Si può produrre oggetti di grande qualità anche in Paesi in cui l’industria non è avanzata. E fabbricare generando prosperità nel territorio. Non si tratta di iniziative no-profit ma di business che partono da presupposti diversi rispetto alla più comune delocalizzazione della produzione in nazioni dove questa costa di meno. Scorgiamo segnali da luoghi finora con poca visibilità nel design, che puntano sulle specificità dei materiali locali, sulla sostenibilità e l’artigianato, organizzato in piccole imprese. Sono strutture a carattere industriale per l’organizzazione del lavoro e del ciclo produttivo, la programmazione della logistica e lo standard di prodotto. Tali realtà creano economie che rimangono nel luogo perché promuovono la formazione professionale, incentivano la nascita di distretti produttivi e reti di scambio, così come l’efficace influenza tra creatività e saper-fare manuale.

Mabeo, l’azienda di Gaborone (Botswana), è diventata un modello di sviluppo per le comunità artigianali del continente africano e una fonte d’ispirazione per i progettisti del vecchio mondo come Claesson Koivisto Rune, Luca Nichetto e Patricia Urquiola. Il fondatore Peter Mabeo crede

in prodotti in massello, realizzati a mano con tecniche tradizionali e con legni africani provenienti da foreste certificate. Ogni prodotto nasce in conseguenza delle abilità manuali delle persone che vi lavorano. Per questo è importante la continua attività di formazione professionale. Mabeo punta su un’identità riconoscibile e non omologata, espressa da arredi dalla semplicità apparente che raccontano storie. Paradigmatica la nuova sedia Seriti di Patricia Urquiola: letteralmente ‘grande forza’ per la presenza scultorea, rilegge una seduta del folclore africano senza essere esotica, né imitare l’artigianato etnico. Mabeo evidenzia una strategia a lungo termine, che vede anche la formazione nelle tecniche tessili, al fine di introdurre tali modalità nei prossimi

prodotti d’arredo. Il tessile insieme alle lavorazioni dei metalli saranno le future tendenze dell’azienda.

Semplicità formale che nasconde difficoltà di realizzazione è la caratteristica di INCHfurniture, azienda nata nel 2004 a Basilea. I fondatori Thomas Wüthrich e Yves Raschle hanno prestato servizio civile a Semerang, un porto nella costa nord di Java (Indonesia), dove sono venuti a contatto con la scuola di apprendistato PIKA (Pendidikan Industri Kayu Atas). L’intera collezione è prodotta lì creando l’occasione sia di sostenere finanziariamente la scuola sia, per gli studenti, di far pratica. I prodotti di INCHfurniture, pensati per durare nel tempo, sono in legno massello di tek, scelto non solo per la disponibilità locale ma anche per le proprietà di durevolezza,

Alcuni elementi dellA nuovA collezione di Mabeo: il mobile contenitore merAdi, disegnAto dA gArth roberts e reAlizzAto con impiAllAcciAturA di legni diversi; i tAvolini bAssi pulA, progettAti dA lucA nichetto, Al suo secondo prodotto per l’AziendA; lA sedutA seriti, creAtA dA pAtriciA urquiolA su ispirAzione di unA sediA trAdizionAle AfricAnA, con gAmbe in mAssello e schienAle con corde in pelle intrecciAte A mAno.

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chamfered top and ground chamfered legs, attached to the top with shaped stainless steel plates. Glas Italia, 2011. Seat from the Ventura collection with wooden support and plastic chassis. Poliform, 2011. Pianoforte now being developed, based on the concept of formal lightening. John John upholstered furniture with large cushions attached to the solid beech structure. Poltrona Frau, 2011. - Caption pag. 70 Above: together with Axor, Jean-Marie Massaud has redefined the philosophy of the bathroom. The Waterdream project stands out for sleek forms and the fluid descent of water, like the bubbling of a spring. Upper right: two images of the Volcano stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, now under construction. Not just a stadium with 42,250 seats, but also a museum, a play area for 450 children, a cinema, a skateboard zone, and a parking lot for 750 cars. To the side: rendering of the project for the B&B Italia showroom in Paris. - Caption pag. 71 Above: the Arkys seat with metal support and chassis in metal screen, painted with a sophisticated spray technique, available in five colors. Eumenes, 2011. To the side: Flow seats with soft touch polyester chassis, stem or four-leg base in oak. MDF Italia, 2010.

