GAME ON FOR GALERIE KREO

For his first collaboration with Galerie kreo, following the ”Carnival Series” collection of mirrors in 2014, Jaime Hayon has created a collection inspired by sports, a theme in tune with Galerie kreo’s DNA as Clémence and Didier Krzentowski, having participated in the production of the Olympic Games of Albertville in 1992.

In a similar manner when Hayon stages fauna, flora, circus or games, the inspiration of sports allow the Spanish artist-designer to bring to life cartoon-like pieces, playing with metamorphosis, scales and disguises.

These transformations bring us back to the flawless imagination of Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1879–1933), honorable interior decorator of the 20th century; who, in 1929, designed the Chaise-longue aux skis, also known as Maharadjah, where the feet of the chair morph into bronze skis.

The visual theme of sports also allows Hayon to play with forms, colours, and patterned graphic lines of sports fields, aerodynamic curves, ergonomic structure. For example the Golf Side Table which mimics the pattern and texture of a golf ball in precious Carrara marble.

As often the case with Jaime Hayon, each piece proposes a scenario of use, precisely conceived from a singular vision: “I wish to freeze a moment of my imagination,” he wrote in 2013. If the work is often joyful and ornamental, it originates from rigorous conception and production. It is one of the gifts of talented designers, to never make the audience feel the pain of the workload but just the joy of the process, the pleasure of creation.

“What matters is participation,” declared Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the OlympicGames; “what matters is imagination,“ claims Game on at Galerie kreo. Here the daybed Sledge Sofa plays on its resemblance with a sledge or bobsleigh, conveying speed and recklessness only here to invite sleep and relaxation, an oxymoron if you will. The Podium cabinet suggests we hierarchise the way we store our goods, and the mirror Ping Pong Hanger seems to spring from a hallucinatory experience of Olympic proportions. But the pieces are much more than an invitation to a dreamlike state, and reveal a precise technique of design allied with the vocabulary of the sports industry: research, efficiency, technical demands … it is with a perfect knowledge of metamorphosis that Jaime Hayon successfully meets the expectation of functionality.

The many disciplines invoked: gymnastic for Trapeze Light, ping-pong for Ping Pong Table, collective sports for Sports Lights and Basket Side Table, that bring coherence to the collection. Furthermore, Jaime Hayon decided to give the collection a final twist: the use of artisanal and noble materials (his favourites, ceramic, wood, marble, hand-blown glass, leather) instead of the obvious high-tech and composite materials preferred today. As always crossing the line.

Just imagine a world where things are no longer what they seem to be, limited by what we think they can be; a world where objects can be whatever they want; this world is the one of a certain Alice, daughter of Lewis Carroll and generations of dreamers, this world is one where an acrobatic trapeze lights up in neon (Trapeze Light), where your minimalist ceiling light hosts your tightrope walker dreams. This world is the one in which Jaime Hayon has been living for the past ten years; designing in an open and non authoritarian manner, where the quest for ornament and the cartoon-like quality of the drawing is combined with noble materials, such as in this dynamic Game on, functional and playful, technical and surreal.

Posted in Art

Villa Le Lac Paulownia for Cassina

Villa “Le Lac”, located on the shores of lake Geneva in Switzerland, is the first example of modern architecture designed by Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret. This concrete house was completed in 1924 and became the home for Le Corbusier’s parents. When the ECAL/University of art and design Lausanne informed Cassina that the historical Paulownia tree planted in 1924 on the garden terrace of Villa “Le Lac” was to be removed due to an incurable illness, the brand immediately got involved and in 2013 assisted with the tree’s felling and subsequent transfer to its carpentry workshop in Meda.

Despite numerous efforts made to plant a descendent from the same Paulownia tree, the fifty cuttings taken from the branches did not survive due to the wet spring of 2013, and the seeds taken from its fruit and planted on several latitudes in Corseaux (Switzerland), Paris, Boulogne-sur-Mer (north of France), Roquebrune Cap Martin (south of France) and Bruxelles (Belgium) did not grow. In November 2013 a new Paulownia tree was planted to continue the legacy of Le Corbusier and his architecture. However in spring 2014, nature took its course and a little branch was discovered to be growing out of the terrace’s wall on the lakeside of the villa, most probably thanks to a seed, Le Corbusier’s spirit, which had been blown by the wind. This Paulownia offspring has now been replanted at the Bourse aux Arbres in the suburbs of Lausanne where it is now more than 50cm high.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the LC Collection (Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand) and commemorate the 50 years since Le Corbusier passed away, Cassina, with the support of the Fondation Le Corbusier, asked the artist and designer Jaime Hayon to honour this great architect by creating a set of accessories in the wood from this same unique Paulownia tree. Today Le Corbusier’s memory continues to live in three decorative objects which will be produced using all healthy parts of the tree, right to the very last piece of wood. These ‘Villa Le Lac Paulownia’ objects have a strong poetic reference to what no longer exists now that the tree has been cut down aswell as a specific functional use: The Bird, The Bird House and The Ledge.

”I was honored to be given the task to create new objects from the Villa “Le Lac” tree to, in turn, honour the great Le Corbusier. I thought about who would most miss the beautiful Paulownia standing on the banks of Lake Geneva. I thought about birds singing amidst the sound of leaves in the wind, a little home for those birds, and kids laughing joyously while swinging from the branches. I let this spirit guide me in creating the three objects which speak the poetic nature of the tree, evoking new life.” Jaime Hayon.

