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exhibition
05 February 2016 > 28 February 2016

Alcantara® – MAXXI ProjectLocal Icons. East/West

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opening hours

Monday closed
Tuesday to Sunday 11 am – 7 pm

Holidays extraordinary openings and closings

Tuesday 24 December 11 am > 4 pm
Monday 25 December closed
Tuesday 31 December 11 am > 4 pm
Wednesday 1 January 11 am > 7 pm
Monday 6 January 11 am > 8 pm

more information

curated by Giulio Cappellini e Domitilla Dardi

East and West in the creations of nine international designers

Ten cities, nine designers and a single material: this year the Alcantara®-MAXXI project, now in its fifth edition, is allowing to “go round the world in a room”.

With Local Icons. East/West the designers Studio Job, Constance Guisset, Poetic Lab, Mischer Traxler, Gam Fratesi, Neri&Hu, Hans Tan, Michael Young, Poetic Lab and Cosmas Gozali interpret 10 capitals belonging to two geopolitical macro-areas through an object that embodies their essence in an imaginary dialogue between East and West.

Through a direct and indirect dialogue with the designers, Alcantara and MAXXI have staged a fresh cultural debate, an exchange of views between two different ways of life in contemporary metropolises, channelling these reflections into prototypes that are asked to capture the essence of the places.

Experimenting with Alcantara®, capable of translating their projects and visions into reality, the nine designers have produced a travel journal composed of images and objects that aim at presenting “souvenirs” of Amsterdam, Paris, London, Vienna, Copenhagen, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Jakarta.

Each designer, together with the prototype conceived to represent the city assigned to them, has also created a box to contain it, thus creating a true “global village” in the museum spaces.

Constance Guisset. Paris / Global Scene

Cosmas Gonzali. Jakarta / A Journey toward Peace and Serenity

Gamfratesi. Copenhagen / The Absence

Hans Tan. Singapore / Leo Cycloid Tessella

Michael Young. Hong Kong / Kun Fu Wing Chun

Mischer’Traxler. Wien / Patterns of Vienna

Neri & Hu. Shanghai / Foreverhouse

Poetic Lab. London / Connecting the Past and the Future

Poetic Lab. Taipei / A Story Under Every Roof

Studio Job. Amsterdam / Amsterdam Chair

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Constance Guisset. Paris / Global Scene

“This project is an invitation to stroll in Paris. The bench and its lighting are like a boat, to visit Paris on the Seine. The visitor can seat, take his time and listen to the sound of the city. The table and the small lamp are an adaptation of the bench, a souvenir to take home in order to remind of the Parisian atmosphere of romanticism and sweet nostalgia. All of these « local icons » share the same shade of green. It is a tribute to Art nouveau and to Paris’ famous urban furniture, designed by Hector Guimard.”

Cosmas Gonzali. Jakarta / A Journey toward Peace and Serenity

“This installation is designed to invite people to experience and interact directly along to feel the philosophy of eastern culture through journey toward enlightenment. The concept is to re-create the Borobudur – a Buddhist sacred temple located in Indonesia and listed as one of UNESCO World Heritage Site – made from vertical tubes covered with Alcantara. These create the negative Space of Borobudur and represent the shape of Mandala, the universe in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. We create a souvenir which is a replica of the temple as a box to keep valuable things in life.”

Gamfratesi. Copenhagen / The Absence

“The memory of Copenhagen represented by one of the most important Danish icons, the little mermaid. Character created by Andersen to tell a story based on the diversity and absence. It is precisely the theme of absence that we wanted to analyze. What remains of an icon? Its origin or its memory? An interesting part of our project aims to make us reflect on the importance of the stone as metaphorical image of the place. This element has for us an important factor. The icon would still value if it were deprived of this part? Perhaps in our case the stone has the same importance of the little mermaid. In the exhibition a spot light creates a shadow on the wall and creates the silhouette of the missing little mermaid.”

Hans Tan. Singapore / Leo Cycloid Tessella

“The half-fish, half-lion iconic Merlion residing at the waterfront is Singapore’s symbol to most visitors. Part folklore and part tourism construct, the authenticity of an engineered emblem is debatable, yet its reputation as a tourist icon is indisputable. This project extracts the scales of this biologically improbable, imaginary animal and appropriates it for domestic tessellation in Alcantara covering.”

Michael Young. Hong Kong / Kun Fu Wing Chun

“Thinking about Hong Kong there is none more memorable than the legendary Bruce Lee who practiced his art in this city. When given the opportunity to create a piece to represent him whilst utilizing Alcantara’s best qualities, the thousand-layer shoe came to mind. With a history of more that 3000 years the thousand-layer shoe has always been linked to the practice of martial arts due to its extraordinary strength, flexibility, lightness and comfort. The process to create a single pair is so complicated and requires such a master level of craftsmanship and knowhow that UNESCO has listed this traditional shoe as part of China’s intangible cultural heritage.”

Mischer’Traxler. Wien / Patterns of Vienna

“Wien is a city full of history, music, rhythm and emotions. It is a secretive city that has to be slowly explored with open eyes. Then one can discover a lot of patterns that carry the characteristics of the city. In order to represent Wien in Alcantara and as a small souvenir, the focus is on these patterns and structures that can be found within the city. Altogether the graphics and objects, all in typical dusty, slightly faded but still very charming colours, give an overview of what can be found in Wien and try to capture a glimpse of Viennese atmosphere.”

Neri & Hu. Shanghai / Foreverhouse

“The bicycle has been a principal mode of transportation in China since the early 1900s, and even in modern cities like Shanghai, it is still ubiquitous. For many people its significance goes beyond the simple function of moving from point A to B; it is an object inextricably tied to the people’s lives and livelihoods. It can carry an entire family on its two wheels, it can haul a mass of recycled items three times its own size, and it can tow a cart full of goods for sale. With the addition of a simple metal structure and draped fabrics, we take the notion of expanding the function of a bicycle to become a traveling home, a shelter with table and storage pockets.”

Poetic Lab. London / Connecting the Past and the Future

“London is a city where the old and new coexist in harmony. Innovative architecture stands naturally and proudly next to historical heritage. The London tube is a perfect example: preserved historic stations connect with some of the most technically advanced underground railroads in the world. In order to capture the essence of the city, we have created a “London Tube Chandelier” – giving centre stage to this normally out of sight underground world.”

Poetic Lab. Taipei / A Story Under Every Roof

“Taipei is an incredibly busy city. The best charms of the city are the hidden secrets – tea houses, cafes, small boutiques and creative studios. Under every roof there is a different story. Our concept evokes a memory of the city through giving the observer the sense they are looking over the colourful roofs of Taipei. Each roof is represented by an open book, each one containing its own story.”

Studio Job. Amsterdam / Amsterdam Chair

“It’s an interpretation of a Berlage Chair and a tribute to Berlage who was a very important, born Amsterdam, Dutch Architect and contributor to Amsterdam school. His famous quote: ‘Nothing is ever straight’. We say: ‘Some say Berlage was conceptual. Some say he was high’.”