Alessi Taps Experimental Designers for WantedDesign 2014

The 2014 WantedDesign conference in New York City, running concurrently with ICFF from May 16 to 19, will present an exhibition showcasing experimental industrial design via Alessi Design Lab. Spanning kitchenware to art and digital design, designers from around the world will participate, with barware and aperitif rituals by Italian industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti, laser cut and folded stainless steel sheet art by artist and designer Abi Alice, geometry and color exploration by Matali Crasset and Melbourne-based designer Adam Cornish's "Nature Observation" series included in the display. Accompanying the designers' work will be related research, explaining the projects and their relevance to developments in their respective fields.

Citing his company's long history of collaboration with young designers, Alberto Alessi explained Alessi's commitment to the Design Lab exhibit when he expressed his belief that young designers should more closely resemble novelists than poets, with their inspiration drawn from the outside world rather than from inner ruminations. "The real goal of design has always been inclusiveness, not exclusivity," said Alessi. "[Design] must always attempt to bring the highest possible project quality to the public."

New York's WantedDesign provides young voices the chance to speak to people in a variety of fields, and speaks to the growing number of design fairs occurring in tandem with ICFF.