Displaying pieces by students from industrial design and fine arts programmes, ECAL’s More Rules for Modern Life exhibition plays with the flimsy distinctions between objets d’art and practical objects.
Swiss artschool ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne) keeps popping up in our Milan radar these past few years. Last year it made it to our list of most intriguing exhibitions in Milan with When objects Dream exhibition, which considered the future of objects by imagining what they would dream of.
This year the school has returned with a slew of exhibitions around the city, and one of them plays with the flimsy distinction between objets d’art and practical objects.
Displayed in Spazio Orso 16 until this Sunday, More Rules for Modern Life showcases side-by-side pieces by bachelor students from industrial design and fine arts programmes. The exhibition is curated by Switzerland’s curator and jack-of-all-arts John M Armleder. After they revisited some of Armleder’s works (including his famous Furniture Sculpture) the students developed the pieces for a full semester under the watchful eye of designer and professor Christophe Guberan and Stéphane Kropf, artist and Head of ECAL’s Bachelor Fine Arts programme.
The exhibits include a rocking zebra, a handless clock, a minimal painting with maximalist details, concrete marble and a menhir made from recycled plastic – all piled up in, as ECAL describes it, “a visual cacophony that is happily deliberate”.
To quote the delightful little essay It’s Only Furniture by Parker Williams that accompany the exhibition: “Somehow, whatever you do, whatever you show, it is something you might stumble on. Sometimes, you get cultural and then again it’s furniture”.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
As well as considering the materials and processes used to manufacture furniture solutions, companies like Workspace are shifting their focus to the entire lifespan of products.
In this brand new exhibition, GH Commercial’s custom carpet solutions help local artists create joyful installations that each tell a unique story.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Paola Lenti recently unveiled its latest indoor and outdoor collections with dedece in Melbourne and in Sydney, where we sat down with Anna Lenti.
The team at Indesign is busy preparing the schedule for the year’s biggest international design fair. Let us know if you’ll be there too!
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Symbolising a commitment to cultural preservation and timeless design, Powerhouse Castle Hill invites visitors into the stories behind the artefacts in a diverse range of educational and cultural activities.
Winners of The Social Space category in the 2023 INDE.Awards, RooMoo Design Studio has made its mark on the Shanghai’s hospitality landscape with a new restaurant design.