I’ve just started to do research on the list of things on Matt Connor’s mind right now and immediately came to the Memphis Group. Even with a design background, I somehow had never come across this group of designers and now I’m in love. Maybe it’s because I’m a child of the 80’s and I’m feeling nostalgia or because Postmodernist design is having a resurgence of popularity, who knows. Anyway, I thought I’d do a quick rundown on the group:
The Memphis Group was founded by Ettore Sottsass in 1980 and they designed furniture and architecture that was a combination of Postmodernism, kitsch motifs and gaudy colors. Their unique designs created an interesting mixture between high brown and low brow designs. My favorite quote to describe the work is a “shotgun wedding between Bauhaus and Fisher-Price”. The group created influential work from 1980 - 1987 and during this time the design community’s opinion on them was quite polarized. Some people absolutely loved the freedom and playfulness of their designs while others loathed the gaudiness.
In preparation for Matt Connor’s visit I’m also having the book he mentioned “Memphis: Research, Experiences, Results, Failures, and Successes of New Design” delivered from the library.
