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Aug 28,2005 - Sept 4,2005 |
Sculptured form meets functionality
Rational approach perfected in work of legendary Italian designer Enzo Mari
By Mark Curtis
Originally Published: 2005-04-03
One indication of a designer's greatness is that he or she is admired and respected not only by peers, but also by designers and manufacturers of succeeding generations. This is certainly the case with Italy's Enzo Mari, who, now in his early 70s, continues to produce design work with characteristic rigour.
Mari debuted as a designer in the 1960s, when he created a series of understated plastic products for Milan-based home and office accessories manufacturer Danese. His work for the Milan manufacturer helped to legitimize the use of plastic for consumer products. The self-taught Mari expanded his portfolio in the 1970s with furniture and lighting designs, but when the colourful Memphis movement swept through the design world a decade later, Mari's quiet work was temporarily out of favour. The 1990s return to minimalism, however, reinforced the Italian designer's importance as a thoughtful creator of products. Mari calls his work "rational design," an approach "elaborated or constructed in a way that corresponds entirely to the purpose or function" of a design. He has hardly ignored an object's aesthetic, however. Mari's best work exhibits a purity of form.
Likely his most famous works are his now-classic designs for Danese, including the 16 Animals children's puzzle, the iconic Timor desk calendar and the sculptural and functional In Attesa wastebasket. In the mid-1980s, Mari designed the Tonietta cast-aluminum chair for Zanotta, a design that has been called pure perfection.
The veteran designer recently collaborated with two like-minded clients. Muji is a Japanese company that designs, manufactures and retails popular lines of utilitarian goods for daily living. Its low-key and low-cost approach dovetails nicely with Mari's minimalist ways. He designed two tables for Muji; one is all wood, and the other features a glass top on a metal frame. Both exhibit Mari's dedication to an object's functionality. The designer also created two new chairs for the Japanese design company. While one is relatively straight-forward, the other commands some attention for a seat and frame made of a single piece of bent plywood.
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