Attentive Still
Grace Prince
13 - 21 April, 2024
Studio Frey Barth, Via Kramer 32, Milan
Studio Frey Barth, Via Kramer 32, Milan
Numeroventi was pleased to present Attentive Still, the furniture collection developed by designer Grace Prince as part of the Numeroventi Residency Program in Florence. The inaugural event took place on April 13th at Studio Frey Barth, in Via Kramer 32 in Milan.
The series resulted from three weeks of experimentation and material production at Numeroventi, which occurred in September 2023, December 2023, and February 2024, respectively. Produced in collaboration with local artisans and inspired by the distinctive architecture of Palazzo Galli Tassi, Attentive Still consisted of four design pieces characterized by hammered metal structures and a combination of different materials—such as cast glass, glass sheets, Valchromat wood, and stainless steel—assembled through the artist’s delicate gestures. A specific jewelry intervention was conceived and realized for Attentive Still 3 (vase) in 2024 by artist Joanne Burke.
Playing with suspension, balance, and the density of elements, the collection was imbued with an aura of fragility and intangibility, a compositional mode characteristic of Prince’s research.
Grace Prince (London, 1992) is a furniture designer based in Zürich. Prince’s works explore the light juxtapositions between materials, surfaces, and alignment. In an open investigation, Prince seeks to shift an element of the sensual field while fully preserving functionality. Without the use of ready-mades, she forms each element by hand or in close collaboration with an artisan. Prince studies at Central Saint Martins, London. Afer graduating in 2015, she gained experience in carpentry, marble carving, and editorial set design. In 2017, she moves to Milan to work as the assistant designer to Vincenzo de Cotiis, working extensively with artisans at a range of ateliers across Italy. In 2020, she joins the chair of Prof. Anne Holtrop as the material research assistant for the design studio
Numeroventi is an interdisciplinary residency and research-oriented platform sparking creative dialogue between artists, cultural institutions, and local communities. Conceived in Florence in 2016, the project serves as a space where artists and designers investigate, develop, and materialize their practices through an international residency program and the activation of a creative network.
Joanne Burke (Norfolk, 1982) is a British artist based in Rome. Joanne Burke’s sculptures embody the idea of transfiguration, recalling both the ancient, biblical sense of the word and an alchemical sense of transformation from one state to another. Speaking about her process, Burke describes the unique practice of wax water casting, where wax is cast in controlled water to create unpredictable skins. Through a process of whittling, melting, and reworking, she excavates a form, as if the objects gradually and timorously reveal themselves.
Images by Stefano Maniero, Daniel Civetta and Gaia Anselmi
For details about the show, please contact us at art@numeroventi.it
For catalogues and information on individual works, email collect@numeroventi.it