Piccolo Volume — II — Martino Gamper

Krampus (2008) cf. p. 163
Cube chair made from Melamine faced chipboard
and re-used furniture elements
47 x 45 x 100 cm
18.5 x 17.7 x 39.4 in
Nilufar collection
Piccolo
Volume
— II —
Martino
Gamper
101
For Alois (22 February 1936 – 24 August 2008)
Swivel chair (2008)
102
Melamine faced chipboard and re-used
furniture elements
60 x 50 x 82 cm
23.6 x 19.7 x 32.3 in
Nilufar collection
103
Piccolo Volume — II — Martino Gamper
First published 2009 in Italy by Nilufar — www.nilufar.com
and in the UK by Dent-De-Leone — www.dentdeleone.co.nz
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
isbn 978-0-9561885-1-9
A cip catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Edited and designed by Åbäke
Printed in Italy by Galli Thierry
Text by Emily King
Photography: Amendolagine Barracchia, Hugh Findletar, Brian Franczyk,
Martino Gamper, Anne Heslop, Marcus Leith, Angus Mills, Andrea
Pozza, Project, Wolfgang Träger, Francis Ware and Åbäke
Texts, images © the authors
www.gampermartino.com
Leg chair (2008)
104
Re-used furniture elements
45 x 50 x 81 cm
17.7 x 19.6 x 31.8 in
105
the site of the exhibition to the imagination of
Scenarios, Manifesta 7
the listening visitor. Writers from all over the
world contribute texts to Scenarios, especially
Fortezza / Franzensfeste, Italy
developed for this context. These texts reflect the
July 19 to November 02 2008
processes of scenario production and imaginative
possibility itself. As voice recordings, the texts
“Situated on one of Europe’s most important
are individually installed as sound works in the
travel routes, between Bolzano/Bozen and the
repetitive interior spaces of the fortress, in an
Brenner pass, the fortress Fortezza/Franzensfeste
architectural setting characterised by the absence
will serve as one of Manifesta 7’s venues. It was
of its historical users and the scenarios they were
built in the 1830s by the Habsburgian Empire in
once part of.”
order to defend the north/south passage through
the Dolomite mountain region from two sides.
Dramaturgy by Ant Hampton,
Shaped and ruled by changing military scenarios, Audio Design by Hannes Hoelzl,
which mostly remained imaginary, since the
Furniture Design by Martino Gamper
fortress has never witnessed battle, the site itself
constitutes the basis for formulating the artistic
Contributors: Shahid Amin, Hélène Binet,
context of the exhibition by Manifesta 7.
Brave New Alps, Adriana Cavarero, Mladen Dolar,
Harun Farocki, Karø Goldt, Larry Gottheim,
The project entitled Scenarios aims to transform
Renée Green, Timo Kahlen, Karl Kels, Thomas
the spectacular backdrop of Fortezza/
Meinecke, Glen Neath, Margareth Obexer,
Franzensfeste into a scripted space with voice
Philippe Rahm, Arundhati Roy, Saskia Sassen,
recordings, text, light and landscape in order
Michael Snow, Saadi Yousef
to alter our idea of how imaginary Scenarios
–
shape our understanding of past and future,
from the press release
circumstance and possibility. Scenarios will be
an ‘immaterial’ exhibition, that attempts to shift
Bench chair (2008)
106
Melamine faced chipboard and re-used
furniture elements
136 x 55 x 80 cm
53.5 x 21.7 x 31.5 in
Nilufar collection
Outdoor audio benches (2008)
various dimensions
107
Audio benches (2008)
108
Furniture commissioned for exhibition
Scenarios at Fortezza / Franzenfesta, Manifesta 7
Pine wood, oak, walnut
300 x 70 cm
118.1 x 27.6 in
Nilufar collection
109
Seating and sitting chairs (2008)
110
Seating and sitting chair #1 (2008)
Bentwood cane chair, larch wood, walnut, oak
45 x 50 x 82 cm
17.7 x 19.6 x 32.2 in
Nilufar collection
111
Seating and sitting chair #2 (2008)
112
No.18 Bentwood chair, larch wood, walnut, oak
49 x 47 x 77 cm
19.3 x 18.5 x 30.3 in
Nilufar collection
Seating and sitting chair #3 (2008)
No.14 Bentwood chair, larch wood, walnut, oak
48 x 45 x 77 cm
18.9 x 17.7 x 30.3 in
Nilufar collection
113
Receiving, Martino Gamper at Wright
“From the 14th through the 17th of May 2008,
Wright welcomed designer, innovator and
mastermind Martino Gamper to Chicago.
