Supper scene at Spazio Pontaccio

SUPPER SCENE

“

PEOPLE EXPERIENCING OBJECTS, OBJECTS EXPERIENCING PEOPLE.

MILAN SPECIAL

”

APRIL 2014

SPAZIO PONTACCIO WILL PRESENT SUPPERSCENE.

BECAUSE LIFE AND DESIGN MUST CONSTANTLY INTERACT.

M

backdrop selected according to strict editorial guidelines.

Guests will be served delicious gastronomic creations on plates designed by Federico Pepe for Le Dictateur and Spazio, they will drink from glasses created by designer Lee Broom and will use gilt cutlery designed by Alessandro Zambelli for Seletti.

ILAN, APRIL 8.

Life and design will be blended together in a remarkable culinary encounter at Spazio Pontaccio with SupperScene, a tableau vivant staged in the Milan design boutique’s display windows.

As the Brera district in Milan will go about its hectic business, the Spazio Pontaccio display windows will become the stage for a one-ofa-kind multisensory experience.

50 big name guests from the world of international design will take part in an unprecedented dining concept staged in the display windows of the Spazio Pontaccio design boutique.

A

fter dinner, the table will be recreated and put on show for the rest of the week to showcase the tableau vivant as it will be on the evening of the dinner.

The featured design objects can be bought at the temporary pop-up shop inside the showroom.

The extraordinary recipes prepared

by Matias Perdomo will be presented against an unprecedented

SPAZIO PONTACCIO, THE DESIGN BOUTIQUE VIA PONTACCIO 18, 20121 MILANO +39 02 805 7025 spaziopontaccio.it showroom@spaziopontaccio.it

See pages 2 and 3 for all ingredients of SupperScene.

2

SupperScene - April 2014

SUPPERSCENE. THE INGREDIENTS.

T

HE LOCATION: the display windows at Spazio Pontaccio in the beating heart of Milan’s Brera design district.

THE HOSTS: Alberto Pellini and Eleonora Negri, the showroom’s partners and owners.

THE CHEF: cooking is experimentation, preparing a meal is creating auteur recipes. Matias Perdomo, the Michelin starred chef famed for his revolutionary and innovative approach to food will prepare the meal for SupperScene.

LE D.ISH: guests will be served Perdomo’s gastronomic creations on plates designed by Federico Pepe for Le Dictateur and Spazio

“

After all, a beautiful plate is an important ingredient in any recipe and a welldesigned chair is a fundamental part of the culinary experience, on a par with the food.

”

Pontaccio.

THE PRESENTATION: guests will drink from glasses created by designer Lee Broom and they will use gilt cutlery designed by Alessandro Zambelli for Seletti.

The kitchen has been specially created for Spazio Pontaccio by Alpes Inox, while the lights are by Philippe Malouin and Jason Miller for Roll&Hill, the tables and stools - all in crystal glass - by Glas Italia, the hand-knotted rugs by CCTapis and the “AiN’T Got Money” plate by Bixio Braghieri.

The evening event will unfold in full public view in the showroom’s display windows.

SupperScene - April 2014

“

Life and design must interact constantly and we want to seize the moment to explore the relationships between people and objects, all in full public view.

�

3

4

SupperScene - April 2014

SPAZIO PONTACCIO. THE HOME OF THE NEW.

T

his is the crystal gallery.

This is the place where collections are selected and presented for their creativity and good taste, or other words for their beauty.

Because only true beauty keeps its economic, cultural and social value over time.

This is the constantly evolving stage where styles, forms and ma-

C

terials are presented in unusual combinations.

This is where different worlds, ages and tastes intersect. Where edgy interior decorations and accessories are accompanied by masterpieces of artisan expertise, often presented in exclusive previews.

Here great international designers like Marcel Wanders, Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, Arik

Levy, Piero Lissoni, Nendo, Tokujin Yoshioka and Ron Gilad are constantly set against emerging new talents.

This is the place where everything new is at home, selected with a recognisable, unique and irreverent editorial approach.

This is Spazio Pontaccio.

onnecting different worlds, ages and tastes, chosen with a profound love for all that is beautiful and set off against each other with skill, sophistication and tad of irreverence.�

SupperScene - April 2014

HISTORY

2002

2009

COLOUR, SPAZIO PONTACCIO AND THE SALONE DEL MOBILE. Featuring the one and only Alexander “love seat” for two designed

by Gianni G. Pellini and made entirely in Milan.

