lensvelt’s maarten van severen installation by OMA in milan

lensvelt’s maarten van severen installation by OMA in milan
all images © J.W kaldenbach

during milan design week 2014, dutch furniture company lensvelt created a design installation in collaboration with architecture firm OMA to launch the first series of furniture by belgian designer maarten van severen. ‘addicted to every possibility’, the exhibition presented at ventura lambrate, features a collection of re-issued production models and scale models against a three dimensional environment. situated within deceiving scenery – where photography and graphics alternate – the decor aims to re-enact the experience of walking inside the former studio of maarten van severen. ‘the works of van severen are different. they are silent,’ says hans lensvelt, owner. ‘totally stripped down and reduced almost to a conceptual prototype – a simple hieroglyph.’ interspersed throughout the open plan, the collection of furniture offers a comprehensive exploration of the questions of form, material and construction.

‘doing things together was exciting,’ explained rem koolhaas of OMA. ‘that doesn’t happen to me very often. working with maarten was therefore also a sort of important moment in my own professional life. I knew I could rely on maarten. he could create something that on one hand was extremely plain – but also highly imaginative. maybe that was maarten’s intrinsic talent. sometimes there was a kind of tension between the two. the special thing about maarten was that he never said: ‘that’s not possible’.’

 the installation featured pieces by van severen such as: CHL 95, LC 95, C 92, T 88A, K 93, LT 92 and S 88

 a collection of scale models positioned on a cantilevered platform

 ‘the works of van severen are different. they are silent’ – hans lensvelt

photography and graphics alternate throughout the space

view from outside at ventura lambrate