What Martino Gamper did between two thousand and Friday 16th May 2008

Total Trattoria
New pieces by Martino Gamper
7 March - 26 April 2008
Aram Gallery, London

You are invited to the launch of the publication:
Chairs (100 in 100 days)
12th Oct 2007
5 Cromwell Place
South Kensington
London SW7 2JB
To pre-order the book, please contact dandelione@gampermartino.com

‘100 Chairs in 100 Days’ - Martino Gamper
2-15th Oct 2007
Private View: Tuesday 2nd of October 18:00 - 23:00
Opening hours: 12:00 noon – 18:00pm

5 Cromwell Place
South Kensington
London SW7 2JB

This project involves systematically collecting discarded chairs from London streets (or more frequently, friends’ homes) over a period of about roughly two years, then spending 100 days to reconfiguring the design of each one in an attempt to transform its character and/or the way it functions. My intention is to investigate the potential for creating useful new designs by blending together stylistic or structural elements of existing chair types.
I see this as a chance to create a ‘three-dimensional sketchbook’, a set of playful yet thought-provoking designs that, due to the time constraint, are put together with a minimum of analysis. As well as possibly making one or more designs that might be suitable for mass production, I intend to question the idea of there being an innate superiority in the one-off, to use this mongrel morphology to demonstrate the difficulty of any particular design being objectively judged ‘the best’. I also hopes my chairs illustrate – and celebrate – the geographical, historical and human resonance of design: what can they tell us about London, the sociological context of seating from different areas, and the people who owned each one? The stories behind the chairs are as important as their style or even their function.

The project suggests a new way to stimulate design thinking, and provokes debate about a number of issues, including value, different types of functionality and what is an appropriate style for certain types of chair – for example, what happens to the status and potential of a plastic garden chair (conventionally located slap bang in the idiom of unremarkable functionality) when it is upholstered with luxurious brown suede? In essence, this exercise champions a certain elasticity of approach – both in terms in highlighting the importance of the sociological/personal/geographical/historical context of design, and in enabling the creative potential of elements of randomness and spontaneity to be brought to the fore.

m.g

12-16 June 2007, Markthalle Basel
Exhibition stand of Nilufar Gallery showcasing “Hexagone” Table, “Arnold Circus Chair” and “Totem shelving ” by Martino.

“Together” modular shelving composed of 12 different boxes in 6 different finishes.

“If Gio only knew” performance, as part of Satellite Exhibition, Design Miami/Basel

1-4 March 2007
Contemporary Art + Design Fair
Olympia
London