Plus French-style commodes with decorations inspired by nature, Pantone courtesy bikes and the Bouroullec brothers’ fairy tale installations.

2005

2007

ORIGINS: THE IDEA BEHIND SPAZIO PONTACCIO. Spazio Pontaccio opens through the efforts of two innovative, intuitive personalities, Gianni G. Pellini and his son Alberto Pellini.

EVOLUTION: THE BIRTH OF THE SPAZIO PONTACCIO PROJECT DIVISION. A group of architects and interior designers who - together with the Spazio Pontaccio team - work on wider-ranging contract projects.

ARIK LEVY AND SPAZIO PONTACCIO. Arik Levy presents his Baccarat crystal glass lights at Spazio Pontaccio, in the same year that the Milan boutique celebrates its fifth anniversary with Marcel Wanders.

2011

2012

2013

PHILIPPE STARCK AND SPAZIO PONTACCIO. Phillippe Starck chooses the Milan boutique to present his first kitchen in Italy.

Spazio Pontaccio XS is created the same year as an area devoted entirely to accessories.

ELEONORA NEGRI BECOMES A PARTNER OF SPAZIO PONTACCIO. Spazio Pontaccio celebrates its 10th anniversary and Eleonora Negri becomes a partner. The “Believe in Beauty” concept is launched to mark Milan’s Salone del Mobile.

SPECIAL GUESTS: LEE BROOM, NENDO, TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA. The international design community’s top pop talents are featured in the installation for the Salone del Mobile. Spazio Pontaccio creates the “Crystal Bulb Shop” exclusively for Lee Broom: an emotional presentation of the legendary Crystal Bulbs.

2008

5

SPAZIO PONTACCIO: AN INSTALLATION EVENT TO CELEBRATE THE SHOWROOM’S FRIENDSHIP AND ELECTIVE AFFINITIES WITH TWO IMPORTANT DESIGNERS. Matteo Thun creates a romantic window display inspired by the beaches of Malibu and featuring a shower of garlands, while Marcel Wanders presents spectacular new lighting products and eclectically upholstered chairs.

6

SupperScene - April 2014

SPAZIO PONTACCIO

SupperScene - April 2014

THE DESIGN BOUTIQUE

7

8

SupperScene - April 2014

ALBERTO PELLINI

B

orn in Milan in 1973.

After completing his education, Alberto Pellini began working with his father (Gianni G. Pellini), who immediately instilled in him his own passion for design. In the mid 1990s he began his career as a commercial consultant for several interior decora-

tion companies, including Armani Casa, where he contributed to building the brand’s worldwide sales network. Drawing inspiration from his practical experience in the field, in 2002 he decided to open Spazio Pontaccio, which he now manages as CEO.

BIOGRAPHY OF IDEAS

“

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, even more than in the objects. Every day we search for and find reasons to continue to tell its story.

”

“

One of the basic principles underpinning the Spazio Pontaccio philosophy is the unceasing search for new forms, colours, materials and ideas.

”

SupperScene - April 2014

9

ELEONORA NEGRI

B

orn in Milan in 1974.

With a degree in modern languages, for 15 years she worked for two important communication companies.

In 2011, after the birth of her sec-

“

After all, a beautiful plate is an important ingredient in any recipe and a welldesigned chair is a fundamental part of the culinary experience, on a par with the food.

”

“

What is interesting is the telling of unusual stories, independently of whether successful brands or emerging young talents are involved.

”

ond child, she decided to devote her time to the family business and in 2012 became a partner of Spazio Pontaccio, where she is now Chief Operating Officer.

10

SupperScene - April 2014

MATIAS PERDOMO

B

orn in Uruguay in March 1980, Matias Perdomo began to take cooking seriously when his uncle, a carpenter by trade, recognised his passion for the culinary arts and encouraged him to take private lessons in his home country. His first big ambition was to become a chef at the country’s first 5-star hotel, El Condor. The only problem was that he was only 14 and too young to work in such an important kitchen. But this didn’t discourage him and to experience the thrill, creativity and immediacy of cooking for the public, he began to offer his recipes in a small delicatessen in Chile, confirming his love for raw materials and food preparation.

