Kartell, a Pioneer Company in Plastics
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EN KARTELL, A PIONEER 01 COMPANY IN PLASTICS PLASTICARIUM COLLECTION Plastic was introduced into the world of furniture largely ANNA CASTELLI-FERRIERI [1918-2006] thanks to the Kartell company, founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli [1920-2006], a chemical engineer and a graduate of Anna Castelli-Ferrieri was an Italian architect and designer. the Politecnico of Milan. In 1943, she became the first woman to graduate in architec- ture from the Politecnico of Milan. She married Giulio “My challenge as an entrepreneur has been to present plas- Castelli in the same year. Anna Castelli-Ferrieri was one of tic to the public as a noble material, not a poor substitute for a group of designers keen to transform the world of design a natural material, but one with its own specific dignity”. with new technology and new materials, particularly plas- tics. To achieve this, she embarked on several partnerships “Conversazione con Giulio Castelli”, in Giulio Castelli, Paola Antonelli and Francesca Picchi, La fabbrica del design. Conversazione i protagonisti del with prestigious industrial design companies [including design italiano, Milan : Skira, 2007, p. 26 Arflex, Sambonet, Ycami and Matteograssi]. In 1966 she started designing for Kartell, and was the company’s artistic Giulio Castelli, who dedicated his professional life to creat- director from 1976 to 1987. ing objects, understood the extraordinary potential offered by polymers. Kartell’s first product was a ski-rack, followed During this period she produced a number of affordable by an extensive range of car accessories. In 1951, Castelli’s everyday objects − indeed, a Kartell item could be found in enthusiasm for this new material led him to create a depart- every Italian home. Her creations are characterised by their ment for products designed for the domestic environment, minimalistic geometric forms, their vivid, opaque colours such as household goods, home accessories, lamps and and their highly polished surface finishes, produced by furniture, ensuring that they were innovative and produced using the latest technological innovations. through industrial processes. Her first solo design project for Kartell was theComponibili In order to prove that plastic was a quality material, Giulio storage furniture. A bestselling range produced by the Ital- Castelli communicated his thoughts extensively. In 1965, he ian designer furniture company Kartell, the Componibili created the company magazine Qualità, and in the 1970s he [which means “modular” or “stackable”] bring to mind the founded Centrokappa, an autonomous enterprise whose concept of interobjectivity. The collection is composed of team developed design, graphic art, publicity and commu- cylindrical and square storage units that can be stacked nications projects. These reflections led to publicity according to the user’s wishes. As the pieces interlock campaigns displaying interiors entirely furnished with together, there is no need for screws or tools. Each modular items produced by the firm. Each object was individually element comprises a base, a main “body” and a little door. A showcased in these images, even through the presence of range of additional accessories is also available: trays, lids, other pieces. cushions, castors, etc. These can be acquired as needed. Anna Castelli-Ferrieri 1.1 KARTELL, A PIONEER COMPANY IN PLASTICS The units come in a variety of colors, so users can choose to combine different shades or keep to a single color. One of the great strengths of this collection, and the key to its success, is this ability to “adapt itself to individual wishes and needs”, in any part of the home. Anna Castelli selected acrylonitrile butadiene styrene [ABS] as the material for the Componibili. One of the most widely used plastics today, it has been described as “the tubular steel of the 60s”. ANNA CASTELLI-FERRIERI, Componibili storage furniture, 1967-present, ABS, Kartell, ITA 1.2 EN TRANSPARENCY 02 IN HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES PLASTICARIUM COLLECTION APPLE tinted acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene [ABS] was replaced with a transparent coloured polycarbonate [PC] in blue, red, The Apple company was established in 1976, in California orange, violent or green. Jonathan Ive drew attention to the by two computer scientists, Steve Wozniak [born in 1950] details: everything is compact and the electric cables were and Steve Jobs [1955-2011]. Six months later, the Apple I strictly limited to the minimum. The iMac had to be an acces- micro-computer was launched. It was an immediate success. sory that integrates in the workspace as well as at home. It was the result of a rapid miniaturisation of electronic components and the sign of a cultural revolution, namely a The success of this design was sensational, beyond the desire to democratise access to computing. Their slogan was world of computing. For instance, the company Artemide also: “The principle of democracy