MILAN 2014: KVADRAT’S DIVINA EXHIBITION
Published
At Milan Design Week 2014, 22 designers created one-of-a-kind objects using Kvadrat’s Divina fabric, with some very colourful results.
Werner Aisslinger, Richard Hutton and Anton Alvarez were among the 22 contemporary designers invited to interpret Kvadrat’s Divina fabric for an exhibition held during Milan Design Week.
Kvadrat’s Divina fabric is known for its felt-like texture and its bright and extraordinarily wide-ranging colours. It was originally created by Danish painter and graphic artist Finn Sködt in 1984.
Werner Aisslinger’s ‘Nesting Hexagons’
Werner Aisslinger’s ‘Nesting Hexagons’ makes reference to the ease and comfort of a picnic on the grass, and Joe Colombo’s Tube Chair from 1969. The design consists of a series of tube modules and plaids, which form a set of easy-to-carry, upholstered rolls. The rolls can be connected together by special buttons to create loungers or used separately like cushions.
Aisslinger says that the hexagons “are ideal for lolling around or relaxing on the ground both indoors and outdoors.”
Richard Hutton’s ‘Layers Cloud Chair’
Richard Hutton’s ‘Layers Cloud Chair’ (also top image) uses 840 square metres of Divina, weighing a total of almost 300 kilograms. Based on an earlier design, he has layered up the fabric to showcase the Divina colour range.
“The Layers Cloud Chair shows off the beautiful colours available in the Divina fabric, and was inspired by the Painted Desert of Arizona,” Hutton explains.
Almost 100 colours were used in 545 layers to create the chair.
Anton Alvarez’s ‘Thread Wrapping Architecture’
In ‘Thread Wrapping Architecture’, Anton Alvarez has used the Divina fabric in an evolution of his ongoing Thread Wrapping Machine Project. The machine uses thread to join materials like wood, steel and plastic together without using screws or nails, to create objects, furniture and constructed spaces.
“By introducing the textile to the project I can now create curved structures in a way which has not been possible before,” says Alvarez.
Watch this video for more on the Divina exhibition:
Photos © Patricia Parinejad
Kvadrat is available in Australia from Kvadrat Maharam
kvadratmaharam.com
For more indesignlive coverage of the 2014 Milan design fair visit: indesignlive.com/category/articles/in-review/milan-14
Related Articles
Events
It’s time for debate and discussion at Saturday Indesign
Saturday Indesign might be revitalised and full of surprises in 2026, but the ever-popular Design Discussion series is back for more thought-provoking panels. Find out who’s discussing what in Sydney on 12th September.
Events
A rollicking good story with Richards Stanisich and Royal Oak Floors
Jonathan Richards and Kirsten Stanisich discussed practice, design process and the business of running a studio at a live audience event hosted by Royal Oak Floors in Sydney.
Events
Indesign x Wilkhahn: Melbourne, where are you working?
Our latest collaboration saw a range of designers come together at Wilkhahn’s Melbourne showroom for a discussion on the workplace dynamics specific to the Victorian capital.
Events
“A journey into a whole new material world”: Plant Life at the NGV
Curator Ewan McEoin tells us about the NGV’s new exhibition on plant-based materials as alternatives to plastics, synthetic materials and other non-renewable resources.