OKOLO

OKOLO is a creative collective with a focus on design, architecture, art, style, fashion, and the entire scope of cultural city life which, thus, becomes the subject of our activities in design journalism, curatorial exhibitions, print publications and special projects and events through which we strive to collaborate with creative individuals from various fields a look for an unexpected way of presenting design and more.

OKOLO was founded in 2009 and is run by graphic designers Matěj Činčera and Jan Kloss and curator Adam Štěch. The studio is based in Prague, Czech Republic.

Name

Year

Material

Size

Edition

Price

Books with(out) Content

2019

Paper

(7 pp) 40 x 30 cm

Unique

399€

For the exhibition Extraperlo, we devised a series of books, presenting some of the exciting topics and stories throughout the history of modern design and architecture which still wait for the serious research and documentation. We chose these topics because we think that they should be published in the form of books to fill blank pages in the design history. We created several types of fake books with no real content to stimulate researchers and our work too. Each book represents particular style from serious monography to independent exhibition catalogue to envision possible scenarios how these topics could be presented in the near future.

1. André Bloc: Sculptor, Painter, Designer, Architect and Editor

André Bloc is one of the most important figures of French modernism. This highly prolific designer highlighted his talent in many various disciplines to support and develope French design of the modern era. Despite it, there is no proper book about his versatile work, including furniture design, graphic design, paintings, sculptures, experimental sculptural houses and editorship of important magazine L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, which he founded in 1930. We think that this is the huge topic for French design historians to be done.

2. Toni Cordero: Life and work of Hidden Postmodern Master

Our great friend and collaborator Fulvio Ferrari from Turin, who owns and runs Casa Mollino as a museum, told us many stories about the late Turin-based architect Toni Cordero. Working during the 1970s and 1980s, Cordero was a master of interior decoration and created distinctive style of postmodern aesthetic. He also re-discovered Carlo Mollino at the time when he was completely forgotten and shared his eclectic design visions. Cordero is one of the neglected figure of the 20th century Italian design who would deserve biography and monography.

3. Brazilian Flavour in Europe: Buildings of Oscar Niemeyer in Europe

In 1965, celebrated Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer resigned from the University of Brasília to protest against military dictatorship. After that he moved to Paris where he founded his new studio on famous Champs-Élysées. He stayed in Europe until the mid 1980s and built several important projects in Italy, France, Algeria and Lebanon. We think these European projects of this Brazilian master deserve some new photo series which could be published in a beautiful huge coffee table book.

4.Slopestyle: Modernist Architecture of Mountain Resorts

Edoardo Gellner, Charlotte Perriand, Carlo Mollino, Marcel Breuer, Franco Albini, Armando Ronca. All these modernist architects shaped the modern vision of mountainous leisure. With the increasing popularity of skiing during the 20th century, modernist architecture became one of the tools to create new sport and entertain world on the mountain slopes. Highly interesting and important architecture should be documented all around Europe and put together as a great academic research study, showing the influence of modernist mountain resorts.

5. Hot Fire: Visual history of modernist fireplaces

Fireplace is one of the most exciting typologies to design. Particular function needs particular form which doubles as a domestic sculpture between architecture and design. Chronological survey of most interesting fireplaces of the 20th century, designed as unique elements of architecture or industrial-produced items, would be just perfect source book of one single typology of design.

6. Paolo Buffa: Italian Elegancy

Monography on important and forgotten Italian designer and architect Paolo Buffa is something we are waiting for ages. Buffa’s highly elegant pieces of furniture from the 1940s and 1950s are often seen at the auction houses sales. But some survey of his career and life is completely missing. We envision small brochure which could give readers at least elementary and basic informations about the designer’s significance.

7. Print Power: Influence of magazines for 20th century design and architecture

Magazine is a strong medium which always influenced all human professions. Architecture and design are not the exceptions. Throughout the 20th century, design magazines played crucial role in developing and supporting new ideas. There were already few books on architecture magazines published, notably by Taschen. But we think there would be amazing opportunity to create alternative history of architecture and design from the perspective of important and little known magazines published all around the world during the last century.

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CO-CURATED WITH MARIA CRISTINA DIDERO

CO-CURATED WITH
MARIA CRISTINA DIDERO