Alessi Nuvem - Wire Sculpture You’ll be Proud to Display
You may never have heard of the term Nuvem. It is nor more nor less than a collection of objects formed from aluminum wire, spun and squashed into any number of household items. But that description is far too plain to capture this daring concept.
Alessi spent years developing the concept and honing an artistic vision was only one difficulty. Engineering it into reality, at a price consumers could afford…. Daunting. The results show they have succeeded marvelously.
A simple table mat might seem like it wouldn’t be difficult to achieve. Yet, even here the struggle was great. To be true the original artistic inspiration, while creating a useful object that will not scratch or degrade, requires real skill.
The Alessi Nuvem Wire Mat (AFC12, made from anodized aluminum) comes in natural color, blue, or gold. Each one exhibits the asymmetry that turns this utilitarian object into a work of thoughtful design. Measuring approximately 43cm x 37 cm (17″ x 14.5″) at the widest points, it is far from a simple rectangle. Yet, this unusual shape still manages to fit perfectly into your decorating scheme as both a wonderful design and a practical tool.
For a more complex object based on the same idea, Alessi reached for the humble Wire Flower Vase (AFC13). The vase base is 10cm x 10 cm (4″ x 4″) and it stands 17 cm (7″) high. That size is perfectly utilitarian. But the opportunities it presents for decorative ingenuity are endless. As an objet d’art in the front entrance hall it would have no peer. As a centerpiece on the dining room table it would create an unrivaled look.
As an open wire frame, the vase isn’t designed to hold water though it can be used as the outer shell of a glass cylinder or rectangle. Still, it is the perfect choice for artificial flowers, as a container for potpourri, or any of dozens of decorating ideas. The swirling wire design complements the natural theme of growing plants yet provides an abstract work of art at the same time.
For one of its most complex tasks, Alessi produced the Nuvem Wire Citrus Basket (AFC11). In this model the functional and the aesthetic have come together to work in perfect harmony. Poor engineering would create a basket that was at best an interesting decorative object. A poor design would have produced a household item unworthy of being displayed. Fortunately, through perseverance and skill, Alessi instead produced a masterpiece of functional art.
Available in natural aluminum color, blue, or gold, this fruit basket can be used in a wide variety of color schemes. Placed as the centerpiece of your table, your decorative efforts will pay off handsomely with just a simple touch of Nuvem. Sporting the same organic pattern as the flower vase, it brings both the sense of life and the artifice of design together in perfect harmony.
The unmatched integration of art and function achieved in the Alessi Nuvem line created an object now housed in the MOMA in New York. Make one a part of your collection and you’ll generate the same buzz seen at the placement ceremony.
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