Art, fashion, design and multimedia cultural platform ‘Nowness', recently invited four Chinese photographers to interpret B&B Italia’s iconic Camaleonda sofa. It's a move that reverberates the creative spirit of designer Mario Bellini's 1970 classic.
Re-edited by Bellini to celebrate its 50th birthday in 2020, photographers Yi Tuo, Luo Yang, Feng Li and Jumbo Tsui have used the lens to describe the shape and function of the iconic sofa, "transporting it to a space of free imagination”. Each photographer explores the language of the Camaleonda in a personal way, highlighting its unique aesthetics and dynamic versatility.
Insights from the photographers x Nowness and the Camaleonda: Feng Li, Luo Yang, Jumbo Tsui and Yi Tuo.
Feng Li x Breeding Ground
With a focus on everyday life in the metropolis, Feng Li always explores the relationship between man and city - how the environment in which one lives shapes individuals and ignites the imagination, and vice versa. His first vision of Camaleonda is that of a sofa like a miniature city, but with a sense of comfort. He sees the city as an island on which everyone tries to build something for himself. By inviting nearby residents to participate in the shoot and using creative props, Camaleonda acts as a stage for reflecting on one's life and the environment. And to remember to remain humble but to have the courage to explore your emotions.
Photography: Feng Li | Styling: Frida Liao | Model: Sylvie Yu, AA CHU, Lucas Yee | Photography Assistant: XIE MIAOWEI | Fashion Credits: Penultimate, Louis Shengtao Chen.
Luo Yang x Pearl
Luo Yang underlines the touch and feel of Camaleonda. By creating a soft and natural palette and staging two women, the artist wants to emphasize the softness and versatility of the object. The models interact with the sofa to show the similarity between femininity and Camaleonda: independent but gentle.
Photography: Luo Yang | Model: Wenchu, IRIS | Photography Assistant: Xiao Tian, Hanyu, Cheng Qian | Post-production: Luo studio | Fashion Credits: RUI.
Camaleonda through the lens of photographer Feng Li whose focus on the quirky and imaginary side of everyday life in the metropolis, explores the relationship between man and city. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
Through the lens of phtographer Luo Yang, two models interact with the sofa to show the similarity between femininity and Camaleonda: independent but gentle. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
I chose photography because I felt that it serves as images just like films. I feel that I have this oppositional power – if it can be documented or presented, I think it will be very precious.
Luo Yang, photographer
Photographer Feng Li turns his lens to life in the metropolis and the dynamics between man and city. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
Jumbo Tsui's Sequence 3 plays with the sculptural connection between body and design. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
Phtographer Luo Yang explores femininity as both independent but gentle. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
Specialised in portraying still life, photographer Yi Tuo imagines the Camaleonda as a fruit, from maturity to decay. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
The structure of a sofa and the structure of a human body, it’s actually logically similar. Belly button. The rings on the frame. Above the frame, it has the foam, and an outer layer of skin. It’s the same as our body. I made a lively human being turn into something sculpture-like, whereas a sofa, something that is not alive is brought to life the moment a person sits on it.
Sequence 3 by Jumbo Tsui, photographer
Sequence 3 by Jumbo Tsui explores the scultpural relationship between the body and the Camaleonda. Photography c/o B&B Italia.
Jumbo Tsui x Sequence 3
Instead of focusing only on the shape of the Camaleonda, Jumbo focuses on the details, observing how the leather upholstery interacts with the capitonné design and the “folds” of the seat. The design and structure of the sofa reminds him of the human body - how our skin naturally presents itself with different lines and textures over the years. Jumbo developed the concept by observing how the surfaces of the human body and of Camaleonda interact, integrate and adapt.
Photography: Jumbo Tsui | Model: Sales Silva Pedro Augusto M2 | MUA: Wang Min | Hair Stylist: Gu Zixin Salsa Studio | Producer: Mac Zhou Shelter Production.
Yi Tuo x Parcel
Specialising in portraying still life, Yi Tuo invites you to imagine Camaleonda as a fruit that experiences three changes in status: from maturity to withering. The outer part undergoes change while the core remains intact. This concept stems from the perception of Camaleonda as a timeless design icon that remains intact throughout its life cycle. The photo triptych can also be read in a backward (rewind) timeline, which is Yi Tuo's attempt to show the product's circularity and sustainability.
Photography: Yi Tuo | AD: KiKi | Photography Assistant: JiaQi | Florist: Lumos Flower.
B&B Italia and the Camaleonda are available exclusively in South East Asia from Space – Australia – and Space – Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
