STILL LIFE communicates an unusual, personal approach to the works and working process of designer Marco Dessi. A large display will form the stage for a comprehensive selection of previously realized projects plus a series of prototypes developed specifically for this MAK exhibition, where they will be displayed for the first time.
Cover image: Shelves / wardrobe, prototype Powder-coated steel, wood Bowler hat © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Stackable chair and table, white/white Polyester coated aluminum Producer: SKITSCH on the table: Marco Dessí, ORBIT, 2012 mug, box, pot Porcelain Producer: Neue Wiener Porzellanmanufaktur Augarten © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
This programmatically entitled exhibition functions as a contemplative snapshot in time, presenting Dessí’s designs in light of substantive, emblematic, and aesthetic contexts.
© MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Designs and objects that give rise to logically coherent combinations of functionality and emotion characterize this South Tirolean designer’s oeuvre. With his Viennese design studio, which he founded in 2007, Dessí collaborates with international companies such as Richard Lampert and Skitsch, as well as with longstanding Viennese firms like J. & L. Lobmeyr, Wiener Silber Manufactur, and the Viennese Porcelain Manufactory Augarten.
© MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
With its multi-platform design, STILL LIFE evokes an interior ambience and integrates a number of previously produced works, including the glass-and-brass chandelier Basket (for Lobmeyr, 2010); the glass service Grip (for Lobmeyr, 2009), reminiscent of the “American Bar” design by Adolf Loos; the stackable Prater Chair made of CNCshaped birch plywood (for Richard Lampert, presented in Milan in 2009), which was the first piece of furniture that Dessí designed; the furniture collection Dakar for the Italian company Skitsch (2011, chairs and tables made of powder-coated aluminum); and the outdoor chair Take Off (2012, cloth and metal).
Shelf, prototype Powder-coated steel, wood on shelf: Marco Dessí, OPENING GLASS, 2012 Glass, Décor sandblasted using a punched plate © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Dessí’s newly developed prototypes are surprising for their unexpected choices of materials and aesthetics. On display will be items such as round occasional tables made of the treadplate-patterned sheet metal typically reserved for stairs and ramps, a chair with a backrest made of stretched hide, a sensitive reinterpretation of simple shelving brackets, and a wardrobe combining wood and metal.
Ersatzscheibe aus Polycarbonat für Schutzbrille, Hersteller: poc Marco Dessí, LUNA PARK TABLES, 2012 Riffelblech, pulverbeschichtet Anti-slip steel plate, powder-coated © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Alongside all this, specific details of objects and selected inspirational materials will be featured in order to help visitors visualize and comprehend the designer’s creative process.
Chandelier, brass (gold or silver plated), glass, silk ropes Manufacturer: J. & L. Lobmeyr Golf 4 front guard Marco Dessí, VISOR, 2012/2013 Chair, prototype Tubular steel, cowhide, fabric © MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
References to the minimalist solutions of Viennese Modernism or to French architect and designer Jean Prouvé, who came up with pioneering new developments in furniture design oriented toward mass production techniques, are just as characteristic of Dessí’s oeuvre as is his playful relationship with current design ideals.
Stackable chair, birch plywood, CNC-shaped, black or yellow stained Manufacturer: Richard Lampert© MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Though his works do allude to a classical aesthetic, unexpected design elements clearly signal their belonging to a new generation. Following completion of an apprenticeship as a dental technician, Marco Dessí (*1976, Merano, Italy) studied industrial design under Bořek Šípek and Paolo Piva at the University of Applied Arts Vienna; several of his projects as a student there attracted international attention. Immediately following graduation from the university in 2007, he opened his own design studio (marcodessi.com).
© MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Watch the Prater Chair designed by Marco Dessì made by Richard Lampert on Archiproducts.com: http://www.archiproducts.com/it/prodotti/40319/sedia-in-betulla-prater-richard-lampert.html
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