wallpapers-az-com

vineri, 10 iunie 2022

Alcova: wellbeing, cultural identity and the environment in focus at Milan Design Week 2022

The urban jungle setting of an abandoned military hospital seems an unlikely location for design projects that address mental health, cultural identity and the climate emergency, but Alcova surprises once again. An independent platform for freethinking, Alcova was established by Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima back at Milan Design Week in 2018. This fourth edition, held during Milan Design Week 2022 and located at Centro Ospedaliero Militare di Baggio is the most ambitious display, with showcases from schools, museums, emerging talent and brands. Alcova 2022: a current snapshot of design ‘This is America’. Photography: Jonathan Hokklo There’s a recipe for creating a show with so many layers. ‘Our networks are complementary,’ says Ciuffi, founder of Studio Vedèt. ‘Joseph [founder of Space Caviar] is more tied to institutional realities such as museums, academies and schools, I’m more in contact with galleries and companies of small and great importance.’ Alcova has evolved as an experimental ground for design since it launched, and ‘in a spontaneous and surprising way this community has become bigger and bigger, yet manages to preserve its original nature’, muses Ciuffi. There’s a couple of new elements for 2022, like ‘Curated by Alcova’, where Ciuffi and Grima ‘decided to curate a small selection of international exhibitors that we support, and give them a free stage’. Included is an installation by Spanish designer Jorge Penadés, who was inspired by kinesiology tape used for human injuries. The design version? He uses brightly coloured tape and wood to create furniture such as a ping pong table. ‘Tape! Tape! Tape!’ by Jorge Penadés as part of ‘Curated by Alcova’ ‘It is a snapshot of what design is at the moment,’ Ciuffi explains of the exhibitions. ‘Confession’ by design studio Tableau and therapeutic clinic Post Service looks at men’s mental health through the lens of art and design. Fourteen pieces by the likes of Kevin Josias, Paul Cournet and Lab La Bla respond to issues of anxiety, self-learning and dissociation through materiality. ‘There is a lot of toxic masculinity in many military institutions,’ comments Julius Værnes Iversen, creative director and curator at Tableau, on the coincidence that such an emotive display is situated inside an ex-military location and former mental institution. ‘The narrative of “Confession” is in general created in order to change our society towards a more open-minded community.’ ‘Confession’ by Tableau and Post Service. Photography: Mattia Parodi Stereotypes around the identity of American designers are disrupted at ‘This is America’, a show that celebrates and platforms the diverse talent of those who work in design in the nation. Meanwhile, our relationship with the end of life is questioned too at ‘Urne.rip’, a project that rethinks the concept of loss and void through cinerary urns designed by artists in abstract shapes and materials. ‘The Solar Energy Kiosk’ presented by Het Nieuwe Instituut. Photography: Isa de Jong Clever solutions around energy and natural resources are found at ‘The Solar Energy Kiosk’ presented by Het Nieuwe Instituut, a joyful pop-up designed by Rotterdam-based design studio Cream on Chrome. Located outdoors, this juice bar is powered by Milanese sunlight, driving the wheels of the machine and producing freshly squeezed orange juice. The travelling kiosk explores the possibilities of solar energy and will head to ‘The Energy Show – Sun, Solar and Human Power,’ curated by Matylda Krzykowski in Rotterdam in September. Elsewhere, Makkink & Bey look at what Ciuffi describes as ‘a problem that will soon be part of our everyday life’ – water shortage. ‘WaterSchool’ imagines a new type of education around water, and takes a ‘learning by doing’ approach. Lambert & Fils and DWA’s ‘Caffè Populaire’ On the experiential side, Solid Nature’s installation invites audiences into a monolithic feat of illuminated stone by OMA that led to designer Sabine Marcelis’ playfully pink onyx bathroom design. Those looking for calm among the bustle (and heat) of Salone del Mobile can head to Lambert & Fils and DWA’s ‘Caffè Populaire’ for a moment with wildflowers, and gentle pouring water. Essentially, Alcova’s eclectic format offers valuable conversation starters. Says Ciuffi, ‘The show is interested in design, but also in making people get to know each other – among different areas of the design fields – and get to meet different audiences.’ § ‘The kitchen for cooking’ by Chmara.Rosinke. Photography: Mattia Parodi Laila Gohar and CIAM. Photography: Mattia Parodi ‘Urne.rip’ Photography: Delfino Sisto Legnani ‘Babu’ vase from the ‘Peaches’ collection by Bohinc Studio ‘Monumental Wonders’ by Sabine Marcelis for Solid Nature
http://dlvr.it/SRz2Y5

