For this first time, the Lambrate industrial area to the east of Milan showcased more than 20 groups of designs, mostly from the Netherlands. The area is definitely not as thriving as Zona Tortona, but at the same time one can comfortably browse through the designs without the crowds. As many have put it, Ventura Lambrate is like “the Zona Tortona from 10 years ago”. It is not exactly an easy place to get to, as even after getting off the metro, you would have to walk through the train station to the other side and into a different residential area, and after many twists and turns do you actually see the exhibits. In any case, here are our favorites from Lambrate:

L’artisan Electronique by Unfold + Tim Knapen.

Simply put, it’s pottery printed on the spot – digital style. A 3D ceramic printer is combined with a virtual pottery wheel and pottery can be made digitally. The printing process is supposed to be an imitation of traditional artisans by stacking up coils of clay. See a video of this in action.

Collection Arnhem Product

This is a collective exhibit of the works of 17 third-year product design students of ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts Arnhem, the Netherlands. The theme of each product displayed is considered a re-framing of the simple objects that are around us. For example, the dishcloth pictured below looks quite simple, but there is detail. The checkered pattern actually lines up when the dishcloth is hung, making the display just even more pleasing to the eye (therefore, I bought one myself).

At the Salone del Mobile this year, Tokujin is heard everywhere, from the Swarovski Crystal Palace to Kartell and now Moroso. As in one of our previous posts, we showed concept photos of the Memory chair – but here’s the real thing. The special recycled aluminum fabric is indeed one that could “remember” your seating position and becomes your chair. It is an interesting concept, I just wished that the chair was a bit more comfortable.

I had the opportunity to speak with Arik Levy about his Pattern Collection of outdoor furniture he designed for emu, as well as understand the other projects that he is currently working on. Here is what Mr. Levy had to say about these and more.

The collection

There are a few facets as to how lighting played an important role in this collection. First, Mr. Levy chose a more rough, matte finish for the collection as he wanted the pieces to be seen – literally. Having pieces of shiny, glossy furniture under the sun (remember this is outdoor furniture) would just bring too much glare and the furniture would be “lost” in the setting due to the reflection.

In addition, Mr. Levy brought light to the collection in a different way – through the hexagonal shapes that are stamped out. Imagine the pieces in your backyard on a sunny morning, you will see the shadows of each hexagonal shape on one side of the ground, but as the day goes by the position of the shadow will move, creating this “interaction” and bringing the outdoor setting together as one with the furniture pieces.

Sustainability

We’ve continued to see a lot of sustainability as part of many products’ themes here at the Fair, this one is the same. Mr. Levy noted that the laser-cut hexagonal shapes actually makes the chair lighter, which reduces transportation weight. The stackable chairs also make the packaging more compact as well. Mr. Levy also

Upcoming Projects

So what’s there to look for from Arik Levy? On April 24, he will be exhibiting two pieces of his work in Tokyo’s 21_21 Design Sight Gallery as a part of an exhibition called “POST-FOSSIL: Excavating 21st Century Creation”. In May, he will be opening an exhibit in Santa Monica, California as well as launching a jewelry collection.