Italians Andrea Trimarki and Simone Farrezin, Formafantasma, are able to deal with stereotypes and cliches. They shared their views on the mission of the professionals with the magazine INTERIOR + DESIGN.

Related: Formafantasma: One Day in the Life of Designers

The duo Formafantasma - Andrea Trimarki and Simone Farrezin - made a number of successful, original projects, thanks to which they firmly entered the vanguard of modern design. They managed to radically update the attitude to the materials, they often immersed in the research of traditional cultures, offering an ironic and critical look at the idea of ​​sustainable development that has engulfed the design world. Ten years ago, they felt the importance of building bridges between fisheries and industry. At various times worked for Droog, Fendi, London Gallery Libby Sellers, Hermès and Lexus. Designers emphasize that in the past they have different personal stories. But the present is exactly common.

Magnifier (English “magnifier”) is a laconic lamp designed by the Formafantasma duet for the Roman gallery Giustini / Stagetti.

Today, product customization is an exclusive service, tomorrow it will be available to everyone.

DESIGN MISSION Most often we think of new subjects, assessing their ability to tell some human story. Their meaning is not in functionality, not in a spectacular or extraordinary combination of materials, each collection is a plot. For us, design is a discipline that helps to look critically, to doubt, to overestimate social, cultural and even political events. But we have a rule; each project begins with our personal observations and hobbies. You can't take an abstract idea and turn it into things. Need a boost. We transform intimate experiences into more general concepts, and then transform them into material objects. We start with the concept, then create an archive of images and texts that help bring our ideas. Each project is accompanied by verbal and visual communication. Something like this can describe our design method. Being engaged in design, we work as powerful filters, a lot of visual, tactile and non-verbal information passes through us. Any project is the result of this distillation. We always rationally understand how we begin work, but at what point and with what result it will be completed, it is never known. This is a special design drive.

Craftica Project for Fendi, 2012.

Design helps to look at the world critically, to think, to doubt and to overestimate the habitual.

FIGURE CHANGES THE WORLD Один из важнейших трендов в нашей области — цифровые технологии. Сегодня новые платформы дают возможность молодым дизайнерам заявить о своем проекте, минуя профессиональную прессу или цеховые мероприятия вроде выставок. В ближайшем будущем мы увидим, что связь дизайнера с пользователем будет становиться все более непосредственной. People will be able to directly contact the designer, as a doctor, to solve their specific problems. И неважно, что именно им понадобится — мебель, детские игрушки или новый вид транспорта. Today, product customization is an exclusive service, tomorrow it will be available to everyone.

Стол Domus, Delta, Giustini-Stagetti. Galleria O. Roma, 2016.

POOR AND TOGETHER “I liked to design and invent something from my childhood,” says Simone. - At 16, I was constantly drawing and designing something. I didn’t have a rock band or football idol hanging over the bed, but Enzo Marís Il Lavoro al centro exhibition poster. ” “From an early age I was interested in the arrangement of things,” says Andrea. - In Florence, I studied at the architect, but rather quickly realized that I was interested in designing things of a smaller scale. Somehow intuitively we came to the decision to unite efforts. It happened somehow by itself. We both received an undergraduate degree in Florence, we had a common passion and desire to do something more artistic than mass-produced furniture. We have applied for study at the magistracy of the Academy of Design in Eindhoven, and it is like a duet, together. This was the first time in history, and the dean of the department, Guis Bakker, was understanding, open, he took the risk, realizing that it was only together that we could do something worthwhile. Well, as a diploma, we presented a joint project. The process is very natural, we understand each other at a glance, our dialogues are full of abstract and indefinite descriptions, but we don’t need a translator, we can discuss something hot, but there’s never a misunderstanding. Working in pairs allows you to see the creative process more objectively. And correct something at the right moment. One person can have stagnant energy, together we push each other. ”

Light Blush, Flos. 2017. Diz. Formafantasma.

People will be able to directly contact the designer, as a doctor, to solve their specific problems.

SEE ALTERNATIVE Starting to think about a new collection, we carefully explore the technological and imaginative possibilities of the material. Our first step is always to understand the existing stereotypes and clichés. Often we provide our clients with not final solutions to problems, we formulate new questions and give a vision of alternatives. For example, it was with the project Botanica (commissioned by the PLART Foundation). We investigated the polymers of post-industrial eras and turned them into a collection of hand-made vases. Plastic is habitually considered to be modern materials or, to be sure, materials of the twentieth century, and we have discovered a much earlier history of polymers. Plastic has always been valued for the ease and perfect smoothness that industrial casting gives. We, on the contrary, form it with our hands. Evolution has made a choice in favor of gasoline polymers, but we are returning to the designers ’view of organic and non-gasoline polymers.

Ceramic tiles, Cedit. 2017. Diz. Formafantasma.

INSTAGRAM READY Instagram has completely changed life. We check everything on accounts - from the food we are going to buy, and the hotels where we plan to stay, to people who are about to fall in love or are thinking about sleeping with them. That is why things will become more and more tactile and sensual, it is the variety of tactile sensations that should balance our bias towards digital reality. What do we oppose? Now we are working on a new collection of lamps for Flos, we are making pieces of furniture for several factories, and we are continuing the Ore Streams project.

Divan Safari, Archizoom Associati, 1968.

Guru and idols Нам важно иметь «под рукой» всю историю дизайна. В зависимости от конкретной задачи мы можем вспоминать творчество самых разных проектировщиков. Но в последнее время мы много смотрим мастеров итальянского радикального дизайна. Они могли абстрагироваться от функциональности и расширить наши горизонты. Нам сегодня интересно смотреть на эксперименты Superstudio и Archizoom 1960–1970-х годов. В них до сих пор пульсируют молодая энергия, жажда свободы и дух новаторства. Есть несколько интерьеров, которые мы считаем настоящими произведениями искусства, — это миланская вилла Некки — шедевр Пьеро Порталуппи, отель Parco dei Principi — Джо Понти — и пристройка Музея искусства Базель — работа Christ & Gantenbein.

THE STORY OF A SERVANT AND THE PERUAN SEVICH Our day looks like this: we wake up, have breakfast and go for a 45-minute walk. Then we begin to work: we discuss matters between ourselves and with our assistant Daniele. Organizational affairs take more time than creativity. We need to delve into all the details of the projects that are being worked on in the studio. Lunch, as a rule, we prepare ourselves for the whole team. Lunch in our studio is a time when we can calmly talk about everything and discuss life outside of design. After work we go to the gym. In the evening, we read or watch TV - now our favorite is the American television series “The Handmaid's Tale”. We like political allusions in the plot. We never work at night. In general, our tastes change. Today, our favorite city is Milan, our favorite artist is Pierre Uig, we listen to Fever Ray, ceviche is the leader in our gastronomic list - a Peruvian seafood dish. We love to cook, food is our passion. Favorite drink is water. In addition, we are happy to collect vintage items that are characteristic of special places. But everything can change, we do not hold on to our addictions.