Welcome to the beyond: EDITION 2018 is here

Magnetic. Galvanizing. Charismatic. Sui Generis. At this point I had to exercise self-restraint. Such a litany of descriptors! I could go on and on. In fact, I could probably go on for an eternity. Such is the difficulty of trying to capture the challenging and yet truly gratifying nature of EDITION.

From Living Edge, one of Australia’s premier destinations for design, EDITION 2018 has arrived ­and, with its arrival, the brand reaffirms its position at the frictional vanguard of fine arts and conceptual industrial design. Lending credence to the creative spirit and celebrating the visionaries who design beyond – beyond the common, beyond the known, beyond boundaries – this second coming for EDITION, following an inaugural release last year, represents a real coup for our local design community… and those ancillary communities beyond the ambit of the design world. Perhaps this is part of the reason why I had to wrest myself from cataloguing even more adjectives to describe EDITION. After all, occupying the ‘beyond’ space, EDITION suggests that mere words fail to convey the total sensory profusion created by these inspirational practitioners. They fail to capture the paradigm-shifting aspect of each and every work within EDITION’s exhaustive embrace. And, what’s more, they fail to capture the ‘inner voice’ of excellent design – that invitation to impulsivity – that says, in the plainest of terms, ‘enjoy this life’.

This is art for everyday pleasure. Art for life. And from the studios of trailblazers across the world, I would expect nothing less. For 2018, EDITION corrals watershed pieces from icons as diverse as Salvador Dali, Zaha Hadid, Vernor Panton, Valerio Berruti, TOILETPAPER, Gianni Ruffi, Barnard and Woodgate, Drocco/Mello, Jaime Hayon and Maarten Baas. Comprising a super edit of eighteen pieces, each individually handpicked from the portfolios of the latter greats, EDITION 2018 allows design enthusiasts to transform any residential or commercial interior into something truly unique. A surrealist fidget here, a postmodern wink there, EDITION razes the divide between art and design, raising interiors to the level of museum-worthiness.

Expertly crafted in Europe, EDITION’s collection of furniture, lighting and objets d’art create visceral talking points surrounding the evolving taxonomy of form-meeting-function, the primacy of expert craftsmanship, and the need to preserve individuality and creative self-expression through material culture.

Manufactured by the likes of brands including Established & Sons, BD Barcelona, Gufram and more, EDITION represents the very first time that many of these previously inaccessible pieces of high-end design will arrive on Australian shores. Having already launched at Sydney Contemporary earlier this year, each valuable piece in EDITION 2018 has been carefully chosen by the Living Edge design team for cultural impact, an ingenious concept or bold expression of a cultural ideal. The individual products are numbered or marked by the manufacturer to reflect this exclusivity.

Highlights include the sculptural eponymous chair by Verner Panton. Considered to be one of the most influential designers of the mid-century, Panton’s renowned works are still in production today. For its EDITION iteration, the Panton Chair has evolved to include five layers of meticulously applied phosphorescent varnish, lending the form a mesmeric blue glow when lights go down.

Other standout pieces include The Gufram Cactus by Drocco / Mello that first cemented its status as a ground-breaking piece all the way back in 1972. Originally designed as a 1.7-metre coat stand by artist duo Guido Drocco and Franco Mello, the Gufram Cactus continues to be celebrated by aficionadi worldwide, with early prototypes gracing the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate Modern in London.

More recently, EDITION’s representation of glass manufactures Lasvit reflects that brand’s growing profile on the international stage. Founded in the Czech Republic in 2007, Lasvit recently collaborated with Dutch artist Maarten Baas to create Das Pop, a playful lighting series that combines Baas’ clay-clad bases with Lasvit’s hand-blown shades for a modern and comical twist.  

With its focus and dedication to serving the needs of local and international design collectors, Living Edge has built a lasting legacy as the foremost design destination for architects, interior designers, design enthusiasts and those who share discerning taste. With EDITION 2018, designers, architects, stylists, specifiers and design-lovers alike can create a new layer of architectural delight to breathe new life into spaces that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Discover more from Living Edge, here.