Dakis’s Revenge

ToiletPaper applies it special brand of visual madness to Dakis Joannou's art collection

Legendary art collector Dakis Joannou has amassed – amongst several things - the most definitive collection of furniture from the Radical Design movement. Founded in the late 1960s by a progressive group of Italian designers, it hinged on playful shapes, surprising proportions and bold colours. Joannou wanted to document his pieces in an unconventional way and called on the ever-eccentric minds behind ToiletPaper to create a furniture catalogue that reads more like a pin-up magazine. ToiletPaper top dogs Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari (also a regular contributor Wallpaper*) applied their special brand of visual madness to Joannou’s collection.

One part inventory, one part design porn, it is part of an ongoing project that will eventually manifest it as a book later in the year when the cataloguing is completed. Wallpaper* popped down to the set of the latest shoot to find (almost unsurprisingly) fetish wear, lollipops, mountains of spaghetti and even a chicken running amok. Watch the action unfold in our behind-the-scenes video as shot by Wallpaper* photography director James Reid, titled ‘Dakis’s Revenge’.

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.