Gamper created a series of unique and
functional pieces of furniture for Wright’s
auction room utilizing cast-off shipping
materials, crates, and discarded furniture
and objects found in Wright’s warehouse.
Part performance, part workshop, Gamper’s
process welcomed experimentation,
spontaneity and interaction: Gamper’s
on-site studio was open to the public so
that visitors could watch while he worked.
During the performance, this Wright microsite
provided daily updates of Gamper’s performance
using streaming video and photography, and the
evidence of Gamper’s extraordinary project of
Wright will continue to be available here.”
–
from the press release
Receiving Lectern (2008)
Richard Wright in a(u)ction
Chicago
114
Appropriated shipping crate plywood and
furniture elements
90 x 40 x 130 cm
35.4 x 15.7 x 51.1 in
115
Jim chair (2008)
77 x 78 x 100 cm
30.5 x 31 x 39 in
Nilufar collection
116
Artist’s proof (2008)
Appropriated shipping crate plywood and
furniture elements
71 x 48 x 64 cm
28 x 19 x 25 in
Nilufar collection
Chicago chair two (2008)
90 x 53 x 78 cm
35.5 x 20.5 x 31 in
Nilufar collection
Artist’s proof (2008)
43 x 72 x 76 cm
17 x 28.5 x 30 in
Nilufar collection
117
Olivia chair (2008)
62 x 55 x 109 cm
24.5 x 21.5 x 42.75 in
118
Tagliata Arne chair (2008)
Appropriated shipping crate plywood and
furniture elements
71 x 48 x 79 cm
28 x 19 x 31 in
Chair n’ box (2008)
61 x 64 x 89 cm
24 x 25 x 35 in
An arm and a leg chair (2008)
86 x 69 x 70 cm
34 x 27 x 27.75 in
119
Inside-out corner bench (2008)
120
Appropriated shipping crate plywood and
furniture elements
310 x 107 x 72 cm
122 x 42 x 28.5 in
121
Martino Gamper with Carlo Mollino
Frieze Art Fair 2008
Nilufar Gallery and Salon 94
122
made from reclaimed Carlo Mollino chairs from
the Lutrario Ballroom in Turin, Italy
Carlitto (2008)
45 x 40 x 79 cm
17.7 x 15.7 x 31.1 in
Carlo (2008)
reclining chair chaise lounge
120 x 60 x 80 cm
47.2 x 23.6 x 31.4 in
123
Conran Inspirations
“In September 2008 the Conran Shop will
premiere its specially commissioned
Inspirations Collection.
with Thonet chairs for decades) and came back
to his London studio with about 100 elements,
including seats, legs, arms and back rests, which
he then arranged into new chairs.”
–
from the press release
As an homage to Terence Conran the shop
commissioned a number of designers from the
UK, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa
and Italy to create a line of products inspired
by Conran himself.
Rooted in the themes of Stafford Cliff’s new
book ‘Inspirations’, which looks at the ideas
and pieces which have inspired Terence Conran
throughout his illustrious career, the collection
will comprise a diverse range of objects from
designers including Martino Gamper, Michael
Marriott and Bill Amberg.
