According to Kojien, one of the most renowned dictionaries of the Japanese language, the term mottainai is generally used to express a feeling of regret over the waste of something whose actual value is not sufficiently utilised.
More recently, the word has become a key concept in addressing global issues related to resources and the environment.
Robert Wettstein’s sculptural light objects and furniture presented during the ZURICH DESIGN WEEKS are all objects that have to do with mottainai in the broadest sense.
These are found or given objects that he has transformed. Under the title
NOT AS FOUND Robert presents his results here now online as a basis for discussion.
The list of objects:
Kugelkopf. Floor lamp
Crystal glass mouth-blown Classicon, diameter 35cm. LED, wood flamed yellow. Avenger G-stand tripod up to 3mm high.
Remix, design and finish Robert Wettstein, 2022. Demountable. Unique piece.
Available.
Big read 2m. Floor lamp.
Sola spirit level, Ingo Maurer, Blow me up LED light, Olaf Breuning bowl by Atelier Pfister. 200cm x 34cm Remix and Robert Wettstein version. 2023 demountable. Unique piece.
Available.
glass luminator Floor lamp.
Luminator metal originally designed by A. & P. Castiglioni, 1954 – Manufacturer Flos, Italy. Presented during the Zurich Design Weeks 2023. Adapted with glass shade by JWDA. (demountable)
Height 190 cm – Base: Ø 60 cmGift from a neighbour because the lamp did not work and the characteristic light bulb was missing.Repaired and rearranged by Robert A. Wettstein, 2023. Unique piece.
Available.
Five-leaf
Floor lamp in flamed wood.
LED spotlight. Dimensions: 35cm x 26cm x 11cm. (Also suitable for wall mounting) Design and manufacture Robert A. Wettstein. 2022
Date of design 2023. Unique piece.
Available.
Woodwork made from found disposable Euro pallet. Spruce.
Presented during the Zurich Design Weeks 2023.
Disc LED lamp on tripod. Aesthetic object blue.
Dimension. Head 70cm, x 60cm x 10cm. 2022. (also suitable for wall mounting) Design and manufacture Robert A. Wettstein.
Date of design 2022. Unique piece.
Available.
Hand-painted oval wooden plate.
Presented during Zurich Design Weeks 2023.
Studio Chair
Original Stoll Giroflex Studio chair (today Flokk) Backrest and seat wrapped in art book paper. Hand painted by Robert A. Wettstein.
Date of design 2022. Unique piece.
Available.
Folding chair SE18, ,Wilde+Spieth 1952 by Egon Eiermann.
Visibly repaired with aluminium rail and thread binding Robert Adrian Wettstein 2023. The chair can be used again.
Available
Presented during Zurich Design Weeks 2023.
Tin toy with clockwork drive. GELY harbour crane, 1930s. Wooden flower from the Pfingstweid series.
Flower, repair & remix by Robert. 2023.
Ceiling lamp mod. 737 Original from the period, Marianne Brandt & Hin Bredendiek, Kandem-Körting & Mathiesen, Leipzig.
Porcelain, opal glass with sheet iron retaining ring with two hinge screws, large version, height approx. 25.5 cm.
Wooden base flamed white. (Demountable) Design and realisation Robert Adrian Wettstein 2023.
Exhibited during the Zurich Design Weeks 2023.
Le Salon du Design / Pavillon Sicli, Geneva 2023.
Josef Hofmann (Producer) Chair. Original from the period.
Bentwood chair
Maker’s mark of Josef Hofmann, Bielitz-Biala, Schlesien. The chair was found without a seat on the street near the studio and quickly secured. The plywood seat was newly made in the studio. The blue colour was mixed from ultramarine pigments and applied by hand. The oil colour has blended beautifully into the wood structure, which has remained visible. Varnish with water-based acrylic lacquer. The chair is now fully functional and available in the shop.
ZigZag Bicolor chair
“Encouraged by the gallery owner and classic design dealer Rudolf Rock, I reconstructed a zigzag chair from red and white construction laths. I used rejected laths that were gifted to us by the construction company and experimented with them. I constructed a marionette from one of the laths and rehearsed a small performance to demonstrate how the chair is created from a single line. Through this “research,” I was able to gain some insight into the thought process of the designer Rietfeld. The second chair corresponds to the dimensions of the original chair and is now on display in the gallery along with other works.” Available.
More pieces will be added and completed on an ongoing process.