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| INTRODUCTION TO STUDIO ALCHIMIA |
| V. Ryan © 2012 |
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By the end of the 1960s, many designers were becoming disillusioned with
the lack of change and progress in architecture and product design. Good
design was often regarded as Modernism or earlier art movements such as
Art Deco. In 1976 Studio Alchimia was formed by the Italian Architect
Alessandro Guerriero. The aim was to move away from Modernist design
principles to a new style. |
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The Studio Alchimia was composed of designers, whose aim was to design and
manufacture exhibition pieces, rather than consumer orientated products.
Their products were to be regarded as prototypes / one-offs. |
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Studio Alchimia products were manufactured from cheap, readily available
materials. However, although the designs showed many of the
characteristics of Modernism, especially Bauhaus designs, they were quite
different. Designs included bright colours and decoration, and there was a
move away from the symmetry of modernist designs to asymmetrical
characteristics. In many ways, Studio Alchimia was the stepping stone from
the Modernist design movement, to the Memphis Group of the 1980s. Ettore
Sottsass, who later helped form the Memphis Group, was an important
contributor to this design movement. |
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The Stazione Sideboard by Andrea Branzi (shown below), exhibits many of
the Studio Alchimia design characteristics. The drawers are actually
hinged doors. The yellow drawer cannot be fully closed and the sideboard
has sliding glass shelves, that retract under the top. |
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