INprojectWorld INspIrat Io N p. 72by Valentina Croci

Innovative production modes for furnishings are emerging, that are more sustainable, with an eye on the skills of distant lands. From Botswana, Indonesia, Ireland, the United States and Taiwan, the new geographies of design. Objects of great quality can also be made in countries where industry is not advanced. Their fabrication can bring prosperity in its wake. This is not a matter of non-profit initiatives, but of business that starts with different premises with respect to the usual outsourcing of production in nations with low labor costs. We can see signals from places previously positioned under the design radar, focusing on the specificities of local materials, on sustainability and craftsmanship, organized in small businesses. Structures with an industrial character in terms of work organization and production cycles, logistics and standards. These situations create economies that last, because they promote professional training, encourage the birth of production districts and networks, under the effective influence of creativity and manual skills. Mabeo, a company from Gaborone (Botswana), has become a model of development for the crafts communities of Africa, a source of inspiration for designers from Europe like Claesson Koivisto Rune, Luca Nichetto and Patricia Urquiola. Its founder Peter Mabeo believes in the use of solid wood, crafted by hand with traditional techniques, using African woods from certified forests. Every product is the result of the manual skills of local craftsmen. This implies ongoing professional training. Mabeo looks for a recognizable, not standardized identity, expressed in apparently simple furnishings that tell stories. A good example is the new Seriti chair by Patricia Urquiola: literally ‘great force’ due to its sculptural presence, reinterpreting a traditional African seat, but without being exotic or imitating ethnic crafts. Mabeo has a long-term strategy that also includes training in textile techniques, to introduce them in upcoming furnishing products. Weaving and metalwork will be the company’s future trends. Formal simplicity that conceals arduous manufacture is the main characteristic of INCHfurniture, a company founded in 2004 in Basel. Its founders Thomas Wüthrich and Yves Raschle did community service in Semerang, a port on the north coast of Java (Indonesia), where they came into contact with the apprenticeship school PIKA (Pendidikan Industri Kayu Atas). The whole collection is produced there, creating an opportunity for financial support of the school, and a chance for the students to get hands-on training. The products of INCHfurniture, made to last, are in solid teak, a material chosen not only because it is locally available, but also because it is durable and not subject to excessive shrinkage or warping. The metal parts are made by ATMI (Akademi Tehnik Mesin Industri), another local training school. Bamboo in an unusual guise is the idea behind the brand Yii, supported by the Taiwan Craft Research Institute to develop local crafts through design. The challenge is met by the art direction of Gijs Bakker, who has supervised a collection of fourteen objects created by Taiwan-based designers, with the exception of a chair by Nendo, and another by Konstantin Grcic. The starting points are the characteristics of the material – bamboo has great tensile strength – and the know-how of the territory, to help crafts get beyond the ethnic phase and into one of “change and transformation”. Which is not too far from the concept between the Irish company Superfolk. While the furniture industry is not Ireland’s strong point, its cultural traditions are a forte. The brand founded by Gearoid Muldowney in 2008 focuses on ‘zero-kilometer’ production: materials from the region, references to Irish crafts. The monomateric furnishings using interlocking joints and almost unfinished wood stand out for their aesthetic impact based on a rustic essence. These products too are the result of the skills of craftsmen, like Joe Hogan who weaves a lamp from the bark of Irish willows, specifically those of Loch Na Fooey. More than just vernacular: Superfolk. Sustainability means generating prosperity while reducing environmental impact. And the theme can be interpreted in different ways. The US-based company Environment, founded in 2002 by Davide Berruto and Giovanni Gallizio, wagers on production in Indonesia and an international network of suppliers of salvaged materials, from the dunnage of scrapped ships to old military tents. The collection includes furnishings made with Brazilian Peroba wood from demolished rural constructions, and seats that recycle discarded furnishings from the University of Washington. So it is the material that guides the design and the production, not vice versa, shedding

