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Rubelli presents Martino Gamper – Figura
Rubelli, Milan
Milan Design week, April 15 2024

On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2024, Rubelli presents FIGURA, a project by South Tyrolean designer Martino Gamper, who lives and works in London and is known for his diverse activities on an international level
Figura is an innovative idea for designing an armchair and is an expression of the mix of design, art and craftsmanship that distinguishes Gamper's creative process.
The peculiarity of the project is that it requires the creative intervention of the end user to take shape.
Figura is a modular armchair that can be "built" to your liking, combining the different parts that make it up in a variety of ways: seat, backrest, armrests, and sides. These 4 elements - entirely covered in fabric - are offered in 3 different shapes each: some are angular and sharp, others are softer and more bodily figures. It is the use of Rubelli fabrics that enhances the personality and uniqueness of this singular armchair.
For its debut at the Fuorisalone in the Rubelli showroom, Figura is exhibited in 16 of the 81 possible combinations, playing with the various shapes (but the upholstery possibilities are unlimited).
Gamper, referring to the various forms, speaks of "a sort of new alphabet of figures capable of creating a language that is an expression of a polyhedral imagination that combines past and present."
This vocabulary is enriched by the possibility of choosing from a range of rigorously selected Rubelli fabrics, such as Bouquet, Fabthirty, Fabthirty+ and Mundus, all of which can dialogue with the shapes created by Gamper. The fabrics - whether velvet or tweed, flame retardant or natural (wool or linen and cotton), elegant or informal - describe each individual armchair, giving it personality and uniqueness. The shapes belong neither to the past nor to the present and are neither minimalist nor maximalist. Pure expression of Gamper's singular and lyrical imagination, they defy any classification.
Suitable for the most diverse environments, these comfortable armchairs personalise the spaces in which they are placed, making them more lively and witty.
With these words, Gamper exemplifies the creative process behind his work: "I like to create pieces of furniture more than sculptures, objects that can be used by people. Of course, I do it with the freedom of expression of an artist. For me, this is what counts, not having to follow well-trodden paths, making products that we already know […]”

Photographer: Claudia Zalla

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