This September The Molteni Group (Molteni&C and Dada) will participate in the London Design Festival (17-25 September 2011) by devoting its Covent Garden Flagship Store to the designer Arik Levy.

“in power 10”: 10 Quake Tables by Arik Levy10 tables, 10 interpretations, 10 visions playing on the number and its multiples.

This London Design Festival the conceptual collaboration between Molteni&C and Levy “in power 10” will be exhibited at the London Flagship Store. The project takes inspiration from the film produced by designers Charles and Ray Eames in 1968, which focuses on the relative scale of the universe in factors of 10, from minute to infinite. Drawing on inspiration from the film, Molteni&C gave Levy the unique opportunity to choose 10 different methods of interpretation for the Quake Table – one of his first products designed for the Italian manufacturer.

Using the table as a raw material, the project gave Levy rare freedom to experiment, transforming the piece into something else – thereby introducing sculptural qualities and blurring the boundaries between; design and art, function and decoration, clarity and abstraction, simplicity and complexity and heaviness and lightness. These individual dichotomies represent issues faced everyday by designers and manufacturers during the design process towards the development of a new product.

The installation consists of 10 interpretations of the Quake table:• lit by 10 light bulbs • painted 10 different colours • branded in a monochrome ‘10’ • weighed up by 10 times its weight • wrapped up in 100 metres of wiring • cut into 10 pieces • covered with 100,000 staples • hit by 10,000 nails • planted with 10 sticks • shot through by 100 arrows.

Molteni&C has successfully collaborated with the Israeli, Paris-based product designer since 2008. This Autumn, the Italian furniture manufacturer’s London Flagship Store will also become an Arik Levy residential space – showing off his Tea Time sofa, Tea Time bed, Breva, Tivan and Quake residential products.

Tea Time began with a rational reinterpretation of the classic modular sofa (available in leather or fabric, available various sizes) and has now grown to include – the Tea Time coffee table, dining table and bed –  all characterised by Levy’s distinctive detailing for the range: an original die cast aluminium leg, in polished and black chrome finishes. The elegant rectangular tables have a pleasingly thick surface, available in light or dark elm. The bed, refined in its simplicity, stands out for its compact small size, made to meet the need for a comfortable bed that fits all modern interiors. Bang on trend, the removable frame and headrest coverings (leather or fabric) is distinguished with tailored seams and cleverly positioned multipurpose pockets and pouches for books, mobile phones and remote controls thus allowing the user to bring their living and working habits into the bedroom as beds become the additional sofa – for lounging, surfing the internet or watching a film. This product represents a trend that we’ve been seeing slowly progress through the domestic arena. Boundaries between the kitchen and living rooms long ago blurred into a more convivial open-plan space for lounging, eating and entertaining as seen in Dada’s Set Kitchen by Rodolfo Dordoni. Now it is time for the living room and bedroom to merge.

The popular Breva chair has been joined by a new version, the Tivan, for homeowners who seek an iconic leather seat for the dining area. Making use of sumptuous timbers such as oak or America walnut, and using plastics technology for the body, Tivan’s chic and sinuous lines epitomise Molteni&C’s expertise in traditional craftsmanship, moulding the raw material into a comfortable, statement seat.

Il Gruppo Molteni
The Molteni Group is one of Italy’s leading furnishing companies. It consists of four companies, each one at the forefront of its sector: Molteni&C S.p.A. (home furnishings), Unifor S.p.A. (office furnishings), Dada S.p.A. (kitchens) and Citterio S.p.A. Molteni furniture products combine a pedigree of traditional, quality craftsmanship with cutting-edge innovative technology, to create a practical, quiet elegance. When speaking about Molteni, it is often said the products display hidden, technical and functional quality, married with beautiful materials: these elements present but often invisible. The quality of Molteni products and materials is widely acknowledged both in the home territory of Italy and on a global scale. The Molteni Group has always worked in partnership with Italian and international designers of note such as Foster+Partners, Jean Nouvel, Alvaro Siza, Pier Luigi Cerri, Michele De Lucchi, Rodolfo Dordoni, Ferruccio Laviani, Luca Meda, Dante Bonuccelli, Bruno Reichlin, Aldo Rossi, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Hannes Wettstein, Patricia Urquiola, Yabu Pushelberg and Arik Levy.

Arik Levy
Born in Tel Aviv in 1963, Arik Levy studied industrial design at the Art Center College of Design in La Tour de Peilz, Switzerland. In 1997, he co-founded the company “L Design” with Pippo Lionni. He also teaches at the École Nationale Supérieur de Création Industrielle / Les Ateliers in Paris and takes part in various design workshops in Europe. He also creates theatre scenery for contemporary dance performances at the Geneva Grand Theatre, the Netherlands Dance Theatre, the Finnish National Ballet and the BatSheva Dance Centre in Israel.

Molteni & C Dada
London Flagship Store
199 Shaftesbury Avenue
WC2H 8JR, London
T +44 (0) 20 7631 2345
info@moltenidada.co.uk
www.moltenidada.co.uk

Molteni & C Dada
Corporate Press Office
Laura Maifreni
press@molteni.it
Raffaella Casati
casati.raffaella@molteni.it
T +39 0362 359 267
www.molteni.it