London-based designer Marco Campardo‘s approach consists of “hands-on experimentation and research to question the nature of contemporary models of production,” reads his bio. “With a keen interest in materiality, his research seeks to subvert or adapt industrial manufacturing processes to propose an alternative to standardised, mass production. The final result of this process is aesthetically and conceptually refined objects, whose final form is determined by the very process of making. Playing with high-end and lo-fi methods and materials, Marco’s projects can be seen as a commentary on the value of making and craftsmanship.”
As an example of this approach, Campardo asked himself: Can you make an entire line of furniture out of a single metal profile? Experimentation in the studio eventually yielded this Elle collection, “made entirely by welding together different brass L profiles.”
“The starting point of the research was the willingness to use a common, everyday material to question the meaning of ‘experimentation’ that is often emphasised in today’s design practice.”
“Through different combinations, this standardised extrusion is turned into a structural element, forming ‘invisible,’ yet aesthetically revealing, joints.”
“Rather than being made of aluminium, however, the furniture is made of brass — transforming an ordinary, mass-produced element into a sophisticated, bespoke item.”
“The furniture is coated in holographic paint to further emphasise the interplay between standardised production and craftsmanship — where the objects themselves shift between concrete presence and immateriality.”
London’s Design Museum recently awarded Campardo their Ralph Saltzman Prize, an annual award to highlight emerging designers.
You can see more of Campardo’s experiments here.
