VIDEO INSTALLATION

CERAMICS CU 

by ÁLVARO CATALÁN DE OCÓN

The video shows the Ceramics Cu vase collection created in partnership with the Escuela de Arte Francisco Alcántara, Cerámica.

Álvaro Catalán de Ocón has approached the archetypal clay vase from a contemporary perspective through the application of a copper mesh that leaves traces of its pattern in the kiln. As each piece is fired, the clay reacts with the copper mesh, taking on a unique pattern of lines and colors. The second part of the video focuses on the serial production process. The copper wire is weaved in a circular pattern with the help of a custom-built weaving machine which can produce a variety of knots and patterns with different gauges of wire.

Abstract patterns can then be fired onto the clay, further warped by the kiln into a balance between chaos and repetition. Each phase of the production process leaves its mark on the final piece. 

In collaboration with the Escuela de Arte Francisco Alcántara, Cerámica

Álvaro Catalán De Ocón studied Business Management at the Complutense University of Madrid, Product Design at IED in Milan, and Art and Design at Central Saint Martins College of London. In 2004 he opened his studio in Barcelona where he designed the La Flaca lamp, winner of the Design Plus Award (Frankfurt). In 2009 he moved his studio to the capital, Madrid. At Milano Design Week 2010 he presents his products at the Salone Satellite di Milano, winning the Design Report Award. Since 2010 he has premiered his new projects at Spazio Rossana Orlandi. Between 2011 and 2012 he designed the Pet Lamp and created AcdO, the brand he uses for his projects. Pet Lamp and the  Alvaro Catalán de Ocón Studio have since earned a host of awards and nominations, including: Best Product Designer of the year by IED Awards 2019, Finalist of the Dezeen Awards 2019 for the best Design Studio, the AD prize for the Best Emerging Design Studio 2014, nomination for the London Design Museum as best product of the year 2014.

His work is included in the design collections of the Centre George Pompidou and Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris, and the M+ West Kowloon Museum in Hong Kong.He has participated in shows at the VitraHaus (Basel), the London Design Museum, and at the Issey Miyake Foundation 21_21 Design Sight (Tokyo). 

LOT-EK: High Seas

by LOT-EK e TOM PIPER

Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano's LOT-EK studio in New York and director Tom Piper present a video that focuses on a week-long trip taken together on the Cape Akritas, a massive cargo ship laden with shipping containers, from Jamaica to the U.S.  

LOT-EK: High Seas uses clips of the ship and of various projects to highlight the two uses of shipping containers: they function both as vessels for goods and as a vital component of LOT-EK's work.

Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano are the founders of LOT-EK. Born in Naples, they have been living and working together in New York City since 1993. They studied architecture and urban design in Naples and completed their post-graduate studies at Columbia University GSAPP, where they now teach. Their projects have earned them various awards, including the Emerging Voices Forum, the Architecture League, and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honor Award, and their work is in MoMA's permanent collection.

 Thomas Piper is a multi award-winning director that is especially active in the fields of design and contemporary art. His 2008 film,  , created for Checkerboard Films, won Best Film for Television at the prestigious International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) in Montreal.

BÓTOX…HISTORIAS DE UNA SOMBRA

by MARIANO MARTÍN

  Bótox offers a unique vision of design: Martín collects unwanted objects and deconstructs them, eliminating anything superfluous and leaving only a skeleton behind, granting it a new life. Mariano chose the name Botox as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the way he “fixes up” his work: “Historias de una Sombra” shows us what these pieces can create when the interact with light, an effect that generates an artistic process which exists in empathy with the object and its user.”

Mariano Martín is an architect with a passion for art and design and an obsession with sustainability. His trademark is resource optimization, as he firmly believes more can be achieved with fewer materials. Mariano employs architecture, interior design, and art to create contemporary beauty.