Forward to Basics at Maison&Objet 2019

What is essential in the life of a human being?
Water and food for sure.  Shelter, clothes -at least for those inhabiting cold regions-, the ability to restore health when lost and therefore access to knowledge, the single most empowering thing on planet Earth.
And what purpose do the objects that fulfilled the essential needs of human beings have once they are retired?  Can  they become essential for someone else? What if their function cannot be restored? Do they become mere ornament or should they bring forth a message?

January 2019 marks the 8^th time All’Origine is present at M&O, and with its biggest booth ever. For this winter edition we decided to focus on the “Essentials”: objects that are each symbolic for one of the basic needs of humans. Most of the items on stand (probably all except three of the 24 product categories being showcased) are not merely ornamental but functional objects that will go back to their original purpose once they will have reached the venues and homes of their future owners.

So not only are they symbolic, but they have a bright future ahead, in which their original purpose will be restored.  A collection of extra thick hand knotted rugs from the Maramureş province will provide warmth in new homes and hotels; old glass, metal and earthenware containers for water will continue to serve their purpose in restaurants, bars and private dwellings; Pharmaceutical amber glass containers on the contrary are merely symbolic of the need to restore health (we are glad that both medical science and the packaging industry have made great progress over the past 100 years).  And then linen and hemp sacks, ceramic plates and dishes and soup tureens in the “food”  category and of course much more. Our selection of books, ordered by color, is symbolic for knowledge. We can’t say how much they will be actually read by their final users (they are all in Hungarian language) but they are still perfectly readable!

And yes, we also brought along real, physical, functional shelter on the stand: an original life-size mid-century kiosk from the city of Oradea that used to protect newsagents during cold Romanian winters, from the early 60’s up until it was retired a few years ago.