson exhibit currently on at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Design is at the forefront of contemporary creation, and has managed to capture a younger audience, as well as the more established collectors.

[DA] The designer’s that you’re representing are also very strong production designers.
[DK] Absolutely. The designers we represent, also work with the best industrial companies such as Flos, Vitra, Alessi…At the gallery we act like a research laboratory for them, meaning they have total freedom to create.

poltrona gold | alessandro mendini | 2013

gemstone table | hella jongerius | 2013

[DA] We were in Chicago at Art Expo this past September. Tony Kalman had a great show. Do you think design galleries would come and be well received in Chicago?
[DK] Of course. Chicago is a very important place in Art and Design.

[DA] At Art Expo, at some point after going from booth to booth the idea of are there any architects or designers hanging in the booths. I only asked a few booths and maybe sorry this idea didn’t come sooner. But out of 12 galleries asked, eight had designers or architects in Art Expo. One was Gyorgy Kepes who taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He taught a class on light and design. Gyorgy was very influential in Chicago and Moholy Nagy asked him to teach. Another Alexandre Arrechea, a Cuban born artist. His sculpture represented Chicago bridges which are all stacked. Even a gallery owner, Robert Koch, is an architect.
[DK] Interesting. To be an artist you are free if you wish to go into any field. For an architect or designer that may be a bit more complicated in it’s constraints.

[DA] Let’s flip it around. Are any of your designers here pursuing art that you know of?
[DK] No, they are all in design. Now fashion, if you think of Dior he’s a fashion designer but he’s also an artist with a big ‘A’. But the designers in our galerie are just thinking about design.

[DA] Didier, I do know what else is different this year.

dk 2012

dk 2013

[ galerie kreo ] The kreo Gallery was founded in 1999 by Didier and Clémence Krzentowski. It enjoys an international reputation especially for its limited objects and furniture created by leading designers editions, satisfying it’s founding goal of getting design closer to the public and providing a “space laboratory” dedicated to the research work of these designers. kreo’s first location settled in the 13th arrondissement of Paris in the middle of a group of avant-garde galleries, first rue Louise Weiss, then to a larger space on Duchefdelaville street. In 2008, the gallery moved to the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés to 31 Rue Dauphine.

Design miami/basel 2011. Record numbers.

Jun 22, 2011

first time participants galerie ulrich fiedler, presenting work from bauhaus and de stijl movements.

Announces strongest sales to date attracting record number of acquisitions for private and public collections.

The sixth edition of Design Miami/ Basel saw a significant increase in sales and attendance throughout its five-day run in Basel, Switzerland June 14-18, 2011. Collectors, curators, critics, designers and enthusiasts from around the globe descended upon the fair to see stunning presentations of blue-chip historical and contemporary design, alongside new commissions from emerging designers.

In total, the fair drew a record 20,500 visitors from throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia, including collectors Jil Sander, Naomi Campbell, Will Ferrell, Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Peter Brant, George Lindemann, Larry Gagosian, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, Sir Norman Foster, Dasha Zukhova and Ulla Dreyfus-Best among many others. Numerous designers joined them to represent their work, including Aldo Bakker, Jurgen Bey, Ronan Bouroullec, Beatrice Brovia and Nicolas Cheng, Nacho Carbonell, Pierre Charpin, Formafantasma, Martino Gamper, Konstantin Grcic, Hella Jongerius, Arik Levy, Nicolas Le Moigne, Jerszy Seymour, Suzanne Tick as well as Catherine Prouvé and Marianne Panton of the respective estates.

Design Miami/ Basel’s audience of design devotees enthusiastically navigated the fair’s new layout, arranged in a “scatter” pattern by New York-based architects ArandaLasch. The arrangement embraced spatial eccentricities as a way to encourage guests to move about the show in an entirely new way. In addition, thousands of people from over 130 countries followed the unfolding of the show on the Design Miami/Basel blog.

“With this year’s fair, Design Miami/ Basel has once again demonstrated that it is the world’s most important destination for 20th- and 21st-century collectible design,” said Marianne Goebl, Director of Design Miami/. “The caliber of works shown in the gallery program combined with our strongest sales figures to date stand as a testament to the maturity and quality of this year’s show.”

First time participants Galerie Ulrich Fiedler, presenting work from Bauhaus and de Stijl movements, and Galerie Doria, specialized in work by the Union des Artistes Modernes, were enthusiastically received and complemented the early 20th century offering at the fair. Their sales include a Carlo Mollino chair for €100,000 and the Monofilio chair by Conti/Grassi/Forlani for €35,000 at Ulrich Fiedler and a table by Pierre Chareau for an undisclosed sum at Galerie Doria. Art Deco Galerie Anne- Sophie Duval from Paris sold a pair of Albert Giacometti wall scones and several pieces by Jean-Michel Frank for undisclosed amounts.

Going even further back in history, Paris-based Galerie Perrin (above) sold furniture developed for the Napoleonic campaigns, including a set of two chairs for €45,000 each and a day bed for €100,000.

Rare architectural structures by Jean Prouvé were also amongst the highlights of this year’s fair. Galerie Patrick Seguin (above) presented a museum-quality exhibition of Prouvé’s pre-fabricated structures, including a stunning design performance: a 6x6m demountable house from 1944 was mounted in front of the visitors every day of the fair, revealing the intelligence and beauty of the structure.

