OLAFUR THORDARSON
Gaetano Pesce, pesce, gaetano, italy, pesce

portfolio

collaboration with gaetano pesce 1990-1997

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Olafur Thordarson was the main project architect, designer, artist and right hand to Gaetano Pesce. Collaborator on all phases of architectural, industrial and furniture projects from design concepts to completed executions. Vice president of Pesce Ltd. in New York. Budget estimates, client meetings, site visits, travels abroad along with hirings and some office management.

 project highlights:

    
THE ORGANIC BUILDING, 1990-1993. Project architect and designer. The 9 story office building totals 78,000 s.f. Extensive correspondence with the Japanese consulting architects via fax. Site visit to Osaka. The project involved exterior design work, lobby design along with various custom made interior furniture and fixtures for the lobby. Working drawings and material samples. The building is a reinforced concrete structure, clad with precast concrete panels and pots in fiberglass. Window frames in anodized aluminum. The facade is a vertical garden, with dozens of various types of plants. The building was declared an official city garden.

     
PORTRAIT APARTMENT, 1991-1993. Project architect and designer for this 2,000 s.f. Park Avenue Apartment. Completely involved with all design work and project coordination. Designed much of the cabinetry to inventing the flooring concept to the design and casting of the translucent soft resin doors. Starting with a few cabinets, an extraordinary client and an unspecified deadline, the project grew into a design testing ground. It intrigued subsequent clients such as Jay Chiat of Chiat/Day and served as a model for Pesce projects that followed.

     
DUJARDIN CLOTHING STORES, 1994, 1995.  Project architect and designer. These Belgian stores for children's clothing were 6,000 s.f. and 2,000 s.f. Provided all initial design concepts and strategies and was in charge of the architectural design teams in New York. Also oversaw the design-making of furniture and the unique resin doors. Store logo and signage design. Trip to Brussels site.

   
GALLERY MOURMANS, 1992-1993. Project architect and designer. The 4,400 s.f. gallery explored a new way of exhibiting smaller scale pieces, concealing them within the gallery walls. Designed the first steel reinforced resin doors and a flexible resin sink. Trip to Belgium site.

   
TBWA Chiat/Day, (1993-) 1996. Project architect and designer. The virtual office was 50,000 s.f. on 37th and 38th floors in a downtown Manhattan highrise. Doubling and remodeling of the much celebrated Chiat/Day office. Poured a resin staircase connecting the two floors and made extensive design work throughout the offices

     
LES TEMPS DES QUESTIONS, 1995-1996. Exhibit design for a 15,000 s.f. Pesce retrospective at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Involved in most aspects of the work, including selection of pieces, display design and strategies. Catalogue graphic design, and resin cover. Designed and made prototypes of resin invitation, belt buckle, and brooche as handouts at opening.  ID Magazine award 1997.

 
UMBRELLA CHAIR, 1992-1995. All initial design concepts for this collapsible chair. Provided the idea for this piece through a small wire model, showing how one would collapse a chair into the shape of an umbrella. Drawings, color selection etc. Manufactured by Zerodisegno. ID Magazine award 1995.

FISH DESIGN 1994 -   Fish Design produced one of a kind housewares -as a subsidiary of Pesce Ltd. Involved with designs, research and development. Involved with castings of initial vase prototypes in 1993, lamp designs, technical production solutions, company logo and the miscellaneous organization relating to the company.

CAFFE FLORIAN CUP, 1995. Created the prototype and design of a cup/vase. Produced and then distributed during the 1995 Venice Biennale, Italy. It was later offered to new Domus magazine subscribers

CHRYSLER AWARD TROPHIES, 1994. Composed and cast ten individual trophies. Each hand made via lost wax method and cast in soft polychrome resin. These awards were given out by the Chrysler Corporation for excellence in design.

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project involvement :

ARCHITECTURAL  :
Aerosuisse garden, 1997
Pluralistic towers, Strasbourg/Rome, 1997
Office tower proposal, Brazil, 1997
Vertical Garden, Brazil, 1997
Oklahoma memorial, 1997
50 Triton Square, London, 1996-1997
Pesce residence, Brazil, 1996-
Binoche apartment, Paris 1996
W. W. II memorial, Washington DC, 1996
Arquitetura da luz, Brasil, 1996
TBWA Chiat/Day, New York, 1995-1996
Dujardin II, Belgium, 1995
Suares remodeling, New York, 1995
Dujardin I, Belgium, 1994
Chiat/Day, New York, 1993-1994
Vertical gardens, Paris, 1994
Private art gallery, Colorado, 1994
Mourman's residence, Holland 1994
Robbie Apartment, Belgium, 1993-1994
L'art des thes, restaurant, France, 1993
Gallery Mourmans, Belgium, 1992-1993
Portrait apartment, New York, 1991-1993
The Organic Building, Osaka, Japan, 1990-1993
Polyurethane house, 1992
Selestat cultural center, France, 1991
Italian Cultural Center, New York , 1991
Floating parking garage, Yokohama, Japan, 1991
Mourmans Apartment, Holland, 1990-1991

