Background information
From volcanoes to the Alps – when Mexican design meets Swiss expertise
by Pia Seidel
Full of "oïphoria": You must visit this exhibition
16.7.2018
Translation: machine translated
Atelier Oï, a trio from French-speaking Switzerland, is currently transporting visitors to a magical world with installations at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich.
To mark the reopening of the Kunstmuseum, the designer trio Atelier Oï will be occupying the newly renovated premises until the end of September, catapulting you and me into another sphere. Their transdisciplinary works are not just about product design, but also about scenography. This is on display at the Museum für Gestaltung using designs and final results from 1991 to 2018. You can get an insight into the exhibition and the work of the design magicians here.
Atelier Oï from La Neuveville
Founded by Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis and Patrick Reymond, the multidisciplinary studio is based on Lake Biel - and has its heart in interior design, product design and stage design. It's not just me who puts them at the top of the list of favourites on the Swiss design scene. Atelier Oï has been designing for big names such as Louis Vuitton, Foscarini and B&B Italia for over twenty years. Even though the manufacturers could not be more different, the studio remains true to its line and its motto of learning from others.
Instead of straight lines, the common thread in her work stretches like a web. Common features such as the use of wire, rope or yarn can be observed in all of the designs. The technique of multiplication is often used. Atelier Oï, for example, develops a single element such as an unspectacular fan, which, despite its beautiful grain, achieves little effect on its own. However, if it is multiplied in different sizes and attached to the ceiling, the result is an installation that takes up the entire room. You can currently marvel at exactly this kind of effect at the Museum für Gestaltung.
Pure "Oïphoria" in Zurich
In contrast to expectations, the individual projects in the renovated main building are not arranged chronologically or by manufacturer. Instead, the curation focuses entirely on the design studio's individual products. From models to end products and short videos, the exhibition illustrates how the designs are created. The products that were created for Louis Vuitton particularly caught my eye.
Louis Vuitton makes furniture: "Objets Nomades"
I was able to marvel at Atelier Oï's exclusive collaboration with Louis Vuitton live for the first time at this year's "Salone del Mobile". What was still shown in Milan in a palazzo and dark interiors that almost distracted from the essentials was shown to better advantage for me in the Zurich exhibition street: under the name "Objets Nomades", furniture such as stools or hammocks, most of which are made of leather, take centre stage. With attention to detail and creative material processing, they speak for themselves in the restrained rooms of the museum.
The former Louis Vuitton saddlery and Atelier Oï are linked by many years of experience in leather processing. Only subtleties were new for the product designers. Where they would choose a soft leather strap finish for the hammock, Louis Vuitton favours a sewn finish. This makes the edge harder, but makes it look more elegant.
Extremely "instagrammable"
In addition to a high level of material expertise, Atelier Oï has a good understanding - whether intentional or not - of contemporary marketing. Instead of investing in online campaigns, they reach a wide audience via Instagram. After the Milan furniture fair, numerous visitors - myself included - voluntarily shared their impressions of "Objets Nomades" there. The installation consisting of hundreds of pink-coloured flowers in particular became a trending motif. The "Oïphorie" exhibition is in no way inferior. Atelier Oï scores again with imaginative sceneries that you have to see live - it's worth a visit!
Pia Seidel
Senior Editor
Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.chLike a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.
Interior
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