Jon Marshall takes part in ‘BLOND LABORATORY’ in Milan
Jon’s elegant design uses CNC wire forming to create a candelabra based on the form of a vintage whisk, but with an added twist.
Part of this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, ‘BLOND LABORATORY is a new exhibition featuring a unique piece by Pentagram partner Jon Marshall. The exhibition has been designed and curated by industrial designers BLOND, and is on show in the heart of Brera on Via Palermo during Milan Design Week 2024.
BLOND invited seven industrial designers to contribute designs in response to its ‘BLOND artefacts’ studio initiative, which involves creating new designs in response to ‘offline’ inspiration from real-world artefacts that are no longer readily in production.
Each designer was asked to select an artefact sourced by BLOND’s team for under £20 from ordinary, everyday locations over six months; from inconspicuous items forgotten in lofts, to charity shop discoveries, and junk-shop curiosities.
The artefact Jon worked with is a very beautiful spiral whisk. He was inspired by the wonderful industrial intelligence at play with the whisk; two materials, two simple manufacturing methods and the wire forming itself used as a rigid attachment to the wooden handle.
A whisk is often used at the start of preparing a meal and Jon felt it was logical to use it as inspiration to design something related to food. A meal might start with the lighting of a candle, so a candelabra seemed an appropriate response to the brief.
Jon’s piece is an elegant modular candelabra based on a conical spring. Created using CNC wire forming, the individual candle holders are plated in gold to give an elevated, luxe feel. The candle holders can be used individually or grouped together in clusters by looping the handle at the base of the spring over an adjacent candle.
The conical coil shape of the whisk works perfectly as a stable base for a candle and creates wonderful shadows on the dining table and a tight coil at the top holds the candle. Extending from the base is a little handle which can be connected to an adjacent candle holder to create multiple different candelabra arrangements.
Jon’s prototype designs are on show alongside new pieces from fellow designers: Hirotaka Tako (Sony), John Tree (John Tree), Form Us With Love, Julie Richoz (Julie Richoz Studio), Maddalena Casadei (Maddalena Casadei Studio) and James Melia (BLOND).
‘BLOND LABORATORY’ runs from 15-21 April 2024 at Via Palermo, 11, 20121 Milano.
