Design Miami/Basel
Last week Design Miami/Basel opened in Switzerland showcasing some of the best galleries for collectible design.
The ground floor opened up to a Jean Prouvé Metropole Aluminum House. The structure won an award in a competition to create a “mass producible rural school with classroom and teacher accommodation” in 1949. Even though Prouvé was very interested in housing production on a mass scale in the 50s, only a few of these were actual built.
Other galleries featured egg crate foam furniture by the industrial designer Roger Tallon. There was an incredible chandelier by Frederik Molenschot of lots of small mushroom shaped lampshades arranged on a swooping infinity loop. Libby Sellers from London presented a variety of chess sets made from such materials as free weights and tree branches (see the one by Rolf Sachs in photo). A great wall piece, aptly called The Clock Clock that uses programmed mechanical clocks to form a digital clock.
Audi was the automotive sponsor, giving VIPs a lift to their next destination.