Dear Shaded Viewers,
I'll post a short video interview soon with Li Edelkoort where she explains GATHERING: from domestic craft to contemporary process, the new exhibition that she is curating with Philip Fimmano for the Design Museum Holon, Israel featuring 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE. Contemporary design themes like: pleating, draping, layering, ribboning, smocking, wrapping, folding , needlewor, felting, knitting, quilting and baking are all utilized in the exhibition and in the construction of furniture, lights and other design objects. The idea is that one does not have to take sides,meaning technology can merge with 'made by hand' and be a source of inspiration both for industry and domestic design. Examples shown in the exhibition link the smart machine, 3D, laser cutting, merging industrial made with hand made in the same piece. The designers use three dimensional craftsmanship which reinvigorates design, giving objects like archetypical chairs a new life, form and volume and the same goes for lighting structures.
Edelkoort explains: "We are unstitched society suffering from a lasting socio-economic crisis that has made us ferociously protective and egocentric. It is time for mending and gathering, thus restoring the fabric of society: picking up the pieces and bringing them together in a patchwork of possibilities; a quilt of substance,able to absorb shock and fear."
The 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE collection applies pop-up methodologies and ecological awareness as well as its efforts to sustain Japanese artisanal knowledge. Jun Mitani, a celebrated scientist works with Miyake's Reality Lab textile engineer Manabu Kikuchi and pattern engineer Sachiko Yamamoto, and convert mathematical algorithms into 3D models before becoming creative dimensional garments. IN-EI applies the same geometric formulas to unfold lamps – produced by Artemide using recycled PET products and fibres. (re-cycled poleyester).
A fully illustrated catalogue, GATHERING: from domestic craft to contemporary process accompanies the exhibition and includes essays by Li Edelkoort, Yael Taragan and Robb Young. www.dmh.org.il
Later,
Diane
