landscape, has used his signature approach to magnify
the architectural beauty of the 16th-century Palazzo
Isimbardi – a virgin exhibition venue. Tucked within
the palazzo’s open-air courtyard and amid its Italian
Renaissance architecture, Smith’s arresting sculpture –
a circular, mirrored structure angled at a 43 degree
upward slant – draws the sky down into the courtyard
in fractured, relected fragments, which visitors can
appreciate at close range. The work, titled Open Sky,
not only marks the irst time Smith has taken on
a denser, urban setting, but also his irst collaboration
with a brand.
‘I’ve been approached by brands before, but have
always said no,’ Smith says. ‘But because of the lineage
of the prior projects COS has done, and who it has
worked with, it was a list I was honoured to be on.’
He continues, ‘You can just tell by looking at its
work that there was a freedom to the concept and
a desire to create a very rare experience that is kind
of on the edge of art, architecture and design, in the
middle of a festival that started as a furniture fair,
but now represents the full spectrum of design.’
For COS, collaborating with Smith was a natural
decision. Having used images of his creations as mood
board inspiration for the label’s collections, Gustafsson
cites a set of shared values that is intrinsically relected
in Smith’s work. As a brand, ‘we focus a lot on tactility,
modernity and functionality. We like the idea of the
interaction of art with its surroundings, and how they
connect and communicate.’
She adds, ‘As an artist, Phillip has unbelievable
attention to detail. That’s something that we have in
common. I also believe that his work has a timeless feel.
It’s very beautiful and will live on for a long, long time.’
Open Sky cuts a distinctive igure from the get-go.
When visitors irst enter the palazzo (still a functioning
oice building), they are greeted by an 11ft-tall concrete
form in light and shadow that stands in stark contrast
to its classical surroundings. A single opening in the
structure directs people along its circumference until
they are faced with relections of the Renaissance
architecture on the mirrored inner surface, which peels
away to reveal an almost 360 degree view of the sky.
‘What’s exciting is that, while it is a group
experience, when you step in, it’s about your experience
only,’ says Smith. ‘It’s based on the angle of relection,
the time of day, what the sky is like right then, and so
there is a real speciic experience that will happen.’ »TOP, THE 34 STAINLESS STEEL
PANELS IN THEIR CONCRETE
SHELL WERE MANUFACTURED
AT UAP’S LONG ISLAND CITY
FACILITY, THEN SHIPPED TO
MILAN FOR ASSEMBLY ON SITE
ABOVE, PHILLIP K SMITH III
DESIGNED THIS ISSUE’S
LIMITED-EDITION COVER.
LIMITED-EDITION COVERS ARE
AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS,
SEE WALLPAPER.COM∑ 183
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