Formafantasma's Botanica series of vessels and an associate selection of prototypes and maquettes have been purchased by the Victoria & Albert Museum's Design Fund for the museum's permanent collection.
Originally commissioned by Plart Foundation, Botanica explores the tactile qualities and technical potential of pre-industrial resins. The Foundation - dedicated to scientific research and technological innovation in the restoration and conservation of works of art and design produced in plastic - commissioned Formafantasma to create their own interpretation of polymeric materials. The project was the result of investigation into the cultural tension inherent to plastics, as society struggles to find viable alternatives to the material while recognising the move towards a post-oil era and the need to preserve the artefacts created from plastics.
The Design Fund supports the acquisition of contemporary design objects at the V&A. These new acquisitions significantly enhance the V&A's holdings of contemporary design, a collection which reflects what is new, influential, innovative or experimental, and what is representative of contemporary trends in design and society. In this sense, Formafantasma's work was a perfect purchase.
The works acquired by the Design Fund in 2013 are on display in the V&A's New Acquisitions Gallery, Room 19a.
September 16, 2013