Alcantara MAXXI Project

For the Alcantara-MAXXI 5th edition, 9 designers interpreted 10 Asian and European cities by way of a journey told through materials, images and objects.

The Alcantara-MAXXI project has reached its 5th edition, pursuing the theme of “Local Icons” and focusing on the typology of “souvenirs” connected to a city.

This time it’s all about the meeting of East and West, whereby an imaginary dialogue sets ten capitals of the two geopolitical macrospheres in relation, interpreted by designers who live or were born in the respective areas. The result is an unprecedented cultural encounter, in which nine designers interpret some of the principal Asian and European cities by way of a journey told through materials, images and objects. With “Local Icons”, Alcantara and MAXXI stimulate a genuine exchange of views between two different ways of inhabiting the contemporary metropolis, channeling the resulting reflections into prototypes that seek to capture the true essence of the cities in question, as has already been done with Rome in the previous editions.

As always, Alcantara is the primary material for translating the visions of the participating designers into reality.
The participants have been asked to create one or more objects capable of representing their own city and preserving its memory even from afar – or, said more simply, to create a “souvenir”.
Moreover, they have created a setting, an installation designed to convey to the public the essence of what is authentic and unique about their respective cities.

The exhibition thus posits itself as a veritable “global village”, where the city installations are separated by partitions that simulate the experience of traveling the world in a single space.

The Absence by GamFratesi aims to make us reflect on the importance of the stone of the the little mermaid in Copenhagen as metaphorical image of the place

Left: Leo Cycloid Tessella by Hans Tan. Right: Connecting the Past and the Future by Poetic Lab who, in order to capture the essence of London, have created a “London Tube Chandelier” – giving centre stage to this normally out of sight underground world

Left: Patterns of Vienna by Mischer’Traxler puts together the graphics and objects, all in typical dusty, slightly faded but still very charming colours, give an overview of what can be found in Vienna and try to capture a glimpse of Viennese atmosphere. Right: the Amsterdam Chair by Studio Job

A Journey toward Peace and Serenity by Cosmas Gozali. This installation, dedicated to Jakarta, is designed to invite people to experience and interact directly along to feel the philosophy of eastern culture through journey toward enlightenment

Left: through Foreverhouse, Neri & Hu take the notion of expanding the function of a bicycle (symbol of China and Shanghai) to become a traveling home, a shelter with table and storage pockets. Right: The Absence di GamFratesi, detail

Designing Kun Fu Wing Chun, Michael Young chooses the thousand-layer shoe to represent Hong Kong. With a history of more that 3,000 years the thousand-layer shoe has always been linked to the practice of martial arts due to its extraordinary strength, flexibility, lightness and comfort

Leo Cycloid Tessella by Hans Tan. The Merlion – half-fish, half-lion iconic statue at the waterfront – is Singapore’s symbol to most visitors. This project extracts the scales of this biologically improbable, imaginary animal and appropriates it for domestic tessellation in Alcantara covering

The Amsterdam Chair by Studio Job is an interpretation of a Berlage Chair and a tribute to Berlage who was a very important, born Amsterdam, Dutch Architect and contributor to Amsterdam school

Patterns of Vienna by Mischer’Traxler

until 28 February 2016
east–west. Alcantara-MAXXI Project
Curators: Giulio Cappellini, Domitilla Dardi
Designers: Constance Guisset, Cosmas Gozali, GamFratesi, Hans Tan, Michael Young, Mischer’Traxler, Neri & Hu, Poetic Lab, Studio Job
Exhibition design: Giulio Cappellini, Leonardo Talarico
MAXXI
via Guido Reni, Rome

Alcantara MAXXI Project

For the Alcantara-MAXXI 5th edition, 9 designers interpreted 10 Asian and European cities by way of a journey told through materials, images and objects.

Latest on News

Latest on Domus