Milan, Italy
Photographer Valentin Hennequin and the Paris fashion house asked a group of 17 global artists to reimagine its iconic Medallion chair during Dior Maison’s stunning presentation at Salone del Mobile.
Decades ago, French designer Christian Dior selected the Louis XVI–style Medallion chair for his guests to sit at his fashion shows.
The oval-back, streamlined Louis XVI-style piece of furniture was a key feature in the Dior Maison’s boutique, which first opened in 1947.
It is also recognizable in the French fashion house’s 1955 Diorama and the 1958 Miss Dior perfume campaigns by illustrator René Grau.
Ma Yansong’s work, titled “Meteor,” was unveiled at Palazzo Citterio, on the occasion of this year’s Milan Design Week.
Ma’s reimagining of the chair transports this iconic design into the future.
Traveling through time, the chair is caught in motion.
Recast in monochrome 3d-printed polyurethane, the work reflects ma’s artistic and architectural ethos, blending nature and structure to generate an emotional connection.
This imaginative and innovative approach is also emblematic of MAD’s creative practice.
Other schemes by the artists and architects distilled the seat to its most basic elements, like a minimalist version by French artist Pierre Charpin consisting of nothing more than black hoops for the seat and back.
Others bring new twists to the classic, such as Pierre Yovanovitch’s curvaceous contribution, upholstered in Dior’s iconic logo fabric.
Milan-based design firm Dimorestudio, meanwhile, added a historic patina to its creation, a gray chair (the signature shade of 30 Avenue Montaigne) punctuated by gold fissures and chips.
Designer India Mahdavi created five color variations on the Medallion chair, whose embroidered
cushions leverage craft techniques from Kashmir.
South Africa-born artist Atang Tshikare upholstered his Medallion chair in black vegan leather and then incised the cushions with images of constellations.
The frame features images of Bantu pictographs, all created in intricate black and white beading, that translate to words like “soul” and “immortal.”
South Korean designer Seungjin Yang offered a playful take on the chair. Using balloons as molds, he cast bulbous forms in epoxy resin to make up the seat cushions.
Playing off of Dior’s ongoing love of floral motifs and botanicals, artist Joy de Rohan covered her Medallion chair in delicate bronze blooms, much like a couture gown.
Project: Meteor Chair
Architects: Ma Yansong
Design Team: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Zeng Hao
Manufacturer: Dior Maison
Photographers: Ken Ngan
