Peep Hole Presents Solo Exhibition by Studio Formafantasma

Anno Tropico, Room 3 (2016), Installation view. Materials include LED, iron, concrete, polycarbonate lens, electrical materials, rubber, pencil. Image courtesy of Formafantasma.

Magnifier (2016), Delta collection. Materials include LED, brass, crystal glass, electrical materials . Image courtesy of Galleria Giustini Stagetti, Rome.

Anno Tropico, Room 2 and 3 (2016), Installation view.

Eclipse (2016). Materials include LED, brass, travertine. Image courtesy of Galleria Giustini Stagetti, Rome.

Shadow, Test 3 (2016). Materials include LED, bronze, iron, fire-resistant bricks, elastic band, wood, electrical materials. Images courtesy of Formafantasma.

Parabolic mirror, Test 5 (2016). Materials include Aluminium, glass, iPhone, crystal glass, travertine, fire-resistant bricks, pencil. Images courtesy of Formafantasma.

Helmet (2016), Delta collection. Materials include LED, brass, electrical materials. Images courtesy of Galleria Giustini Stagetti, Rome.

Reflector table (2016), Delta collection. Materials include LED, bronze, travertine, brass. Image courtesy of Galleria Giustini Stagetti, Roma.

Anno Tropico, Room 1 and 2 (2016), Installation view.

Reflection, Test 2 (2016). Materials include LED, brass, iron, electrical materials. Image courtesy Formafantasma.

Left: Reflection, Test 2 (2016). Image courtesy of Formafantasma. Right: Arco (2016) and Renders (2016). Materials include LED, iron, digital prints on graph paper. Image courtesy of Galleria Giustini Stagetti, Rome, Formafantasma.

Anno Tropico, Room 1 (2016), Installation view.

Anno Tropico is Peep-Hole’s first initiative in the field of design, exploring the crossover between design and contemporary art research. The practice of Studio Formafantasma reflects a deep focus on the historical, political and social implications of design, and a critical approach to materials and their use in production.

The duo’s research represents an interesting fusion between two schools of design with strong identities – Italian, connected to an idea of craftsmanship and tradition, and Dutch, viewing design as an artistic discipline based on research and innovation. The exhibition created for Peep-Hole reflects the designers’ recent interest in the functional and expressive qualities of light, presenting a series of works made with different techniques and materials, together with a site-specific installation that shifts their experimentation onto an architectural scale.

The exhibition itinerary is organised on different levels. Drawings, models and a video establish a dialogue with a selection of finished objects, all created over the last year. These objects mark an important passage in the designers’ practice, now closer to the industrial sphere than to crafts. At the same time, the working models confirm that the procedure and approach are still based on intuition and experimentation.

Exhibition runs from 17 February – 19 March at the Peep-Hole Contemporary Art Centre in Milan.