Speaking to Dezeen, Guixé explained: "I am very fascinated by the 'bag in a box', which is the system to have wine without having a bottle. So I put away the image of a bottle and I split it into several icons."

An oversized cork nestles in the handmade base, and on top are 10 wine glasses and a vase containing the bag of wine with a tap for pouring it out. The two lamps suspended by thin wires represent a grapevine.

The rug in front represents as the wine's label and was made by the designer for Spanish rug makers Nanimarquina – watch a movie of Guixé drip-painting the rug in our earlier post.

Other stories we've published from Vienna Design Week include lampshades made from seaweed and an interview with artist and architect Vito Acconci.

See all our stories about Martí Guixé »
See all our stories from Vienna Design Week »

Here's some more information from the designer:

Still Life with Light

For around two years I have been fascinated by the "bag in the box" wine storage and transportation system, not only from its technical qualities but also from its characteristics, a quite different way of keeping, serving and drinking wine; a different perception of it.

Still Life with Light is an installation about the end of the classic glass wine bottle, but keeping the basic elements, the label, the cork, and the vine, also when in form of symbolic representations.

Still Life with Light is made with the Free Port prototype, 10 wine glasses, 2 Cyclops lamps, a piece of cork, fliers, a carpet and a handmade vase full of a 'bag in the box' of red wine.

Martí Guixé, 2012
Still life with light
Sotheby's 
Palais Wilczek
Vienna Design Week 2012

The post Still Life with Light
by Martí Guixé appeared first on Dezeen.

The movie shows Guixé dripping paint over the rug to create an irregular tiled pattern. The designer told Dezeen he was inspired by stories of traditional rug makers "painting by hand to create a more valuable rug" after they are woven.

Painted Rug was shown as part of the Still Life With Light exhibition at Sotheby's in Palais Wilczek.

Earlier this year Nanimarquina celebrated its 25th anniversary by laying dozens of rugs across a square in Barcelona, and we published their movie of the event.

Other projects by Martí Guixé we've featured include a series of containers with message labels attached and a clock that lets you write or draw where the numbers would be.

See all our stories about Martí Guixé »
See all our stories about Nanimarquina »
See all our stories about rugs »

Here's some more information from Nanimarquina:

Drip Painting is a form of abstract art in which the paint is poured or dripped onto a canvas. For Martí Guixé, the idea of painting a rug is not new; he’s been turning it over in his head for years, because he was familiar with the tradition found in some areas of Eastern Europe of colouring tapestries after they’ve been woven.

In the Still Life With Light project at Sotheby's Vienna, Martí Guixé and nanimarquina saw the opportunity to explore some of the possibilities of Drip Painting as graffiti and to apply it to a rug. This was how a rug was transformed into a canvas, another feature of the Canvas Furniture project.

Painted Rug is a sketch of a rug that is in itself already a rug. Once again, nanimarquina has dared to invent new ways of reinventing the rug.

The post Painted Rug by Martí Guixé
for Nanimarquina appeared first on Dezeen.

Catalan designer Martí Guixé has created a series of containers for Italian design brand Alessi, which have arrows and speech bubbles for the user to write messages on.

Called Communicator, the collection also includes a pen pot with a plant-like shape for displaying notes.

Earlier Dezeen stories about Martí Guixé:

Blank Wall Clock for Alessi (March 2010)
Chairs & Fireworks (September 2009)
Xarxa Sofa for Danese (August 2009)
Cau Sospensione for Danese (August 2009)

The text below is from Alessi:

Objects have become tools for perceiving reality of every day, and also for communicating not only with objects, but also with other people through the objects. This collection is based on new typologies revolving around this concept.

Communicator arrow

A receptacle with a big arrow in the centre where it is possible to write messages. It can contain fruit, personal items or sweets and it is possible to write any message, a personal one, for each day or general messages for the public.

Communicator balloons

A receptacle with 3 speaking balloons, which can be used as boards to write messages on. The fruit, the personal items, or anything you put in the container will in this way speak or communicate through the balloons: an indirect way to display thoughts or daily instructions.

Communicator plant

A small vase with a tree-like vertical element. The vase can contain pens or office tools, but also kitchen or household items or anything you want. The vertical trunk allows you to hang written notes for personal or office communications, or to write notes.

The post Communicator by Martí Guixé for Alessi appeared first on Dezeen.

Catalan designer Martí Guixé has created a wall clock for Italian design brand Alessi with no markings and a dry-wipe surface.

Guixé intends users to write on the face and hands of the clock with a wipe-clean pen.

Earlier Dezeen stories about Martí Guixé:

Chairs & Fireworks (September 2009)
Xarxa Sofa for Danese (August 2009)
Cau Sospensione for Danese (August 2009)

Here's a bit of text from Alessi:

Objects have become tools for perceiving reality of every day, and also for communicating not only with objects, but also with other people through the objects. This collection is based on new typologies revolving around this concept.

24h sentence maker wall clock

A way to measure time with sentences. The different hours are words and the word IS is written in the middle of the clock. A new sentence every hour, 24 sentences a day.

Blank Wall Clock

A wall clock with a pen: you can write, draw and erase it easily according to your perception of time and graphics.

The post Blank Wall Clock by Martí Guixé for Alessi appeared first on Dezeen.