EXHIBIT/EXHIBIT DESIGN  :
Italian Trade Commission; Tile exhibit, Jacob Javits Center, New York 1997
Andy Warhol, Guggenheim Soho, 1997(-98)
Is the future now? Material-Connexion, New York 1997
Currents 69, St. Louis Art Museum, 1997
New York-New York, Material Connexion, New York, 1997
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France 1996
Neotu, Paris, France, 1996
CIRVA Glass Exhibit, Marseilles, France 92
Moda Italia,Tokyo, Japan, 1992
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel 1991
Peter Joseph Gallery, New York, 1991
Gallery Ma, Tokyo, Japan, 1991
Wexner center exhibit, Ohio, 1991

FURNITURE DESIGN  :
Eiber shelf #2, 1997
Peter Gabriel shelf, 1996
European Tables, 1996
Eiber shelf #1 (prelim, 1996
Tables, TBWA office, 1996
Computer carrels, TBWA office, 1996
Telephone booths, TBWA office, 1996
Lounge chairs, TBWA office, 1996
Do you still love me? cabinet, 1994
Flexible Mirrors, Dujardin, 1994
Lounge chairs, Dujardin, 1994
Resin and steel tables, Dujardin, 1994
Wooden cabinetry, Dujardin, 1994
Metal shelving, Dujardin, 1994
Furniture design work, Chiat/day, 1994
Umbrella Chair, Zerodizegno, 1992-1994
Umbrella stand, New York, 1993-1994
543 Broadway shelf, New York, 1993
Pratt chair castings, New York, 1993
Children's shelf in clothing, 1993
Mona Lisa cabinet, New York, 1992-1996
Anne Frank cabinet, New York, 1992-1995
Seaweed chair, New York, 1992-1993
Tree lamp, New York, 1992
Foam table with mask, New York, 1991
Human shape cabinet, Portrait apt., 1993
Copper cabinet, Portrait apt., 1991
Suspended cabinet, Portrait apt., 1993
Sleeping man cabinet, Portrait apt., 1991
Bookcases/cabinets, Portrait apt., 1991
Human felt cabinet, New York, 1991
Front desk design, Organic building, 1992
Massada lamp, New York, 1991

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN  :
FREE cigarettes, plastic objects, 1997
FIAT Automotive concepts, 1997
Flexible resin sink, 1997
Pirelli tires, 1997
Menorah light in resin, 1996
Resin doors, TBWA office, 1996
Resin staircase casting, TBWA office, 1996
Wall finishes, TBWA office, 1996
Caffee Florian cup/vase, Venice, Italy, 1995
Michelangelo picture frame, New York, 1995
Prototype resin vases, New York, 1994
Resin doors and doorhandles, Dujardin, 1994
Chrysler awards -resin trophies, 1994
Resin doors, Chiat/day, 1994
Fish design, New York, r&d, 1994-
Sound effect cups, 1994
Doors, misc items, Robbie Apt., 1993
Desk accessories for Peter Joseph, 1993
Picture frames, Portrait apt, 1993
Alvar Aalto models, Viipuri, 1993
Resin material testing, 1992-1996
Door handles and hardware, 1992-1996
Prototype first 'conical' resin vase, 1993
Resin doors, Portrait apt., 1991-1993
Door handles, Portrait apt., 1991-1993
Resin floor concept, Portrait apt, 1992
Resin sink, Gallery Mourmans, 1992-1993
Resin Doors, Gallery Mourmans, 1992-1993
Lualdi Doors, prototype designs, 1992-1993
Seaweed furniture for children, 1992
Vesuvio coffee maker, Italy, 1992
Chandelier, Musee de Lille, France, 1992
Shuman handbag designs,New York, 1992
Building directory, Organic Building, 1990-1993
Wall lamp, Organic Building, 1990-1993
Elevator button plate, Organic Building, 1990-1993
Door designs, Organic Building, 1990-1993
Flooring prototypes, Organic Building , 1990-1993

MATERIAL TESTING/SAMPLES/CONCEPTS :
Resin extrusion
Resin flooring as one continuous painting
Crushed aluminum can panels
Polyurethane foam walls
Translucent resin bricks
Resin building concepts

GRAPHIC DESIGN/IDENTITY :
C.G.Pompidou, catalogue, verious layout proposals, 1995-1996
Fish design, logo, 1994
Dujardin, store logo and signage, 1994
Gallery Mourmans, logo, 1993
Moda Italia Exhibit, logo, 1992
Gallery MA, catalogue, 1991

