Hasta La Ideas

Listeners who trekked to the Metropolis pavilion at the far back of the ICFF had the opportunity to hear Brooke Stoddard interview Anna Lindgren and Katja Savstrom from the female foursome Front. The two Swedes explained what went into the work that wowed the attendees in the Milan Furniture Fair, provided detail on projects they’d done in the past and gave glimpses of projects to come. Presenting their designs from inception to completion, they began with each design brief and told the story of how that concept became a tangible object. Given the breadth of the products they’ve designed, the process was an adventure.

While they lacked the verbal showmanship of Cameron Sinclair’s presentation last year, success for them is the manufacture of compelling products rather than inspiring audiences to give, although the pricetags on their Mooi animal furniture may tell a different story. Beginning an extended clip of Eddie Murphy talking about the value of vases in Trading Places and ending with a video game which had the player attacking furniture, the audience was clearly not in for a typical design presentation.

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