Gamper was invited by Polly Dickens, creative
director of The Conran Shop, to reinterpret the
classic Thonet bentwood chair for the retailer’s
Inspirations show, launched during the London
Design Festival. He visited the Mundus factory
in Croatia (which has been supplying Conran
Mundus factory visit in Croatia (2008)
124
Back of the chairs (2008)
Bent wood furniture elements
48 x 45 x 68 cm
18.8 x 17.7 x 26.7 in
125
Mundus factory visit in Croatia (2008)
126
Chairs of the rings (2008)
Bent wood furniture elements
53 x 50 x 130 cm
20.8 x 20.8 x 51.1 in
127
a
c
y
w
d
b
e
v
x
z
u
f
Rita’s chair, left and right (2008)
128
A set of 12 chairs, in teak,
walnut, ash, upholstery, plywood
65 x 55 x 80 cm
25.6 x 21.7 x 31.5 in
Nilufar Edition
129
The Flight of the Dodo
18 July – 23 August 2008
Project Art Center, Dublin
Tim Braden (uk), Ryan Gander (uk),
Martino Gamper (it), Sven Johne (de),
Irene Kopelman (ar), Eoin McHugh (ie),
Francis Upritchard (nz), Douglas White
(uk); Curated by Jonathan Carroll and
Tessa Giblin
The Flight of the Dodo is an eclectic
exhibition made up of various artworks
and elements that celebrate adventure,
delve into factual myths, plunging in and
out of notions of the hybrid, evolution,
imaginative escapism, the will to survive
and ultimate extinction.
–
from the press release
Arnold with Dodo #1, #2, #3, #4 (2008)
130
Arnold Circus stool, bent wood, air chair legs,
found chair elements
Various sizes
131
*
* praised as being
Side Effect chair (24 July 2006)
132
bla bla
133
Combo chairs (2008)
134
25 chairs, assorted solid wood pieces
Various sizes
Nilufar Edition
Piccolo Off-Cut table (2008)
Prototype
136
Table made from teak from
English school laboratory tops
120 x 90 x 48 cm
47.2 x 35.4 x 18.8 in
Nilufar edition
Off-Cut table #1 (2008)
Prototype
Table made from teak from
English school laboratory tops
250 x 150 x 73 cm
98.4 x 59 x 28.7 in
Nilufar edition
137
Total Trattoria Off-Cut table (2008)
Table made from teak from English school
laboratory tops, oak from Scottish church
benches, poplar from the London
Patent Office
13 pieces, various sizes
Side Effect chair (24 July 2006)
138
bla bla
Side Effect chair (24 July 2006)
bla bla
139
O Sole M… (2008)
Private dining table commission for E & M
140
Solid wood, oak try-ply, reclaimed poplar wood
240 x 100 x 73 cm
94.4 x 39.3 x 28.7 in
Cat included
141
Gio Ponti translated by Martino Gamper
23 october 2007,
three performance times:
10.30-12.30 / 15.00-16.30 / 18.00
“For this occasion, the furnishings designed
by Gio Ponti for the Hotel Parco dei Principi
of Sorrento will be exhibited together with
the unique pieces elaborated by Gamper.
The new orientation of the gallery is to
commit international and Italian designers
to develop limited edition projects conceived
exclusively for Nilufar.
In the gallery, Martino Gamper, armed with
the tools of his trade, will break, cut, and
modify furniture created by Gio Ponti
(courtesy of Nilufar). Not an act of destruction
in itself, but rather “an action” to: RE-invent,
RE-think, RE-possess the object, and REcreate a “new destiny” for it. Nothing could
be further from being relegated to a museum
exhibition. The object will be offered an
alternative way out, and thereby RE-delivered
to true life.”
“Deconstruction”, much more than mere
standard practice, is a path to knowledge for
Martino. Making contact with the structure
of the object is both an intimate and physical
gesture for him – the emotional dynamics of
relating himself to the essence of the object.
The object arouses an emotion that causes
a personal RE-action in him, which is then
elaborated during the performance, as an
immediate action on the object, a “creative
process in action” that we can define as
“Action Design.”