ART WORK :
Material Connexion, mural, 1997
Material Connexion, bracelet, 1997
C.G.Pompidou, invitation, 1995-1996
C.G.Pompidou, pin/brooch, 1995-1996
C.G.Pompidou, belt buckle/mask, 1995-1996
Suspended cabinet relief, 1993
Sun clock, 11' x 11' oil painting, 1991
Human cabinet, 11' x 4' oil painting, 1991
Moda Italia exhibit, color ink drawing, 1991
Tai sei, color ink drawing, 1991
Selestat, color ink drawings, 1991
Floating parking color ink drawings, 1991

PHOTOGRAPHY :
Misc Photos, Metropolis 5/97
Anne Frank model, Le Temps des Question, p.33 96
Material testing, Domus, p. 80,81 2/95
Caffe Florian cup, Temporanea p.29 95
Caffe Florian cup, Modo, p.41 7/95
TBWA Chiat/Day, New York Times, COVER 10/29/95

PUBLISHED WORK :
List as of  10/97
Umbrella Chair : Domus 9/95, Interni 9/95, MD 5/95, New York 6/11/95, Ottagono: 9/95, ID Design award '96, (more)
Caffee Florian cup : Temporanea Le realtá possibili del Caffé Florian 69 pgs. '95, Domus 7/95, Modo 6/95, (more)
Centre georges Pompidou : Le Temps des questions, ID Magazine award 96,
Dujardin : Abitare 2/96, l'Architecture d'Aujourd'ui 2/95, Design & Interiors, 9/95, Le Soir 8/94, WIND winter/95, (more)
Human shape cabinet painting  : Metropolis 11/93 p. 43,
Chiat/day, TBWA Chiat/Day, : Abitare, 2/95, Architectural Record 9/94, Architectural Review 1/95, Blueprint 10/94 pp.22-26, l'Architecture d'Aujourd'ui 2/95, Domus 3/95, Eciffo 9/94, Esquire 11/94, Graphics 1/95, ID Magazine 1995 design award, Interni 3/95, Interni 9/95, Jardin des Modes, 12/94, Metropolis 10/94, New York Times Mag 16/10/94, Progressive Architecture, 10/94, New York Times Real Estate cover 11/95, OFFICing 6/95, WIND winter/95, Arch+ 97,(more)
Gallery Mourmans : Abitare 12/93, Galleries Magazine 4/93, Jardin des Modes 5/93, Schoner Wohnen 1/94, (more)
Robbie Apartment : l'Architecture d'Aujourd'ui 2/95, Interni 9/94, Schoner Wohnen 2/95, Le Soir 4/95, (more)
Portrait apartment : Domus 4/94, Villas Decoration 3/94, Schoner Wohnen 94, New York 3/24/97, Ottagono 3/97 (more)
The Organic Building : Abitare 4/94, Architecture and Society 9/93, Design Quarterly 161 7/94, Designer's Workshop 4/92, Garden Design 2/95, Il Venerdi 7/95, Japan Architect aut/93, Kenchiku Bunka 6/91, Okura Lantern aut/92, New York Times 25/8/95, Nikkei Architecture 9/91, Shinkenchiku 5/93, Shokankyo 7/94, (more)
Vertical gardens : Garden Design 2/95, (more)
CIRVA glass exhibit : Abitare 9/92, Domus 4/93, Domus 11/92, Glass 7/93, ID Magazine 1/92, Interior Design 9/93, Interni 6/95, Jardin des Modes 10/92 and 10/93, Marseille Magazine 9/92, New York 3/93, Nikkei Design 8/94, Techniques & Architecture 12/92, Vogue Decoration 10/92, Artforum 1/95, Blueprint 10/94, Cinq techniques pour le verre a 270 page book published with the show, (more)
Moda Italia, Tokyo : Senken Deux Vol. 223 1992, (more)
1991 Book : Gaetano Pesce 120 Pages published alongside double exhibit in New York and Tel Aviv
FISH DESIGN : Architektur & Wohnen 5/95, Azure 11/95, Domus 11/95, I.D. Magazine 11/95, Jardin des Modes aut/95, Modo 4/95, I.D. Design award '96, (more)
VESUVIO Coffee maker : Capital 3/94, Casa Amica 12/93, Domus 8/93, I.D. Magazine 7/94, I.D. Magazine 11/94, I.D. Magazine 7/95, Jardin des Modes 6/93, Modo 8/93, Chandeliers, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, France : D'Architectures 6-7/97

Gaetano Pesce is an internationally renowned Italian designer/Architect born in 1939, working out of New York City as the President/owner of Pesce Ltd. Widely published and sought after speaker on issues relating to all design. His works are in the collections of major museums of the world and his architectural and industrial design work has had major influence on the design world in the last years.