[Title] Seascape – Material Study for Impermanent Space III –
[Artist] Formafantasma
[Date] March 17 to May 17, 2016
Although human beings have been making objects, aspiring to represent beauty, the answer is already in nature. Our eyes decide whether or not to illuminate the existence of beauty, and our hands involve beauty in our daily lives as a material or ignore it.
Formafantasma is two Italian designers, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, based in Amsterdam. Their design process starts from looking at existing things in the world, discovering their beauty and value, and integrating them into their thoughts. Their design celebrates nature; many of their inspirations come from its raw beauty, often untouched and unprocessed, still containing the roughness and growing energy of living creatures.
For the window display at Maison Hermès Ginza, Formafantasma have focused on several materials that they have been admiring for a long time: Himalayan salt and sea animals. The pink gradations and unpredictable yet sculptural form of Himalayan salt is sublime; the intricate details of sea animals are beyond the imagination of human beings.
Softly illuminated by the back wall behind the window, it brings the entire landscape of the installation together with a sense of elegance. Here, the Men’s and Ladies’ items of Hermès create a composition as if they are marching in a parade to celebrate the unreproducible beauty of nature.
The small window contains even more variations of objects, including dried food with unique and unpredictable organic shapes. The window creates a composition with Hermès objects with breath taking balance, again illuminating the quality and texture of both objects.
The answer to beauty may already be at your dinner table.
Formafantasma – Designer
Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, Italian designers based in Amsterdam, are Formafantasma, an innovative design team whose work is characterized by investigating experimental materials. Formafantasma explores the relationship between traditional and local culture, critical approaches to sustainability and the significance of objects as cultural conduits.
Bridging craft, industry, object and user, the designers have forged links between their research-based practice and a wider design industry, and have received commissions from a wide range of renowned fashion and retail brands. Their work has also been published internationally and been acquired for the permanent collections of major museums, including MoMA in New York and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.