Minimalism steps aside, making way for the bright, bold, and brazen stylings of Camp in design, embodying the motto “more is more, and less is a bore” (Iris Apfel). Imbuing design objects with a barrage of imagery, ornament, colors, textures, references, and lights, Camp welcomes complexity as the new standard-bearer with a mélange of mix and match at the expense of content.
To confirm the trend in fashion design is the annual exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum, which this year introduces Camp, Notes on Fashion: a retrospective exploring the origins of camp's exuberant aesthetic. With 250 pieces on display between garments, sculptures, paintings, and drawings from the 17th century to present day, the MET Gala — one of the most exclusive events of the year — combines celebrity and fashion, raising funds for the Met’s Costume Institute with a new theme each year.
This year’s edition, however, took a controversial turn with an easily misconstrued theme. Among its most vocal critics was trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, who revealed her disappointment with the 2019 MET Gala in an article published on Dezeen: “When the flush gates were opened and the vomiting waste of wealth gushed onto the pink carpet a violent sense of anger engulfed me, of a magnitude that I have never experienced”. Referring then to human greed, excess, refuse, abuse of our environments, Marie Antoinette and the decapitated head of Jared Leto, which “potently and beautifully predicting our future”, it’s hard to imagine any other reaction from the design guru, who in January of last year presented Shaker style as the solution to our chaotic times.
It’s a bold stance to take for one of the most important trend forecasters in the world, who salvages the theme, however, identifying references to awareness and delicacy as well as innocence and joy in clandestine movements with films like Is Paris Burning? and The Rocky Horror Picture Show — dear memories that can be attributed to Camp culture. What’s more, Edelkoort herself helped make gold one of the biggest trends of the last few years alongside the Shaker style.
So with all the confusion surrounding the theme, what is Camp? And how can we make sense of the term in our already chaotic lives?
Beginning with the MET exhibit, we aim to understand and interpret Camp in the world of design, tracing its impact on the realm of furnishings. To do so, we frame the context in which the showing is outlined, defining the thought process of Susan Sontag herself. A noted American writer and intellectual of the 20th century, Sontag was born and raised in New York, where she became the first to examine the phenomenon of Camp in western culture, publishing Notes on Camp in the 1964 Partisan Review, from which the MET exhibit takes both its name and philosophy. The brief essay (a 30 minute read) was presented as a fun and poignant piece detailing the excessively exuberant cultural movement.
“Many things in the world have not been named; and many things, even if they have been named, have never been described. One of these is the sensibility — unmistakably modern, a variant of sophistication but hardly identical with it — that goes by the cult name of ‘Camp’”. From this brief introduction, Sontag poses an important distinction, especially when defining an aesthetic movement: sensibility — or taste — is largely considered a set of purely subjective preferences and inexplicable (at least in scientific terms), sensual attractions that aren’t bound to rationality.
So is Camp both everything and nothing? Sontag sets the record straight: “But not everything can be seen as Camp. It's not all in the eye of the beholder”. In 58 points, the author attempts to explain the principles of Camp in order to better recognize the movement as a whole. The points are — just as the theme would require — marvelously extravagant. Examples of celebrity, from music to cinema, theater, literature, and anything that could be recognized as such, is followed by an analysis of concepts like irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration, superfluousness, and ambiguity. To this, artistic inclinations are added, like Art Nouveau, the tendency for decoration and contrast between frivolity or bizarre content with rich forms, and Gaudì’s bold ambition; the association of the term as an action, such as to camp, in an approach to seduce through showy mannerisms; and brief philosophical speculations regarding beauty and ugliness.
So then what is Camp? The term implies a tendency for excess in nearly everything, and through a brief panorama, we attempt to understand the Camp aesthetic influencing industrial and interior design today with the help of Sontag’s iconic essay. From the movement’s very origins — if we look to the Versailles mentioned in the MET exhibit — to its most recent references, fashion and design are found to go hand in hand.
