Studio Visit: MATHERY STUDIO x Fruit Wares

Have you  ever had one of those gasp-worthy moments while going about your browsing business where suddenly an object so unexpected stops you dead in your tracks? <insert gasp> These candy-colored fruit molded dynamos did just that while shopping around on a recent trip to Melbourne. Playful, modern, full of life...this collection is screaming summertime pool party and we are ready to dive right in.

Creators Erika and Matteo of Mathery Studio take a minute to tell us where the inspiration came from,  how to keep the creative juices flowing and what design adventure we should expect from them next.

We don't know about you, but that zippy pineapple bowl is going to need to come home with us immediately.

In. Love.

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~Name: Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli , MATHERY STUDIO

~Stomping Grounds: Melbourne, AU

~Back Story: We met in 2009 whilst both studying the Bachelor of Product Design at NABA in Milan.  The concept was simple: to create an object a day for 100 days that could satisfy a need. It could be something really simple or an unusual mix of materials that we had given new functions… People started browsing through our blog while drinking their morning espresso and  suddenly we reached more than 6000 visits per day! we did it for a total of 100 days. From that moment things just exploded. After we completed our theses we started working 100% under the name of Mathery, running a weekly DIY column for Ing Direct bank, collaborating with the Milan/NY based studio Accurat and we designed an eyewear collection called Buratto. There have been good and bad moments but our determination, boldness and explorative nature have brought us to where we are now.

 

 ~Favorite thing about your job and the type of work you produce: One of the things we like the most is that through our projects and objects we can communicate a meaning, we can make people smile and discover something they didn’t know.  We truly believe that a big part of our job consists of capturing the inspiration that the world provides us with and translating this into something that can be shared.

~ Fruit Wares is so whimsically bright – where did the inspiration stem from and was there much experimentation while putting the line together?  Fruit Wares embodies these ideas and respected the Mathery ethos. Our previous adventures in Australia had been punctuated by many different experiences but some of these actually involved... fruit. We were fruit picking - we never really thought about product design at the time but we eventually made the link almost subconsciously. Fruit Wares is a reflection of the aesthetic of the fruit skin, a natural material that we decided to decontextualise for a better evaluation. We were used to talk about exteriors versus substance, outside versus inside, etc… What Fruit Wares does is turn the exterior into the substance, transforming the fruit peel’s short term function into a long life one. The colours are so bright also because the environment around us (Melbourne) inspired us, we have noticed that australians really love colours and you can see it everywhere, people are not scared of patterns and colours and textures…at all!

 

 ~How do you stay inspired and keep the work coming out of the studio fresh? Is there a particular soundtrack or type of caffeinated bevvy that keeps you on track while getting down to business? It’s all about spontaneity mixed with practice. Thinking we can always do better helps us to never be stuck in any type of situation, we are still growing our expertise and knowledge.. we have to “turn up our sleeves” (is an italian way of saying we have to work hard because now it’s the moment..). And the fact that our time in Australia is running quite fast and our visa expires soon makes us more active as well! anyway…when we get very tired and stressed we use to stand up from the chair and start jumping and dancing.

 

 ~Where's your favorite spot (cafe/etc) to take a creative break? What should we order? For a break we sometimes go to Pope Joan which is around the corner from our house, the backyard is beautiful and spacious, we need an outdoor space to break the daily routine.  Nice selection of juices and a very good Espresso.

~What's next!? Is there any current inspiration / style that you see shaping upcoming tabletop products?    We are working on a big scale project for the National Gallery of Victoria and this is a great achievement. We are working with an expert team and this will be absolutely one of the most incredible experience in our career. We have been commissioned to conceptualise and design a new immersive kids space focused on transforming perception surrounding the simple act of drawing. Pastello - Draw Act is a dedicated environment based on the re-imagination of traditional drawing tools and processes. The concept shifts our perceptions and expectations about traditional materiality, media and the act of drawing itself. It is active, colourful, inspiring and fun. The commission includes interior architecture, graphic design, product design, furnishing and film – representing the breath of our multidisciplinary. Non-tradition, and the reinterpretation of the everyday underpin much of Mathery’s creative output. We will show a unique functional and aesthetic approach rich with humour, pragmatism and a hint of the absurd.

Fruit Ninja, a peeled homewares collection.

Image Credits Mathery Studio