A good tonic to ostentatious and wildly out of context design can be found at the Prophets and Penitents show, which is being held in a wing of Sant’ Ambrogio, Milan’s oldest church. DAMn magazine has invited over 30 designers to submit prototypes to the show, dubbed “Confessions of a Chair”. Wandering in to a small chapel on the left of the main building, you are immediately struck by that stony coolness that always seems to pervade the atmosphere of religious places.
The chapel is beautiful in a slightly dog-eared way and the prototype chairs sit casually in between the day to day church chairs. The hallowed atmosphere certainly lends a sense of contemplation to the whole event and it is truly fascinating to look at the variety of different prototypes. There are both highly polished pieces that have utilised rapid prototyping techniques and pieces that frankly look like they were knocked up in a garden shed by a dad who is bad a DIY. I really enjoyed Prophets and Penitents, for how it lays bare the diversity of approach different designers take. In “difficult times” (notably absent in Milan since Italians seem to keep their money under their beds) I believe a wide range of approaches to design will be needed. But as of today, there is a rather large plaster stuck over the “world financial crisis”, and I for one am truly hoping it falls off. We could do with a change.
Prophets & Penitents
Confessions of a Chair
22-27 April 2009
11am – 7pm
Venue: Oratorio Della Passione, Sant’ Ambrogio
Piazza Sant’ Ambrogio, Milano
www.prophetsandpenitents.com
Words & Images : Duncan Riches