During Design Miami/Basel, Nouvel Limited is presenting 15 large scale designs that combine brass and blown glass as well as a wall light piece entitled: Magma; all of which is inhabiting one of the many Curios at the exhibition. Known for their high-end designs, Nouvel Studio, collaborated with designers: Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, Brian Thoreen And EWE studio extending their space from simply a factory for unique and limited pieces to that of a laboratory of possibilities in creative expression. This expansion is a division of the studio entitled: Nouvel Limited - this is their first showing at the exhibition.
This collaboration has birthed unique pieces that contrast the Curio setting-“an exhibition platform which invites designers, curators, innovators and gallerists to present cabinets of curiosity through the fair”. Such a setting serves as means to highlight a a sense of materiality and space. Having minimal space makes us think about what occupies it - a sentiment that is echoed in the fabrication of the work. Specifically “Precarius,” a collaboration between Nouvel Limited, Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, and Brian Thoreen . Aptly named, “precarious” minus the “o” which hones in on the contrasts being displayed. The designers are confronting contrasts in material: roughly milled metal and amber-colored blown glass weighted by their fragility and plasticity. These glass forms are at the forefront of the designs here, toying with gravity as they hug tightly to their structured metal forms. These contrasts are shown throughout the works in balance, color, and form.
The designs are accompanied by a special golden edition of Magma lighting sculptures- a collaboration with EWE studio for this Curio exhibition. Magma’s forms are generated through molds of various heat-resistant volcanic stones which have been hand carved by local stonemasons. The magma forms mirror that of “Precarius” in that they share an artisanal process allowing for subtle differences in shape, tone, and thickness. An ethereal glow resonates from within their acid-finished glass that houses hand-hammered brass surfaces. This quality takes us out of the Curio setting, enhancing our view of material and the possibilities of such.
Precarius and Magma are on view at Design Miami/Basel From June 12-17, 2018.
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Written by: Jake Harrison
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