Mindcraft in Milan

This year’s MINDCRAFT exhibition at the Milan Fair was created and curated by Danish Stine Gam and her Italian partner Enrico Fratesi – better known as GamFratesi. The venue was mindblowing, as the designers had laid out a massive floor of glass in the old cloister Chiostro Minore di San Simpliciano  – a spectacular historical venue in Brera in the centre of Milan.

The idea was to explore the span between experimenting, innovative and conceptual design and sublime artistic and technical proficiency in Danish craft and design. I visited the exhibition in the blue hour – late wednesday evening where the atmosphere was just magical and nearly empty of visistors.

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We chose the theme “In Between” because it reflects the fact that Danish craftspeople and designers work in a field of tension in between mind and craft. This exhibition covers the full range of that span, including fully developed ideas, conceptual qualities and sublime artistic and technical accomplishments, coupled with a unique understanding of the materials,’ say Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi.

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The exhibition featured fourteen new works by nineteen of Denmark’s leading designers and craftspeople. The selected designers and craftspeople in MINDCRAFT15 were:

MC15_01a_benandsebastian_mindcraft_jeppegudmundsenThe Castaway by Ben and Sebastian, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

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Solid Table by Cecilie Manz, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

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Terroir by Edvard Steenfatt, photo by Rasmus Koch

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Open 1, 2 and 3, by Louise Campbell, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

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Pedestal by Halstrøm og Odgaard, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

 

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Inside out, by Rosa Tolnov Clausen, photo by Jeppe GudmundsenMC15_05a_ole_jensen_mindcraft_jeppegudmundsen

 

Basic Bar, by Ole Jensen, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

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Eiffel by Jørgensen og Depping, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

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Tram by Akiko Kuwahata, photo by Jeppe GudmundsenMC15_08a_claydies_mindcraft_jeppegudmundsen

 

Fontanella by Claydies, photo by Jeppe GudmundsenMC15_09a_tora_urup_mindcraft_jeppegudmundsen

Dish between Earth and Sky, by Tora Urup, photo by Jeppe GudmundsenMC15_10a_eske_rex_mindcraft_jeppegudmundsen

Selfie by Eske Rex, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen


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Umspiral by Henrik Vibskov, photo by Jeppe GudmundsenMC15_13a_jakob_wagner_mindcraft_jeppegudmundsen

Point of View by Jacob Wagner, photo by Jeppe Gudmundsen

The exhibition won the prestigious Milan Design Award last night and it will come to Denmark later this year, I was told by Enrico and Stine – watch out for that.

Text by Katrine Martensen-Larsen