nacho carbonell at museo bagatti valsecchi

auditorium, 2011image © designboom

the historic museo bagatti valsecchi in milan hosts a rich collection of decorative arts and crafts objects, collected by the bagatti valsecchi family up until the end of the 19th century. the house itself boasts rooms with 19th century interiors rich with wood furniture, marble floors and ornate moulded details–decorated in gold and jeweltone colors–offering a rich and warm atmosphere which draws visitors into a past era. this was the backdrop which gallerist rossana orlandi chose to present the contemporary works of nacho carbonell in a curated exhibition during milan design week. the show saw new pieces by the spanish designer, most notably the ‘memorabilia edition’ chair, a copper carpet for nodus, the ’45 degrees’ blue chandelier for vionnet, and a preview of his ‘basket mobiles–the crudeness of carbonell’s pieces subdued by the refined setting in which they were exhibited;a calculated balance between past and present.

detail of the copper eroding on the bells extending from the chair’s backimage © designboom

medium memoralia chair, 2013image © designboom

‘memoralia’ envelopes you in a temporal sphere, where thoughts flow freelyimage © designboom

detail of the metal workimage © designboom

copper carpet for nodus, 2013image © designboom

threads of copper have been woven to create a metallic dotimage © designboom

45 degrees blue for vionnet, 2013image © designboom

the ’45 degrees’ blue chandelier–produced for recently re-launched fashion label vionnet–is an illuminated work of cascading silicone ropes executed in various shades of blue which speak of the brand’s signature color. influenced by the bias cut dresses created by madam vionnet in the early 20th century, the composition of the lighting piece’s elements is derived from the concept of mixing 45 degree angles.