Enzo Mari’s Autoprogettazione Revisited, London

Autoprogettazione (translated as self-made) is a concept, thought up by Italian design godfather Enzo Mari in the 1950s, of producing superior quality, functional furniture from ubiquitous materials in your own home.

Conceived in reaction to the glut of mass produced furniture around at the time, Mari formulated a free catalogue explaining in intricate detail how best to produce 19 pieces of furniture from scratch.

Originally he encouraged his followers to send in photos of the finished articles to his studio, and the latest exhibition to take residence in London’s Architectural Association pays homage to Mari’s autonomous take on his craft.

See more from when Mari revisited his Autoprogettazione concept with contemporary designers

Pulled together by furniture gallerist Philip Sharatt in collaboration with Mari himself, Autoprogettazione Revisted has invited a host of contemporary artists and designers to produce their own pieces of self-made furniture in adherence with Mari’s exacting agenda. 

With disjointed, hybrid work from the likes of sculptor Phyllida Barlow, furniture designerJoe Pipal, product designer Travis Broussard and artist Graham Hudson, the work traces Mari’s philosophical approach to design whilst exposing some exciting new takes on the form.

From Pipal’s indolent bookshelf, leaning up against a wall, to the heady range of chairs on show – including Ryan Gander’s take on Konstantin Grcic’s One Chair (featuring an Ikea foam pad and a flattened cardboard box) and Martino Gamper’s simple crate chair – each piece comes imbued with a sense of creative intimacy – an accolade of which Mari is undoubtedly proud.

ADDRESS

Architectural Association
36 Bedford Square
London
WC1B 3ES

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