Michele DE LUCCHI & Philippe NIGRO

Biography

Michele de Lucchi played a prominent role in movements such as Cavart, Alchimia and Memphis during the period of radical and experimental architecture. He has designed lamps and furniture for renowned Italian and European companies. He was Director of Design at Olivetti between 1988 and 2002, where he developed experimental projects for Compaq Computers, Philips, Siemens and Vitra and elaborated various personal theories on the evolution of the workplace. His professional work has always gone side-by-side with a personal exploration of design, technology and crafts. In 1990 he founded Produzione Privata, a small-scale company through which he designs products that are made using artisan techniques and crafts. Since 2004 he has been sculpturing little wooden houses with chain saws which he describes as "experimental architectural studies".

Philippe Nigro works between France and Italy. Characterized by a connection between prospective research and pragmatic appreciation of the "savoir-faire" of manufacturers with whom he works, he moves between projects of different scale - be it well-known brands, the luxury industry or local craftsmanship. Over the years these experiences, enriched by a mixture of Franco-Italian culture, have allowed him to meet all aspects of Design head-on. Some of his projects are in collections at the Centre Pompidou and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris including Twin-Chairs, T.U. and Confluence. In 2014 he was awarded Designer of the Year for the French furniture fair Now-Maison & Objet and at the same time created the exhibition design of the 7th edition of Milano's Triennale Design Museum, "Italian Design beyond the Crisis." In 2015 he created the scenography for Lexus, the Japanese car company, for the Milano Furniture Fair.

http://www.philippenigro.com