Vitra Schaudepot in Weil am Rhein, Germany, is hosting “Living in a Box: Design and Comics” that explores the world of comics and their relationship to design. The exhibition runs through October 20, 2019.The show provides a fresh look at the museum’s collection through iconic and instantly recognizable furniture pieces that feature in comic books such as “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Peanuts,” and “Diabolik.” At the same time, numerous designers have taken inspiration from these paneled narratives to create design objects that are based on superhuman strength and lightning speed. “Living in a Box: Design and Comics” looks at both these areas in the museum’s first-ever study of the comics medium.Design has been an essential part of our lives, and comic artists have reflected that in their work. Comics are stories told over the course of multiple panels with the help of images and texts, in order to keep the readers engaged, comic artists use subtle codes — including design — to create an atmosphere.At the beginning of the 20th century, comics made a breakthrough with the rise of comic strip syndicates in American newspapers. Sunday comic strips such as Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo in Slumberland” (1905–1924), about the main character’s dream adventures were read by millions of readers. Different sections of society were visually coded and satirized with the aid of design and comic artists in Europe started referencing modernist design objects in their work. The Belgian Georges Remi, more popularly known as Herge, became a worldwide phenomenon with his comic “The Adventures of Tintin.” Translated into over 70 languages, in the fifth volume of the comics published in 1934, a 1927 “MR-10” chair by Mies van der Rohe was depicted by the artist. An object much like his formally reduced drawing style “ligne claire” gave emphasis to design by reducing material and form.Design and comics also shared a like-minded definition of what was meant as modern. One that aimed to be international, accessible, and mass-produced.While tracing the history of the medium with design objects such as Maurice Calka’s 1969 “Boomerang” desk or Eero Aarnio’s 1971 “Tomato Chair” that were inspired by imagery from sci-fi comics of the 1960s. Comic-artist-cum-designers from the 1980s such as Javier Mariscal created furniture to fill in the panels of his work, for example, the 1987 “Garriris” chair. Graphic novels have gained popularity since the 1990s and dealt with serious issues such as war, social injustice, or a simplistic retelling of history that reaches a larger portion of the masses. One such example is the May 2019 graphic novel “Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun.” The author/illustrator duo of Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Zosia Dzierżawska have reconstructed the “E.1027” villa from the late designer Eileen Gray’s perspective. Which is the opposite of the accepted version that has minimized her contribution for decades.The exhibition juxtaposes comics from a wide variety of genres from Japanese mangas to graphic novels with related design objects from the Vitra Design Museum’s collection. The objects on view highlight the shared spirit in which they were designed.The exhibition is an introspective and a playful look at the genre at the same time.“Living in a Box: Design and Comics” continues to be on view through October 20, 2019, at Vitra Schaudepot, Charles-Eames-Straße 2, 79576 Weil am Rhein, Germany. For details, visit: https://www.blouinartinfo.com/galleryguide/vitra-museum-weil-am-rhein/overviewClick on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the exhibition.https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin
↧