Mutina celebrated ten years of collaboration with London studio Barber Osgerby (recently interviewed by Wallpaper* about their work with Giulio Cappellini) with a new collection presented on the occasion of international ceramic fair Cersaie.
The ceramics-focused Italian brand unveiled three new projects at Spazio Mutina, its Modena HQ designed by Patricia Urquiola, presented through an evocative exhibition titled 'The Magic of Colour'. They include a new edition of the historic ‘Mews’ collection (designed exactly ten years ago by Barber Osgerby), now enhanced with three new colours, a new surface collection called ‘Time’, and a brand new edition called ‘Rivington Tables’.
Mutina and Barber Osgerby: a decade of creative collaboration
‘Rivington Tables’
'We’ve collaborated with Jay [Osgerby] and Edward [Barber] for over a decade,' says Mutina CEO Massimo Orsini. 'We've established a beautiful energy between us, full of countless funny anecdotes, laughter, and, of course, the collections we've created together that bind us.'
‘Rivington Tables’
The ‘Rivington Tables’ edition takes its name from the now closed Rivington Bar & Grill Restaurant, close to the Barber Osgerby studio and a regular meeting spot for them and the Mutina team over the years. The collection includes small tables of various sizes, ranging from wall-installation to freestanding tables of different heights. The interplay of shapes and colours results in five distinct combinations, giving them an exuberant and playful appearance. In this way, they celebrate the infinite expressive potential of ceramics, created by master potters using the casting technique and adorned with colourful glazes.
‘Time’ tiles
The mark of this long friendship is ‘Time’, which suggests the slow erosion of water and wind on surfaces all over the world, shaping landscape patterns. It is a collection of three modules of varying sizes constructed of porcelain stoneware in eight different colours, with each hue available in two textures: rough and smooth. The smooth has a silky, matte finish with subtle colour nuances suggestive of cement tiles. The rough option, on the other hand, introduces a new textured, tactile, and slightly structured surface: as a ying and a yang, the two have been designed to complement one another.
'“Time” is a collection that also reflects on the passage of time and how time acts on matter, transforming it,' adds Orsini. Aside from the potential to alternate the different sizes to create new layouts, the pieces enable you to experiment with the palette's eight hues, which are influenced by geology, geography, landscape, and place: as an ode to natural, wild surfaces, they are named Etna Black, Dakota Grey, Dover White, Salta Red, Highland Green, Virginia Blue, Sahara Sand, and Atlas Brown.
The 'Magic of Colour' is a theme that is central to the new edition of the ‘Mews’, building on the 2014 collection of tiles. As it maintains its reference to the peculiar aesthetic of narrow alleys in London’s historic centre, it has been enriched with three new colours (Green, Light Blue, and Pink, available in all collection formats), in addition to the existing Chalk, Fog, Pigeon, Lead, Ink, and Soot.
Concludes Orsini: 'With each project and collection, Mutina strives to enhance the ceramic material, proposing collections that go beyond the concept of fashion and therefore time.'
Puzzle tiles
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