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REISINGER (Unclassifiable)
REISINGER (Unclassifiable) is 344 beautifully printed pages with hundreds of images and many texts written by David Plaisant and philosopher Florencio Noceti, that charts the story of Argentinian artist Andrés Reisinger.
Over five chapters: Once Upon A Metronome, How It Feels, Making A Friend, A Divine Synchrony and The Flourishing the book becomes a sumptuous celebration of an artist that has invented his own genre. Using an entangled digital and physical toolset, Reisinger’s aesthetic (and beloved pink hues) continue to take over our visual language from Paris to Miami.
Graphic design by Lamas Burgariotti Madrid/Buenos Aires. Printed in Spain by Brizzolis, Madrid. Published November 2023.
Concept, Writing and Editing by David Plaisant.
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A meeting with Daniel Libeskind
“Memory is part of sustainability,” Daniel Libeskind told an audience of more than 700 attendees at the Fiera Milano’s International Elevator Exhibition held for the first time in November 2023. Although fresh from a visit to Milan’s City Life development where he designed the masterplan along with one of its three skyscrapers, he chose to focus globally. Two of his most prominent projects, the Jewish Museum Berlin and New York’s One World Trade Center, make his contribution to contemporary architecture self-evident.
“Architecture is the most political of all professions,” he said. “I might be a star architect but I am not immune to the metropolis.”
David introduced and moderated the event hosted by Schindler Italia S.p.A. on November 16th 2023.
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Quiet and present; reporting on Italy's mosques
The western world’s largest mosque happens to be in Rome and is a point of pride for the country’s Muslims, but its impressive scale and ornate design do not reflect their position in the country as a whole. Italy’s 1.5 million Muslims have a total of five “official” mosques. As most practicing Muslims make do with converted factories and warehouses to pray, the anti-islamic rhetoric continues to surface both from regional and national government.
Hyphen Online, September 2023.
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"The Art of Restoration" for Monocle Films
Working with a filmmaker in Rome and a Monocle producer back in London, we enter the world of art restoration in the short film (7mins). Writing the script, producing the multiple-day shoot and narrating the film allowed for this beautiful story from Monocle Magazine to come to life.
“Clad in white coats and working with a surgeon’s precision, these Rome-based fine-art restorers are on a mission to preserve the city’s cultural heritage”.
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Gestalten Verlag
Despite the Pandemic, David was able to travel in the mind at least by writing five profiles of five of the most exciting and influential architecture studios practicing in China today: Wutopia Lab, X+Living, Vector Architects, AZL Architects and Neri & Hu.
Beauty and the East, New Chinese Architecture published by Gestalten in 2021 presents the Chinese talent shaping an aesthetic bound by heritage and the surrounding environment. Adopting new methods and techniques, they are pushing design possibilities and influencing the watching world. From cultural institutions to cityscapes, explore the tantalizing world of Chinese architecture and get a window into the world of tomorrow
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NOMAD Communications Manager
Spring/Summer 2021. This involved working on all content and communication strategy in close collaboration with the founders and management team of NOMAD ST.MORITZ.
Launched in 2017, NOMAD has grown a reputation as being the foremost showcase for contemporary art and collectible design, showing the very best in both fields at an annual edition in the unique surroundings of the Engadin Valley in Switzerland.
As well as creating regular press releases and newsletters in the lead up to the four day fair in July 2021, David edited the NOMAD 2021 Catalogue, featuring the works provided by some of the world's most prestigious art and design galleries, a selection of which were included in the NOMAD x Christie’s auction.
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Monocle Book of Italy
Having spent more than a decade writing about Italy for Monocle, getting the chance to contribute to this rich visual and cultural volume dedicated to the country was a delight.
It’s a country that feels comfortingly familiar for many, yet beyond the clichés lies a complexity and variety that’s perpetually surprising. As well as featuring photography from many of David’s reports from Italy over the years, he contributed by way of new writing on topics as diverse as the art of Italian kitchen design to the kitschier side of Italian pop music. Also included is an ode to his home, the city Rome.
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Reporting for The Guardian
A report on the parlous state of the Italian capital’s public transport for The Guardian. Rome’s transit system lags behind virtually all European capitals, and plenty of Italian urban centres, too.
“Rome has been managed very badly for years, with mayors who lack vision,” Paolo Arsena says. “And this is a city that desperately needs vision.”
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New York Times for Alitalia
By creating a discerning, three-city guide in the form of a paid post by T Brand Studio, the brand marketing arm of The New York Times, an elevated, editorial style was able to showcase Alitalia’s Magnifica Class. From the eternal pleasures of Rome, to the fashion business buzz of Milan and where to avoid the crowds in the heart of Venice, An Italian Trilogy shows off the very best of Italy for its historic flag carrier.
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The Eye, world-leading creative directors
Edited by Nathan Williams, founder of Kinfolk Magazine, “The Eye” brings over 90 of the world’s leading creative directors into the spotlight in the form of a pleasingly substantial book format. David entered the realms of fashion writing and sat down with two very different women, both at the top of their games: icon of British design Margaret Howell and then creative director at Givenchy.
Over the course of her career, Howell has intentionally sidestepped an industry she has undeniably influenced. “I am a clothes designer rather than a fashion designer,” she says.
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The Kinfolk Entrepreneur: Nina Yashar
A book in Kinfolk’s best-selling series visits over 40 entrepreneurs who offer tips, advice and inspiration for anyone hoping to forge their own professional path through life. David sat down with someone who has become Milan’s most respected and surely, one of its most charming furniture dealers.
“All my friends thought I was crazy,” says Nina Yashar as she reclines on a curved Ico Parisi couch that sits somewhat adrift in Nilufar Depot—the enormous furniture showroom she created in 2015.
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The Voice of Salone
Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo (the body that runs the Salone del Mobile) and President and CEO of leading furniture company Arper, spoke frankly to David Plaisant on the state of the sector.
This is part of David’s regular contribution ‘The Voice of Salone’, the design fair’s own editorially driven content.