Picasso, Giacometti, ECAL. Some projects sometimes give rise to what may first seem to be unlikely associations. In this case, it turned out for the best. The Musée national Picasso-Paris challenged ECAL to create new seats, at once practical and discreet and yet with distinctive character, for the exhibition areas. We rose to the challenge.
In order to best respond to the visitors’ needs, ECAL commissioned a group of nine students and graduates to carry out a study on the seats of fifty museums or so in Europe (Germany, England, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland). Inspired by this survey, 2nd year Bachelor Industrial Design students worked with materials of their choice under the guidance of designer and professor Chris Kabel. Isabelle Baudraz’s ‘Tie’ bench was selected from the projects put forward before being assessed in situ to make sure it blended with the architecture of the museum and the works of the Spanish genius. The benches were finally produced by the outdoor furniture company Tectona.
All the project participants worked in a concerted manner and the project was a great success. Picasso and Giacometti can definitely sit easy.
Photographs by ECAL/Calypso Mahieu and Matthieu Gafsou
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