In 2012 Tom Dixon charmed the design world with his curated creative hub Salone project MOST, held at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan.
In its inaugural year 30,000 visitors came to see 35 installations and exhibitions by 108 brands and designers. Tom returned MOST for the 2013 Salone with an assembly of new and innovative ideas and designs.
Whilst the venue still lacks a clear identity and can still further improve the use of its location,the majority of visitors felt that the MOST 2013 edition, was both tighter and more carefully curated than last year’s sprawling edition.
The benefit of the location lies not only in the series of buildings belonging to the museum such as a wonderful early 16th century monastery, but also in its collection of vehicles and machinery, including a submarine, steam trains, ships and even aeroplanes.
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Tom Dixon, who began his design career as a welder, is inspired by the representation of machinery ( in all forms and sizes) at the Museum – but this also enhances and informs the MOST Salone exhibition pieces on display
More than a project, MOST is a platform for contemporary design that combines a distinctive mix of performances and events with young design brands and studios, interacting with almost all areas of creative production: from food to fashion, from art to product design, from technology to traditional crafts.
MOST promotes forward-thinking culture, commerce and creativity against the inspiring backdrop of Milan’s National Museum of Science and Technology located near Zona Tortona.
Even though Tom Dixon is the main star of MOST, it would be foolish visiting the Museum of Science and Technology only to see his latest creations, since this giant location is packed up with exciting new talents, great pieces of design and a positive vibe which continues on even after the lights of this year’s Salone were turned off.
Exhibitions by leading international brands represented a key part of MOST 2013, with designers coming in from Poland, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, France, Scandinavia, China, Japan and the UK filling the halls and cloister areas.
MOST’s theme for 2013 was “Disrupting Design”: returning power to the designer and challenging the status quo.
All exhibitors were challenged to channel the idea of “Disrupting Design” whether through innovation, technology or ingenuity. The brands at MOST explored new materials, technologies, production techniques and distribution systems. Events, exhibitions and installations challenged existing models of routes to market, industry norms and the position of the designer in the supply chain.
This year the key brands presenting bold concepts and eye-catching product were –
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Projects presented
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At the Museum of Science and Technology where the MOST series of exhibitions was showcasing designers and brands initiated by Tom Dixon, whose own works were also part of the show.
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Tom Dixon’s own Projects
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Tom presented his new line of products, made primarily from metal – his signature material – and named “Rough and Smooth”, recalling the physical qualities of lamps, tables, tea sets and champagne buckets included in the collection.
The first stop on entering is Dixon’s own collection, with exhibition design including construction tape, signs and machinery.
New work includes a faceted series of lights and furniture called Gem, sand cast from nickel-plated aluminium, and Mass Coat Stand and Book Stand, large, heavy, immovable objects made in heavyweight metal.
MOST this year also included a Tom Dixon Tea House, at which your tea was served in ” Eclectic by Tom Dixon” beautiful new Spun gold tea sets.
Megaman, who work solely with LEDs, have chosen MOST to showcase the beauty of high-performance, low-energy lighting in some of the dramatic rooms of the Museum.
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In an adjacent building was Tom Dixon’s collaboration with Adidas — a collection of luggage, footwear and apparel called The Capsule – an utterly practical solution for weary globetrotting travellers: comprising a collection of garments and accessories that “you can pack neatly in a bag for a week away”.
This exhibition proved to be one of Milan Design Weeks’ most mentioned and photographed events.
The pieces were displayed on clothes hangers, moving on a loop through a large warehouse space where the Museum displays its trains and carriages.
Dixon’s functional attire consists of grey-tone jumpsuits for men and skirt-jacket ensembles for women and a down-filed jacket that doubles as a sleeping bag. The wardrobes fit neatly into matching carry-on baggage and backpacks.
Adidas plans to sell the line at its boutique stores in selected cities at the end of the year
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Other Exhibitor Projects at MOST 2013
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Next to the jet fighter planes of the Museum, BLOC, a new young hotel brand is aiming to turn the hospitality industry on its head by showing how hotel design can be disrupted in order to give the traveller the perfect combination of luxury and price.
Two hotel pods were placed at the Museum’s entrance, showing up market designer products which are standard fixtures at this more than affordable designer hotel chain.
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‘The Underground’ section of the Air and Water Building
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Glass is Tomorrow
Over 60 glass works by designers from across Europe filled an extended LED-illuminated display table by Arik Levy.
The exhibit was the result of an initiative that invited designers to work with glass artisans from three traditional glass-blowing workshops in Finland, the Czech Republic and France.
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While pieces by better-known designers such as Arik Levy and Werner Aisslinger of Germany are in the mix, most were by yet-to-be-discovered talents from Eastern Europe.
