Bronze and Quartzite Alcova Table Tray by Ilaria Bianchi

Bronze and Quartzite "Alcova" table tray - Ilaria Bianchi. Dimensions: 13 x 40 x 27.5 cm. Materials: Bronze, powder-coated metal, quartzite marble. Alcova it’s a tribe of a chair, a table and a table tray. It uses industrial profiles to create a new Neolithic aesthetic - objects as solid and powerful as Venus figurines, lightened by contemporary processing. The project module is an ellipse, a shape generated by focal points, that creates an anthropologically hospitable, female space, to celebrate oneself, gift oneself, perform a ritual of welcome. The cast bronze elements are a primordial language, representing the human pulsion to create forms - the use of signs to understand its place between the forces of nature and society. This table tray is conceived as a little altar where to place gifts, performing a welcoming ritual protected and enhanced by the focal points of the ellipse. Ilaria Bianchi is a product and furniture designer based in Milan. She works for design studios, galleries, companies and private clients. She started her own practice in 2015, after her degree in Industrial Design at the Polytechnic of Turin, and an MA in Ceramic, Furniture and Jewelry Design at Central Saint Martins in London. Her work, which uses a multidisciplinary approach, ranges from Industrial Design, to unique pieces, to installations. It molds artisanal and technical techniques, studying design solutions with an analytical and critical perspective, and a strong focus on sustainability. Material experimentation is central in her research process - the action and manipulation of reality are crucial elements in her project language. Materials are used to create perceptive contrasts, establishing reactions (and relations) between the public and her objects: they are made to be touched, used, experimented with. Her works are shown in galleries, cultural centers and international fairs such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, Triennale di Milano, MiArt, Stockholm Design Fair, London Design Fair, Salone del Mobile and many others. Her Duo Shelf project is one of the WallPaper* 2018 Design Award winners. In 2017 Ilaria is selected as one of the 100 "ambassadors of Italian design", for the Italian Design Day event promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; she's also included in the "Under 35 Italian Design" exhibition at Triennale di Milano. In 2016 she founds The Ladies' Room collective with Agustina Bottoni, Astrid Luglio, and Sara Ricciardi. Their work began as a co-operation for observing contemporary design by creating artifacts and experiences, that are the engine of discussion on the renewed need for sensory involvement.