Copyright Inge Prader
A recent collaboration that isn’t directly linked to fashion but equally excites us is ‘Magic Mushrooms.’ The product of a new collaboration between Wolfgang Joop and Wiener Silber Manufactur, with an aim to create a contemporary statement in tableware.
Designed by Wolfgang Joop, the mushrooms look more like delicate pieces of art to be exhibited in Europe’s biggest museums, rather than homeware that is designed for our dinner tables. However that extravagance coupled with the apparent mundane is exactly the ethos behind the collaboration, Joop explains, “What was more natural for me than to create the handmade ‘Magic Mushrooms’ with Wiener Silber Manufactur, as objects of desire, to be filled with precious spices or magical essences? Art arises at the limits of reality. It is fascinating to reproduce designs from nature in silver and to endow them with functionality and immortality.”
You may have already made the connection; the inspiration for the refreshingly bold and aesthetic creation comes from Alice in Wonderland. Joop comments: “For me mushrooms are a mysterious miracle of nature. They grow on the forest floor like jewels. Finding them is like mining for gems.”
Copyright Craig Dillon
Magic Mushrooms is a tribute to baroque traditions that aim to turn everyday procedures into a grandiose and pleasant experience. Design can also be customised: The cast silver is either made of silver, oiled ebony or walnut. The mushrooms are attached by small magnets and “grow” on a precious palm wood board. While the third design from the collection combines a series of small mushrooms cast from solid silver and the letters “magic“ to create a circular candlestick.
Founded in 1882, the prestigious Vienna-based manufacture, Wiener Silber Manufactur, is one of the oldest Austrian craft companies and is known for top-quality silver design, collaborating with many contemporary artists and designers.
For more info please visit: www.wienersilbermanufactur.com
Copyright Peter Rigaud
Words / Caroline Schmitt
Follow Caroline on Twitter @caro_schmitt