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NZ designers Resident returned to MOST in 2013 to present their most comprehensive collection to date.
Combining an authentic blend of craft, engineering and innovation, items are characterized by crisp clean lines and elegant attention to detail..
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“All of our products were well received and people have appreciated the clean refined aesthetic that Resident represents with many people commenting on the quality of manufacture out of New Zealand.” … Simon James
“The week has been hectic. We have seen twice the amount of people as we did last year and there have been very few quiet moments on the stand, but the brand was exposed to a truly international audience, which bodes well for a continued period of strong growth.”
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simon james (l) and Jamie McIellan (r)
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Since its international launch in 2011 Stellar Works has become a byword for cross-cultural design and manufacture of furniture, lighting and accessories
Apart from offering its own eclectic design collection by world-acclaimed names, which blends Eastern and Western sensibilities, Stellar Works has secured the rights to reissue vintage pieces by Italian design legend Carlo Forcolini and Danish architects Børge Mogensen, Vilhelm Wohlert and Mogens Andersen, which are injected with new relevance, context and storytelling.
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Stellar Works is also thrilled to have forged collaboration with Shanghai based design studio Neri&Hu to create MING, a new collection to be presented during Salone del Mobile 2013 together with other exciting novelties by Danish design studio SPACE CPH, and OEO, the creative director of Stellar Works.
And not to forget Nic Graham from Sydney whose QT collection made its international debut…
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nic graham
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Floating Air Vases made out of cut paper by Torafu architects
Koloro Desk, designed by Torafu Architects is a workstation with a sense of a humor. Japanese designers Torafu Architects created the product last year—a boxed-in table with windows that open on either side, sort of a cross between a child’s school desk and a hunter’s duck blind.
Fabricated by plywood specialists Ichiro, the product was reimagined by an array of Japanese artists and thinkers.
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Notable was the youthfulness of the craftsmen from Kyoto, Japan who were showcasing their art, which merged several generations of high quality work (some of the craftsmen represented the 16th generation of their family dedicated to that specific activity) with modern interpretations of simple everyday object and luxurious accessories for the home.
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Several of the Japanese craftsmen were only in their late 20s and not only did they exude passion for their craft but also they were eager to explain, showcase, and interact with the visitors in a humble way.
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1st Floor
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Fab, Quinze & Milan x Andy Warhol Foundation
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Warhol’s brillo pad artwork has been brought to life in the form of a sprayed foam ottoman
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Cloisters External Hallways
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tom dixon being inteviewed
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FAB / American Designers Club – Pop-Up Shop
Fab also worked with the American Design Club, a collective that provides a platform to encourage and promote emerging designers in the United States.
Fab selected a number of AmDC designers whose work they was shown simultaneously at MOST in Milan and online.
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Taking up almost one whole wall in the museum’s main cloister, a row of cardboard boxes double as display cases.
Vibrantly ADC-branded, the boxes were each adapted according to the dozens of collections presented. For instance, Kiel Mead‘s charming necklaces and rings were displayed beneath a glass top, while byAMT‘s handmade leather strap baskets sat atop the box of exhibit pamphlets.
Everything shown was available for immediate sale.
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Piet Hein Eek is a company of 100 craftsmen located in Eindhoven, Netherlands. They brought an immense amount of pieces, dating back to their founding in 1990.
Their business model treats waste like gold, giving a second life to salvaged material. Each piece is unique and made carefully and skillfully by hand.
Piet Hein Eek published a ‘chair book’ to accompany the chair exhibition. Or actually, it’s the other way around: the exhibition accompanies the book.
The book contains images and information covering nearly all of the seating pieces Eek have ever created. A story is presented for pretty much every chair, as are sales figures.
The sad conclusion though is that virtually every single one of my designs is doomed to oblivion due to a lack of sales.
Looking back, the lack of sales pales in comparison to the joy of creation.
“All the same, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of pulling out the chairs one by one and remembering how, at the time, we thought this was the best chair ever.”
Fortunately, a number of chairs have been very successful.
Whether or not this is simply wishful thinking, we believe that the latest designs are more attractive, more monumental and better than the previous ones, which dovetails with my conviction that designing is something that needs to be learned.
Since the book is all about chairs, from my very first chair designed at the age of thirteen to the last one in 2012, and no topic is avoided, it offers insight into all aspects of a self-producing designing company
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8½ Otto e Mezzo
Portuguese designer Hugo Passos teamed up with architect Francesco Cocquio to debut 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo, a furniture brand based in London.
Inspired by a horse saddle, this steel bench flares out and features two buttery handcrafted leather pouches on either end. Other new pieces include bookshelves tapered at both ends, and wood stools perched on three short legs.