 

 

Kuriopotek, The Garden of Wonders

BE OPEN, the international foundation which operates in the field of design and creativity, has chosen the Botanical Garden of Brera as the amazing background of a sophisticated interdisciplinary project whose central theme is perfume.

The research will be presented on the occasion of EXPO 2015 in May, with a special preview during the Milan Design Week in April, due to the aesthetic and philosophical features this products embodies.

The exhibition is the second stop of the global project “Made in…”, an investigative tour on the virtuous relationship between contemporary design and the excellence of small producers at the four corners of the earth. The research on perfume focuses on the heritage of values of small business realities,communities which have been able to pass on traditions, expertise and relationships over the years.

Jaime Hayon approaches the forgotten fragrance brand FELIX BOISSARD by looking through the lens of an old-time alchemist, bringing the brand into the present through a Lab of Fantasy. A whimsical scent lab is anchored by a grand table and a cabinet of curiosity, filled with a melange of vessels, lamps, perfume bottles, and other accoutrement of a wizard’s workspace, each surreal element expertly crafted with impeccable technique. Noble materials such as glass, ceramic, and leather, are mixed in an explosion of forms. By day, it’s a glimmering mix of materiality and wonder, and by night, it lights up into a sparkling dream world.

 

Posted in Art

Urban Perspectives for MINI

MINI has joined forces with the Spanish designer and artist Jaime Hayon for  Salone del Mobile 2015. The highlight of this cooperation is a multi-faceted installation which presents Jaime Hayon’s personal vision of urban mobility in the future in the shape of an imaginary living space.

As part of the installation, which can be viewed at the Laboratorio Bergognone, Jaime Hayon embarks on a journey into the mobile future. The focus of attention is the MINI Citysurfer Concept. This flexible electric kick-scooter gets you around town in a way that is even more individual and smarter – and, for Jaime Hayon, more inventive.

Taking his lead from its mobility attributes, Jaime Hayon has given the MINI Citysurfer Concept a new interpretation while taking its design dimension a step further. With the variants he has created, he takes us along on a fantastical trip through a modern metropolis.

Two new looks for the innovative concept. Jaime Hayon has designed two distinctive versions of the MINI Citysurfer Concept. The surfaces of an artistic and playful version recall blue and white porcelain. With its graphical dots and stripes in rich colour tones, the Citysurfer Concept sports a cheerful pattern.

The second scooter also features the distinctive Hayon design. This version is an elegant and refined interpretation using high-grade materials. Copper and subdued shades of green are the dominating colour scheme, handlebar grips made of naturally coloured leather, anodised metal and polished copper details refine a modern look combined with classical elements. Both concepts reflect Hayon’s style which is so unmistakable as it combines playful aspects and a focus on special material combinations.

The urban jungle as an aesthetic space. Using the MINI Citysurfer Concept, Jaime Hayon has created a space representing his idea of the urban jungle. “For me mobility means change and discovery. I wanted to explore this world of being on the move with my very own vision”, says Hayon. His streets of marble stretch out towards an imaginary destination of shining blue columns. You are guided through the traffic not by a forest of signs but by simple dots, lines and reflective surfaces. Conventional traffic lights give way to gleaming copper lamps along the route, turning the city into an aesthetic playground.

Jaime Hayon’s installation thus gives the visitor to the Laboratorio Bergognone a unique sense of immersion in an imaginary space. “MINI makes you feel alive. Jaime Hayon straightaway understood our identity and took us on a ride into his vibrant and inspirational world of aesthetics. His installation exudes creativity and invites everyone to come along for the ride!”, says Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design.

Change of perspective. Combination of innovation and tradition. Accessories especially developed for the installation reflect the dimensions of fantasy with which the Spanish designer takes us into the future of mobility. A helmet which resembles more of a mask than protective equipment plays with different perspectives. Two jacket models designed by Jaime Hayon featuring countless compartments are indispensable companions for dynamic travel. When it came to developing accessories, Jaime Hayon likewise discovered new technologies and combined them with traditional materials and craft techniques, as used for example in creating Venetian masks.

The MINI Citysurfer Concept design was implemented in close cooperation with the MINI design team led by Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design. Further details were manufactured in special craft workshops in Italy. Hayon brings together what seems opposite in an impressive fashion: High-tech and craftsmanship, innovation and tradition, playfulness and earnestness. This also became clear during Hayon’s intensive collaboration with the MINI design team. “Jaime Hayon was propelled into the international spotlight with his cheerful and distinctive designs. For us at MINI it is a particular pleasure to witness how he re-enacts the fun part of future mobility while seriously discussing its core values with this project”, is how Anders Warming sums of the cooperation with the designer.

Posted in Art

Afghan Folklore for Nodus

The design for Nodus in collaboration with artisans of Afghanistan,  explores the folklore of the culture through the medium of tapestry. Inspired by the vibrant life of Afghan culture, I incorporated certain elements such as beautiful dresses with traditional patterns and a symphony of instruments into the design, and paired them together with my own whimsical style. The Afghanartisans use a very special technique of tapestry which brings the design to life with sharp detail down to the last thread. In my previous collaboration with Nodus, I sought to bring Japanese folklore together with the heritage of Nodus, which has long stood for quality and the bridging of East and West. With this new collaboration, I hope to bring happiness to living spaces with the joyful imagery of Afghan folklore and the craftsmanship of the country’s artisans. Jaime Hayon.

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