–
from the press release
Large Dining Table (2008)
142
Unique example
320 x 90 x 73 cm
126 x 35.4 x 28.7 in
Nilufar Edition
143
A little bit Lazy table (2007)
144
Unique example
140 x 73 cm
55.1 x 28.7 in
Nilufar Edition
Lazy table (2007)
Unique example
165 x 73 cm
65 x 28.7 in
Nilufar Edition
145
Trumeau (2007)
Unique example
80 x 45 x 205 cm
31.5 x 17.7 x 80.7 in
Nilufar Edition
147
Chest of drawers (2007)
148
Unique example
84 x 120 x 53 cm
33.1 x 47.2 x 21 in
Nilufar Edition
Table lamp (2007)
Unique example
87 x 20 x max 98 cm
34.3 x 7.9 x max 38.6 in
Nilufar Edition
Desk (2007)
Unique example
120 x 70 x 76 x 120 cm
47.2 x 27.6 x 29.9 x 47.2 in
Nilufar Edition
149
Table lamp (2007)
150
Unique example
87 x 20 x max 98 cm
34.3 x 7.9 x max 38.6 in
Nilufar Edition
Floor lamp (2007)
Unique example
83 x 30 x max 167 cm
32.7 x 11.8 x max 65.7 in
Nilufar Edition
151
Drawing by Gio Ponti
Triangular stool (2007)
152
Unique example
50 x 50 x 44 cm
19.7 x 19.7 x 17.3 in
Nilufar Edition
Two legged console (2007)
Unique example
130 x 45 x 150 cm
51.2 x 17.7 x 59 in
Nilufar Edition
153
Narcissus by Michelangelo
Free-standing mirror (2007)
154
Unique example
60 x 40 x 165 cm
23.5 x 15.5 x 65 in
Nilufar Edition
Wall mirror (2007)
Unique example
68 x 30 x 70 cm
27 x 8 x 27.5 in
Nilufar Edition
Mirror shelving (2008)
Unique example
65 x 20 x 68 cm
25.6 x 7.9 x 26.8 in
Nilufar Edition
155
Emily
Martino Gamper realizza mobili dalle
forme divertenti e insolite: amalgami
con angolature strane, protuberanze
inusitate, superfici improbabili,
aspetti rivelanti idiosincrasie… Le
sue opere paiono come appollaiate
in modo insicuro, in gentile attesa
di essere presentate al mondo reale.
Alla prima uscita della sua mostra
100 Chairs in 100 Days, tenutasi
nell’ottobre del 2007, Gamper ha
allestito una collezione di sedute
sui due piani di una vasta casa di
epoca vittoriana a South Kensington,
Londra. Ogni pezzo era un collage
tridimensionale, assemblato
rapidamente e spontaneamente da un
deposito di sedie usate che accostava
design apprezzati a realizzazioni
anonime. Le sedie offrivano così
una sequenza di esperienze insolite
ai potenziali fruitori: in sostanza, la
visione privata si tramutava in una
sorta di festa pensata per combinare
nuove unioni. Gli ospiti si abbinavano
incerti alle sedie, rimanendo
immobili se l’accoppiata era valida,
spostandosi se stabilità e comfort
non erano soddisfacenti. E a mano
a mano che la serata procedeva,
diveniva sempre più ovvio come,
pur avendo un aspetto insolito, le
sedie fungessero da catalizzatori per
favorire la socializzazione.
King
Martino Gamper makes funny shaped
furniture. Amalgams of odd angles,
strange protuberances, unlikely
surfaces and idiosyncratic features,
his pieces perch uncertainly, as if
waiting politely for an introduction
to life on earth. At the first outing of
his exhibition 100 Chairs in 100
Days, held in October 2007, Gamper
arranged a collection of seats over two
floors of large mid-Victorian house in
London’s South Kensington. Each one
a three-dimensional collage, pieced
together swiftly and spontaneously
from a cache of second-hand chairs
that encompassed celebrated designs
to anonymous constructions, they
offer potential sitters a series of
unfamiliar experiences. The private
view was a sort of matchmaking
party. Guests tentatively paired
themselves with chairs, staying put
if the fit was good, moving on if
the balance and comfort were not
promising. As the evening wore on
it became obvious that, however
awkward the chairs might appear,
they are the agents of easy sociability. Negli ultimi 12 mesi, tra i numerosi
progetti realizzati, ha arredato una
fortezza in Italia del xix secolo
per Manifesta 7, progettato un
elegante negozio di calzature nel
centro di Milano, contribuito
alla realizzazione di un piccolo
allestimento multimediale per
l’Institute of Contemporary Art di
Londra. E oltre a creare oggetti,
ha anche preparato molte cene
per colleghi e amici, proponendo
accostamenti di ingredienti insoliti e
in genere deliziosi, allestiti in cucine
attrezzate in tutta fretta dentro negozi
e studi, gallerie e musei. Il bricolage
spontaneo che caratterizza il suo
metodo di lavoro rimane coerente,
sono le circostanze e l’ambientazione
a cambiare follemente di volta
in volta.
