When it comes to contemporary art, Art Basel is by far the place to be.  Although there is an eclectic mix of artists and designers, Laura Pregger and Matylda Krzykowski, two of the co-founders of DEPOT BASEL, felt there was no space dedicated to contemporary design. They wanted a dialogue on contemporary design and they needed a place to hold this dialogue. Working together with the Habitat Foundation, who provided the silo factory, Matylda and Laura embark on this creative process to shape a space and give life to it.

This silent grain silo factory holds one side of a narrative in its remote location. For the first time, nine designers were commissioned to produce an array of pieces for the silo named, DEPOT BASEL. The team decided to not purchase furniture but instead invite some of their favorite designers to create and work as one with the space. For 5 days, they entered a dialogue with the building and its distinctive silo structure. This grain factory sets up the philosophy and creative pursuit of 9 designers from all walks of life. In this one week dialogue between space and craft, the designers embarked on a creative journey to complete works based on the question: What is missing from the DEPOT BASEL space?

In its initial Prelude - Infrastructure, we witness a collection of diverse objects, all derived from the narrative each designer had with the space. Wood shavings soften the floor for a week, metal and heat create new joints of functionality and contemporary design and tools and dialogue shape the narrative of DEPOT BASEL. The finished pieces articulate spaces created for solitude, collaboration, resting, seating and storing conveying the diversity in contemporary dialogue between the designers. N.B. These pieces will form the core of the location for the upcoming year.

DESIGNERS
Camille Blin // Damien Gernay // Florian Hauswirth // Kaspar Hamacher // Julien Renault // Max Lipsey // Mieke Meijer // Tobias Schäfer  // Tristan Cochrane