light on new ways of doing business. On the other hand, the Mexican firm Pirwi produces furnishings in plywood that can be taken apart, without bolts or nails, to travel in flat packaging. The products are made industrially with numerically controlled machines and then finished by hand. Digital technology is used not only to create the particular materic patterns of the brand, but also to reduce waste. Pirwi is the local name for the Schinus Molle, an evergreen tree that grows quickly even on rugged ground. A metaphor for developing countries, projected toward modernity, but without forgetting their cultural heritage. - Caption pag. 73 Two products from the Taiwan-based brand Yii: the Explosion fluorescent tube lamp made in bamboo by the craftsman Chi-Hsiang Yeh and designed by Camo Lin; the Loop chair, inspired by antique Chinese registers, also in bamboo, designed by Idee Liu and crafted by Kao-Ming Chen. Facing page: the Irish brand Superfolk produces a collection of furnishings in natural wood of regional origin, built by local artisans. The stools and the table, the first developed with Jo Anne Butler, are in oak and ash, with interlocking walnut parts. The lamp is made with Irish willow bark woven by Joe Hogan. - Caption pag. 74 Pieces from the new Mabeo collection: the Meradi cabinet designed by Garth Roberts and made with different wood veneers; the Pula low tables designed by Luca Nichetto, his second product for the company; the Seriti seat created by Patricia Urquiola, based on a traditional African chair with solid wood legs and back in handwoven leather. - Caption pag. 75 Detail of the Flex plywood table produced by Pirwi. The Mexican brand founded by Alejandro Castro and Emiliano Godoy in 2007 stands out for manufacturing with numerically controlled machines and a collection of furnishings assembled with interlocking joints. - Caption pag. 76 From the 2011 collection of INCHfurniture: the Papat table in solid teak designed by Frédéric Dedelley; the Satu chair and Loro table, both made in solid oil-treated teak, with painted steel structure. The handle of the table is covered with rattan. - Caption pag. 77 The Captain chair by Environment is based on reutilization of seating discarded by the University of Washington; it has the form of a traditional American chair. The company produces only with recycled and salvaged materials.

Matr Ix three p. 78

photos ORCH Orsenigo_Chemollotext Antonella Galli

Inspired by the perfect number, Tadao Ando creates the work with which Venini celebrates 90 years of activity: a group of three complementary vase-sculptures generated by the basic form of the triangle. Made in rare colors with precious effects. The architect and the craftsman; thought and material; Japan and Italy. Contrasts meet and opposites attract in a work like the one created by Tadao Ando for Venini: an object-sculpture-architecture composed of three monumental vases (ten kilos each) made to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the prestigious Murano-based brand. The work – called Ando, like its author – was presented at the end of May in Venice, at Punta della Dogana, the exhibition space designed by the Japanese architect, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 1995 (he also designed the exhibition facilities at Palazzo Grassi). Venini, with this choice, underlines its history of relations with great creative talents. Thanks to a legacy of fine craftsmanship and technical variations using glass at the service of architects, artists and designers, to give timeliness (and a future) to the art of glassmaking in Murano. Tadao Ando, the master of pure geometry, a self-taught phenomenon and icon of contemporary architecture, has approached Venini for the first time with a series, a triptych of identical vases based on the form of the isosceles triangle: the triangle at the base and that at the mouth of the vase have equal measurements, but in a specular position, generating a torsion of the lateral walls. A daring work in which the triangular form creates the object in a succession of projections. Also an operative challenge, met by the master craftsmen of Venini, requiring great expertise, starting with the size (the vases have a height of 56.5 cm) and the weight; then for the form, the colors and grinding, all variants of the endless store of techniques of the Murano-based firm. Three, the perfect number, recurs constantly in the concept, from the form to the composition of the object, to the numbers of its production: Ando is a limited edition of 90 pieces, with three variants; 30 pieces in crystal tone, 30 in aquamarine, 30 in red. The three vases have three different grinding variations: Rosetta (surface geometries that softly shape the effect of the light), Ghiaccio (clearer facets, like ice) and Velata (a satin finish obtained with abrasive belts). There are nine artist’s trials in individual colors and techniques, personally selected by Tadao Ando: the triptychs of the artist’s trials associate green with crystal, transparent gray with tea color, green with sapphire. They will be auctioned by the end of the year, and the proceeds will contribute to the reconstruction of a facility for children in Japan (Ando is no stranger to this type of initiative: the 100,000 dollars of the Pritzker Price were donated to orphans of the Kobe earthquake). - Caption pag. 79 Ando is the work designed by Tadao Ando for Venini, based on the form of the isosceles triangle; it is composed of vase-sculptures with different hues and types of grinding. - Caption pag. 80 Red is one of the three colors, used in 30 of the 90 pieces; the other colors are crystal and aquamarine. Special tones are applied in the nine artist’s trials that will be auctioned. - Caption pag. 81 A master craftsman in the Venini glassworks in Murano, with four assistants, works for many hours to complete one Ando vase; the piece is blown, then shaped at high temperature (at least 800°), and cooled for 24 hours in a special oven known as the ‘muffola’. Finally, the master grinder works on the surface. Below, Tadao Ando watches the procedure.

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