THE COLLECTION
Virgilio Forchiassin (Italian)
Spazio Vivo (Living Space) Mobile Kitchen Unit
Mobile Kitchen Unit
- Manufacturer:
- Snaidero, Italy
- Date:
- 1968
- Medium:
- Steel, plastic laminate and plywood
- Dimensions:
- 36 1/4 x 48 7/8 x 48 7/8" (92 x 124.1 x 124.1 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Gift of the manufacturer
- MoMA Number:
- 422.1972
Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen
September 15, 2010–March 14, 2011
This hinged, mobile kitchen on castors incorporates a stove, small refrigerator, pull-out cutting board, and a surprising abundance of storage space. It was shown in MoMA's landmark 1972 exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, which celebrated innovative, flexible designs responsive to new ideas about casual and adaptable living. In considering this dynamic, compact unit, Time magazine noted its cultural significance: "In a country like Italy, where the kitchen is still a kind of sacred cave presided over by a mother-goddess, the design of a cooking module that can be rolled about and plugged in anywhere has profound implications. Not, perhaps, the immediate death of the nuclear family—but certainly a substantive critique of it."
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