A homage to the “lowly” tradition of the chair made contemporary by using two apparently contrasting materials.
Two versions, as if wood and aluminium, in overcoming the distinction between artisan and industrial production, were one the consequence of the other. And vice versa. With its solidity and comfort the form appears to suggest the modus operandi of master joiners of the pre-industrial age. The back contains and guarantees the utmost in ergonomics while aluminium, as well as considerably reducing its weight, allows for outdoor use. Stackable, coloured and comfortable, St. Mark finds its beauty in the simplicity and in the versatility of use, allowing a contemporary restyling of any type of space, from the public area to the home environment.
Martino Gamper
Martino Gamper (b. 1971, Merano, Italy) lives and works in London. Starting as an apprentice with a furniture maker in Merano, Gamper went on to study sculpture under Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He completed a Masters in 2000 from the Royal College of Art, London, where he studied under Ron Arad.
Working across design and art venues, Martino Gamper engages in a variety of projects from exhibition design, interior design, one-off commissions and the design of mass-produced products for the cutting edge of the international furniture industry.
Gamper has presented his works and projects internationally, selected exhibitions and commissions include:
“Tu casa, mi casa”, The Modern Institute, Glasgow (2013); ‘Bench Years’, London Design Festival commission, V&A Museum, London (2012); ʻGesamtkunsthandwerk’ (Karl Fritsch, Martino Gamper and Francis Upritchard), Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth – New Zealand (2011); Project for Café Charlottenborg, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2011); ‘Bench to Bench’, public street furniture in East London in collaboration with LTGDC (2011);‘A 100 chairs in 100 Days’, 5 Cromwell Place, London (2007);‘Wouldn't it be Nice...Wishful thinking in Art & Designʼ, Centre dʼ Art Contemporain, Genève (2007).
Gamper was the recipient of the Moroso Award for Contemporary Art in 2011, and the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, Furniture Award in 2008 for his project ‘A 100 Chairs in 100 days’.
Moroso has been working in close collaboration with some of the world’s most talented designers to produce luxury sofas and seating since 1952.