Not long afterwards he began working for a French-style catering service based in Uruguay, which gave him the chance to evolve and mature professionally until he was 18. His first big success was with the Italian cuisine served at the Paninis restaurant, which in the space of just two years grew from an eatery seating 30 to a

small chain with three new venues spread across the country. His reputation grew and people began to stop him in the street, not least because of the television programme he presented about cooking. But his thirst for new discoveries and challenges remained unquenched.

His friend Juan’s invitation to join him in Italy, in Milan, at the “Al Pont de Ferr” restaurant, started him dreaming of big new experiences again. So he took up his friend’s invitation and was immediately made second chef. While the restaurant’s external appearance is that of a traditional hostelry, beneath the surface it is, in fact, a very forward-looking establishment. His creativity and willingness to take risks sat well with the exuberant determination of Maida Mercuri, the restaurant’s owner and sommelier, who accompanied traditional dishes like pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) or risotto con ossobuco (marrowbone risotto) with fine Barolo wine as far back as the 1980s, when nouvelle cuisine was the height of fashion,

SupperScene - April 2014

as if to challenge (and debunk) the idea that haute cuisine was only for an elite.

At the same time Matias embarked on training and specialisation internships, particularly in Spain because he knew the language. He began with the Michelin-starred Martin Berasategui in San Sebastian and continued with El Celler de Can Roca, owned by the Roca brothers in Girona, Catalonia. He also “took over” the lunch service at Al Pont de Ferr, during which he presented his own ‘fresher’ recipes, but without revolutionising the restaurant’s popular and well-loved formula.

He has been first chef at the restaurant for five years now, working alongside the Argentinian Simon… and is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most creative chefs in Italy and internationally.

If we ask him what cooking is, he doesn’t need to think about his answer: “It’s something you have inside, a need for sensory reinterpretation that revolves around food.”

11

Matias is happy when he completes a dish, and for this to happen, he has to ‘close a circle’. It is not only a journey made up of flavours, but something that touches all the senses and goes beyond in a playful kind of way. He is at pains to point out that his is not a meditative cuisine, because meditation is too time-consuming and deep an experience when you sit down for a meal. He prefers to talk about the cuisine of reflection, something quicker and more immediate, but which can also provoke and amuse.

There are therefore three essential things: the raw materials, which have to be of the finest quality, playful deception of the senses, and the visual contrasts that may lie behind this deception.

Now that he feels he has already overcome life’s obstacles and battles, he has found an effective balance and a well-deserved creative space in which to express himself, with the help of the almost theatrical presence of Maida and her extraordinary way of making people (who are not just customers) feel at home.

Photo by Fabrizio Annibali

12

SupperScene - April 2014

LE D.ISH

F

or the international design boutique Spazio Pontaccio, Le Dictateur has created LE D.ISH, designed by Federico Pepe, an exclusive series of fine limited edition plates featuring the world of Le Dictateur and its unmistakable graphic style.

SupperScene - April 2014

13

14

SupperScene - April 2014

LE DICTATEUR

L

e Dictateur began life in 2006 as a publishing project.

In 2009 it also became an independent exhibition space.

In 2012 a publisher too.

Today Le Dictateur is an ecosystem with three parts: Le Dictateur Art Magazine, Le Dictateur Project Space, Le Dictateur Press.

LE DICTATEUR ART MAGAZINE

Created to challenge the very concept of an art publication: aluminium pages, thoughtful pages, leaflet, holograms, relief printing, multicolored ribbon bookmark, numbered white boxed set with wax seal.

Every magazine pushes the boundaries of what an artist’s book is.

An editorial tour de force, between artists’ magazine, book-object and paper sculpture.

LE DICTATEUR PROJECT SPACE

Since 2009 LE DICTATEUR has curated art and music events to create a workshop and an opportunity to meet for famous and less well-known artists.

LE DICTATEUR PRESS

In 2012 Le Dictateur became a publisher.

Le Dictateur Press pubblications are internationally distributed by Les Presses du Reél, Buchhandlung Walther Koenig in Europe, D.A.P in United States and Le Dictateur e-commerce.

Magazines and artists’ books published by Le Dictateur Press are distributed in major galleries and museums around the world, including: Galerie Perrotin Paris, Yvon Lambert Librairie Paris, Centre Pompidou Paris, Palais de Tokyo, FRAC Champagne-Ardenne Reims, Les Abattoirs, Toulouse, CNAC Le Magasin, Grenoble, ARTBOOK @ MoMA PS1, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Shop, Center for Creative Photography, The Chelsea Art Museum Store, FNAC, Getty Museum of Art, MOCA –Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Metropolitan Museum of Art and SFMOMA Bookstore.