We begin then with one of the biggest names in fashion — an exceptional example of contemporary Camp for both clothes and interior design: Gucci. In particular, we look to the man behind the maison since 2015, creative director Alessandro Michele. With a theatrical personality (likely influenced by his actress mother), fashion has become a sort of a beacon of beauty for the designer, capable of softening the ugliness of the world. An attitude now recognized on the catwalk, the label presented their 2018-2019 autumn/winter collection with a mix of references between the Occident and Orient ranging from turbans to balaclavas, metallic headgear, scarves, furs, velvets, fringes, cottons, and silks. Within the chaotic mix, Michele adds a heavy pinch of special effects and theatricality through decapitated heads and a baby dragon in the hands of a girl with an androgynous face. The designer’s particular predilection for unusual combinations (although the definition may seem too unlike Camp) is also reflected in the brand’s eccentric interior decoration.
Photo sets presenting the home collections of Gucci Decor (pictured below) are displayed as true wunderkammers, where objects are imbued with significance thanks to their rich abundance, aesthetic, and redundancy. Vintage pieces with a new style are thus unveiled alongside designs following the extravagant and romantic aesthetic of the brand. A soft sofa, for example, in acqua blue velvet takes after the forms of a shell with embroidered flowers and a vintage touch. Meanwhile, handprinted ceramics are reminiscent of rich credenza’s of the past, featuring logo prints with amusing and irreverent themes. Everywhere you look, flamboyance flourishes through bold colors, phrases, decorations, floral and velvet reliefs, damasks, capitonné, colored leathers, and an intrepid series of snakes and tigers imprinted on courageous wallpapers. Any way you put it, Gucci has a firm grasp on the world of Camp.
We continue our tour of the culture of Camp with yet another exaggerated and rebellious studio. Having recently moved to Milan, Studio Job tosses aesthetic rules to the wind when producing one-of-a-kind objects. Its founder, Job Smeets, made the transfer to the city of chic just in time for the 2019 Fuorisalone, opening the doors of his personal new home for an exclusive interview in striped pajamas and slippers. In an apartment reflecting his own taste, extraordinary artworks make the space appear as more of a gallery than a domestic hideaway. There, Smeets recounted his work, confirming what we knew of the innovative designer; without even knocking on Studio Job’s doors, a quick visit to their website greets visitors with a moving “Maximal we f*ck minimalism” banner, and a cursor that alternates between small illustrations of a shopping basket and a raised middle finger. On a virtual wall of comic book red bricks, crying lanterns seem to liquify in true Dalì style, armchairs are available in the form of a hamburger, poufs emerge from sharp rocks to end in soft velvets, vases arrive in the form of oversized dollars, and armchairs are exaggeratedly… presidential. In a true room of wonders, where each piece deserves its own in-depth analysis, Studio Job is Camp for its highly eccentric art pieces flaunting a developed thought. Whether political, satyric, and humanistic or aesthetic, classical, popular, and contemporary, Studio Job crafts products for a restricted group of collectors, or for everyone (pictured below).
Collaborating with various brands and galleries, Slovenian native Nika Zupanc has made a name for herself as a bold and bonafide design star. With her “punk elegance” and “techno chic” stylings, the creative is known for her work placing the unexpected at center stage, “communicating the things that cannot be told”. Nika embraces Camp with her attitude towards creation and a body of work that “challenges the rational, sober and utilitarian by giving voice to the intuitive, eclectic and intimate”. Emotionally charged pieces are exquisitely refinished with a touch of theatricality flaunting the flair of film noir, transforming the user into an actor (pictured below).
Of course our collection of Camp wouldn’t be complete without Jonathan Adler, an American ceramist turned interior designer whose projects are injected with an exuberant personality and eclectic, refined stylings. Environments created by the designer often resemble modern film sets, rich with vibrant artworks and one-of-a-kind objects. Unlike Nika, Adler’s adaptation of Camp takes a more cheery approach, striving to convey happiness, fun, irreverence, and joy — all of which emanate from the New Jersey native’s oeuvre. As the designer says himself, “We believe that your home should make you happy. We believe minimalism is a bummer”.
