Droog Does Materials

I am here in Milan, Italy reporting from the Fuori Salone di Mobile. I’ve seen quite a lot and walked even more! Yesterday we went to see the Droog exhibition close to la Triennale on Foro Buonaparte. The title of the exhibition is post-sustainability. Although I generally gush over the ideas generated through the Droog community, I was a bit apprehensive to see what they produced for Milan under this theme seeing as how all the “green” themed shows have been nothing more than disappointing.

Contrary to my apprehensive feelings, the show was wonderful. It was quite small but thought provoking. The two that I enjoy the most are of a new materials nature. The first is a fence for your yard or a highway made of refused plastic bags (see image above). The bags are strung through a series of vertical, flexible cords that are held taught by a metal frame. Depending on the size and density, some bags are layered, some are overlapping, and some stand a lone. Another beauty in this piece is that the control of design and aesthetic is left up to the owner. Now this fence may not keep enemies apart from each other but it has the potential to serve as a sound barrier or simply a way to draw a line.

The second object is a table made of shredded Elle Magazines. Even today in the digital age, somehow we still fall victim to the magazine collection problem. It made we wonder what size chair we could make if everyone pooled all the magazines and paper propaganda collected at this show- certainly a chair no human could mount alone. Most importantly, what I appreciate about this table is that it is attainable and easy to create- any teenager forced to clean up her room and realizes she has a stack of magazines to the ceiling could simply create a vanity table out of them and not throw away a scrap (not to mention have to carry them all downstairs to the trash)!

It is the simplicity and engagement that really makes Droog objects special. I hope that other attendees alike had a similar reaction. If you were there, by all means share your comments with us! For the rest of you, stay posted, I will be reporting more…