An exhibition of chairs, drawings and customized fireworks by Catalan designer Martí Guixé opened at HELMRINDERKNECHT gallery in Berlin this week.

Above: 27kg of Copper. Top image: Centaurus

The exhibition, called Chairs & Fireworks, includes three chairs and a set of drawings by Guixé, plus a collection of fireworks customised by adding paper objects such as houses and cars to the top of each one.

The first chair, Centaurus (top image), includes foot rests for the designer to stand on and become part of the chair.

Above: Respect Cheap Furniture.

The second chair, Respect Cheap Furniture, is hand-painted with its title and follows on from Guixé's 2004 project called Stop Discrimination of Cheap Furniture.

The last chair, 27kg of Copper, is designed to be a recyclable object, used by the owner in different ways throughout its lifetime.

The exhibition continues until 7 November.

Previous Dezeen stories about Martí Guixé:

Xarxa Sofa for Danese
Cau Sospensione for Danese

Here's some more information from HELMRINDERKNECHT:

--

New gallery of contemporary design in Berlin

HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design is celebrating its opening with the show “Chairs & Fireworks” by Martí Guixé

HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design, the new Berlin design gallery, opened its doors at Linienstrasse 87 in Berlin Mitte to coincide with Berlin’s international art fair, Art Forum Berlin.

The city’s new kid on the block stands for and promotes a programme exclusively dedicated to contemporary design where it interfaces with contemporary art. The opening exhibition “Chairs & Fireworks” will present new objects by the renowned Catalan designer Martí Guixé (*1964). All works will be available in small limited editions. Guixé will also exhibit a small collection of drawings for the first time. For his Berlin exhibition at HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design gallery Martí Guixé has designed three new chairs in his ongoing cycle “statement chairs”, and has also submitted surprising solutions regarding the neglected subject of fireworks. Furthermore Guixé exhibits a series of drawings for the first time.

Guixé, who lives and works in both Barcelona and Berlin, has exhibited his objects and installations in international solo- and group exhibitions in venues such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and MUDAC, Lausanne. He is a recipient of the „Design Plus Award“ 2004 and the „National Design Price of the Generalitat de Catalunya“ 2007, is the author of numerous publications and works for international companies such as Alessi, Camper, Danese and Moleskine. Over the last years the international market for contemporary design has grown rapidly as illustrated by the growing number of galleries, auctions and fairs such as “Design Miami” and “Design Miami/Basel”.

This development can also be witnessed in Berlin. Petra Helm and Martin Rinderknecht, the two gallerists, have made it their aim to present and exhibit a top selection of contemporary design where it interfaces with contemporary art. HELMRINDERKNECHT understands art and design as being mutually inspiring creative fields that guide form, function and content in a unique expression, the so-called DesignArt. HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design gallery will cooperate with and present renowned, internationally established designers as well as young, upcoming design talents. Prototypes, models, unique pieces, installations and limited editions in small numbers, some of which are exclusively available only at HELMRINDERKNECHT, are exhibited in solo- and group exhibits. The gallery does not only showcase national and international designers, but also acts as a Berlin platform for lectures, readings and discussions. Over and above changing exhibitions, a regular discourse with exponents of the arts, design and neighbouring fields (in cooperation with galleries, institutions and companies) is to discuss and promote the relevance of these disciplines for society.

The work of self-proclaimed “ex-designer” Martí Guixé can be placed firmly in the area where tension is created between free installation-based design and classic product design, and clearly sets the tone for the future path of HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design.
Guixé continues his on-going cycle „statement chairs“ with three new positions, all exclusively designed for HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design.

Respect Cheap Furniture

The monobloc plastic chair is a phenomenon, which has already attracted and inspired many designers and artists and in fact contains many criteria of good design: it is cheap, democratic, robust, reasonable in technical production and convenient. But the classical monobloc chair has a very bad reputation. Following his work „Stop Discrimination of Cheap Furniture“ from 2004, Guixé moves a step ahead in the defence of the monobloc chairs and postulates „Respect Cheap Furniture“. The „Respect cheap furniture“ chair will be availabe in a limited editon of 50.

„27 kg of Copper“

The second chair is based on the subject of recycling. Copper is a material which can be almost completely and endlessly recycled – without a loss of quality. Each object made of copper can potentially change form, typology and context. Guixé's copper chair is not only a chair, but also represents possibilities of being any other object and therefore ultimately remains just „27 kg of Copper“. The copper chair is available in a limited edition of 8.

Designer chair

„Centaurus“, the third chair can be seen as a real designer chair. As designer chairs are often associated with the reputation and the person of the designer, Guixé´s „Centaurus“ chair brings chair and designer as close together as possible: here the designer becomes an integral physical part of the chair; subject and object become one and build a „designer chair“. The „Centaurus“ chair is available in a limited edition of 10.

In addition to the presentation of drawings the exhibition also includes a host of newly designed fireworks. Guixé has changed the top of the rockets with stylized design objects. With his fireworks he celebrates the domestication of space, flying cars, the consolidation of ex-design and the opening of

HELMRINDERKNECHT contemporary design
Petra Helm and Martin Rinderknecht

Exhibition: 26.09. - 07.11.2009
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 6 pm and by appointment
Linienstrasse 87
10119 Berlin

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