Before Design: Classic was a project which Simone and Miguel worked on to create an exhibition and a short movie, directed by the well-known and much respected filmmaker Matteo Garrone. What prevails in this short film is the connection with the element of “Earth”, representing the origins of – man/child and classic furniture. Αt the same time, the film touches upon the relationship with the place within which these same pieces are revived once stripped of the “dust” that covers them, in order to be re-immersed into an underground place, protecting them from what the outside world could do to them.
“…The 2016 exhibition and short film ( directed by Matteo Garrone) Before Design: Classic takes us on a multi-sensory journey. A representation of the timeless Classic style as a versatile living category that traverses different eras, always remaining relevant. Your attempt was geared towards decontextualizing classical furniture — often regarded as something that belongs to the past — by reinterpreting various contemporary living spaces and enriching them with elements powerfully inspired by contemporary art, and melding references of classical quality and modern architecture. What is the fine line separating the notions of protecting and reviving?
The film Before Design: Classic shows a world changed by a catastrophe. In this set, we witness children, rising from devastation, collecting pieces of beautiful classical furniture, to clean and install them in an ancient roman reservoir. They intend to keep these pieces as a legacy for future generations. The pieces estranged from the context of canonical use relive a new life within the unique context of the Mirabilis pools in Bacoli. They represent small custodians of taste and beauty. For this reason, the claim of the film is ‘ Tradition in the Future, ‘which expresses the need to keep alive and transmit to the next generations a heritage of beauty, culture, art, and craftsmanship. Just like nowadays…” _Excerpt from interview with Simone Ciarmoli & Miguel Queda for MDFF Greece Read the interview here
Synopsis:
Realized for the “Before Design: Classic” exhibition, curated by Studio Ciarmoli Queda for the 2016 Salone del Mobile in Milano, this short film is set in the enchanting Piscina Mirabilis, a Roman cistern in the common of Bacoli, in Campo Miseno. It’s being used by a group of children as shelter during a post-atomic era. We see them clearing chandeliers and classic furniture from the dust and rearranging them accurately in order to create the environment of an ideal home. The classic, according to the award-winning Italian director’s interpretation, incarnates the “beauty that is able to traverse ages still maintaining its characteristic modernity and contemporaneity, while building a bridge towards the future.”
Director: Matteo Garrone
Year: 2016
Duration: 7”
Country: Italy
Language: Italian