Seguin sold Prouvé‘s Salle a Manger, for €140,000 to an American collector and two stools by Pierre Jeanneret for €10,000 each to a collector from South America.

In a booth partially constructed from a schoolhouse designed by Jean Prouvé in 1957, the Paris-based gallery Jousse Entreprise (above) sold a Pierre Jeanneret table for €150,000 and a Charlotte Perriand table for €28,000.

Continuing the trend of strong sales for French design from the 1940s and 1950s, Galerie Downtown François Laffanour (above) sold a Jean Prouvé table and six chairs to a Swiss collector for €120,000, and Galerie Jacques Lacoste sold a Jean Royere Ours Polaire sofa, armchair and pouf for €750,000 to an American collector.

Solo shows allowed the visitors to gain deeper insights in the work of specific designers. New York-based gallery Demisch Danant (above) dedicated its presentation to the French post-war modernist Joseph André Motte and sold a pair of leather chairs (€26,000) as well as a pair of floor lamps for an undisclosed amount, amongst others.

Galerie kreo (above) from Paris sold a bench and console (€28,000 each) as well as a coffee table (€24,000), all from the newly commissioned solo show by Pierre Charpin. The gallery also sold the Frozen Cabinet by Studio Wieki Somers for €38,000 and Konstantin Grcic’s Monroe Champion for €36,000.

Within the first minutes of opening, Johnson Trading Gallery (above) sold two cast bronze tables ($20,000 each) to a US collector, as well as a chair ($35,000), pair of tables ($28,000) and vessel ($18,000) all part of the gallery’s Max Lamb solo show.

Design Miami/ Basel 2011 featured a high number of work with provenance from private and public commissions. Hostler Burrows (above) saw a number of strong sales including a chandelier by Pavo Tynell ($50,000) that was a commission for the Helsinki Stock Exchange. R 20th Century from New York City sold a private commission by Joaquim Tenreiro for an undisclosed sum, as well as a rare dresser by Greta Magnusson Grossman for $60,000.

Todd Merrill Twentieth Century (above) sold a number of pieces including a towering Harry Bertoia gong sculpture, originally commissioned for a Norwegian music hall, to a Chinese artist/collector for an undisclosed sum.

Exhibitors of the Design On/Site program, dedicated to solo shows of cutting-edge contemporary designers, will see their work go to institutional and private collections alike. Particles Gallery sold an Aldo Bakker stool to the Vitra Design Museum. The blankets of Formafantasma’s Colony series, presented by Gallery Libby Sellers (above), will be integrated in the permanent collection of the Dutch Textile Musem in Tilburg. And first-time participant Galerie Maria Wettergren received a number of site-specific commissions for Astrid Krogh’s high-tech textiles.

Freedom and Function: Jonathan Monk, Jürgen Mayer H., Piet Hein Eek, and Joseph Grima

In addition to the gallery program, a regular highlight for Design Miami/ Basel attendees is the fair’s Design Talks, which shed light on topics at the intersection of art, architecture and design. This year’s talks included “The Power of Patronage: Pushing Boundaries through Private Commissions” with participants Alexander S.C. Rower, Max Lamb and Felix Burrichter; “Freedom and Function: Diverse Approaches to Design” with Jonathan Monk, Jürgen Mayer H., Piet Hein Eek, and Joseph Grima; and “Designers of the Future: Conversation Pieces” with Asif Khan, studio juju, mischer’traxler and Joseph Grima.

The 2011 “W Hotels Designers of the Future Award” winners (above), Asif Khan/UK, studio juju/Singapore and mischer’traxler/Austria, stunned the visitors with their site-specific interventions, spanning from an artificial cloud to a tent-structure and a machine, which activated itself to produce a basket when shown attention by the visitors.

Sponsor exhibition highlights included the HSBC Connection Collection IV: Hella Jongerius’ “Daylight”, a new work by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius, commissioned especially for the fair; Swarovski Crystal Palace’s presentation of “Iris” by Fredrikson Stallard, a new collaboration with the London-based design studio; and “The Vitra Design Museum: Zoom: Italian Design and the Photography of Aldo and Marirosa Ballo,” an exhibition of the work of Milanese photographers Aldo Ballo and Marirosa Toscani Ballo.

Design Miami/ Basel confirmed once again that it is the only fair that can assemble the highest caliber of international design galleries for an audience of experienced as well as new collectors. With a unique presentation spanning collectible design from around the world, the June 2011 show proved to be the most successful in the show’s history.

about design miami/
Design Miami/ is the most prominent and substantive forum for collectible design, representing a convergence of commerce and culture. Its annual shows in Basel, Switzerland (June) and Miami, USA (December) bring together the most influential galleries, collectors, designers, critics and curators from around the world. [ details ]

Design Miami/ Basel is presented in partnership with HSBC Private Bank, whose dedication to innovative international design is an example of its emphasis on the value of connections. [ details ]

[ via design miami/ | @DesignMiamiBlog | facebook ] [ photography: james harris ]

Design Miami/ 2011 (in Miami) | 29 November – 4 December 2011 | VIP Opening 29 November 2011