02:43
Video loading...
Designer Amdo Sibik on Memphis design genres and exhibitions. Edited by Lu Linhan (02:43)
Italy is the cradle of European culture, which gave birth to ancient Roman culture and the Etruscan civilization, and is also the origin of the Renaissance. Today, Italy is a design and fashion powerhouse and is recognized as a designer's paradise, with furniture and home design being particularly outstanding.
On September 28th, "Fun and Wisdom - Italian Contemporary Design" opened on the 4th floor of the Shanghai Pudong Art Museum, the exhibition is like a young, optimistic, cheerful and curious social laboratory, presenting more than 100 classic design works left by the history of Italian design in the past 70 years, revealing how to use play as a learning tool, and the exhibition sets up a number of interactive areas, in which the audience can "play" with the works.
At the entrance of the exhibition, classic works of Italian design such as the Ultrafragola mirror of Sotesas and the Pratone chair of Piero Derossi are unveiled.
Combing the timeline of Italian design, Gio Ponti (Gio Ponti) is a figure that must be mentioned, he is known as the godfather of Italian design, and it is his "Domus" magazine (Domus) for the vigorous promotion of modern design ideas, so that Italian design abandons tradition to seek "real form", and its 1948 design of the expresso coffee machine "La Cornuta", is one of the classic masterpieces of Italian life. The exhibition features a wooden chair designed by Ponte, which began production in 1957 and is seen as an iconic work of craftsmanship and industrial innovation, inspired by the traditional Ligurian chiavarina chair.
In the "Second Nature" section of the exhibition, Gio Ponti designed the Superleggera chair
It was also in the 1950s that Italian design began to change from the previous focus on art to the combination of technology and art.
The brightest Italian design stars of the period were the female architect Gae Aulenti, the industrial designer Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti. They played a pivotal role in bringing Italian design to the world.
The fixture shown in "See or Be Seen" is Pipistrello by Guy Orlandi on the left
Pipistrello lamps by Guy Orlandi, Ospite bed by Vic Majesteri, and Eclisse Rossa luminaires are also displayed in different sections of the exhibition. This is also a special feature of this curatorial exhibition - breaking the time thread and boundaries, defining the works in 13 units such as "the tragicomedy of life", "fragile but eternal", "color captures light", "daily ritual", "face and soul", "nomadic design", etc., especially the works of Ettore Sottsass, Cleto Munari and others throughout the exhibition hall, and throughout the multiple thematic units, It highlights the multi-faceted talents of designers in different subdivisions.
Sothus, Valentine Typewriter, 1968
The mention of Ettore Sotxus is invariably Memphis. In 1981, Sothus, led by designers in Milan, formed "Memphis", who opposed monotonous and cold modernism, advocated decoration, emphasized products made by handicraft methods, and actively sought inspiration from pop art, oriental art, and the traditional art of African Latin America. Although Memphis came to an end in 1988, the "fun and wisdom" of design and life it conveys has influenced it to this day.
The exhibition site, the Carlton bookshelf designed by Sotesas. ©️ Pudong Art Museum
The exhibition was designed by Aldo Cibic, professor emeritus at Tongji University, who was a member of the Memphis group that year, who began living in Shanghai in 2019 and participated in many community renovation projects, and his home in the old residential area of Siping Road in Yangpu has also become a representative of a way of life.
Works by Anton Sibik in the exhibition
In the specific design, Anton Sibik and his team use rich colors to create the intention of the city, and the audience does not need to have the concept of the exhibition line, and can choose their own exhibition route according to their own feelings.
Capitello (top left), Piero de Rossi's Pratone chair (bottom left), Ultrafragola mirror (center pink), designed in 1972 based on the Ionic column in Greek architecture, Italian architectural studio Studio 65
The exhibition opens the curtain of the past 70 years of Italian design with "The Tragedy and Comedy of Life", and enters the exhibition hall, where the Carlton bookshelf of Sotesas, the mirror of Ultrafragola, the Pratone chair of Piero Derossi and other classic works of Italian designers break into the field of vision with their own forms and colors, they are sadistic, rebellious, exaggerated, and in themselves like a design dialogue. Among them, the Italian architectural design studio Studio 65 is based on the Ionic column in Greek architecture, and the Capitello chair designed in 1972 is located on a high place. This pop everyday furniture item disenchants the Greek culture, which symbolizes elegance and solemnity, and is also an expression of the spirit of the times.
"Fragile but eternal" (ceramic vase) and "soft shape" (furniture sofa) complement each other inside and out
There is no shortage of juxtapositions of various materials in the exhibition, forming a completely different texture contrast. The different forms of sofas in the units "Fragile but Temporary" and "Soft Shapes" units composed of ceramic vases are collectively shrouded in a square frame of bright orange. Among them, the hand-shaped Joe sofa from DDL Studio (Donato Urbino, Jonathan de Pas, Paolo Romaz) and the wave-shaped Superonda sofa from Archizoom prove that in a faster and more dynamic lifestyle, the structure and household objects of traditional houses have been changed, and a more casual and free attitude to life has gradually sprouted.
