Sign makers: the up and downs of M/M (Paris)’ iconic ideal home
French designers Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag of M/M (Paris) have a fascination with alphabets and signs, a passion they have fostered and developed with dedication since they founded their studio in 1992. The duo has created and crafted over 50 alphabets, from literal A-Z series to more visual and ambiguous sets of symbols, and these sign systems have become central to its work. The designers’ latest project – a collaboration with Plusdesign Gallery that debuted at Milan during Miart and Salone del Mobile – introduces a new, if not always obvious, functionality to their playful iconography.
The duo have installed a domestic diorama in the transparent glass tunnel that forms Plusdesign’s via Ventura gallery. It’s a sort of utopian ideal inspired by the living units described by Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé, says Augustyniak, and it was developed from a collection of objects M/M (Paris) designed for Dior Homme in 2014 for the brand’s advertising and stores.
Andrea Caputo and Luca Martinazzoli, who took over Plusdesign two years ago, had been watching how M/M (Paris)’ work has developed. ‘We love their images, a combination of meaning and seduction,’ says Caputo. ‘We noticed that their production includes several objects; they are never in the foreground of the images, but something links them together.
‘We met, and they told us about their obsession with the domestic space, and the radical, utopian living unit they wanted to create.’
The French duo, meanwhile, sees the collaboration, entitled ‘M/Maison’, as a natural extension of its graphic and typographic work and hopes to develop an ongoing partnership with the gallery. ‘Plusdesign is a great platform to construct a vision within the world of design or objects and define what is a contemporary object today,’ says Augustyniak.
The pieces from the Dior Homme project include vertical and horizontal room dividers, a lighting system and a dynamic seating composition, but it’s a collection of new objects on show that pull the display together, acting as centrepieces of M/M’s idealised home.
‘We said, “OK, we need something,”’ explains Augustyniak. ‘Is it a plant? Is it possibly a human being? Is it like a friend? Is it a pet? This is when we started to design a citronnier [lemon tree].’ Which, it turns out, could be a combination of all of the above.
Essentially a series of vanity units, the finished citronniers are compositions of oversized eyes shaped as lemons, installed on a modular metal structure. Blown in Murano by master glass craftsmen, the lemon eyes are combined with smaller foam lemons produced by artist Massimiliano Adami, an expert in the material. The final collection combines semi-industrial and artisanal manufacturing methods that, according to Augustyniak, ‘reflect a contemporary handcrafted approach, but are not nostalgic’.
The citronniers have a kind of organic abandon, a bonkers modularity, something that Augustyniak likes to call ‘the Pinocchio effect’. He explains: ‘It was like Geppetto creating his child; a master crafting a piece of art, then suddenly it gets out of hand and it gets beyond what you were expecting. I think that’s the beauty of any act of creation. Whether it’s an art piece, a design piece, whether it’s a novel, a movie, or whether it’s an alphabet.’
As originally featured in the May 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*206)
The duo have installed a domestic diorama in the transparent glass tunnel that forms Plusdesign’s via Ventura gallery. Click above (and on the following images) for a series of neat, rotational insights into the show
Andrea Caputo and Luca Martinazzoli, who took over Plusdesign two years ago, had been watching how M/M (Paris)’ work has developed. ‘We love their images, a combination of meaning and seduction,’ says Caputo. Pictured left: a detail from the citrionnier
The exhibition is a sort of utopian ideal inspired by the living units described by Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé; developed from a collection of objects M/M (Paris) designed for Dior Homme in 2014 for the brand’s advertising and stores
INFORMATION
'M/Maison' will be on view until 15 May at Plusdesign Gallery. For more information, visit the M/M (Paris) website
Photography: Leonardo Scotti. Set design: Dimitra Marlanti
ADDRESS
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Plusdesign Gallery
via Ventura 6
20134 Milan
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.
-
Bringing BRAT to life: we meet the designers behind Charli XCX's victory-lap tour
An exclusive interview with Cour Design's Jonny Kingsbury, the stage and lighting designer behind Charli XCX's new BRAT tour
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Apple’s new Mac mini is a pocket-sized powerhouse thanks to the M4 processor
With the new Mac mini, Apple has squeezed its M4 and M4 Pro processors into the smallest conceivable footprint, physically and environmentally. Apple insiders tell us how
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
One to Watch: EJM Studio’s stool is inspired by the humble church pew
EJM Studio’s ‘Pew’ stool reimagines the traditional British church seating with a modern, eco-conscious twist
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Olympics opening ceremony: a little Gaga, a lot of spectacle, and universal uplift
How Paris 2024’s Olympics opening ceremony set spirits – and much else – soaring, embracing the Seine, the streets and the skies. Craig McLean reports
By Craig McLean Published
-
Faye Toogood brings new life to Matisse’s legacy
Milan Design Week 2023: tapped by Maison Matisse, the London-based designer has taken inspiration from the French master’s forms to create a collection of heirloom-worthy objects
By Sam Rogers Published
-
Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announced
Programme announced for Prada Frames 2023 at Milan Design Week, the annual symposium curated by Formafantasma at Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Teatro Filodrammatici from 17 to 19 April
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Paris Design Week 2023: the highlights
Your essential guide to Paris Design Week 2023, from Maison & Objet to Paris Déco Off, and the best things to see in town as part of Maison & Objet City
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Alessi Occasional Objects: Virgil Abloh’s take on cutlery
Best Cross Pollination: Alessi's cutlery by the late designer Virgil Abloh, in collaboration with his London studio Alaska Alaska, is awarded at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Salone del Mobile 2023: highlights from Milan Design Week
In pictures: our highlights from Milan Design Week, held during the 61st Salone del Mobile 2023 (18-23 April)
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Step by step: Virgil Abloh, Jaime Hayon and more rethink the ladder at Galerie Kreo, Paris
A new exhibition at Galerie Kreo, ‘Step By Step’, invites more than 20 designers to rethink the ladder’s classic design
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
USM launches blushing pink limited edition of its modular furniture
Following an installation during Milan Design Week 2022, USM launches a new pink limited edition of its Haller range
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated