Memphis is perhaps recognized today as a classic 80s aesthetic more than anything else. However, the style emerged from the work of an Italy-based international design group. Rooted in anti-modernist tenets, their ideas aimed to express and exemplify postmodern ideas about the role of design in our lives.
Given that the Memphis movement’s aesthetic qualities are today easily confused with “just an 80s vibe,” I decided to approach the project from the roots rather than the leaves; in other words, I decided to take inspiration from the ideas that sustain the group’s work more than from the forms that manifest them.
The resulting domino set is made up of paper pieces that double as small trinket boxes. Upon unraveling them, players can find snippets of information about the Memphis group and its original members.