"Soft Shape ©️", exhibition site Pudong Art Museum
Ling Min, the Chinese curator of this exhibition, Ling Min, a postgraduate tutor of modern and contemporary art at the Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University, believes that Italian design is a living cultural language, which tells the rapidly changing relationship, and it can be seen that the relationship between people and society, people's behavior are affected by design, and design also changes the attitude to life.
In an interview with The Paper, Ling Min specifically mentioned the "second nature", a unit that invites the audience to re-examine the ancient handmade material of wood. The variety of forms of wood products, connected with modern, rational thought, presents a novel, calm and deliberate character. Sharp shapes, precise curves and small components... In Italian design, wood writes new words every day in an old language. The Superleggola chair mentioned above in Ponty's design is listed in this unit.
Ponty-designed Superleggera seat
There is a lot of fun and interesting content in the exhibition, and while looking back at the variety of contemporary design in Italy, it also raises the question: Why does the first thought of design think of Italy and Milan? In addition to well-known designer names or memorable works, behind them are many design-renowned colleges such as the Milan Institute of Industrial Design, a series of design-related urban exhibitions such as the Milan Triennale and Milan Design Week, and influential magazines such as "Domus"...
This may be a reference for Shanghai, which is building a "design capital", and The Paper also tried to find the answer through an interview with Anton Sibik, a member of the Memphis group at that time.
"Daily Rituals ©️", exhibition site Pudong Art Museum
Interview with | Anton Sibik: More Inspiring and Creating the Joy of Life
The Paper: As a member of the Memphis group, what about Memphis' design philosophy from your perspective?
Anton Sibik: "Memphis" was a special moment, and I was lucky to be in it. I was very young, and my first job was in the middle of an extraordinary moment in history, which I called a holiday of rationalism, a holiday of the Bauhaus. At that time, including me and six or seven young people, we worked with famous designers from all over the world to do some relatively more emotional designs.
The concept of Memphis was to forget the functional design advocated by the Bauhaus. Those relatively refined rules (such as economy, color, etc.) are not the only possibilities for design, to enjoy the things around you, so "get out of the rules and enjoy life".
The Paper: Memphis's most iconic work is the Carlton bookshelf of Ettore Sotters, how did you feel when you first saw the bookshelf? What else did you remember about?
Anton Sibik: I get excited every time I see a bookshelf. To this day, I vividly remember the night I first saw the bookshelves. We had a weekly meeting and we all got together in a small living room to discuss, and Sothus's wife was there that day. He brought us a large stack of paintings, and the drawings on the bookshelf were also in it, and it was the existence of that "surprise", it was a new language, and we were deeply attracted to it. This is Sothus's most artistic work.
The Carlton bookshelf of Sottsass
Carlton Bookshelf is a design of symmetry and is a work of complete harmony. It is older than the Ultrafragola mirror and is a masterpiece of Memphispanic school and a very representative work in the history of design.
Sotesas' Ultrafragola mirror
Do you know what I like most about this exhibition? It shows different periods, different souls of Italian design and different fields of art. The works on display range from relatively radical categories such as Memphis to other excellent designs, such as many beautiful table lamps, one of which is called Eclisse, designed by Vico Magistretti. Magisterley was a very important person in my life, and I met and became friends with him at a very young age, and Eccisse looked very simple, but when it lit up, it was like the moon was shrouded in the sun, or the sun was obscured by the moon.
Vic Maggistelli, Eccisse table lamp
Many of the works on display are very good design examples, they are beautiful, interesting, but at the same time practical. That's what the so-called "Design for fun" is designed for fun. I also have an Eccisse lamp in my home in Shanghai, and every time I see it, I feel happy.
In fact, Magistrate, the designer of the Epsse lamp, works about four to five hours a day with an assistant. Therefore, to be successful, it depends on your own attitude, not competition and infighting. But now perhaps because there is too much market involvement and competition, there is less sincerity and naivety.
For Chinese audiences, watching these works will be interesting, but this fun is not childish. From a business point of view, they are also very successful. I want to say to the younger generation in China that we should stimulate or create more joy in life, because life is not a game.
Alessandro Mendini, Anna G wine opener exhibited on the bamboo "Ferris wheel", highlighting the theme of "Fun"
The Paper: This exhibition also exhibited several of your small works, what kind of ideas do you want to convey through your works?
Anton Sibik: I don't think they're very graphic, but they're poetic. When you see these works, it's not about the grandeur, but the audience can feel something from it. If the audience feels it, it's a joy for me.
