In a State of Repair

8 – 13 April 2014
A unique collaboration between designer Martino Gamper, la Rinascente
department store in Milan and London’s Serpentine Galleries

Artisans’ performing hours
10am – 10pm 8 April
10am – 8pm 9 – 11 April

A new collaboration between renowned Italian department store la
Rinascente, designer Martino Gamper and London’s Serpentine Galleries
celebrates the craftsmen, craftswomen, artisans and technicians who repair
the things that break, stop working or go wrong. Launching on the occasion
of Salone Internazionale del Mobile, In a State of Repair explores the
expectations of customer service and continues the story of consumption, a
story that does not necessarily end when a person purchases an object and
leaves the store.

Martino Gamper said:
“As well as celebrating the skills that are sadly hidden from view, I hope this
installation encourages people to keep their belongings rather than discard
them, to improve what they buy rather than throw it away. Ultimately, the aim
is that people will appreciate the transformation of their object through the
process of repair. So, please bring us your broken things and watch them
being repaired in front of your eyes.”
As a designer, Gamper always anticipates how he can improve or repair
something. As part of the installation for la Rinascente, Gamper designs and
curates a series of eight workshop stands dedicated to fixing products,
brought to him by members of the public, free of charge. Situated in front of
and within the eight storefront windows of the Milan branch of the flagship
store, In a State of Repair re-creates the workshops that are normally hidden
from view, revealing what happens when your goods are taken to be repaired.
Each window will be dedicated to the display of different category of repaired
object: accessories, shoes, books, toys, electronics, clothing, chairs and
bicycles. Gamper will develop a set of material and process-based constraints
for each craftsman that means that each repaired object becomes a one-off
piece of design.

Julia Peyton-Jones, Director, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director of
Serpentine Galleries said:
“The Serpentine Galleries continually explore how to present art, architecture
and design in new ways. In a State of Repair represents a unique opportunity
to temporarily transform la Rinascente into an extension of our Galleries.”

Alberto Baldan, CEO of la Rinascente, said:
“la Rinascente is proud to host In a State of Repair, a collaboration that
represents a revolutionary new frontier in customer service. This unique
partnership with Serpentine Galleries and Martino Gamper fits perfectly with
the philosophy of la Rinascente, a department store where every day brings a
unique experience for the shopper.”
Martino Gamper’s design is a state of mind exhibition takes place at the
Serpentine Sackler Gallery until 18 May 2014. Taken from the press release.

www.rinascente.it
www.serpentinegalleries.org