'(Un)forbidden City' project by Alessi
Nearly a decade ago, Alberto Alessi, head of the leading Italian kitchenware manufacturer that bears his name, assigned 22 architects the task of designing a teapot. This simple commission had the legacy of architects and designers collaborating on some of the world's most iconic industrial design. Now one of those 22 architects - Gary Chang of Hong Kong's Edge Design - has been invited to curate Alessi's latest meta-project, 'The (Un)Forbidden City', which asks eight Chinese architects to design their distinct version of a simple tray.
Why a tray, you ask? It's the archetypal Alessi offering and the most conventional of Chinese homewares. Symbolically, it represents a bridge between Eastern and Western design.
Chang and Alessi sought out China's best: Zhang Lei, Urbanus and MAD's Ma Yansong, who recently launched his iconic museum in the new Chinese city of Ordos - not to mention Chang himself. The amazing range of products reveals the potential of Chinese design and the wisdom of collaboration.
Interpretations of the brief were wildly different. Some participants reinterpreted traditional imagery (Liu Jiakun's bamboo rolling mat and Yung Ho Chang's 'A Lotus Leaf' come to mind) while Urbanus' futuristic 'Trayscape' leans toward the other end of the spectrum.
Alessi launched the designs this month at French design fair Maison & Objet after a brief showing last autumn at Beijing Design Week. In April, they will be available to buy through Alessi's 2012 catalogue.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which features a 1990s-inspired riff on the G-Wagon
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published