Inspired by the cabinets of curiosity, or wonder cabinets that once traveled around Europe as the first iteration of what later become the modern day museum, curators, and designers themselves Livia Lauber and Maria Jeglinska, invited six designers from five European countries to create their own personal cabinet of curiosities for the Wonder Cabinets of Europe. The venture started life as a European project and each designer was given a wooden cabinet with a brief to showcase their work as well as their working methods.
On Monday 20th of May, the touring exhibition Wonder Cabinets of Europe has arrived in New York, at ICFF – Jacob K. Javits Convection Centre, stand 3110. Jonah Takagi, the first US designer to be involved in the project, and Matylda Krzykowski have joined the existing line up of emerging talents, including Maria Jeglinska, Loris&Livia, Pauline Deltour, Oscar Diaz, Kueng Caputo and Harry Thaler. The exhibition is essentially a visual study into the creative process.
The cabinets are windows into the designers’ minds, offering honest perspectives into the journeys they undertake and the conclusions they eventually reach. “We think it is important to speak about what shapes us as designers and one crucial element is the context in which we work. The projects on view, whether self-initiated or commissioned, began within particular contexts, with each designer facing specific constraints. A client (albeit an imaginary one) can play a determining role in forming a designer’s approach in the same way that a craftsman’s knowledge and skills can impact on the initial vision.” Maria Jeglinska and Livia Lauber
The end result, evoking notions of the sixteenth century cabinets of curiosities, presented the viewer with eight cabinets demonstrating the uniqueness of each designer’s approach. Each one is a distinctive living space, intimate or clinical with drawings, miniatures, furniture, even clothes. The Wonder Cabinets of Europe’s journey to New York, in occasion of the ICFF, is testament to the project’s growing appeal and represents its expansion beyond the borders of Europe.
The exhibition Wonder Cabinets of Europe is officially sanctioned by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the ICFF. With the support of the ProHelvetia foundation. More information on the official website: www.wondercabinetsofeurope.eu