Artist’s Palate: Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s recipe for omelette aux frites

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s experimental practice is a cross-disciplinary dissection of the human – and non-human – condition. From photography to spatial installations; film to fashion, architecture to live performance, the French artist has forged meeting points between fact and science fiction, history and futurism. Most recently, she’s turned her attention to encounters with extraterrestrials, transforming London’s Serpentine South into a multi-user VR experience for ‘Alienarium 5’. Considering her multi-layered, otherworldly practice, Gonzales-Foerster’s chosen recipe is remarkably down to earth. Named in honour of her daughter, ‘Minuit’s special (omelette aux frites)’ consists of four ingredients: eggs (specifically of a ‘happy’ variety), potatoes (chopped into ‘little cubes’), olive oil and salt. In a characteristic fusion of past and present, Gonzalez-Foerster’s dish is ‘an invention from my grandmother for my father, who would then often cook it for me and my brothers. Now, I prepare it for my daughter almost once a week’, she explains. ‘Does that qualify as a children’s favourite and/or a family recipe?’ We would say so. Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s recipe for omelette aux frites Ingredients Three (happy) eggs Organic potatoes (for fries) 350/450g Olive oil Salt Method Rinse organic potatoes Peel the potatoes and cut them into little cubes Every cube should be between 8 millimetres and 1 centimetre 3-5 spoons of olive oil in the frying pan. turn heat on Once oil is really hot. place all the potato cubes inside Turn them often Whisk the three eggs in a bowl Put some salt on the potatoes in the pan Put some salt and pepper over the egg mix Once the cubes are golden like fries, pour the egg over the potatoes Wait till the eggs are cooked under, the eggs need to be firm underneath Gently bend one half over the front side. the centre must remain runny Serve with organic ketchup and mâche vinaigrette or cornichon aigres-doux §
http://dlvr.it/SRyXsm

joi, 9 iunie 2022

Making waves: Roca brings the Med to Milan

A pure white installation designed by the multidisciplinary Cobalto Studio and paying tribute to the spirit, shapes, scents and colours of the Mediterranean, with a nod to sustainability too, represents the Fuorisalone debut of Barcelona-based bathroom brand Roca. On show at the University of Milan (until 13 June), the installation, Influence, is inspired by Roca’s new ‘Ona’ bathroom line (ona meaning ‘wave’ in Catalan) and provides an immersive experience, transporting visitors to a Mediterranean oasis that seems to pulse with a wave-like rhythm. To calibrate the installation’s fluctuating brightness, Cobalto Studio interpreted data gathered from a buoy deployed in the sea off Menorca – capturing fluctuations in wave intensity on the day of the spring equinox, thanks to a research system called REDEXT (Deep Water Boats Network). The rhythm of the waves is reflected in the amplitude of golden light impulses, producing an immersive, sensorial experience. ‘It’s breathing as the sea,’ explains Cobalto Studio’s founder Gabriel Escámez. ‘By day the sounds surround you, and you can enjoy the optical effects, as well as the poetic and philosophical focus. Yet to me, it’s even more amazing by night.’ The installation also references Mediterranean traditions and architecture, including Cobalto Studio’s take on talaiots (Bronze Age megalithic structures indigenous to the Balearic Islands) and proto-rationalism (Influence employs reusable materials, tying in with the idea of optimising natural resources). ‘It’s about the Mediterranean, because [that] is where I was born, but it could be wherever, because we are focused on the concept of vernacular design, as in my [view] we all need to move to another perspective, and focus on the materials that are around [us],’ says Escámez. As visitors experience the sensation of being embraced by the sea, the installation’s series of sculpted white volumes frames pieces from Roca’s ‘Ona’ collection. ‘I think we are arriving at Fuorisalone in a very good way with this project and this installation. We wanted to have the right format,’ says Marc Viardot, Roca Group’s corporate marketing and design director. ‘It was important for us to come with products,’ he adds. ‘I believe visitors come here for inspiration but also for information on products they can use later on, and the “Ona” collection is very complete and democratically positioned, ecological, functional… with all the innovations and finesse [needed] to stand out.’ §
http://dlvr.it/SRvLl7