Will West's 'Making Relics' at PLUSDESIGN in Milan
Will West's studio is located in the countryside near Pavia, coincidentally in the same area as a marble company. This unusual setting for Lombardy allows him to daily observe and learn from master marble workers, including their techniques for restoring antique fireplaces. Learning how to fill gaps and scratches in marble, West, by contrast, has sculpted container forms that preserve emptiness or any found material. His first containers were abandoned objects, later combined with marble waste. The debut series on display in Milan presents a lush charade of perfect jerrycans and industrial dispensers, reproduced in minute detail from marble minerals, restoring the semblance of luxury to objects that, if left in metal or plastic, would no longer possess even the dignity of reuse. The exhibition runs until October 31, 2016 at PLUSDESIGN, Via Ventura 6, Milan.
Key facts
- Will West's studio is near Pavia, in the same area as a marble company.
- He observes marble workers daily, learning techniques including antique fireplace restoration.
- West creates container forms that preserve emptiness or found materials.
- His first containers used abandoned objects and marble waste.
- The exhibition 'Making Relics' features jerrycans and industrial dispensers carved from marble.
- The show runs until October 31, 2016.
- Venue: PLUSDESIGN, Via Ventura 6, Milan.
- The work contrasts the luxury of marble with the disposability of plastic and metal.
Entities
Artists
- Will West
- Ginevra Bria
Institutions
- PLUSDESIGN
- Isisuf – Istituto Internazionale di Studi sul Futurismo di Milano
- Artribune
Locations
- Pavia
- Lombardy
- Milan
- Italy