Con il suo intersecarsi di arte e
design, l’opera di Gamper suscita
dubbi inerenti alla disciplina. Per lo
stesso Gamper si tratta semplicemente
di cogliere opportunità interessanti
In the last 12 months, among many
other projects, he has furnished
a 19th-century Italian fortress for
Manifesta 7, designed an elegant shoe
shop in downtown Milan and helped
install a small multimedia project at
the Institute of Contemporary Art in
London. And, more than just making
objects, he has cooked dinners, many
dinners, for groups of colleagues
and friends, serving unorthodox,
but usually delectable combinations
of ingredients from hastily riggedup kitchens in venues ranging from
shops and studios to galleries and
museums. The spontaneous bricolage
of his working method remains
consistent, but the circumstance and
setting is wildly different every time.
Working across art and design venues,
Gamper’s practice raises questions of
discipline. For Gamper himself it is
simply a matter of seizing interesting
opportunities and pursuing fruitful
paths, but for others it can appear to
be shirking designerly responsibility
or cashing in on the private-wealth
driven limited-editions boom
(a phenomenon that might now
be on the ebb). Perhaps Gamper’s
unconcern is a product of his Tyrolean
roots. Raised in Merano, a town on
Martino in
Chicago (2008)
156
157
e seguire sentieri fecondi, ma per
altri potrebbe apparire come la non
volontà di prendersi responsabilità da
designer oppure la tentazione di voler
monetizzare sul boom delle edizioni
limitate, scatenato dalla ricchezza
privata (un fenomeno che potrebbe
vivere ora una fase di declino).
Forse l’indifferenza noncurante di
Gamper è il risultato delle sue radici
altoatesine. L’artista infatti è cresciuto
a Merano, imparando subito a leggere
i cartelli stradali in italiano e tedesco,
ma parlando altoatesino in casa. Al
contempo, sua madre si esprimeva
con i suoi genitori in ladino e i loro
vicini usavano svariati dialetti locali.
Il senso d’identità che caratterizza
Gamper è forte, ma al contempo
unico nel suo genere. Comprende
strutture e gerarchie, tuttavia non
vuole sottomettersi a loro.
Non deve quindi affatto sorprendere
se la storia di Gamper è insolita e
caratterizzata da grande spontaneità.
Dopo essere stato da adolescente
apprendista presso Peter Karbacher,
creatore di mobili con sede a
Merano, ha viaggiato per un paio
d’anni per tutto il globo, spesso
pagandosi gli spostamenti con lavori
di falegnameria. Di ritorno a casa,
decise di presentare domanda presso
diverse scuole d’arte fino a quando
gli venne offerta la possibilità di
partecipare al corso di scultura
dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di
Vienna, tenuto da Michelangelo
Pistoletto. All’epoca la cartella di
Gamper era una grossa borsa fatta
con una camera d’aria (un modello
copiato da altri globe-trotter) e
riempita di mille cose ma, invece di
sedurre la facoltà d’arte con il suo
stile da cavaliere, non volle fermarsi
lì. Nell’arco di qualche mese, infatti,
passò al corso di design del prodotto,
tenuto da un altro altoatesino, Matteo
Thun, fondatore di Memphis. Nel
1994, quando non aveva ancora
terminato gli studi, venne assunto
nello studio di Thun, a Milano, dove
iniziò a realizzare prodotti, mobili e
oggetti d’arredamento.
the very northern border of Italy,
he grew reading street signs in both
Italian and German, but speaking
South Tyrolean at home. Meanwhile
his mother talked to her parents in
Ladino and his neighbours conversed
in numerous other extremely local
dialects. Gamper’s sense of identity is
strong, but unique. He understands
structures and hierarchies, but does
not bow to them.
Unsurprisingly then, Gamper’s story
is singular and characterised by
spontaneity. After a teenagehood
apprenticed to Merano-based
furniture maker Peter Karbacher, he
bought a round-the-world ticket and
spent a couple of years jobbing his
way across the globe, often paying
his way with joinery. Returning
home, he applied to art schools and
was offered a place on the sculpture
course at the Fine Arts Academy in
Vienna under the professorship of
Michelangelo Pistoletto. Gamper’s
portfolio at that time was a large bag
made from an inner tube (a design
copied from other world travelers)
filled with bits and bobs, but, in
spite of seducing the art faculty
Gamper si è trasferito poi a Londra
nel 1997, per studiare presso il Royal
College of Art. con Ron Arad, da quel
momento ha sempre vissuto nella
capitale inglese. Al College è riuscito a
realizzare connessioni tra i vari corsi,
with his cavalier style, he did not
settle. Within months he defected to
product design under the leadership
of Memphis-founder and fellow
South Tyrolian Matteo Thun and by
1994, before finishing his degree, he
was employed in Thun’s studio in
Milan working on products, furniture
and interiors. Gamper moved to London in 1997
to study at the Royal College of
Art under the tutelage of Ron Arad
and has lived in the city ever since.
At the College he forged connections
across departments, most importantly
meeting members of the nascent
graphic design collective Åbäke,
now his regular collaborators, in
the letterpress studio, all of them
attracted by the physicality of
wooden type and the craft involved
in its setting. Gamper has a thorough
understanding of design history
embedded in the process of making.
He knows that to craft a joint in
this way or that is not simply a
practical choice, but one laden with
meaning. Remaking the furniture
of Gio Ponti as a performance at
Design Basel in 2007, his gestures
Martino in
Chicago (2008)
158
159
e, cosa ancor più importante, ha
conosciuto nel laboratorio di stampa
tipografica i membri del neonato
gruppo di design grafico Åbäke,
che ora sono suoi abituali
collaboratori, tutti attratti dalla
fisicità dei caratteri a stampa in
legno e dall’abilità necessaria per la
loro composizione. Gamper possiede
una profonda conoscenza della storia
del design, inserita nel processo del
fare. Sa che realizzare un giunto in
un modo o nell’altro è una scelta
non solo pratica, ma pregna di
significato. Riproponendo i mobili
di Gio Ponti in una performance
nel corso di Design Basel, nel 2007,
i suoi gesti apparivano giocosi,
ma le loro ramificazioni erano
profondamente sentite.
Affidandosi a una concezione
più tradizionale della disciplina,
Gamper ambisce a realizzare
una sedia prodotta a livello
industriale. Pur apparendo come
un vero e proprio cliché, questa
ambizione rimane comunque la
vera questione del design con la
Q maiuscola. E nonostante tutto il
suo individualismo, Gamper non è
immune da questo tipo di richiesta.
160
Fino a questo momento ha lavorato
per lo più in contesti creati dalla sua
curiosità o dovuti alla sua incredibile
socievolezza, e tuttavia appare ovvio
come, godendo di un successo
sempre più ampio, la situazione
tenderà a espandersi, perdendo
via via la dimensione familiare.
In questo momento Gamper sembra
poggiare su una sorta di cuspide:
tracciare la sua vicenda artistica fino a
questo momento è stato affascinante,
prevedere la sua traiettoria negli anni
futuri promette di esserlo ancora
di più.
were playful, but their ramifications
were felt. Addressing a more mainstream
understanding of the discipline,
Gamper aspires to making an
industrially produced chair. Cliché
though it is, it remains the definitive
design problem, and, individual
though he is, Gamper is not immune
from this kind of injunction. Until now, he has been working
mainly in contexts created by his
curiosity or generated by his extreme
sociability, but of course, with his
current success, those circumstances
are likely to expand and become less
familiar. Right now Gamper seems
to be poised on a cusp: tracing his ad
hoc course up to this point has been
fascinating, watching his trajectory
over the next few years promises to
be even more so.
