Forever Young by Henge & Maarten Baas

During Milan Design Week 2018, Henge will present a special installation designed by Dutch artist Maarten Baas at Wallpaper*’s “Handmade” exhibition. The 9th edition of the exhibition, hosted by Milan’s Mediateca Santa Teresa in Via Moscova, is dedicated to the harmonious encounter of craftsmanship and design and features some among the world’s best artists, artisans, designers and companies called on to interpret the theme Wellness & Wonder. The installation, “Forever Young”, describes the rebirth of a feeling, the rediscovery of a childish, carefree dimension of levity. Play structures recreate a modern playground comprising burnished steel and copper slide and seesaws. The protagonists of the entirely handmade installation are the slide and the couples of seesaws. The laser-etched steel and polished brass slide is welded in two steps, using a special alloy with copper components, which characterize Maarten Baas designs. The bronze slide stair is hand-molded using the ground casting technique. The steel seesaws, featuring visible welded joints, are subsequently burnished. The same process is applied to the slide. Installed on springs and fixed on platforms, these small seesaws display polished brass cast handles. A mobile version is also exhibited under the loggia and installed on special gears.