Coming from Holland, Marcel Wanders’ origins lie in the essential, diligent tradition of Northern European design. But he is also a child of the avant-garde, which was influenced by the conceptual art of Duchamp and Man Ray.
In 1993, Marcel Wanders crossed paths with DROOG DESIGN, a group of Dutch designers that came together around a Renny Remakers exhibition at the Paradiso rock club in Amsterdam, one of the historic locales for counterculture youth in the 1970s. The word DROOG in Dutch means, “dry”: few frills or decorations and a strong sense of the symbolic and affective value of objects.
Marcel Wanders – Soap Stars presented by Bisazza at Milan Design Week 2005. Photo by Ottavio Tomasini.
For Wanders, who had graduated in Art at the University of Arnhem, this territory of craftsmen of ideas occupying the spaces of art, design and architecture became his field of activity.
Wanders gained widespread recognition in 1996 with his “Knottech Chair,” a chair made of intertwined ropes with a carbon fiber core that won him the Rotterdam Design Prize. In 2001 he founded the company Moooi, of which he is the Art Director. His projects are astounding for their irony and decorative details. He has created Holland Electro, a line of home entertainment products such as microwave ovens incorporating televisions and “One-minute-sculptures,” micro-sculptures created in less than one minute, among many others.
Recently, Wanders began his first foray into architecture, experimenting with a new hospitality concept, and together with Peter Lute created “Lute Suites,” luxury hotel suites furnished with Bisazza mosaics.
Lute Suites, Amsterdam, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Alberto Ferrero.
Lute Suites, Amsterdam, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Alberto Ferrero.
Lute Suites, Amsterdam, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Alberto Ferrero.
Also for the decoration of the Agua Spa in the recently inaugurated Mondrian Hotel in Miami, Marcel Wanders confirmed his appreciation for Bisazza mosaics.
During the years, Marcel Wanders has developed many projects with Bisazza mosaic, like the installations for the Milan Design Weeks “Soap Stars” presented by Bisazza in 2005, and “Aqua Jewels” designed for Swarovski Crystal Palace, in 2008, Antelope, a car fully clad in mosaic presented during the 100% Design in London in 2004, as well as many decorative patterns included in Bisazza collection.
Aqua Jewels, designed for Swarovski Crystal Palace, in 2008
All of Wanders’ objects are recognized as works of contemporary art and many are exhibited in the world’s leading art museums, including the Museums of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco, the L&A in London and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. The Marcel Wanders Studio carries out industrial and product design for companies such as British Airways, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design, Flos, Mandarina Duck, Cassina and Magis.
In 2005, Marcel Wanders was named International Designer of the Year by Elle Decoration.
Antelope, design by Marcel Wanders for Bisazza. Photo by Ottavio Tomasini.
Coffee table, Bisazza Home, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Federico Cedrone.
Wallpaper Grey, Bisazza glass mosaic pattern, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Federico Cedrone.
Hermitage, Bisazza glass mosaic pattern, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Ottavio Tomasini.
Embroidery Red, Bisazza glass mosaic pattern, design by Marcel Wanders. Photo by Federico Cedrone.
Westerhuis, Amsterdam, design Marcel Wanders Studio. Photo by Nicole Marnati and MWS.
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Marcel Wanders really does great stuff. Do you know his B.L.O. Lamp? When I first read about it, I thought what a hilarious idea, but now that Ive seen it, I really really like it.
@GES Agreed. The BLO lamp is quite extraordinary. I haven’t had the chance to use it myself, but think the idea is quite remarkable!