Nicolas Zanoni (b. 1995, Paris) is a French designer of Argentinian origin whose works defy traditional expectations of contemporary design. Irregular, unique, handmade and often resulting from accidental encounters with his materials, Zanoni produces functional objets that take the shape of sculptures and vice versa. After obtaining a Masters in Industrial Design at La Cambre (BE), Zanoni dedicated himself fully to the nonconformist attitude of experiment and instinctive manipulations of materials, which he had developed during his education. Rather than pursuing practicality, he is in search of poetry, expressing his own playful perspective on the manufactured objects we surround ourselves with.
Working with industrially produced materials such as Polystyrene or aluminium, Zanoni sets out to explore the limits of physical manipulation. Aluminium thread is woven into various patterns, flattened out or melted to reveal various textures. Polystyrene is stacked, heated and burnt to solidify and change colour.
These processes, which are often intuitive and almost analogue, erupt in shapes and volumes that appear organic and natural. Whilst his working methods are repetitive, time-consuming and labour-intensive (releasing the artists! own flows of energy) they are n fully deliberate. Improvisation and freestyling are key. Zanoni welcomes accident and surprise in his creative approach, allowing for unexpected ways in which the materials! own properties and inner logic can contribute to the visual outcome. Series such as Climbing (which feature climbing grips) and Spinner (with rollerblade rollers) hint at memories from his own hildhood. These pieces, whose intricate aluminium or inox shapes beautifully clash with the seeming banality of elements derived from sports, point out how decontextualisation is inherent to his practice. Details and fragments - from the built environment or from personal recollections - are isolated and reintegrated, making way for designs that are both anachronistic, playful and slightly camp.
Another approach is that his designs arise from manipulating a single material and applying what he calls "trickery": seemingly simple processes that "hijack" the working process and define the coming together of matter and form. The Crater for example boasts volcanic appearances which are the mere result of burning the material: white Polysterene bubbles up and changes colour to a marbling effect. Then again, Coat Hanger originates out of the screwing together of two aluminium bars, with folds emerging from the joints. As arecurring method, woven (and sometimes pressed) aluminium establishes itself as Zanoni’s handmark. Often combined with cast aluminium for solidity, this luxurious soft armor makes up chairs, lamps, side tables and shelves. Shimmering in the light, they generously tickle their users’ tactile curiosity.
As close as is the encounter between the designers' own hands and the material he deploys, as personal also becomes thus the meeting between the object and its audience.
Zanoni creates with domestic contexts in mind. Even though his designs could be perceived as sculptures, it's their inherent functionality and peculiar materiality that facilitates physical contact and a relationship with its user. There is a certain intimacy of bringing the crystallization of his own endurance into people!s households. And it’s exactly this directness that underpins both his approach, as what he’s set out to do: fostering one-of-a kind connections between people and objects.
Words by Evelyn Simons