161
Wouldn’t it be nice —
10 Utopias in Art and Design
Geneva 25 October – 16 December 2007
Zurich 8 February – 25 May 2008
London 17 September – 21 December 2008
“The work of designer Martino Gamper is
interesting in the way that it reflects on the
way we treat old things. In Geneva and Zürich,
Gamper focussed on the “real needs of its
employees and visitors”, scouring the cities’
junk yards and second-hand stores and then
creating something new in an on-site workshop
in an intense atmosphere that pushes him
“towards work that is less conceptual and
more driven by intuition and emotion. At
Somerset house, he focussed on ideas about
storage and collection, creating huge shelves
and hybrid furniture creatures.”
Art and design have had an enduringly
productive relationship. Artists and designers,
as well as graphic artists, fashion designers,
and architects, share common strategies,
methods, and aims. While some artists employ
design strategies to make socially critical
statements, others use design as a way of
reflecting everyday phenomena, emotions,
or conceptual approaches. Many designers
on the other hand, having dispensed with
any belief in the ideal of neutrality, intervene
increasingly in social, political, ethical, or
ecological discourses. This exhibition confronts
ten contemporary positions on the edge of
reality, on the border of what is possible.
www.museum-gestaltung.ch/Htmls/
Ausstellungen/Archiv/2008/WIBN/wibn_e.
html
–
from the press release
www.we-make-money-not-art.com/
archives/2008/10/wouldnt-it-be-nice-atsomerset.php
Exhibition photographs in Geneva (2007)
162
163
Totem (2008)
164
Melamine faced chipboard
and re-used furniture elements
185 x 90 x 275 cm
72.8 x 35.4 x 108.3 in
Nilufar collection
Box cupboard with chair (2008)
Melamine faced chipboard
and re-used furniture elements
210 x 65 x 200 cm
82.7 x 25.6 x 78.7 in
Nilufar collection
165
Chair with shelves (2008)
166
Melamine faced chipboard
and re-used furniture elements
150 x 52 x 192 cm
59 x 20.5 x 75.6 in
Nilufar collection
Bench-cupboard (2008)
Melamine faced chipboard
and re-used furniture elements
243 x 114 x 99 cm
95.7 x 44.9 x 39 in
Nilufar collection
167
Robot chair (2008)
Cabinet made from boxes, mdf, walnut veneer,
ash veneer, zirm wood veneer, engraved
aluminium labels
177 x 59 x 184 cm
69.7 x 23.2 x 72.4 in
Nilufar collection
Box-drawer 02 (2008)
150 x 64 x 180 cm
59 x 25.2 x 70.9 in
Nilufar collection
168
Box-drawer 01 (2008)
80 x 58 x 162 cm
31.5 x 22.8 x 63.8 in
Nilufar collection
169
Chair shelf (2008)
170
Melamine faced chipboard
and re-used furniture elements
150 x 52 x 192 cm
59 x 20.5 x 75.6 in
Nilufar collection
171
Nido free-standing shelving (2008)
172
Veneered plywood edged with polished walnut,
cherry, cedar and elm. Lacquered black and white
mdf. Pinus cembra (zirm wood), larix Decidua
(larch wood)
120 x 50 x 240 cm
47.2 x 19.7 x 94.5 in
Nilufar Edition
Nido desk 01 (2008)
220 x 80 x h 230 cm
94.5 x 31.5 x h 90.5 in
Nilufar Edition
173
Bookcase Together (2007)
174
Limited series of 12 examples, 3 aps, custom
made veneered plywood edged with polished
walnut, cherry, cedar and elm, lacquered black
and white mdf
Modular box shelving in various sizes
Nilufar Edition
175
Undisciplined / Undiszipliniert
Phenomenon of Space in Art, Architecture
and Design
Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna
September 11 – October 11, 2008
Werner Feiersinger, Andreas Fogarasi, Martino
Gamper, Krüger + Pardeller, Gregor Neuerer,
PAUHOF + Walter Niedermayr, Nicole Six &
Paul Petritsch; Concept: Doris Krüger and
Walter Pardeller
“The project focuses on intersection points
and addresses the themes of space and spatial
design in the light of an expanded and dynamic
understanding of space. Above all, the borderline
between these disciplines is of interest. In all
three of these fields, there are questions about
the treatment of space, the relationship between
functionality and aesthetics, the usability and
the usage, the marketing strategies. However,
despite the apparent similarities between these
disciplines, they are clearly different in their
specific manifestations and answers to such
questions. In the context of an interdisiciplinary
project, the common ground will be first be
defined to enable concrete reactions from
each discipline on the others’ work fields in a
subsequent step. The exhibition will ultimately
present works developed in the preparation
phase as well as the outcome of the experiment.
