Superstudio was founded in 1966 in Italy. The group developed as a result of the expanding cities, which contributed to the growing amount of products and design. Later on they focused more on architecture and on collages and cut outs they did city plans of over expanding cities.
I like the fact that their plans never became reality but their concepts were sold and exhibited. They established radical surrealistic visions of a negative environment as critiques of contemporary movements. They lived in a time when it was hard to escape from the time pressure and the fast developments. Like now, designers have to go outside expectations and think further and in the end present authentic products, sometimes-overdeveloped products. What Superdstudio did (in some of their work) was that they stopped during the process of development and did not finish it. This was a revolutionary way of thinking during that time. It is a concept that allows the spectators to walk into an unfinished world.
Superstudio has influenced a lot of designers and architectures today with its radical and revolutionary ideology. Rem Koolhaas is one of them who have made a lot extravagant projects. There is a similarity of the buildings he does and the Superstudios sketches. He is also more interested in the city and urbanisation and in a contradictive way he builds dynamic, futuristic buildings.
“ If design is merely an inducement to consume, then we must reject design. If architecture is merely the codifying of bourgeois model of ownership and society, then we must reject architecture. If architecture and town planning is merely the formalization of present unjust social divisions, then we must reject town planning and its cities until all design activities are aimed towards meting primary needs. Until then, design must disappear. “
I like the fact that their plans never became reality but their concepts were sold and exhibited. That is one reason I think they are more like artists then designers. They used their designer skills and knowledge but pushed it further so their work became artworks. A designer solves problems and an artist asks questions. Superstudio asked questions. They gave one solution out of millions and force the spectator to use his imagination to expand this solution.
In 1970 they did a furniture collection out of their “Grid concept”. It is a 3d object out of their drawings, so from design they made art, and from art they designed. But how come they neglected design when they at the same time were involved in it and produced? Is it fair to their belief? What they designed here was a response on the political issues that existed during that time and the disillusionment, which gave origin to a new society, which off course affected the art world. In this collection the furniture reminded of cheap café furniture’s from the 50s. The functionality and easiness of it was the main goal.