Ceramics, of course, lend themselves to the Camp movement, given the ease with which they’re molded and modified, assuming rich and detailed forms. Often painted with landscapes, animals, and brightly colored abstract geometries, variations also include Oriental ceramics — the maximum expression of minimalism. In a reference to their Camp counterparts, we look to the work of Lladró, a Spanish brand founded by Juan, José, and Vicente Lladró, which since 1953, has dedicated itself to the creation of porcelain sculptures. Experimenting with the expressive potential of the material, the label has teamed up with designers like Jaime Hayon, Paul Smith, Hisakazu Shimizu, and Marcel Wanders on exclusive collaborations. Through a laborious artistic process embracing figures of detailed flora, fauna, and humans, diverse geometric forms are assembled with both bold and soft colors. References for the pieces range from the classical to the contemporary, inspired by Mexican, Asian, and North African cultures. In the liminal space between digital and physical worlds, customers can purchase the brand’s porcelain work at Luisaviaroma, a Florentine clothing and design store with eclectic stylings — further proof of Lladró’s Camp nature (pictured below).
Moving on to another high-quality company working with the avant-garde, products from Edra are made with in-demand forms and materials, subscribing to the tenants of Camp culture. Inside the company’s vast catalogue, space is made for Humberto and Fernando Campana among others, who demonstrate how exaggeration can become sustainable. For the most part, their work is realized with recovered or natural materials (sticks, rope, bamboo, as well as dolls, puppets, and furs), celebrating chaos and abundance of colors and aesthetic codes alongside generous forms. With the Cipria sofa (pictured below), nine cushions featuring diverse forms are molded together with a casual effect featuring the softness and texture of makeup brushes. Adding further textural depth, a studied assortment of bright colors are contrasted with the natural tones of the eco-fur (pictured below).
From the world of fashion, our next example of excess comes from renowned brand Versace and their subsequent Versace Home collection. Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to finding the maison’s iconic medusa logo strewn over eccentric and baroque-styled furnishings and wallpapers along with the curls and the floral motifs printed across home ceramics and textiles. Gold and black abound in the interiors of Versace, distinguishing the brand’s concept of luxury. This year, however, the maison’s signature black and gold made way for a decidedly Camp color palette inspired by the 1994 autumn/winter collection as shot by Richard Avedon. The result was the Versace Home collection presented at Milan’s Fuorisalone 2019. Among the show’s standout furnishings were colored versions of the Pop Medusa chair in polyethylene and a dining table with pastel colors depicting monumental architectures, further personalized with colored plexiglass inserts. The latter was then surrounded by green, yellow, red, and blue chairs next to a shocking pink bed. In a total neon atmosphere, the Versace House, both kitsch and sophisticated, flaunted echoes of Camp culture throughout.
Then there are those, who rather than abandon gold for brighter chromatic combinations, have embraced the color, like GSI Ceramica, a leader in Italian and international ceramics. While we might be accustomed to seeing pastel colored bathrooms, from pink to acqua green, and blue, gold still remains a point of contention. What’s more, the bathroom, a private and intimate space, has stepped into the spotlight, with GSI proposing a complete line of gold bathroom furnishings under the name Gold Platinum, which looks to give the problematic color a contemporary twist. Thanks to developed functionality, technology, and studies, the exclusive collection presents a special scratch-resistant gold finish that renders surfaces more hygienic and resistant, to be paired with black and white paint. And although it might not be for everyone, GSI’s gold bathroom is a fantastically bold choice for those looking to incorporate Camp at home (pictured below).
“For Camp art is often decorative art,” Susan Sontag wrote. From Scarlett Splendour, products align much more closely with art than design, liberated through their presentation, which is more akin to prose than marketing. When it comes to storytelling, the brand has developed fertile terrain for exuberant emphasis, as seen in the Ciuco Cabinet, a container in the form of an animal designed by Matteo Cibic in brass and white resin with a naive and playful appearance. The story behind the piece recounts a midsummer party, where heiress Abigail Van Ross, Lady Beatrice and divine Princess Devyaani share a glass of wine and gossip alongside a magic Madame who warns that it, “Twas no longer ‘a kiss of a frog’ that would beget Prince Charming. The millennial tale involved a ‘selfie with a donkey’ to find one’s true calling”. The Animagic collection from Cibic is a celebration of animal forms and anthropomorphic design. With this project, Scarlett Splendour embraces Camp with a strange mix of humor, luxury, and pragmatism, creating more than simple furnishings, but magical, sculptural objects that take on a life of their own, generating new sensations and reactions (pictured below).
