Here's a table football that's sure to unsettle purists! It's hard to imagine a candy pink kicker with Barbie dolls as players. And yet, designer Chloé Ruchon didn't hesitate for a second when the opportunity presented itself. Because the story of this table football is linked to an encounter, to a rather unexpected partnership...
An unusual table football born from an unlikely partnership
What if we told you that the game table in question is a Bonzini table football? As incredible as it may seem, it's indeed one of the most famous table football manufacturers on the planet that is behind this "UFO" (unidentified playable object). This extraordinary project was masterfully led by designer Chloé Ruchon in collaboration with the Mattel brand, and the least we can say is that it leaves no one indifferent. By bringing together two radically opposed worlds, on one hand the predominantly masculine sport and on the other the ultra-femininity, the designer aimed to get the public to reflect on the codes of our society and on preconceived ideas. A successful bet!
You may or may not like this girly and eccentric side, but you can't help but highlight the attention to detail in the extreme makeover of this ultra-feminine Bonzini table football: Barbie players, pink box, translucent handles... And it's a real collector's item! There are only eight pieces in the world, and the least we can say is that they've traveled a lot...
A table football star who's traveled!
The Barbie Foot was first the star of the DMY, the international design festival in Berlin, before being presented at the graduate exhibition of the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. The girliest football in the world also had its moment of glory in Paris when it was exhibited and then put on sale in the Colette store. This was followed by presentations in numerous renowned exhibition venues around the world:
- - the IKKS Junior store at the Lyon Off Contemporary Art Biennale,
- - the Nuit Blanche in Metz, in Guyancourt in "Figure Libre, when art hijacks sport",
- - the Wonder Room at Selfridges in London,
- - the Cité du Design in Saint-Étienne in the "Design and Football" exhibition,
- - the Levallois Town Hall,
- - the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt,
- - the "Toys and Men" exhibition at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris
Not bad for a table football, right?
Source: www.chloeruchon.com
