MILAN THE SALONE
liquid stone #milan2014
Milan was filled with marbles this year, the decorative stone made everyone whisper of the return of Memphis, however few designers achieved in mesmerizing with eclectic usage of materials.
A new form of anti design was present in the works of designers duo Thomas Vailly and Laura Lynn Jansen who showcased their ‘CaCO3 – Stoneware’ project in the Dutch Invertuals exhibition during Salone del Mobile.
An intriguing project in which they researched if stone could be cultivated into a desired shape. Inspired by geological processes of stalactites’ growth, their stone objects are grown around structures, drop by drop. The fragile skeleton, a 3D printed structure, is left to petrify for weeks in specially chosen thermo-mineral springs with high amounts of minerals – Calcium Carbonate CaCO3. The natural geological processes reinforce and randomly thicken the ethereal structure and give birth to geologically engineered stoneware, fossils of a new kind.
Sottsass and company, who fought against the idea of products developed purely based on function, would have enjoyed Vailly and Jansen attempt to launch a contemporary form of playfulness in the production of characteristic objects.
www.vailly.com
www.lauralynnjansen.com
Jules van den Langenberg graduated at Design Academy Eindhoven and developed himself as design curator and exhibition maker through self initiated projects and freelance works. Jules initiates-, designs-, curates- and exhibits projects in which applied art and design are used as a medium to cultivate culture. Through associative thinking the young Willy Wonka develops narratives and concepts which form fundaments for a variety of curatorial projects.
www.julesvandenlangenberg.nl