The result will be models, sketches, films,
photography, sculptural objects or prototypes
and they will all, even simply due to their
authorship and development process, oscillate
between the disciplines.”
–
from the press release
Collective (2008)
176
Site specific arrangement comprising various
new and re-appropriated drawers and shelvings,
black mdf, walnut veneer, ash veneer, zirm wood
veneer, engraved aluminium labels.
Various sizes
177
Martino Gamper’s Dorian Gray
178
179
Cuttings (2008)
180
Vases made from reclaimed material
Various sizes (see flowers)
Nilufar Edition
Tangram (2008)
Made for Designer of the Future
award and exhibition:
Design Miami / Basel 2008
Modular tables made from terrazzo, galvanized
steel, oak, walnut, ash wood legs, marble gravel
Dimensions variable, 3 different heights:
42 / 57 / 72 cm
16.5 / 22.4 / 28.3 in
Nilufar Edition
181
Thanks to: Åbäke, Adam Kershaw, Adam &
Maria Retrovius, Albert & Leo Mairhofer, Alex
Rich, Alison Norris, Ambra Medda, Andrew &
Andreas, Angelo Coletto, Anna Gamper, Anne
Hardy, Anita Witek, Aram Gallery, Arianne
Fournier, Capgi Studio, Cat Simpson, Chani
Perera, Christian Brändle, Christina Caccavella,
Christine Kessler, Ciani il Grande, Clive &
Anthony, Daniel Charny, Denis Pernet, Design
Miami Basel, Dominic Macausland, Doris &
Walter Pardeller, Eelko Moorer, Enrica Mozzati,
Emily King, Emma Fitts, Fabienne Stephan,
Fabrizio Molteni, Gemma Holt, Giovanna
Fiorenza, Giulio Cappelleti, Goran, Gregor
Neuerer, Hannah Upritchard, Hans Seeger,
Hansi Unterberger, Harry Thaler, Hilary
French, Jeanne Greenberg, Jochem Faudet,
Juerg Lehni, Julia Moritz, Karl Gamper, Kate
MacGarry, Katya Garcia-Anton, Kim Thome,
Lars Frideen, Leila MacAlister, Lisa Mazza,
Luke Gottelier, Manifesta7, Mark Sladen, Maria
Salvatore, Matthew Slotover, Maxime Lassagne,
Michael Jefferson, Miuccia Prada, Momoko
Mitzutani, Monika Gamper, Mundus, Nilufar
Yashar, Nina Yashar, Polly Dickens, Raffael
Japlonka, Rainer Spehl, Richard Wright,
Rita Caltagirone, Ron Arad, Sarah Mann, Sig.
ra Enrica, Silvia Ploner, Stefano Pilatti, Steve
Armitage, Tema, Sir Terence Conran, Tessa
Gibblin, Theo & Robert Lageder, Tsetan Sonam
Carpets, Walter Thaler, Waltraud Gamper,
Willie Upritchard
and my fiancée Francis Upritchard
Very special thanks to Nazadin Yashar and
Giancarlo Montebello
The Delorean car shown off
by Kenneth is in relative size
to the carpet.
Carpet Future (2008)
184
>
TO BE CONTINUED
Made for Designer of the Future award and
exhibition: Design Miami / Basel 2008
Hand woven, natural wool
300 x 200 cm
118.1 x 78.7 in
Nilufar Edition