This new series, Design bites, unveil the backstage of contemporary creation. Tackling various topics from personal designer processes to the position of Collectible design on the global design market; these bites offer different views to suit all tastes. Today we talk with Beatrice Bianco, founder and owner of the Camp Design Gallery in Milan.

Back to Editorial

COLLECTIBLE: What do you think collectible design brings compared to other more massively produced pieces? 

Beatrice Bianco: I believe that collectible design is a way of indicating a more complex and wider discipline than just fancy and expensive furniture. In the field of collectible design, the experimentation and the privilege of taking some time to think about possible solutions is particularly important for the good realization of a piece or a collection. There is also a human side that is peculiar for this commercial environment: the direct contact with the designer and the gallery is an engaging process for a collector who is passionate about a project. Mass production on the contrary is fast and distant, however very democratic in terms of final price for the public. Reflecting on the dynamics that move these two “worlds” implicates a deep and wide discussion on the production/consumption we are perpetrating as a species, as well as our relation to the “object” as subjects. Should collectible and experimental design lower its aura of luxury to speak to a bigger audience or remain elitist? I have not found a proper answer yet.

“Should collectible and experimental design lower its aura of luxury to speak to a bigger audience or remain elitist?”

C: Can you talk about the designers you present for COLLECTIBLE SALON, what makes their practice/pieces unique?

BB: For the occasion of COLLECTIBLE SALON, Camp Design Gallery has selected the latest projects proposed for exhibitions that have been opened and closed by the pandemic situation. From the late collection of Baracche by Paolo Gonzato, a project that took a long period of preparation between short breaths of “air” between one lockdown and the other, to the collective selection of the exhibition Movimento, curated with La Cube and Salvatore Peluso, now long-term curators and interlocutors with the gallery. The beautiful Wax stool by Takk Architecture or Sirena coffee table by Stefania Ruggiero brought lightness and colors with a keen eye on materials and processes - as well as tech Tavolo 2 by architect studio From Outer Space or revisited classic Cabinet by Dutch duo Rem Atelier, among others. All these projects brought energy and joy to difficult moments last winter.

C: What have you been up to recently? What are the next projects/exhibitions you wish to highlight?

BB: After Movimento 2, which was shown with several closures due to the global situation, I wasn’t really up for another exhibition following typical procedures. With Gabriele Leo and Grazia Mappa of the architect studio PLSTCT and Salvatore Peluso, a journalist and curator with whom I have been collaborating for a couple of years, we decided to give to the gallery space another perspective and use. From this came the idea of “The Office”, a project that aims to interpret the theme of proximity between professionals. Over the course of the months of May and June 2021, Camp Design Gallery is transformed into a workplace open to the various professionals who gravitate to the universe of the design discipline. Designers, architects, journalists, PR, gallery owners and curators will be invited into the gallery spaces, which for the occasion will be set up in such a way as to guarantee the correct physical distancing, ensuring that social and intellectual closeness that is lacking in the world of design (but not only). The focus of interest of “The Office” is people and their interaction. What is needed most is recreating the possibility to connect with “the others”, professionals or those passionate of the design discipline, and to give space to human exchange. Moreover, the very idea of a workspace is facing more questions about our pre-pandemic habits and what can be next.

About Camp Design Gallery

Founded in 2015 in Milan, Camp Design Gallery specialises in contemporary collectible design, which explores material culture and the concept of production beyond the traditional limits of art and design. The works presented by the gallery are based on research, experimentation, and the subversion of contemporary codes. The results are unique design projects originating from collaborations between international designers and artists.