During this year’s London Design Festival, Kvadrat presents “My Canvas” a major exhibition at the Somerset House, where 19 selected designers from all over the world reinterpret the company’s Canvas textile designed by renowned Italian colourist Giulio Ridolfo, and first produced in 2012.
Kvadrat: My Canvas
After selecting 19 talented designers to reinterpret its Canvas textile, Danish company Kvadrat will exhibit the final pieces at the Somerset House during the London Design Festival.
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- 20 September 2017
- London
Canvas stands out for its shimmering colour nuances, delicate contrasts and structure. The new colour palette inspired by the painterly landscapes of Skagen, Denmark, comprises a variety of dark, light, cool and warm tones, reflecting the soft, Nordic pastel panoramas and dramatic, dark coastlines. In an open brief, Kvadrat invited the designers to create their interpretations of Canvas informed by contemporary design. The designers selected for “My Canvas” include Zeitguised, BCXSY, Maria Jeglinska, Felipe Ribon, Christien Meindertsma, Judith Seng, YOY, Moritz Schmid, Cheng-Tsung Feng, Max Lipsey, GamFratesi, Mimi Jung, Chen Williams, Jonathan Muecke, Teruhiro Yanagihara, Kate Chung Design, Studio Stabil and Butternutten AG. Curators include Constance Rubini, Hans Meier-Aichen, Jeffrey Bernett, Yves Marbrier and Njusja de Gier.
To follow, an extract from Jane Withers’ catalogue introduction.
“My Canvas” celebrates a new colour palette for Canvas that was introduced at Milan’s Salone del Mobile earlier in the year. In creating this new palette, “the idea was to invent a kind of alphabet where I could show the capabilities of intertones: the tones that are more subtle, more hidden than the dominant colours”, explains Ridolfo. The relationship between Kvadrat and Ridolfo goes back to 2004, when he became the first Italian to collaborate with the Kvadrat design team, bringing what he describes as an ‘Italian eye’ to Nordic design culture. On the surface that might seem like a diplomatic nod to forging a connection between the two ‘superpowers’ of European design. But for Ridolfo, who sees colour as a deeply rooted expression of culture and attitude, the re-colouring of Canvas is an exercise in opening colour to subtler cultural exchange and suggesting how we can relate to it in more intimate and nuanced ways.
The name Canvas references the tabula rasa of the artist, as well as the utilitarian spirit of a textile commonly used for sails, tents and workers’ clothing. This is reflected in the textile’s construction: a relatively voluminous and soft weave that gives Canvas a relaxed feel. Ridolfo likens it to ‘a pair of khaki trousers: it’s a regular textile that’s easy to use. It goes well with other fabrics.’ The designer describes Canvas as ‘cool wool’: a technical term used for lightweight woollen cloths for men’s suiting produced by Northern Italian manufacturers.
until 24 September 2017
Kvadrat. My Canvas
Somerset House
Terrace Room 1 to 3
London