For the fourth time running, Dutch furniture brand Moooi transformed the 1700 sq mtr exhibition space at Via Savona 56 into a immersive universe of creativity, within a mysterious, dark ballroom

Moooi converted the space into a universe of sophistication, surprising creativity and rebellious harmony –  a timeless sense of poetry and harmony, qualities at the heart of Moooi’s style since the brand’s inception 15 years ago

The exhibition once again featured oversized prints which complemented and added depth to the room settings, thereby supporting Moooi’s 2016 theme of silent rebellion and poetic harmony

This time the larger than life prints were from young British award winning photographer Rebecca Bathory who finds beauty in darkness, poetry and meaning in the forgotten and surreal, imaginary worlds amongst decay.

Bathory’s participation to Moooi’s 2016 presentation was Bathory’s first brand collaboration.

The Entrance to Moooi’s presentation this year will be graced with the presence of Rijks, Masters of the Golden Age, an art publication that pays homage to the 17th-century Dutch masterpieces from the Rijks Museum’s Gallery of Honour.

The publication combines the testimonies of 30 thought leaders and craft masters from around the world.

The project, entirely art directed by Marcel Wanders, was accomplished over three years with the same company who prints books for the Vatican.

“ This book is about how the greatest masterpieces influence how we see the world today “……Marcel Wanders.

And now it’s Showtime —

The centrepiece of this year’s Moooi presentation were the new collection products majestically presented on pedestals and carefully placed inside a mysteriously dark and seductive ballroom

Moooi released new furniture, lighting and carpet designs by 17 different designers, both acclaimed and emerging: – Arihiro Miyake, Barbara Broekman, Bertjan Pot, david/nicolas, Edward van Vliet, Klaus Haapaniemi, Kustaa Saksi, Lorenza Bozzoli, Marcel Wanders, Noortje van Eekelen, Paul Cocksedge, Rick Tegelaar, Ross Lovegrove, Sacha Walckhoff, Umut Yamac and Valerio Sommella

“ At Moooi, we strive to embrace the polarity between creativity and business, between chaos and order. All people are different, but some are more different than others “. …… Marcel Wanders

Radiating from this nucleus, numerous side passages led to 14 luxuriously captivating, and elegantly styled home settings, which embody the spirit of today’s creative community.

All these elements are combined under the theme of Rebellious Harmony – a timeless sense of poetry and harmony, qualities at the heart of Moooi’s style since the brand’s inception 15 years ago.

Marcel Wanders’ Charleston Chair, is a seat formed from a quilted leather Chesterfield sofa turned on its end so it points almost vertically upwards. The Jackson chair, also designed by Wanders, features an embroidered canvas back

A metal swivel stand holds the sofa upright, allowing the user sits on the inner edge of the lower arm and use the seat cushions as a back rest.

Wanders has also designed the Jackson Chair, which has a square back covered with black embroidered canvas.

Ombre gradients pattern the fringe surrounding the collection of Amami seats by Lorenza Bozzoli, which includes a sofa and a series of different-sized poufs and stools.

The Compression Sofa by Paul Cocksedge is impressive with soft cascading shapes, made of six tons of skillfully carved Carrara marble, it’s a piece of art and a celebration of a wonderful material

A humble foam counterpart coexists with this piece, in perfect and mirrored harmony.

It is available with a marble body and an upholstered fabric seat, or the opposite combination.

Umut Yamac’s Perch Light Tree Lamp stood tall in Moooi’s ballroom space with its 2.5 m trunk and a friendly flock of birds on its branches to welcome and seduce you with their joyful swinging dance.

The Perch Light family by London-based Umut Yamac includes six lamps, which feature illuminated birds that looked like they have been folded from paper. The avian figures sit on brass stands, which form table, floor, wall and pendant lights.

Revolutionary technologies for a bespoke approach to carpet design

Thanks to a high resolution printing technology, the carpets complete the home settings with a unique combination of vibrant colours, photo realistic images and magic three dimensional prints that draw you into their world.

This surreal and imaginary Moooi world is integrated with 21 new Signature Carpets and 22 new broadloom wall to wall creations.

About Rebecca Barthory

Finding beauty in darkness, poetry and meaning in the forgotten and surreal, imaginary worlds amongst the decay.

Rebecca Bathory‘s artworks breathe life into forgotten historical locations, they reawaken old narratives, find beauty and meaning in their ruin and revive the memories of lost moments in places tainted by the indigenous.

Unseen to the ordinary public who pass their boarded windows and fenced walls, no trespass signs refrain communities from seeing the hidden world within, slowly being claimed back by nature unseen.

Rebecca finds entry to these mystical places hidden to the world and sensitively captures them as a beautiful record, as they deserve to be recorded for posterity too, before they are lost as time rolls inexorably on.

She captures the stories and characteristic through carefully composed images, to include the romantiscm and memories of the ruins.

In reality these places will cease to exist very soon and as the memories fade, they will be forgotten and although derelict places have no appeal as tourist destinations, their value and place in cultural memory is fundamental to the history of the 20th century.

Her works also add elements of the surreal and mythology through her Underworld series, these works further take you down the rabbit hole into a world of dreams and the haunting, shadowy passing of time.

QUALIFICATIONS

2014 – Present Roehampon University, PHD Visual Anthropology

2008 – 2009 University of Arts London, MA Photography

2003 – 2006 University of Creative Arts, BA 1:1 Graphic Design

PUBLICATIONS

Featured in Daily Mail, Wired, Guardian, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Dark Beauty Magazine, Shortlist Magazine, The Herald, Mental Floss to name a few

About Marcel Wanders

Born in Boxtel, Netherlands in 1963

Marcel Wanders graduated cum laude from the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Institute of the Arts Arnhem in 1988 after being expelled from the Design Academy Eindhoven.

In 1995 he opened his studio in Amsterdam, gaining worldwide attention in 1996 with his iconic Knotted Chair, which paired high tech materials with ‘low tech’ production methods.

In 2001 Wanders co-founded the successful design label Moooi of which he is co-owner and art director.

In 2014 in Wanders works as product and interior designer and art director work in his Powerhouse studio with around 50 international design specialists.

They have realized over 1700+ projects for private clients and premium brands such as Alessi, Bisazza, KLM, Flos, Swarovski, Puma, among scores of others.

Wanders received various design prizes, including the Rotterdam Design Prize (for which he has been nominated several times) and the Kho Liang Ie Prize.

He has lectured at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Limn, the Design Academy, Nike, IDFA, FutureDesignDays and at many of the world’s most prestigious design academies.

In July 2002 Business Week selected Marcel Wanders as one of Europe’s ’25 leaders of change’.