Ron Arad's ‘1Skin’ chair for Moroso pays tribute to the music of the Florence ghetto

Moroso is participating in the 2024 Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, the world's longest-running contemporary art exhibition (first mounted in 1769), in an installation celebrating the music of the Florence ghetto. '1Skin' by British-Israeli designer Ron Arad will be at the heart of The Quartet installation until August 18, 2024. The chair design by the UK-based industrial designer and artist is arranged on a Nanimarquina carpet and accommodates a string quartet made up of a cello, two violins and a viola that plays without musicians.

The project, hosted at Burlington House in Piccadilly, is a preview of Florence Ghetto Redux, curated by Shifting Vision in partnership with The Medici Archive Project. The music consists of fragments found in ghetto archives.

The furniture designer has consistently explored a materials-driven trajectory in his designs for Moroso, traversing from polyethene upholstery to wood. Following the acclaim of his Victoria and Albert collection, he introduced the iconic Little Albert and The Big E armchairs crafted from polyethene. The evolution continued with the innovative design of the '1Skin' chair, marking Arad's inaugural use of wood in his creations.

Characterised by its powerful sculptural form and graceful curves, the product design showcases multilayered lacquered wood, exemplifying Arad's mastery over materiality. The chair combines 3D bent beech plywood with tubular steel featuring a powder coat finish, underscoring structural integrity and aesthetic finesse in Moroso's furniture design lineup.