25/08/2019

Balancing the Voids – A Selection of Furniture by Italian Designer Guglielmo Poletti

Balance. Some would say it’s the most crucial factor in the whole universe. I’m inclined to agree. Whether it’s one’s personal life, or a complex eco-system – if the scales tip off balance the results can be truly catastrophic. Of course, the theme of balance is present in art and craft as well, but it’s just as difficult to grasp it as it is in every day life. To master it, a lot of effort is required.

Our master of balance comes from Italy and his name is Guglielmo Poletti. Eindhoven is the city where he earned his MA in contextual design but he now works from his studio based in Milan. His education certainly payed off, and that can be seen in his creative work. I’d like to bring special attention to his Equilibrium furniture designs since they are incredibly unique.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a chair, a console or a stool; all of his Equilibrium designs, without exception, feature an unlikely, yet surprisingly functional material: a wire. Poletti seems to use the wire for reasons both practical and artistic. From the artistic side, the wire speaks of a delicate balance, a tension of sorts, Not only is it pleasing on the eye, but it also gives us a different perspective, a new way of looking at structures. It shows us fragility and sturdiness, all at once. Another impressive thing about Poletti’s work is his smooth minimalism. Take a look at his Equilibrium console for example: He takes two darkened Corten steel sheets and bends them with a steel cable which also serves the purpose of holding them in place. It doesn’t get much more minimalist than that!

All in all, Guglielmo Poletti’s work shows us how actually simple it is to create balance. Simplicity, however, does not equal easiness. View more from Guglielmo Poletti’s portfolio via the link below.

guglielmopoletti.com