When the Ron Arad-designed Design Museum Holon opened in 2010, it declared Holon to be a new centre for design in the Middle East. Five years and twenty two exhibitions later and things are going well.
To mark its fifth anniversary, the museum will play host to a solo show of work by Spanish designer Jaime Hayon called 'Funtastico'. Having made its debut at the Groninger Museum in 2013, Funtastico encompasses ten years-worth of product, furniture and interior design pieces by the prolific designer, including pieces for clients such as b.d. barcelona, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Magis, Swarovski, Bisazza and Lladró to name just a few.
For the exhibition's Holon showing, Hayon has made an exclusive addition to the showcase in the form of a large scale, one-of-a-kind wall hanging mirror. Referencing giant primitive masks, the mirror will be constructed of quartz stone marquetry provided by solid-surface material manufacturer Caesarstone, who have donated the piece to the museum's permanent collection.
'I see masks as a storyteller, or a mirror if you will, of history,' explains Hayon. 'Every civilization, from the ancient peoples of the Middle East to the Aztecs in the Americas, has utilised masks, and each mask tells a story. I became keen to create a mask representing characters from my own cosmos, one which combines fantasy, a certain playfulness, together with craft and quality. I decided to use mirror together with stone to create different textures and feelings, as if the mask were an old mosaic. Some parts have stone, while other parts show a reflection onto ourselves.'
Other highlights include The Tournament – a colossal chess set handcrafted and handpainted by Hayon - and the Green Chicken - a bright green rocking horse in the shape of a hen.
Pictured: The Baccarat Zoo
Having made its debut at the Groninger Museum in 2013, Funtastico encompasses ten years-worth of product, furniture and interior design pieces by the prolific designer.
For the exhibition’s Holon showing, Hayon has made an exclusive addition to the showcase in the form of a large scale, one-of-a-kind, face mask-inspired wall hanging mirror made of quartz stone marquetry.
’I became keen to create a mask representing characters from my own cosmos, one which combines fantasy, a certain playfulness, together with craft and quality,’ explains Hayon. ’I decided to use mirror together with stone to create different textures and feelings, as if the mask were an old mosaic. Some parts have stone, while other parts show a reflection onto ourselves.’
Other highlights include The Tournament – a colossal chess set handcrafted and handpainted by Hayon...
...and the Green Chicken - a bright green rocking horse in the shape of a hen that was originally made for the Shanghai show ‘Contrasts and Contradictions: Chapter 1’ (2006) - an exhibition that explored the design vs. art dispute of creativity being limited by functionality.
INFORMATION
Jaime Hayon’s Funtastico is at Design Museum Holon, Israel from 28 November 2015 - 26 March 2016
ADDRESS
Design Museum Holon
Pinkhas Eilon St 8
Holon, 5845400
Israel