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Paradigms of a hybrid world by CTRLZAK
From December 3rd till January 17th 2015, Spaziootto, a new Sino-Italian space in Milan hosts the exhibition "Paradigms of a hybrid world by CTRLZAK". A selection of CTRLZAK's released series of works is presented under the curation of Federica Sala. Through diverse scenarios, starting from the history of porcelain and moving on to the world of textiles, CTRLZAK's work has focused primarily on two ancient cultures: the European and the Chinese and examined the possibility of a 'hybrid future'.
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
CeramiX was the first project that focused upon the irony of history through the world of ceramics: a series of objects reflecting on the historical production of Chinese and European porcelain and its’ centuries of cross-fertilisation between Western and Eastern aesthetics. China has a long tradition in the production of ceramics and especially porcelain and Europe has for many centuries tried to copy the Chinese in that field. After an initial research in the traditional techniques, methods and evolution of both Chinese and European ceramics, the CTRLZAK team identified certain key elements that distinguish both cultures. Subsequently the project was divided in two phases: The first involved the acquisition of original pieces of both origins that represented these clue elements documented during the research, then the objects where sliced in half and recomposed bringing together East and West in new unique pieces; the results of this phase constituted the Art Collection of the project. The second phase was inspired by the experience and the forms of the first creating a brand new collection of plates, bowls and cups in glazed ceramic which was the Design Collection of the project.
Subsequently the Hybrid project was born from the will to bring art into everyday life. Thus the line of tableware produced by Italian company SELETTI and manufactured in China utilising traditional techniques. The pieces in the collection are graphically divided between East and West with a coloured line marking the boundary between the two styles and, paradoxically, strengthening at the same time the union.
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
CTRLZAK Studio continued its' research on the boundaries between western and eastern culture with the Flagmented project; a series of works which integrate traditional fabrics from two diverse cultures, the European and the Chinese, blending them to form a single textile. Flagmented represents a possible future able to surpass normal cultural borders and expressions. Classical European embroidery and Toile de Jouy are coupled with traditional Chinese fabrics forming unique pieces that stitch together the two diverse realities. The unexpected results mark a new era of globalisation becoming the flags of a new hybrid culture.
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
Finally the Cross(me)Knot project, in collaboration with carpet producer cc-tapis, is a collection that reflects traditional values recomposing them in contemporary forms. Cross(me)Knot combines together Tibetan and Nepalese designs (where cc-tapis’ pieces are made) with typical European motifs. Following a meticulous research related to carpet weaving techniques in both cultures and their co-respective designs, CTRLZAK’s collection of hybrid carpets unites traditions, both visually and technically, forming new unique pieces. Typical European motifs like those of the Savonnerie carpets merge with images of Tibetan tradition where the representation of tiger pelts holds a prominent role. The results are unexpected designs that form a single entity reconfirming the birth of a new hybrid culture. Technically wise the Tibetan part is weaved utilising the traditional Tibetan knot maintaining a certain thickness that is lost on the European part that is thinner but more detailed. The result is a unique piece that embodies diverse weaving techniques created on the same loom frame.
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
CTRLZAK is a hybrid studio that integrates different disciplines and cultures. The founders, Katia Meneghini and Thanos Zakopoulos, are both artists and designers in their own right. The Italian-Greek duo’s creations are inspired by their travels and experiences around the world and by their own rich cultural backgrounds. The studio creates artworks, objects and spaces but– above all– situations where people can come together in order to make what really matters: human relations. CTRLZAK's projects and extensive research into tradition and cultural context create a new hybrid future by learning from the past. Each project is a story waiting to be told, with a multitude of forms and endings. Each one experiments with diverse methods of narration where irony and symbolism go beyond aesthetics and functionality, in order to activate mechanisms of reflection.
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
courtesy CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio
