Just as dissections in 7th grade science class teach us about the inner workings of a living body, the structural interior of a sculpture shines a spotlight on the process of design. After seeing the Clouds and Birds by Benedetta Mori Ubaldini for Magis that were shown at Salone del Mobile 2012, the educational breakdown of form became obvious while the pieces remain decorative. hanging from the ceiling of a classroom, a home, or in contract settings.

Cloud wire sculpture. Designed by Benedetta Mori Ubaldini. Manufactured by Magis.

Wire-Formed Clouds and Birds Hang Lightly from the Ceiling with Obvious Structural Integrity.

Categorized by Magis as part of their Me Too Collection for children, Clouds and Birds are stylishly molded pieces made from chicken wire. While their frame would normally form the inner working of a sculpture, Ubaldini uses the raw aesthetic in a white finish as the final product, hiding nothing to the imagination other than the images one might see within the clouds. The designer remarks, “My starting point was the desire and the vision to fill large spaces with a symbolic and poetic narrative of mine. Clouds and Birds are the result of this vision: sculptures in metal mesh without internal structure, where the play between presence and absence becomes the poetic element of the work.”

Bird wire sculpture. Designed by Benedetta Mori Ubaldini. Manufactured by Magis.

The Magis stall at the Milan Furniture Fair this year was of a similar feel – entirely in wood and with open sides to make sure each corner of the exhibit area is clearly visible. Thanks to the bulbous cloud and abstract bird made from Ubaldini’s wise hand at wire mesh molding, the vertical space dedicated to her at the Magis booth draws our energy upwards.

“The metal mesh, which is usually a hidden material used only as internal frame for sculptures, finds in these objects its own beauty and transforms into figures and objects of a poetic world,” continues Ubaldini of her Clouds and Birds sculptures. “Magis turns these handmade sculptures into products for the mass production, enriching in this way its Me Too Collection of two new and extraordinary objects.”

About the Manufacturer: Founded in 1976 by the Italian, Eugenio Perazza, Magis is “a giant international design laboratory.” By hiring designers like Benedetta Mori Ubaldini, as well as Zaha Hadid, Tom Dixon, and Phillipe Starck, Magis maintains its reputation for “technological sophistication” and “good intellectual capital.” A factory-free organization, Magis is able to continually work on R&D activities by outsourcing its manufacturing. Magis also produces a line of furniture and accessories for children called Me Too that features the Clouds and Birds sculptures, and other pieces, new for 2012.