Rattan

The title holds the key to the selection of furniture and objects presented by musegallery at Alcova, Milan. The material defines the environment and redefines the atmosphere, the result of complex craftsmanship. The tight weave of these objects tells of different inspirations that revolve around the idea of a skilful interweaving of North and South. A simple room, designed by the visible traces of a poor materiality. An interior built of rattan, wood and ceramic. The place reminds us of other spaces where interior geography is shaped by archetypal forms. A Uchiwa wall lamp by Ingo Mauer from the 1970s, now a classic, diffuses the light of a post-colonial world. The evocative display of ceramics by Accolay, Les Dalos or Georges Pelletier winks at a precise artisanal identity of transalpine design, teeming with stars and knobs. An iconic choice of vintage objects that hint at destinations other than Vallauris, Cannes and Cadaques. What was once the Mediterranean parnassus of so many modern artists, with a spirit enamoured of precious craftsmanship, is now the geography of a more complex interior South. Tables by Ro-ger Capron complete the ensemble, and a pair of Scandinavian armchairs from the 1990s underlines the fact that in contemporary design, rattan is not just a material but a state of mind, intertwined exclusively with mythology and dreams. What is certain is that rattan...no longer rhymes with d'antan.