as it applies to technology. drew inspiration from it to design translucent and colourful One person, one computer.” PC lighting. From 1985, all the company’s devices were called Macintosh Today, the iMac is identified as one of the most important and their technological progress continued to accelerate. In products from the end of the century. Less than one year 1996, Apple created the iMac, a compact computer in which after releasing the iMac, Apple launched the iBook. all the functions were integrated in the same case. JONATHAN IVE, APPLE DESIGN TEAM, iMac computer, 1996, PC, mixed media, Apple, USA The British-born designer, Jonathan Ive [born in 1967], was appointed head of the product design team for the Apple brand in 1996 – he still has that position. His role is JONATHAN IVE, APPLE DESIGN TEAM, iBook computer, significant because he reinforced the importance of design 1997, PC, mixed media, Apple, USA in the company. One of his first projects was theiMac . The iBook was the first consumer laptop from Apple. Its play- The goal was to create a functional and user-friendly ful and colourful appearance – two colours were available, computer, while redefining it aesthetics by using fashion- blueberry and tangerine – caused some criticism. Its aesthetics able colours. In this way, instead of producing square boxes, were considered too similar to toys. Nevertheless, Apple Ive imagined a case with curved lines. The beige or grey marketed the second fastest laptop in the world. 2.1 TRANSPARENCY IN HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES DYSON James Dyson The vacuum cleaners by the British designer, James Dyson [born in 1947], are icon pieces of industrial design. JAMES DYSON, DC05 vacuum, 1988, ABS, PC, mixed media, Dyson Appliances, GBR In 1978, James Dyson designed a new type of vacuum cleaner based on the cyclone idea and bagless. After five years of research and 5127 prototypes, the first model was released in Japan under the G-Force brand. With its pastel lilac and pink colours, the appliance tried to seduce the female public. However, James Dyson wanted to enter the UK market so G-Force DC01 started to produce his own product. After several revisions, vacuum vacuum an upright vacuum cleaner, the DC01, was produced in 1983. It was followed by the cylinder version, the DC02. Instead of hiding the mechanism under a cover, he leaves it clear by using transparent plastic. In this way the user can immediately see if the vacuum cleaner needs to be emptied. As for the colours chosen – yellow, metallic grey and black – they highlight the machine’s main components. Despite the high price, the Dyson brand quickly took the top spot on the UK market. The piece shown at ADAM is an updated version of the DC02, called DC05. For this new model from 1988, Dyson replaced the metallic grey with turquoise and dark blue. DC02 vacuum 2.2 EN 03 ANTHROPOMORPHIC CHAIRS PLASTICARIUM COLLECTION ROGER TALLON [1929-2012] NICOLA L. [born in 1937] Roger Tallon, famous for having designed the TGV or the Born in Morocco, Nicola L. moved to Paris in the post-war Télévia television, produced over four hundred objects in period to study at the Académie Julian and the École des twenty years with his team, for both public and private com- Beaux-arts in Paris. In 1966, she moved to New York, a city missions. pulsing with the Pop Art triumph. At the same time, she discovered vinyl and synthetic fur, materials that she used in In 1967, César asked Roger Tallon to design figures for the all shapes and sizes on “sculpture furniture”. This term refers to crib at Orly airport [France]. He created portrait-seats re- furniture items that assume an organic and surrealist sculp- presenting celebrities of the era. While seated on these tural language. She defines her aesthetic as “another pop”. chairs, the users could see Jesus on a television screen. Roger Tallon followed this anthropomorphic series by realising Influenced by the socio-political upheavals of her time, she twenty Zombie chairs for the restaurant bar the Astrolabe, addresses the role of women and develops a practice based on the boulevard Saint-Germain [Paris]. on the function of everyday objects. ROGER TALLON, Zombie chair, 1967, GRP, steal, FRA These chairs are yellow or orange in the form of a human silhouette, on which the position of the eye sockets have been reproduced. A cushion, aestheti- cally similar to a target, is arranged on the backrest. After the intervention by Roger Tallon, the owner of the Astrolabe changed the layout from time to time. These pieces are very rare today. NICOLA L., Femme sculpture bench, 1968, PUR, PVC, BEL The sculpture bench Femme [Woman] consists of different elements with multiple combinations possible. Namely, the silhouette of the sitting evokes a buste, according to the way you use it, completely made of cushions in the shape of a head, arms and legs. 3.1 SIÈGES ANTHROPOMORPHES RUTH FRANCKEN [1924–2006] ROY ADZAK [né en 1927] Born in Prague but of French nationality, Ruth Francken is The British sculptor, Roy Adzak settled in Paris from 1961.