roberto cordone's iconic componibili sculptures celebrate their 50th anniversary in cologne

drop-dead.ltd pays homage to Roberto Cordone’s iconic designs

Celebrating its golden anniversary, the iconic Componibili by Roberto Cordone takes center stage at the Stoff-Pavillon Moeller in Cologne. Originally crafted in 1972/1973, the sculptures comprising four club-like orbitals that are symmetrically arranged with maximum spatial distance between them, were an iconic exploration of the untapped properties of plastic as a design material. Their vast forms and abstart configurations were celebrated during the time of their conception and long after, though now, the works have been rarely seen. In celebration of the collection’s 50th anniversary, drop-dead.ltd will present a large collection of Componibili in an exhibition curated by Martin Wellner and featured by FREMDKÖRPER to reintroduce the world to the iconic designs of Componibili.

all images courtesy of drop-dead.ltd

componibili sculptures arranged in dynamic configurations

The sculptures were created in the early 1970s at Bayer AG as part of a scholarship from the Kulturkreis of the BDI, Federation of German Industries. During this period, Roberto Cordone embraced plastic, which at the time symbolized modernity and progress, as a revolutionary design material, Yet, the Italian sculptor’s vision did not only intend to replace the traditional working materials of artists but sought to create a form that harmonized with its unique properties and production processes. The result was a tetrahedron sculpted from polyurethane foam cast in molds at and with Bayer AG.

The Componibili were last presented in 2013 for the 150th anniversary of Bayer AG, as the Bayer Collection was open to the public in the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Until now, they have had little presence over the years, with some individual sculptures scattered around the world or lost, with only a few stray found on the market. The drop-dead.ltd showcase’s exhibition in Cologne hopes to reintroduce the world to the timeless designs of Componibili.

symmetrical formation, Carl-Duisberg-Park Leverkusen, 1973 © Bayer AG

Componibili takes center stage at the Stoff-Pavillon Moeller in Cologne

the sculptures were originally created in 1972/1973

the tetrahedron sculptures were created in two different sizes

ars viva 73 catalogue

project info:

name: Componibili
designer: Roberto Cordone

showcase: drop-dead.ltd

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom