by Roberta del Vaglio.
A full immersion in avant-garde authorial planning, between exhibitions and dreamy but always functional design, capable of narrating the most avant-garde vision of contemporary creativity.
Gaming is a serious thing: this could be the underlying theme of the latest edition of Edit Napoli, permeated by irony, verve but also concrete design. The exhibition of authorial design was divided into two moments: the “Cult” exhibitions in which a selection of prestigious companies come into play with curatorial installations in special spaces and the actual fair, hosted among the seventeenth-century cloisters of the State Archive of Naples.
COMPANIES TELL THEMSELVES IN “CULT” SPACES
The playful and concrete double direction crossed this edition in both contexts, just think of the installation by Abet Laminati entitled “Abet è 1000 colori“: ironic composition of clothes hanging in the materials and patterns of the laminate company, designed to shorten distances with the public and tell the aesthetics and opportunities given by this product.
Abet Laminati – Abet is 1000 colors – abetlaminati.com
Equally spectacular is the staging by Alcantara who asked the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a scenography for the concert version of Verdi’s opera Simon Boccanegra on stage at the San Carlo during the days of the fair. A few steps away, on another stage, Cassina also performed: at the center of the scene of the court theater of Palazzo Reale, a tribute to Filippo Alison, the Neapolitan architect who in the 1970s brought the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh into the catalog of ‘agency.
Kengo Kuma for Alcantara “Shiwa shiwa” | photo Eller Studio – alcantara.com
Cassina “Editing iMaestri – Tribute to Filippo Alison” | photo Eller Studio – cassina.com
The rooms of the Royal Mineralogical Museum with their ancient display cases were, however, the exceptional setting for the retrospective “Along the edge – ALPI 1984-2024” to celebrate the 40 years of the company, specialized in the production of wooden surfaces .
“Along the edge – ALPS 1984-2024” – alpi.it
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS AND EXPERIMENTATION
The game and irony can be felt even more intensely along the route of the actual fair: Inoxeart presented the indoor version of Furbo, a collection of stainless steel stools combined with refined fabrics suspended and floating in an unexpected setup.
Smart by Inoxeart – inoxeart.com
We find steel in the Quattro collection by Daniela Pinotti, a textile designer who here expresses herself with an organic and refined style and in an informal and hypnotic play of contrasts. The same material appears in a yellow and totally different guise in the bookcase Dedalo by Officine Tamborrino, which reveals itself as a dividing wall but open to communication.
Four by Daniela Pinotti – danielapinotti.com
Dedalo by Officine Tamborrino | photo Eller Studio – officinetamborrino.com
The India collection of indoor and outdoor tables, presented by Marco Ripa in collaboration with Atelier Ferraro, is made of 100% recyclable aluminium. Iron is the protagonist of the project City by Bottega Vazzoler which sculpts this material making each element unique and sculptural.
India by Marco Ripa | photo Giulia Papetti – marcoripa.it
City by Bottega Vazzoler | photo Eller Studio – bottegavazzoler.it
Just as sculptural and with an ancestral atmosphere are the ceramic vases by Sara Bergami, in a fascinating balance between design and art, just like the lamps by Mernøe, a Danish family-run company that hand-produces lighting fixtures in wood and metal. Pietrachiara returns, for the second year at the fair, with a versatile hand-painted bamboo screen designed to reconfigure spaces infinitely and with beauty.
Ceramic vases by Sara Bergami – sarabergami.com
Pendant lamp by Mernøe | photo Nikolaj Didriksen – mernoe.com
Fluxus screen by Pietrachiara | photo Eller Studio – pietrachiara.it
Returning to the theme of play: sand, cement and water are the basis of the creative mixture that Mas Design transforms into furniture, evoking moments of childhood and translating them into a contemporary project. Experimentation and color are disruptive themes in the Mediterranea collection born from the collaboration between the designer Marco De Luca and Mediterranea Design, from which a line of 20 3D printed elements in bioplastic was born.
Salto by MAS Design | photo Eller Studio – mas-design.it
Mediterranean by Marco De Luca | photo Alessandra Mustilli – mediterraneadesign.com
While the Aviv and Avia vases from Studio Cotta, that are made of ceramic but full of panache, arrived at Edit Napoli from Tel Aviv. Casarialto‘s display is elegantly playful and, alongside unique tablecloths and table elements with an artistic soul, also displays the innovative Tornasole lamp which changes color depending on the quality of the air.
Vases by Studio Cotta – cotta-studio.com
Botanical promenade and Tornasole lamp of Casarialto – casarialto.it
Also at the fair are two interesting tributes: Adrenalina, presents an installation/tribute to Remo Brindisi with a limited edition of upholstered furniture upholstered with fabrics inspired by his work; and Carpet Edition with the collection Issho by RAUM evokes the access arch of Carlo Scarpa’s Brion memorial.
Adrenalina meets Remo Brindisi | photo Eller Studio – adrenalina.it
Issho by RAUM for Carpet Edition – carpetedition.com
On the cover: Edit Napoli, the entry of the fair into the Historical Archive | photo Alessandra Mustilli – editnapoli.com