I have a group of titles made up of colorful widgets that people can choose from different combinations. I think this can express my ideal of life, just like the elephant I made in the "Lane 8 of the Present Tide" on North Sichuan Road, and I hope to bring good feelings to those who see it.
Works by Anton Sibik in the exhibition
The Paper: What impact does the Memphis Party have on contemporary design?
Anton Sibik: It was a time of high emotions, and the beautiful moments of design were not just in Italy, but also globally, when we were tired of the rules. Know that at that time the design needs to meet the standards of rationality and functionality, and if it does not meet, it is not design. In that sense, I've been amazed at the sincerity of "Memphis" for years, and Memphis is still not obsolete. There was a moment in history when times seemed to be waiting for something to happen. When the Memphis school appeared, it was the design that people had been waiting for a long time to get out of the norm.
That's why there are many unknown or well-known architects and designers from all over the world involved in Memphis Pie. Although it takes place in Italy, it is an international movement. There's Shiro Kuramata, a designer from Tokyo who designed Issey Miyake's shop out of stained glass, or like Peter Shire from Los Angeles. We don't think design has to be very rigorous and functional.
The exhibition site of the Carlton bookshelf in Sottsass
From a historical point of view, everything became acceptable the moment the Berlin Wall fell. So, at some point, some of us are also shocked because he doesn't believe everything is changing. And the reason I left Sotxus was precisely because Memphis became a style in the future, even though one of its original intentions was change.
In my opinion, the problem is not that following Memphis's style is special, but that because people are bored, so the design becomes boring. Memphis is like a tasteless flavoring agent that is only energy and cannot be copied.
The Memphis group's work on display in the exhibition is actually a re-demonstration of what we did at that time to the younger generation. It's an adventure in the unknown, and what young people have to do is evolve and take risks. Maybe it will fail, but you have to move on. At that time, that group showed the courage to show the world that what they believed in might have been a good idea, and the idea still makes sense 40 years later.
The Paper: What concepts did you use in the exhibition design?
Anton Sibik: Before we did the exhibition design, the exhibition already had a prototype, and even each exhibit had a clear exhibition position. We put forward the desire to create a sense of the city, with different islands instead of clear exhibition lines.
Visitors do not need to have an exhibition route, you can choose your own route according to your own feelings, or according to the works you want to see. Maybe you can see works in the distance here, and turn around and see other works.
Banaba Onnasetti, T&V ceramic disc
For the use of color, it is also a more free creative and interesting direction. Of course, the color is not all, we did some special treatments, such as the color of the space background made of bamboo I like; But in a tent made of white drapery, we didn't use color. Color can quickly change the feeling of space, the use of color is actually to bring emotions into the space, it can help the space and exhibits to be integrated.
Exhibition site: ©️ Pudong Art Museum
The Paper: You have lived in Shanghai for many years, what is your opinion on the city of Shanghai and its design?
Anton Sibik: When I first came to Shanghai in 2003, I was the artistic director of a company, and every year since then, I have held exhibitions at Milan Design Week in conjunction with the school to open up more possibilities for young designers. So I got to know Tongji University, where we did a workshop with Tongji students and exhibited it in Milan under the title "Shanghai Made in Italy". Then Tongji University hired me as an honorary professor.
Since then, I have come to Shanghai frequently. Four years ago, I moved in Shanghai. At that time, Tongji was doing a community project, and Professor Lou Yongqi wanted me to join, which was before the COVID-19 epidemic, when I would go to school about 15 days a month. After the epidemic, I stayed in Shanghai for more than 2 years and became the artistic director of the "N-ICE2035 Livingline Prototype Street" project jointly created by Siping Road Street and the School of Design and Creativity of Tongji University, and I gradually integrated into life in Shanghai. The "NICE 2035 Prototype Street" project is a community project that discusses how to integrate young and old people's issues, so I am closer to the real life of the city.
In recent years, I have also been exposed to different types of projects, both rural and community, and my house on Siping Road has become a "model room" that they call "affordable beauty", showing the importance of the concept of housing to the community. I don't think urban renewal requires demolishing houses, because many times as the original occupants relocate, a community is gone. I was fascinated by how the city of Shanghai became more aware of its intangible value.
I'm also working on a new furniture brand, I call it "new old" because we found a big warehouse where the materials of the old house were sold, and I was making new furniture out of the old wood of the old house, such as turning the beams of the old house that had been torn off and turned into a beautiful table. Shanghai today is like Milan in those days, where people first think about what to wear, and then they start to pay attention to their homes.
"FUN" interactive installation, exhibition site ©️ Pudong Art Museum
(Note: Yang Zhuoer also contributed to the text.) The exhibition is co-curated by Italian architect, design and architectural historian and critic Enrico Morteo, architectural historian and critic Maria Vittoria Capitanucci, professor at the Politecnico di Milano, and Ling Min, a postgraduate tutor of modern and contemporary art at the Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University and director of the International Art Criticism Award (IAAC). ）