konstantin grcic: black2

'black2' an exhibition concept by konstantin grcic at the istituto svizzero in rome, italy
image © designboom


'black2' - konstantin grcic
instituto svizzero di roma
on now until 12 february, 2011
 
german designer konstantin grcic has conceived a new exhibition concept entitled, 'black2 (black and square)'
for the istituto svizzero di roma. the show, which designboom visited, analyzes the presence of the black square shape
in the production of contemporary objects. consisting of 51 products that are more or less well-known, grcic combines
a wide range of designs within a homogeneous formal and linguistic category.



exhibition view
photo by salvatore gozzo


tracing back to a number of cultures--from the islamic kaaba to chinese ceramic
traditions--the black square is rich in symbolic value. it does not exist in nature
and is seemingly autonomous. it is starting from the twentieth century,
with the modern age, that 'black and square' has been given prominence
and such widespread use to become a formal trend.

on display include the apple iphone and ipad chip, the marshall amplifier,
the bible, and grcic's 'diana b table' (2002). the collection illustrates the dominance
of the black and square shape in product design, fashion, consumerism, and marketing.



(left) 'helvetica' letter 'i', 1957
designer: max miedinger, eduard hoffman
100 x 70 cm
silk screen

(right) 'e2' switch, 1998
designer: gira design team
15.2 x 8.1 x 0.9 cm
termoplast
images © designboom


with 'black 2', grcic reflects and explores the contemporary object and its trajectory 
at a time when experimentation is in need of new orientation capacities. the exhibition
illustrates the vast richness of this linguistic attribute and the certainty that in each
of the products on display, and of the hundreds of black and square objects that we are
surrounded by, it is about an action that calls into play the very idea of creation that is
the contemporary era.



exhibition view
photo by salvatore gozzo



(top left) petrol can
28 x 31 x 18 cm
plastic

(bottom left) 'haze 40c' amplifier, 2008
designer: marshall team
48.6 x 59 x 25.4 cm
plastic, metal

(right) 'boby' trolley, 1970
designer: joe colombo
73.5 x 42 x 43 cm
abs plastic, galvanized steel, polypropylene
images © designboom



(foreground) black soap, fair&white
designer: derma labs
5.5 x 9 x 3.3 cm
soap, cocoa butter

(background) coal briquet, vattenfall europe
6.3 x 15.6 x 4.5 cm
coal
image © designboom



(left) bachelor hat
23.5 x 23.5 x 10 cm
satin

(right) wall mounted CD player, muji, 2004
designer: naoto fukasawa
17.5 x 17.5 x 4 cm
plastic, wire, 2 speakers
images © designboom



'centurion' credit card, american express, 1999
designer: continuum designs innovation
8.5 x 5.4 cm
titanium
image © designboom



holy bible, cambridge university press (UK), approx 1950
18.5 x 12-7 x 3 cm
paper, leather
image © designboom



gravestone
70 x 40 x 6 cm
black granite
image © designboom



'bag gloves escon fit' boxing gloves, 2003
designer: muhamed furkan
21.5 x 12.5 x 9 cm
leather, velcro
image © designboom


'chip A4' chip for ipad and iphone4, 2009
designer: apple engineers team
1.5 x 1.5 x 0.05 cm
image © designboom



'cubo' ashtray, 1957
designer: bruno munari
8 x 8 x 8 cm
anodized natural aluminum, melamine
image © designboom



'sudoku cube', 2006
designer: jay horowitz
5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 cm
plastic
image © designboom



'tetsubin teapot', mount everest tea
16 x 14 x 10.5 cm
cast iron, enamel, stainless steel filter
image © designboom



'the bella combination' art noveau style fireplace
106 x 104 x 15 cm
cast iron
image © designboom





(left) on ground:
'diana 8' side table, 2002
designer: konstantin grcic
53 x 47 x 43 cm
steel, polyethylene

on wall:
(left) 'the black album, prince', 1987
31.5 x 31.5 x 0.3 cm
paper, vinyl

(right) 'CI 481 102', gaggenau induction cooktop 2009
designer: soren strayle
56 x 79.3 x 5 cm
fiberglass

(right) detail of 'the black album, prince'
images © designboom



konstantin grcic at the exhibition
portrait © designboom