SupperScene - April 2014

1st Big Thing

2nd Big Thing

3rd Big Thing

4th Big Thing

15

5th Big Thing

MAY 1ST 2010

FEBRUARY 2012

JULY 3RD 2012

APRIL 2013

FEBRUARY 2014

LE DICTATEUR SELECTED FOR “NO SOUL FOR SALE”, TATE MODERN LONDON.

MOMA LIBRARY SELECTS LE DICTATEUR FOR THE “MILLENNIUM MAGAZINE” EXHIBITION.

LE DICTATEUR IS INVITED TO CURATE FIVE EXHIBITIONS IN CHELSEA AT CATTELAN/ GIONI’S FAMILY BUSINESS GALLERY, UNDER THE NAME THESE PEANUTS ARE BULLETS.

PALAIS DE TOKYO INVITES LE DICTATEUR.

In February 2014 Le Dictateur is a finalist for the Curate Award from the Fondazione Prada and the Qatar Museums Authority.

Le Dictateur is proud to be part of the most important exhibition ever organised in the independent spaces, to mark 10 years of Tate Modern: No Soul for Sale.

The space was selected by the curators Gioni/Cattelan/Alemani.

Curated by Rachael Morrison and David Senior.

Day 1 FLORIA SIGISMONDI Artist and music video director, has worked with international musicians including Muse, The White Stripes, David Bowie, Sheryl Crow, The Cure, Björk.

Day 2 NICO VASCELLARI Previously exhibited at Manifesta and winner of the MAXXI Award.

Day 3 LIZ MAGIC LASER Previously exhibited at MoMA PS1, New York.

Day 4 JULIUS VON BISMARCK Winner of the CERN prize for art.

Day 5 THOMAS HOUSEAGO Previously exhibited in 2010 at the Whitney Biennial.

FEDERICO PEPE

F

ederico Pepe was born in Omegna in 1976. He lives and works in Milan.

Azalea Seratoni writes: “Federico Pepe is a designer with an interest in how the communication process can be shaped, fully aware that the act of designing is increasingly an intertwining of disciplines.

He is able to initiate and build relationships and experiences, educated to move between different practices.

He is an artist, author, director, catalyst, cultural operator, creative, publisher, entrepreneur, curator, producer and adman.

18/04/2013 Exhibition by Roger Ballen.

19/04/2013 Performance by Julius Von Bismark.

20/04/2013 Installation/projection by Mattia Biagi.

21/04/2013 Installation by d’Alberto Tadiello.

22/04/2013 Video screening by Le Dictateur.

EVERY DAY WE WORK TO SELECT AND PRESENT A FEW, GREAT OBJECTS. WE SELECT THEM FOR OUR SHOWROOM AND DEDICATE OUR RESEARCH TO EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO INCLUDE BEAUTY IN THEIR LIVING SPACES. OUR DISPLAYS ARE A WINDOW ON WHAT WE BELIEVE IN: A DESIGN THAT DOESN’T AIM TO OUTDO ITSELF, BUT WHICH HAS BEEN CREATED TO ADD SURPRISE, HARMONY AND INSPIRATION TO PEOPLE’S LIVES. WITHOUT THEM, DESIGN WOULD NOT EXIST. WE BELIEVE THAT LIFE AND DESIGN MUST CONSTANTLY INTERACT AND THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE’S OBJECTS AND THEIR LIVES MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION. WE BELIEVE THAT THE BEAUTY OF CHAIRS CAN INFLUENCE THE BEAUTY OF CONVERSATION AND THAT A TABLE’S LEGS CAN HELP SUPPORT A LINE OF REASONING. WE BELIEVE THAT A WELLMADE PLATE CAN BE ONE OF THE INGREDIENTS IN A RECIPE AND THAT A LAMP CAN ALSO ENLIGHTEN IDEAS. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DECIDED TO INCLUDE PEOPLE IN OUR WINDOW DISPLAY, TO GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE AN INNOVATIVE DINING CONCEPT THAT CROSSBREEDS LIFE AND DESIGN INTO A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.

SPAZIO PONTACCIO

SUPPERSCENE

PEOPLE EXPERIENCING OBJECTS. OBJECTS EXPERIENCING PEOPLE.