Nothing is more exaggerated and over the top than a mosaic engaging both vision and tact — an art not lost on Sicis, who since 1987 has pursued two goals: to render small tiles contemporary, and to transmit the concept of tiles not only as cladding, but design elements as a tool for communication and an expression of trends, tastes, and lifestyles. The creations to come from Sicis are both pictorial and abstract, presented as masterpieces of thorough research, technology, and aesthetic. Between the many models available, we look to the work of young designer Miriam Alìa, who uses tile to create a modern, feminine, and playful space with pop and punk flair, customizable in various color palettes. For the punk version, brilliant colors are combined with writings, geometries, and figures. With a strong personality placed center stage, the mosaic comes together as a statement piece of Camp rather than a backdrop (pictured below).
Like mosaics, even the wallpapers of today are no longer just cladding materials, but rather focal points to define a space. For a truly impressive effect, Inkiostro Bianco vaunts a catalogue with a rich variety of models. Flaunting countless different styles, finishes, and personalized drawings, clients can choose from more minimal options or pictorial, exuberant prints reproducing floral landscapes, much like those presented at Milan’s Fuorisalone 2019. Inkiostro Bianco is Camp for its tropical wallpapers, which draw inspiration from nature, depicting luxurious forests with large leaves, bold green tones, and colored parrots (pictured below).
Visionnaire, on the other hand, is a more classic brand, which has grown to become a leader on the international panorama of luxury design. Here, Camp emerges through forms, materials, and pairings from the lifestyle brand and a vision of total living, where no objects are wasted. At Visionnaire, furnishings are majestic and imposing, abounding anywhere and everywhere between richly veined marble tables, gold paired with prized stones or glass, and crystals that form the chandeliers of imperial halls (pictured below).
When it comes to the eclectic young brand JCP Universe, a fusion of art and design changes the status quo with a revolutionary approach pushing beyond the limits. Founded in 2016 by architect Livio Ballabio, JCP Universe looks to explore “other worlds”. Reading the company’s history, we stumble upon something mystical: “Inhaling the future, exhaling the past; spoiling the ticking of time by creating the impossible. Stories that make you reflect on their true meaning giving life to creations of worlds unseen. JCP is an imaginative universe that transforms our normality by encouraging us to reflect on our own way of life, here on Earth.” And it’s not too far off, with JCP products crafting out of this world environments. The brand represents Camp for its capacity to catapult us into other dimensions with raw objects that appear as meteorites, neon light effects from spaceships, archaeological ruins, primitive monoliths, or super light furnishings (pictured below).
Finally, a brand with a broad repertoire for theatricality, Houtique was introduced to the world of interiors in 2006, when it first began crafting bold decor with a strong personality. The label finds particular affinity in the world of fashion, transforming furnishings into stars on a stage with a vintage touch. Houtique’s predilection for fringes in design become the dressings for lamps and stools, bright colors, bold pairings, and unusual forms that are fun and flirty. Embracing the world of excess, this Spanish brand exudes Camp (pictured below).
To close our exploration of Camp, we look to one of Sontag’s favorite points, and a possible sigh of relief for some. “The discovery of the good taste of bad taste can be very liberating. The man who insists on high and serious pleasures is depriving himself of pleasure; he continually restricts what he can enjoy; in the constant exercise of his good taste he will eventually price himself out of the market, so to speak. Here Camp taste supervenes upon good taste as a daring and witty hedonism. It makes the man of good taste cheerful, where before he ran the risk of being chronically frustrated. It is good for the digestion”.
