Newson Photo/М агс Ncwson Ltd., Morrison Photo/H ans Hansen, © Vitra, Baas Photo/Ivan Terestchenko.
R E V I E W E D
T h e e x h i b i t ’s s e r p e n t in e la y o u t ta k e s v ie w e r s p a s t
o b je c ts th e y m ig h t v e r y w e ll h a v e i n t h e ir o w n
h o m e s , a s w e ll a s n o n f u n c t io n a l w o r k s w ith li t t le
u t i l i t y b e y o n d a e s th e tic s .
Below left:
Marc Newson
Orgone
(PO D
Edition)
Chair, 1993, aluminum
{h. 37% in, w. 317/« in,
d. 7% in}.
Below middle:
Jasper Morrison
Plywood Side Chair,
1988, plywood and met-
al (h. 35 in, w. 15% in,
d. 18% in}.
Below:
Maarten Baas
Your Best Kitchen Mate
Knife Block, 2004, lime
wood {h. 14s/»in, w. 8'A
in, d. 9r/s in}.
sense this fondness for ornamentation
in the Luigi 1 Chandelier, 1989, by Borek
Sipek, w ith its twisted bloom o f colorful
glass and brass.
Perhaps no piece better illustrates the
valuation o f form over function in the Ex-
pressive Design section better than Mathias
Bentsson’s Slice Chair, 1999. W ith its hori-
zontal aluminum slabs com bining to create
undulating waves o f pure roving shape, it’s
an arresting blend o f industrialism and or-
ganic fluidity. Similarly, Zaha Hadid’s Vor-
texx Chandelier, 2005, offers more aesthet-
ic than actual illumination, w ith its sinuous
spiral o f fiberglass and acrylic. And so impos-
ing is the steel swirl o f the T his M ortal Coil
Bookshelf, 1993, by Ron A rad, it practically
dares one to place any books upon it.
T h e contrasting utilitarian nature o f
the objects in G eom etric M inim al Design
is dem onstrated by the Jasper M orrison
Toaster, 2004, w ith the sleek spareness o f
an iPod. D e Lucchi’s Tolom eo Table Lamp,
1986, brings an iconic futurism to the table-
top in its bold lines and tension-bound arms.
M arc N ew son has several pieces in the
Biom orphic D esign section that reflect a
whim sical approach, such as his 1997 neon-
orange Dish D octor Dish R ack. H is 1986
Lockheed Chaise Longue is a m asterstroke
in aluminum, with its luxuriant sweeping
form covered in aerodynam ic squares
o f metal and rivets. Indeed, no section has
more surprising juxtapositions than Biomor-
phic D esign, where one can admire finely
crafted vases, walk a few paces and be look-
ing at plastic gasoline cans by Stefan Lind-
fors or pruning shears by O lavi Linden. It
segues discreetly into the N eo-Pop Design
section, typified by playful, highly colorful
designs in mass-produced items like Nokia
cell phones, Swatch watches and James D y-
son’s dci 1 vacuum cleaner, 2003.
Conceptual D esign elevates concept
over both form and function, so no unifying
stylistic theme can be discerned here. Tejo
Rem y employs the found-object aesthetic
w ith his 1991 pieces R ag Chair, using a dis-
parate bundle o f colored cloth held together
w ith steel straps, and M ilk Bottle Lam p,
w ith glass-and-steel bottles hanging from
ceiling almost to floor. A s one might expect,
playfulness takes center stage in the N eo-
Dada/Surreal D esign area, perhaps best
personified by Denis Santachiara’s Cirro
Hanging Lam p, 2002. This Dacron wonder
slowly undulates in a transfixing yet calming
dance—it’s like having one’s own personal
cloud. T h e w him sy is ratcheted up by the
Radi D esigners’ W h ip pet Bench, 1998,
in which the canine silhouette gives form to
the polyurethane and paper bench, and
M aarten Baas’s Your B est K itchen Mate!
K nife B lock, 2004, a carved lim ewood
human head pierced w ith sharp knives.
N eo-D ecorative D esign, the final sec-
tion, features mostly tableware and chairs
launched from historical form s. Tord
B oontje’s Garland H anging L igh t, 2002,
stands out, an intricate bouquet o f flower
shapes cut from steel and wound around
a lightbulb, to subtle yet stunning effect.
G iven its sim ilarity in theme and medium
to the Decorative Design section, the N eo-
Decorative Design collection is meant to
bring the retrospective full circle. But after
the bold extravagance o f the surrealist and
conceptual designs, it risks the danger o f
ending the journey on a staid note.
Still, in such a trek through the disparate
innovations o f contem porary European
design, there w ere bound to be some d izzy -
ing transitions. T h is show puts the India-
napolis Museum o f A rt on the map o f serious
institutions approaching design as art.
Christopher Lloyd is a freelance journalist and
film critic in Indianapolis.
+
T h e exhibition tours to the High Museum
o f A rt, A tlanta (January 23 - A p ril 25,
2010), and other venues. T he catalog, is $45
softback, $65 hardback, imamuseum.org.
aug/sep 09 american craft 03^
