Another Design Week came and went. Its fallout is being felt all over our issue this week. We’ve collected some ephemera from the show. Here’s what caught our attention this year.
Benjamin Hubert “Canisters.”
Followers of our page may recognize the above image as the work of Benjamin Hubert. We covered his series, “Seams,” in an earlier article. He’s partnering with Italian company Bitossi Ceramiche again with “Canisters.” You can see artifacts from “Seams” in this newer work. Abitare states the series uses aesthetic lines created by slip-cast moulds for these ceramic containers. The colors and matte surface allow the lines to take center stage.
The Urban Collection by Hangar Design Group for Acera.
The Hangar Design Group’s Urban Collection was made for the Acera brand of Taiwan. Lifestyle.etc describes the set:
A range of tactile, pastel-coloured ceramic travel mugs, cups and jugs that combine the tradition of Asian decorated ceramic with modern geometric design and technology – the ceramic contains white tourmaline gems, which release negative ions on contact with heat, helping to purify any liquid/food inside. Clever and beautiful. It’s what Milan is all about.
Maggiolina table by Alessandro Zambelli for .exnovo.
Alessandro Zambelli’s Maggiolina Tables take their inspiration from beetles. Exnovo states:
Maggiolina is a metamorphosis that is inspired by the incredible world of entomology. It is a curious subject, but one that boasts an illustrious precedent: it was in fact Kafka who talked about how one could wake up transformed into an insect. The beetle that becomes a lamp. Here then in the rounded and compact shape of the sintered nylon diffuser we perceive the delicate armour of the elytra, which reveals the light source within. The visual play continues and suggests, in the crafted ceramic base too, new parts and comparisons.
Aura Tropicale by Outofstock.
Outofstock are a group of designers based out of Singapore, Barcelona and Buenos Aires. Their Aura Tropicale product is a dip-dyed scent diffuser made out of a ceramic material that is typically used to filter car exhaust fumes. They exhibited the set with The Alchemists, a show of 15 Singaporean designers at Milan Design week. Dezeen states:
The diffusers are made from a ceramic substrate that is used in the catalytic converters of cars and other vehicles.
“It’s really amazing because it filters the carbon monoxide and then a chemical reaction takes place and it becomes carbon dioxide – it purifies the air,” explained Wendy Chua, one of the co-founders of Outofstock. “We thought, why not instead of absorbing bad air, give it a scent to hold on to.”
The material is dip-dyed, shaped and then impregnated with scent. For the Milan exhibition, the designers chose a lemongrass fragrance to suggest a tropical environment.
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Milan, 2015.
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