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Jake Phipps of London took this opportunity to display his Apollo Lights and tables.
Made from coconut husk fiber, the manufacturing supports cottage industries in Sri Lanka from initial harvesting to final construction.
All of his products are designed specifically to strike a strong emotional chord with the people who will use them with effortless functionality, playful aesthetics, and an instinctive natural elegance.
‘SHELL is a stool inspired by discarded empty ammunition cases. It is made from vacuum metalized polycarbonate and available in a Bronze or Silver finish.
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Phil Euell
Phil Euell is an American craftsman based out of Paris.
Using salvaged pearwood from Burgundy and traditional techniques, Phil creates beautiful pieces that demonstrate a variety of influences.
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_FioreQ*
A video commissioned by design company _FioreQ* to celebrate the launch of their first collection.
This video was created to try and capture the essence of _FioreQ*’s distinct design aesthetic and philosophy. The shapes that feature within this video were taken directly from the designs that will feature in the debut collection
The video was played within the _FioreQ* living room set at MOST salone 2013..
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Cook the Future / School of Form
A group of 2nd year Polish industrial design students from the recently established “School of Form” in Poznań created an installation, Let’s Cook the Future, where KUKA, a robot, cooks your meal.
Chefs beware they may have come up with a scheme to replace you with a robot.
It featured KUKA, a robot, who – in front of visitors – cooked meals, which could be tasted afterwards.
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Supervised by MOST exhibitor Oskar Zięta and sociologist Agata Nowotny, Let’s Cook The Future aims to help students expand their knowledge of robotics and seek design inspirations to create a completely different approach to food design.
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Top Floor
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Studio Job for Lensvelt
In the Sala Del Cenacolo – the monk’s dining hall of the former monastery building – Lensvelt launched its collaboration with Studio Job.
As an idyllic setting in which to launch their all-white office furniture line for Lensvelt, the neo-baroque Antwerp designers chose a refectory off the museum’s main cloister – a stunningly vaulted space covered in frescoes by Pietro Gilardi.
In the rich interior of this fresco room, Job Office presented tables, low cabinets and lamps in a stunning installation – juxtaposing old and new
The collection includes a task light with an oversize on-off switch, cabinetry that requires a giant golden key to unlock, and desk with drawers that pull open using a golden nose as a pull.
Contract furniture has never looked so ironic.
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Disrupt Design at MOST
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Tom Dixon says… “Disrupt being the theme of the MOST Salone 2013, this design hacking contest is a natural way to go !
Thanks to online social 3D Experiences, anyone can be a designer today and express creativity.”
This year’s theme is ‘Disrupting Design’ – perfect for a project that, instead of being secretive and protective with designs, gives the files away and lets others interpret them.
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Disrupt Design Pitch
One of the highlights of MOST during Milan Design Week was a special Disrupt Design afternoon was held on Wed 10th April.
Fab, called on designers to present their ideas to a panel of design experts. The best new designs chosen will be manufactured and sold by Fab
The selection panel / critics included Yves Behar , Jasper Conran, Bradford Shellhammer, Tom Dixon amongst others.
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Disrupt Design Contest
Sculpteo, Dassault Systèmes and Tom Dixon launched an open design contest for international designers, to encourage the online community to participate, contribute designs and to be inspired by the creativity offered by 3D printing.
In a bold move, Tom Dixon will give participants access to the design files of new products, and challenge them to re-configure and remix into different functional objects.
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The concept is also relying on the fact that the various parts and “joints”, may be 3D printed to give life to the final creation.
The contest will start on April, 8th and we will accept submissions until June, 30. The winner will be chosen by the jury on July, 31st.
This new modular rapid manufacture concept leverages 3D-printing technology to create junctions, which will then be combined and assembled with aluminum tubes; essentially a LEGO® for interior design.
3D-printing, which was before limited to small parts, can now be used to create real life products – such as furniture. This concept will lead to unique and innovative objects.
Dixon will be showcasing a coat stand with specially designed interconnecting joints that have been 3d printed by Sculpteo on the Mojo printer.
In collaboration with Sculpteo, Stratasys and Dassault Systèmes, visitors will be able to see how 3D files can be turned into similar 3D printed models right before their eyes
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The Jury for the contest will be composed of: Tom DIXON Industrial Designer and CEO of Tom Dixon / Frederic VACHER Dassault Systèmes’ Strategy Marketing Director / Clément MOREAU CEO of Sculpteo / Michael ZIKOS Journalist at IDEAT
This jury brings together interior design creation, 3D experience, 3D printing and art design critic into a creative design eco-system that proposes to elect the most original creation.
For more on the competition, click here.
Caio, see you next year for MOST 2014
