INDUSTRIAL design that married the old and the new was the theme of New Olds: Design between Tradition and Innovation, an exhibit organized by the Goethe-Institut Manila or German Cultural Center at the Yuchengco Museum in Makati City from May 9 to June 6.
Curated by Volker Albus, the exhibit featured some 45 designers and design teams from Germany, Europe, the United States, and the Philippines. Some 60 works explored how contemporary artists worked with traditional elements.
Thomasians Gabriel Barredo and Dem Bitantes were represented in the exhibit.
Barredo’s untitled piece was an opulently designed chair with figurative sculptures made of aluminum, glass, steel, resin and iron mounted on the arm rests. The backrest had a sculpture of a baby inside the mother’s womb.
Bitantes’ “Pamela Wire Chair” was made of powder-coated steel had a see-through design, said to make indoor spaces more open.
The artists used variance and new patterns to show how redesigning could transform classics into contemporary through the right choice of materials for construction and functionality.
Other works featured in the exhibit were by Filipino designers like Ambie Abaño, Anton del Castillo, Daniel Latorre Cruz, Michelline Syjuco, French-Filipino Olivia d’Aboville and Philippine-based Japanese designer Wataru Sakuma. Juan Carlos D. Moreno and Nikka Lavinia G. Valenzuela
