Kickie Chudikova’s ‘Insectum’ emulates the geometric anatomy of insects

The scales, legs and tentacles of crawly insects, often considered creepy, are Kickie Chudikova’s inspiration for her vibrantly coloured and intricately patterned furniture pieces. Comprising six objects that mimic the tentacles and wings of insects and bugs as well as the beehives and ecosystems of Arthropods, her exquisite pieces elicit a newfound appreciation for a family of creatures that are either ignored or abhorred. Comprising a limited edition series of furniture and lighting products, ‘Insectum’ will be unveiled at Alcova during the Milan Design Week on 5 June 2022. The installation view of the collection is designed to elicit sensorial responses, both with their arrangement against an augmented reality experience in the spaces of Casa delle Suore and an exclusively developed scent by Alessandro Gualtieri of Nasomatto perfumes. The combination of the fresh and earthy oasis-like scent and the vibrantly coloured insect-inspired objects will help manufacture an experience that will evoke exaggerated responses from the audience and encourage them to re-establish their connection with nature.

Inspired by the geometric anatomies of insects, the furniture and lighting pieces, in addition to celebrating their beauty, also aim at drawing focus towards the decline of these creatures worldwide. Comprising an armchair, pendant light, rug, globe mini bar and two stained glass windows especially created for Alcova, the exhibit brings together the forms, colours and geometries that are usually associated with the insect world.

Chudikova’s ‘Insectum’ is the result of her life-long admiration for insects. Driven by her fascination with these creatures, Chudikova, over the years, also explored the unique and valuable role that they play in nature. With the recent threat of extinction on about 40% of the insect species, the Slovakian designer, now based in New York, took it upon herself to raise awareness about their condition, while also drawing attention to their characteristics, which are equal parts interesting and beautiful. Through her collection of utilitarian objects, she manages to both fascinate and provoke curiosity.

The word ‘Insectum’ literally means ‘to cut up or divide into segments’ in Latin. By using the term as the title of both the collection and the exhibit, Chudikova employs the geometries, shapes, forms, materialities, scales and colours from the insect world as single deployed elements and transposes them against each other to give form to cohesive designs.

These vibrant pieces by Chudikova will be placed against the AR experience especially designed for the exhibition. Against the virtually created lush scapes of jungles, these objects will come alive and welcome the viewers to come and experience the natural world from the point of view of these creatures.

The Alvea armchair, assembled using 10 mm thick laser cut steel rods that are hand polished and coated in a champagne colour, comprises ten arms that cradle the seat and backrest like the tentacles of insects. Derived from the Latin word ‘alvearium’ which means beehive, the overall form of the chair and the usage of a vibrant yellow fabric for the seat and the arm ends make it look like a throne designed especially for the queen bee.

The Fovea pendant lamp, created by the master glassblowers in Czech Republic, comprise three cylindrical elements that are juxtaposed together and that emit a beautiful warm light. They are inspired and named after the design of the insect compound ‘eye’ that provides the best visual acuity. Chudikova’s Calidea carpet, on the other hand, is inspired by “Calidea dregii”, the rainbow shield bug or the green jewel beetle of India. Made out of natural materials in India, the patterns mimic the wings of the Calidea Dragii bug and appear like 3D landscapes owing to the materiality of the fibres used to craft the carpet.

The Orbis bar, designed as a mini bar that can easily be showcased as a spiritually charged sacred space, is a modern interpretation of a 16th century globe bar. While the upper sphere holds a bustling microcosm filled with a clear resin surface that can be used to place a collection of spirits, the lower sphere diffuses the unique aroma created by Alessando Gualtieri. The last two pieces that make up the collection, namely the Elytra windows, are stained glasses produced using 3D printing technique and coloured bio resin. Inspired by the patterns found on the wings of the African bug Sphaerocoris annulus or the Picasso bug, it was specifically created for this exhibition.

Kickie Chudikova is a New York based designer who experiments with different colours and colour combinations to enliven the furniture and lighting products that she designs. Her bold pieces, crafted using the latest cutting-edge technology and traditional materials, resonate with a broad audience and aim to last through the generations, both with their timeless features and with their sturdiness. She also designs jewellery, some of which were recently sold to the Jewish Museum in New York and Vienna. Following the ‘Insectum’ collection, Chudikova will launch a new series of 3D printed lamps and cocktail glasses later this year.

Kickie Chudikova wil showcase ‘Insectum’ from 5 June to 12 June at Casa delle Suore for Alcova during the Milan Design Week.

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