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Alice Ronchi
The Magnetic Edition by Alice Ronchi
An everyday object turns into a playground when a functional product like the Vipp pedal bin meets the world of wonder brought forth by Italian artist, Alice Ronchi.
An everyday object turns into a playground when a functional product like the Vipp pedal bin meets the world of wonder brought forth by Italian artist, Alice Ronchi.
Milan-based artist Alice Ronchi has upscaled the childish idea of playing with magnets with an artwork for grown-ups. Mimicking the shapes and fluidity of seaweeds, six unique magnetic forms cut in metallic coloured steel cover the largest of the Vipp bins in polished steel with a hint of iron to render the surface magnetic.
Milan-based artist Alice Ronchi has upscaled the childish idea of playing with magnets with an artwork for grown-ups. Mimicking the shapes and fluidity of seaweeds, six unique magnetic forms cut in metallic coloured steel cover the largest of the Vipp bins in polished steel with a hint of iron to render the surface magnetic.
“Throwing something in the bin is often an act of instinct. Therefore, I wanted to give extra attention to this very functional everyday object, that usually tends to blend in with its surroundings.
By adding tailormade, carefully created magnets, I wanted people to interact with the bin, making it an equal protagonist of the home, not just something you put in the corner.”
– ALICE RONCHI
“Throwing something in the bin is often an act of instinct. Therefore, I wanted to give extra attention to this very functional everyday object, that usually tends to blend in with its surroundings.
By adding tailormade, carefully created magnets, I wanted people to interact with the bin, making it an equal protagonist of the home, not just something you put in the corner.”
– ALICE RONCHI
Proportionally large magnets in custom transparent colours are gently bent to seamlessly adapt to the curves of the bin. While crafted as individual sculptures, each magnet enters a holistic art piece when mounted on the surface.
Proportionally large magnets in custom transparent colours are gently bent to seamlessly adapt to the curves of the bin. While crafted as individual sculptures, each magnet enters a holistic art piece when mounted on the surface.
Instead of a flat, 2D artwork, Alice uses her experience in sculpture making to transform the bin canvas into a 3D element. The concept is an invitation to the owner to co-create the final look of the bin by placing the organically shaped magnets on the polished steel bin. The artist deliberately conceived the mirror surface to make the magnets look like they are submerging in the outer of the bin, just like seaweeds float seamlessly in the water.
“I worked intensely on the colouration of the magnets. I wanted them to appear transparent, to generate an elegant feeling of lightness, brightness, and fluidity as though they were floating in the bin’s mirror-surface.”
– ALICE RONCHI
Vipp encountered Ronchi for the first time in 2022. Under the curation of Edoardo Monti, the artist contributed to the art installation for the Vipp pop-up hotel experience, set within the fresco - adorned frames of Palazzo Monti for spring 2023.
Following up on this, Vipp invited Alice Ronchi to present her take on the bin used as an artist canvas. Over the past two decades, the Vipp pedal bin has been interpreted by numerous artists such as Bono, Philippe Starck, and most recently, André Saraiva.