Martino Gamper: 100 Chairs in 100 Days

RMIT 100 Chairs in 100 Days Martino Gamper photo by Lionel CatelanShowing in Australia for the first time, Martino Gamper’s 100 Chairs in 100 Days is an experiment in transforming limitations into possibilities at the RMIT Design Hub from 26 February 2016.

Renowned for his cross-disciplinary and culturally responsive approach to design, London-based Gamper came to major acclaim with 100 Chairs in 100 Days. In this project, he collected disused chairs from London alleyways and friends’ homes and reassembled them – one per day – into poetic and often humorous forms. Transcending mere design and function, Gamper’s methodology lets us uncover the stories hidden within objects.

“We are delighted to be working with Martino Gamper to bring 100 Chairs in 100 Days to RMIT Design Hub,” says Fleur Watson, Curator RMIT Design Hub. “The exhibition’s objects speak to ideas that move well beyond the fetishization of the ‘designer’ chair and are imbued with narrative, poetics, humour and cross-cultural references.”

“Martino’s visit also provides an important opportunity to engage our design community with Martino’s thinking and research via participation within an invited workshop for local practitioners. This kind of exchange is central to our intent at Design Hub to curate exhibitions and programs that focus on design ideas and experimentation.”

Drawing upon the history of furniture, the project has toured around the globe, with the 100th chair produced anew in each location. For this exhibition, Gamper will create a yet-to-be-unveiled 100th chair, fabricated within a single day and only using found materials, structures and designs.

The exhibition incorporates a workshop – in the form of an ‘ideas exchange’ – where Gamper will discuss his process-driven practice with local design researchers and practitioners, and a public conversation with special guests  – where Gamper will give insight into  the making of 100 Chairs in 100 Days.

Born in Italy (1971), Martino Gamper lives and works in London. Starting as an apprentice with a furniture maker in Merano, Gamper went on to study sculpture under Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He completed a Masters in 2000 from the Royal College of Art, London, where he studied under Ron Arad. Working across design and art venues, Gamper engages in a variety of projects from exhibition design, interior design, one-off commissions and the design of mass-produced products for the cutting edge of the international furniture industry.

Gamper has presented his works and projects internationally, including: Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London; Palais De Tokyo, Paris; London Design Festival commission – V&A Museum, London; Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand; and the Centre d?Art Contemporain, Genève. He is the recipient of numerous awards including: Moroso Award for Contemporary Art (2011); and the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, Furniture Award (2008) for 100 Chairs in 100 days.

Martino Gamper: 100 Chairs in 100 Days
RMIT Design Hub, Corner Victoria & Swanston Streets, Carlton
Exhibition: 26 February – 9 April 2016
Free admission

For more information, visit: designhub.rmit.edu.au for details.

Image: Martino Gamper, 100 Chairs in 100 Days, Firminy Le Corbuiser, 2011 – photo by Lionel Catelan