Total Trattoria at The Aram Gallery
Thursday, March 13th, 2008
7 March - 26 April 2008
The Aram Gallery
110 Drury Lane, Covent Garden
London WC2B 5SG
www.thearamgallery.org
‘The Aram Gallery has commissioned London-based designer Martino Gamper to create Total Trattoria - the ultimate expression of his Trattoria al Cappello concept.
Developing further his idea, Total Trattoria, completes the concept and puts it on show to the public for the first time.
Gamper has designed every single element of the dining event ranging from the kitchen and its storage areas to the cutlery and the tables and chairs to the glassware. A series of thirteen individual tables that connect to form one large dining table snakes around the gallery to seat 25 guests. The 25 chairs around the table are all different but are constructed from the same set of component parts, designed by Gamper.
The pieces include the results of many collaborations between Gamper and a wide variety of makers including engraved glasses placed on clusters of leather coasters, blown-glass water jugs and limited edition placemats designed by Gamper’s collaborators in the Trattoria events, Maki Suzuki, Alex Rich and Kajsa Stahl.
The exhibition graphics and communication, also designed by Suzuki, Rich and Stahl, includes a specially designed catalogue.’
Curator: Daniel Charny
Assistant Curator: Alison Norris
Graphic Design: Abake & Alex Rich
Gallery Director: Zeev Aram
Images courtesy of: © Shira Klasmer
Combo
The Combo chairs are an experiment in making furniture in a way similar to making food. The ingredients were prepared in advance and the variety is a result of different ways of putting the ingredients together. There are twelve different components in three different types of timber. The design and making process were intertwined and the results were not pre-drawn but methodically improvised during the making. The evolution of the ideas can be seen in the different versions. One of them is more likely to be better than the rest or may suit a specific person more than the others.
Off-Cut
The Off-Cut dining table is made of 13 individual units, butted against each other to create one large horseshoe configuration. Although the leg system is the same, each tabletop is a different shape, size and material; a unique variation that is a result of the multi-faceted division of the surface. Three types of timber are merged together to create the surface. Off-Cut reflects the fact that a dining event is only ever complete when the different people around the table share the same experience.
Kitchen
Wood, plywood, bamboo, resin, water tank
Aqua Minerale
Water jug
By designing the glass jug in a generic water bottle shape, a normally disposable object becomes non-disposable.
Hand-blown glass.
In Vino Veritas
Coasters
Die cut leather
Auge fur Auge
Hand etched glasses
Hand etched at Lobmeyer, Vienna.
Aqua Naturale
Vase
By designing the glass vase in a generic water bottle shape, a normally disposable object becomes non-disposable.
Hand-blown glass
42 Flavours
Beermats
Silk screen, Die cut board
Trouble
Embroidered South Tyrolean farmers’ apron
Embroidery and apron
Relay
Cutlery cluster
The individual pieces are threaded on a bracelet like holder ready to be passed around like an over-sized key ring. The diners pass the cutlery ring around.
Found cutlery
Nuts
These individual candleholders of different circumferences can be made into a cluster
Found objects
Taste Buds
The embossed invitation to the Total Trattoria doubles up as placemat. At the Trattoria, placemats have been the calling card of a making process beyond the preparation of the food and were often used as the transaction ticket when the Trattoria took place in a location without a food licence. The placemat artwork was purchased and the food was served after the formal transaction although the artwork was only considered complete once it had acquired the evidence of its use.
Letterpress paper
Chianti Bianco
Candles
Wax casting
