Memphis (1980)
group of designers and architects
The Memphis collective was founded in Milan by Ettore Sottsass in 1980 together with a group of designers and architects including Michele De Lucchi, Aldo Cibic, Matteo Thun, Marco Zanini, Martine Bedin and George Sowden.
The name "Memphis" comes from Bob Dylan's song "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again", from 1966, chosen during one of the founding meetings.
Memphis Milano presents itself as a radical break with the minimalist and functional design of the 70s, proposing a postmodern aesthetic characterized by bold geometric shapes, pure and bright colors, "poor" materials such as plastic laminate.
The approach to the project is ironic and playful. The group wanted to create totemic, multifunctional and easily disassembled objects, capable of modifying and innovating the traditional stylistic unity of interiors and bringing a strong visual and symbolic impact of the furnishing elements into living spaces.
The first official Memphis exhibition was held at the Arc ’74 gallery in Milan on September 18, 1981. It presented a diverse collection of furniture, lamps, clocks and ceramic objects. Among the group’s most famous projects and products are:
Carlton bookcase by Ettore Sottsass: a totemic and colorful structure, a symbol of postmodern design.
Beverly wardrobe by Sottsass.
Casablanca bookcase.
Super Lamp by Martine Bedin: an iconic lamp with a semi-circular shape and decorative wheels.
Oberoi chair by George Sowden.
Memphis was short-lived, officially disbanding between 1987 and 1988, but its influence is still very strong in contemporary design thanks to its ability to break with conventions and introduce a new, playful and colorful expressive language.
Ettore Sottsass, founder and leader of the group, was a highly experienced architect and designer, with a career that ranged from architecture to industrial design, also known for collaborations with Olivetti and for having won numerous international awards.
In short, Memphis represents an aesthetic and cultural revolution in Italian design in the 1980s, with products that combine formal innovation, saturated colors and unusual materials, positioning itself as a manifesto of postmodern design.
